Chapter 20

I wanted to curl up and die. I’d already lost everything that I loved and my dreams of having a perfect life were over. I ran around the room, looking for something that could save me, but found nothing. Only hopelessness and darkness.

I could feel the end coming.

And finally, I gave up.

After looking around feverishly, I silently said goodbye to my parents and then ran full-force toward the man that I loved, only to collapse in his arms, dead.

From a broken heart.

“Very good, Emmalynne!” Miss Diane called out from her place at the front of the room. “You’ve truly tapped into the emotions of Giselle today. I’d still like to see more decisive footwork, though. Each step should have meaning, a purpose. Otherwise, good job.”

Zhara helped me up from where I’d crumpled to the ground during Giselle’s death scene—the one we’d be performing for our audition the following week—and we bit back smiles until we’d turned away from our ballet mistress.

It never boded well to be cocky around our teachers.

“Um, that was the equivalent of a standing O, coming from her,” Zhara said quietly as we walked to the back to grab some water.

Today was an open session, meant to give us all some much-needed time to practice our audition pieces before the moment of truth. Most of us had been practicing on our own anyway, but having the extra time worked into our schedules always made things easier. Plus, we were all aware that we were being watched and critiqued now, even before the real auditions got underway. At a company like RBC, watchful eyes were always around, judging, evaluating, criticizing. You could never let your guard down, because if you did, it would cost you.

“I’m just glad she saw that pass, instead of the one from earlier,” I breathed. “I was really feeling it that time.”

Zhara nodded. “You put the ‘hope’ in ‘hopeless’ for sure,” he said. “Keep that up and Giselle is yours.”

I beamed, hoping he was right.

The truth was, I knew my dancing was up to snuff, but that didn’t mean that someone else hadn’t been practicing their asses off, as well. Someone like Scarlett. I took a moment to look around the room and watch my competition. A few girls were dancing the same scene I’d be trying out with, but I knew that their technical skills were levels below mine. The others who were taking on more dance-heavy sections couldn’t seem to make it look as effortless as the part called for.

As I guzzled down some water, my eyes finally found Scarlett and Preston as they danced across the room. They were practicing a series of turns that ended in a lift, Preston’s hands cradling the blonde gently over his head. I thought back to the time we’d partnered together in class and began to smile. The way he’d gripped my waist as I’d soared through the air—I’d been too caught up in dancer politics to really enjoy the moment for what it was. Exhilarating.

When class finally ended, we packed up our stuff to leave. Zhara had errands to run and I had stuff to take care of at home, so we said our goodbyes at the studio doors and I began my walk back to the apartments by myself.

As my flip-flops made click-clacking sounds on the pavement, I checked my phone for messages. Agent Walker hadn’t contacted me since our last conversation. The one where I’d fessed up to seeing Kyle.

I checked my phone and when I saw his name on my missed calls list, I grinned.

Guess the agent didn’t hold grudges.

I dialed his number and didn’t have to wait long. He answered on the first ring.

“Emmy, thank God,” he said into the phone. “Where are you? Are you okay?”

My stomach dropped. This wasn’t what I’d been expecting.

“I’m just leaving the studio and heading home. I’m fine,” I said, my voice suddenly weak with nerves. “What is it? What happened?”

There was a pause in our conversation, as he said something to someone near him, covering the mouthpiece of his phone so everything came out like a mumble.

“Good. That’s good. Emmy, stay where you are. Out in the open, where there are others around. Is Zhara there, too? Have him hang out with you until I get there, okay?”

“Zhara’s not here,” I said, blankly. “Agent Walker, what’s going on? You’re scaring me.” I looked around, suddenly feeling like I was in danger. But it was bright and sunny outside, the exact opposite of what you’d associate with something scary.

“Emmy…Kyle’s gone,” he said, his voice clipped and serious.

“What?” I said, nearly choking on the word.

“He broke out of custody while he was at the courthouse for arraignment. It’s a long story, and I’ll explain it once I get to you, but for now, I need you to be smart,” he said. “Please do what I ask. Stay there. I’m coming to you now.”

My whole body went numb.

Kyle was out?

I couldn’t even begin to fathom what this meant. I remembered the last thing Kyle said to me and shivered. Now I realized it had been a warning and not just an empty threat.

You’re really lucky that I’m in here and not out there with you right now.

Well now he was out, and coming after me.

We hung up and I stood there, just outside the studio parking lot, paralyzed. A loud conversation erupted behind me, and I jerked around to see a few dancers leaving and heading toward me. Remembering that I’d promised Agent Walker I’d stay close to the studio and out in the open, I walked back shakily, passing the kids along the way. I collapsed onto one of the benches outside the studio doors and tried to wrap my head around what was happening.

There were so many questions running through my mind. How had Kyle broken out? How long had he been gone? Would he come to find me or would he do the smarter thing and disappear? Self-preservation would surely have him running as far away from me as possible, but his obsession…that could lead him right to me.

And what would happen then?

A loud bang rang out to my right and my head jolted in the direction of the noise. Heart pounding and eyes wide, I searched frantically for the cause of the sound. I half expected Kyle to peek out from behind a parked car or drive by in his black Prius, waiting for the perfect moment to grab me and do God knows what…

“Hey.”

A strangled cry escaped my lips as I turned back to see that I was no longer alone on the bench.

“Jesus, Preston, stop doing that!” I shouted, my fear coming out as anger.

“Stop doing what?” he asked, confused.

“Sneaking up on me!” I said. My heart was pounding and my adrenaline was surging, making it impossible to sit still. So I stood up and took a few steps away before crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at him.

“I wasn’t sneaking up on you. In fact, I wasn’t really being quiet at all,” he said, his eyebrows knitted. “I thought you heard me coming.”

“Well, I didn’t,” I said, crossly. Now that some of the initial shock had begun to wear off, I could see that I was being unfair and tried to calm myself. “What do you want, Preston?”

“Um, to say hi?” he said, choosing his words carefully.

“Oh. Hi,” was all I said, and after an awkward silence, I realized he was waiting for me to say something else. “How’s it going in there? Has Scarlett threatened to scratch your eyes out yet?”

I tried to force myself to listen to his response, but it was difficult considering the news I’d just been given about Kyle.

Kyle was out there.

“Come on, she’s not so bad,” Preston said with a smile.

I gave him a look that said I didn’t believe him.

“Really!” he replied, sounding sincere. “You should try to cut the girl some slack. She really looks up to you, you know.”

I snorted, momentarily forgetting where I was or what I was doing out here in front of the studio. “I think it’s more like she’s keeping her enemies closer,” I said. “I know she’s your partner and all Preston, but the girl is awful. She’s always doing things to get under my skin.”

Preston was quiet for a minute and glanced over at the studio door before continuing. “Look, I get it. But it’s all she knows,” he confessed. “Scarlett sort of has a tough relationship with her parents. Her dad’s this emotionless man who expects all of his kids to be the best at something. One brother’s in the minor leagues, another was star quarterback in high school and the last started his own online company at the age of 15 which is worth over a million now. Scarlett’s the only girl, and the youngest, so there’s a lot of weight on her. From what she’s told me, it was her dad who insisted that she leave home and come here. They basically kicked her out. Can you imagine what that’s like?”

I shook my head, surprised. I’d been the one who’d had to convince my parents to let me come to RBC. If I hadn’t, they never would’ve considered it. And being away from them, dancing, that had always been my choice.

“I think she butts heads with the rest of you, because she wants them to be proud of her,” he said slowly. “And you’re the last big obstacle to her achieving that.”

I sighed. “Okay, that’s pretty horrible,” I admitted. It had been easier to think of Scarlett as just another spoiled brat, not as someone who was horribly sad. Now I was going to have to bite my tongue every time she said some snide comment under her breath, because it was the right thing to do given the circumstances. “I’ll try to be nice to her.”

A loud wailing rang out to our right and I jumped nervously. Looking around, I saw that it was just a kid down the street, throwing a temper tantrum. His mom begged him to quiet down, but he just kept screaming and screaming.

Horrified, I realized that I’d let my guard down while talking to Preston, and the psycho could’ve shown up without me knowing it. Hell, he could be there now. All because I’d been distracted by a boy.

I looked down and realized that I was trembling.

“Emmy, are you okay?”

I got up and began to pace the area in front of him as the urge to laugh crept into my throat. Because things were definitely not okay. Things might never be okay again. And I had no idea how to deal with that.

I started shaking my head furiously, and then kept doing it because it made the world around me go blurry. And I liked that. It made reality feel further away somehow. But then suddenly a hand was gripping mine, and a cool palm pressed itself against my cheek, forcing me to stop moving. When my eyes finally focused again, they were looking at Preston.

“What happened?” he asked, his voice strong but worried. I didn’t fight him as he pulled me down to sit on the bench again. Our knees touched and I looked down at them, surprised that I’d notice a little detail like that with everything that was going on. For a minute I just stared at the place where our bodies connected and allowed myself to get lost in that feeling. The one that anchored me to that place at that time. Because in that moment, I was alive.

But reality’s a bitch and as much as you try to blur those lines, everything eventually comes back into focus.

“He got out,” I whispered, surprised to hear my own voice.

“Who got out?” Preston asked. Then, a few seconds later, I heard him take in a long breath. “This has to do with that case you helped out with. The guy you helped them get? They let him go?”

“They didn’t let him go,” I said, looking up finally and surveying the area. “He… broke out.”

“What?” Preston asked, his eyes widening. “How-how dangerous is this guy, Emmy?”

I cringed as I thought about all the things Kyle was accused of doing. And then I thought about his threat to me.

“You know the Grim Reaper?” I asked without enthusiasm. “This guy’s worse.”

“You’re kidding, right?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I wish I was.”

After a few seconds Preston took out his cell phone. “Well, we’ve gotta call the cops,” he said.

“Who do you think told me he’d gotten away?” I asked, the words coming out harsher than I’d intended. “Agent Walker’s on his way over here now.”

“Agent Walker,” Preston repeated. I couldn’t be sure, but I thought there might have been a hint of jealousy in his voice. But he changed the subject without saying anything else about the agent. “Why is this guy coming after you, anyway?”

Now I looked him straight in the eyes. “You think I did something to make this psycho target me?” I asked, getting frustrated.

“No, but, well, there has to be a reason, right?” Preston asked.

“There is,” I said sharply. “He’s a psychopath. Look, I barely knew the guy. Talked to him a few times while working at the station. And then he started stalking me. Popped up wherever I went, fantasized about having a relationship with me. Now he’s pissed because I didn’t go along with his delusions. So don’t you dare make it seem like I deserve any of this.”

I reached down and snatched my ballet bag off the ground where it had fallen and then turned to leave. I knew I couldn’t go far, but I didn’t have to sit here and be grilled by a guy who obviously knew nothing about me.

“Emmy, wait,” Preston said, getting up and moving to follow me. “I’m just trying to help.”

“You know what, Preston? The truth is, I don’t know you. Just like I didn’t know him. For all I know, you could be crazy, too,” I said, angrily. “So do me a favor and just leave me alone.”

For a minute, Preston looked like I’d slapped him. As his eyes narrowed at me and his mouth drew into a tight line, I took another cautious step backward and waited for him to retaliate. But all he did was turn and stomp away.

When he was gone, I let out a ragged breath, and felt tears sting the corners of my eyes. It was true, I didn’t know Preston very well, but I knew enough to recognize he wasn’t a threat to me. Not that my ability to judge a person was at an all-time high or anything, but still. So why was I punishing him?

A car honked as it drove up to the space in front of the studio and I looked over to see Agent Walker in the driver’s seat. He didn’t appear all that happy, but I could tell he was relieved to see me. And honestly, I was happy to see him too.

I glanced back to where Preston had disappeared along the trail to our apartments, and then sighed as I walked over to Agent Walker’s car and slid inside.

“Everything okay?” he asked me out of the corner of his eye. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the highway.

“Sure. Everything’s just peachy,” I said, sarcastically.

“Okay. Stupid question,” he conceded. He paused and then added, “I won’t let him hurt you, Emmy.”

“Do you really think you can stop him?” I asked, more as a statement than a question.

“I can sure as hell try,” Agent Walker said between clenched teeth.

I watched houses fly by silently as we headed toward the station, and replayed the fight I’d had with Preston over and over in my head. Finally, something seemed to click.

“I can make it harder for him to get to me,” I blurted out.

Agent Walker gave me a weird look and then, realizing what I meant, shook his head. “You need to leave that up to us, Emmy,” he warned.

“I’m not talking hunting him down and going one on one or anything,” I said, an idea beginning to form.

“Good, because that’s sort of against procedure…” he joked.

“But I can’t exactly ignore that this is happening anymore, right?” I said, trying to explain things. “Trust me, I tried and it didn’t work. But, you said that there are things people like me can do to make myself less of a target. Maybe if you taught me some stuff, I’d be less likely to walk into a bad situation.”

“Okay,” Agent Walker said slowly, trying to piece together what I was saying. “So, you’re actually ready to hear my suggestions?”

I almost laughed at the incredulous look on his face. “Yes,” I said, nodding. “I need to be prepared. You know, in the event you’re not around to protect me.”

Agent Walker grew quiet again and I bit the inside of my cheek as I waited for him to respond. When he finally did, I could tell by the sound of his voice that I’d convinced him.

“Okay,” he said.