Breaking Stars - J. Sterling Page 0,100

covering her eyes. Her head turned in my direction, and she gave me a little smile before making a quick right out of her complex. I stood there dumbfounded, feeling like a fish out of water as cars peeled out of the parking lot to follow her. My stomach churned at the sight, and I felt helpless as I realized she was being relentlessly chased.

Damn it, why aren’t superpowers real?

Scanning the single photographer left, I turned toward the guy, who looked to be about my age. I took a step in his direction, and his dark, beady eyes watched my every move as his fingers tightened their grip on his camera.

“So, why are you still here?” I asked, trying to keep my tone calm when my insides were anything but. “Why didn’t you chase Paige like all the others?”

He pulled a baseball cap from his back pocket and tugged it over his jet-black hair, his tanned face suddenly shaded as he nodded at me. “One of the other guys on my crew followed her, so I stayed here with you. Maybe you’ll tell me all about the cheating and give me an exclusive?”

I narrowed my eyes and swallowed the growl that wanted to escape at his accusations. “There was no cheating,” I said, my response clipped.

“So, why are you here, Tatum?”

“I came here for her,” I admitted before snapping my lips shut.

“Then why’d she leave without you?”

Good question. No, great question.

“Do you know where she was going?” I asked, wondering how much guys like this knew about her.

He shrugged. “Probably to Quinn Johnson’s house, but she could be going anywhere. To see her agents, or her parents in the valley. Who knows, really?”

“Thanks,” I said before walking away.

“Hey, wait!” he shouted, and I stopped. “Will you give me a quote? Tell me something? Anything?”

I sucked in a lungful of air before responding, “No.” Then I turned back toward Paige’s apartment building, and the guy from the concierge desk held the door open for me as I walked back inside the lobby.

“She left. You know she left, right?” the man asked, his accent so thick he was hard to understand.

I nodded. “I wanted to talk to you. I can’t trust that kind of guy out there.” I lifted my chin in the direction of the lone paparazzi. “But I figured that you, I could trust.”

He smiled and extended his hand. “I’m Samuel Montoya, but everyone calls me Sam.”

“Nice to meet you, Sam. I’m Tatum Montgomery.” Our hands met, and he gripped mine tighter than I had anticipated.

“I know who you are. Read all about you this morning.”

“Right. So, about that—” I started, but Sam’s expression turned serious and his eyes grew wide.

“Mr. Montgomery?” he interrupted, and I dipped my head toward him, thinking he was about to divulge some secret. “Mr. McGuire is pulling up.”

“Mr. McGuire? You mean Colin? He’s here?”

He nodded. “Yes, sir. That is most certainly his car.”

I turned around to see a sporty black Porsche pull up outside with blacked-out windows, black rims, and all-black wheels. What a douche. The door opened and Colin climbed out. Bracing myself, I hadn’t expected to see him again so soon. Or ever, for that matter.

Watching as he held up one finger toward the valet to signal that he would be right back, he entered the lobby where I stood with Sam. He pulled off his sunglasses before squinting at me, as if trying to place exactly how he knew me. I could tell exactly when he connected the dots, because his expression turned smug.

“Oh, you’ve got to be shitting me. What the hell are you doing here, country boy? Come all the way to LA to face the music?”

Instinctively, I straightened my spine and pulled back my shoulders, reminding Colin just how much taller and bigger I was than him. “Face the music? What the hell are you even talking about? The real question is what you’re doing here. I’m pretty sure Paige doesn’t want to see you.”

“And how would you know that? I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want to see you either, or you wouldn’t be sitting in the lobby right now. Am I right?”

Touché.

“Miss Lockwood gave me strict instructions. She does not want to see you, Mr. Colin,” Sam said from behind his desk, and I tried to hide the smart-aleck grin that spread across my face.

Colin looked me straight in the eye. “It’s good that you’re here. Now people will really believe the rumors about you and her.