Page 6 of Guarding the Rock Star
“Chloe, for God’s sake, don’t stare at the woman while her teeth are out of control,” Tasha rebuked. “It’s rude.”
She turned and gave me another one of those big fake smiles that didn’t reach her eyes. It made me wonder what it would be like to earn a genuine smile from her. I took a deep breath, willing my fangs to retract.
“As I was saying before, I appreciate you coming by like this, but I was very clear with Chloe that I don’t want a bodyguard.”
“That’s too bad,” I rebutted, “because you’ve got one. I’m not going anywhere, which means you’re stuck with me until we figure out who’s harassing you.”
Across the table, Chloe snickered into her cup. We both ignored her, our gazes locked together in a silent battle. My mate had a lot of spunk, which I would appreciate if she wasn’t using it to defy me.
“I don’t think you understand,” Tasha tried again. “I’m in charge here, and I don’t want you here.”
My mind immediately went to the idea of her being in charge in other places. Like the bedroom. My fangs pressed against my gums again as filthy images ran through my mind. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.
“Not used to being told no, huh Princess?”
“Excuse me!” The polite veneer cracked, giving me a glimpse at the fiery woman beneath. She was magnificent. “You don’t get to call me a princess!”
“To be clear, I’m in charge here, not you, and I’m not going anywhere. Now tell me everything you know about this stalker, and don’t leave anything out, no matter how small,” I ordered.
When Tasha just crossed her arms under her breasts and glared at me, the business manager cleared her throat.
“Tasha,” Chloe said, her tone pacifying. “We’re all just trying to help here. Tell Wanda what she needs to know to keep you safe. The sooner she finds this guy, the sooner we can put this all behind us.”
“I don’t know too much,” Tasha finally said, her tone resigned. “I started getting these weird letters like two months ago. They were always the same: block letter printing calling me a freak or an abomination who needs to be with a quote ‘real man’. At first, I just figured it was some incel living in his mother’s basement or something.”
She paused to take a bite of her sandwich, her full lips closing around the bread in a way that gave me completely inappropriate thoughts. Just like Chloe had predicted, Tasha had cut off the crusts, leaving them in a small heap on her plate.
“Incel?” I asked in confusion.
“You know, the involuntary celibates, guys who can’t get any action, so they spend their time living in their parents’ basements playing video games and bashing women online with misogynist bullshit.”
I shook my head. The older I got, the harder it was to keep up with all the new slang.
“What happened then?”
“Then, when?” Tasha asked in confusion.
“You said at first you thought they were just incels sending letters, but now things have escalated and you don’t think it’s the basement dwellers anymore?”
I knew a lot of this from the file that Lois had given me. As usual, she’d done a very thorough intake. But I always liked to hear what was going on directly from the client. Sometimes there were clues in the wording or nuances that were missed the first time around.
Tasha sighed deeply like I was putting her out by trying to save her life. She was a bit of a brat. Fortunately for her, I loved to tame brats.
“Recently the letters started getting more specific. Referencing places I’d been or was going to be, things that the general public wouldn’t know. Last week they started including other stuff like dead flowers and,” her face took on a look of distaste, “severed parts of dead animals.”
I looked at Chloe. “I need a complete schedule for any activities coming up in the next week.”
“On it,” she said, pulling out her iPad. “Do you want it on paper?”
“You have it in an online calendar I assume?” At her nod I said, “Share it with me via email.”
After I rattled off one of my throwaway email addresses, I turned my attention back to Tasha. My mate.
“I’m going to stay with you twenty-four seven until this is over. You will not go anywhere without me. Don’t go for coffee, don’t pick up the mail, don’t walk the dog without me by your side.”
“I don’t have a dog,” she said in confusion.
“You should get one, they’re great for protection.”
