One Big Mistake - Jennifer Youngblood Page 0,41

ticked at her, Hartley was glad to have him here with her.

Officer Dowell motioned to the sectional sofa where Ava was sitting. “Shall we?”

“Just a minute,” Ramsey said in a tone that dared anyone to challenge him. “I have something I need to take care of first. Where’s Bryan?” he barked, glancing around the room.

The security guard in question was standing by the door. “Here,” he said, his face turning cherry red.

The guy had a guilty look in his eyes, and Hartley could tell the twenty-something-year-old was petrified of Ramsey. Yep, she could certainly see why Cash wanted Ramsey in charge. He was the type to bust heads and ask questions later. Even now, despite all of her turmoil, Hartley couldn’t help but be impressed with Ramsey’s assertiveness. He was a warrior in every sense of the word. A fine-looking warrior … fine as raspberry wine, as Barb had said. Laughter tickled Hartley’s throat. Why was she thinking about what Barb said right now? Was she totally losing it?

Ramsey marched up to Bryan and got in his face. “You left your post!” Ramsey thundered. “I wanna know why!”

“I—I had to,” Bryan stammered as he shrank back. He looked down at his hands as red blotches crawled up his neck.

“What do you mean you had to? I gave you a direct order not to leave your post.” The vein in Ramsey’s neck was corded, and he looked like he might punch Bryan.

Hartley had chit chatted with Bryan a few times. He seemed like a good guy. He had a wife and kid back in Nashville. Hartley knew that Bryan hoped to one day break into the music business.

“I’m sorry,” Bryan uttered hoarsely.

Ramsey blew out a heavy breath of disgust. “You’re fired!”

Bryan’s jaw fell. “But that’s not fair. You don’t understand. I just—”

“Life is rarely fair,” Ramsey cut in. “There’s no excuse for what you did. I need people I can trust.”

Hartley’s stomach dropped. She looked at Cash whose face had gone pale. However, Cash remained quiet. He was letting Ramsey call the shots. That was all well and good, but Ramsey hadn’t had a chance to get to know Bryan. She didn’t want the guy to get fired because of her. Her feet started moving quickly as she stepped up to Ramsey and placed a hand on his arm. “Give him a chance to speak,” she urged.

Surprise moved over his features before a marble popped out at the corner of his jaw. His eyes locked with hers, the intensity of his glare burning through her. “If Bryan hadn’t left his post, the intruder wouldn’t have gotten into your dressing room. You could’ve been killed.”

Hartley caught the blip of fear in Ramsey’s eyes. She saw his anguish, the flash of tenderness in his expression. Her heart softened with the knowledge that he truly did care about her. That knowledge was like a flicker of light in an otherwise pitch-black room. She just needed to hold onto that light and move towards it with all the strength she could muster. “At least hear him out,” she implored. “He may have a good explanation for stepping away from the door.”

Indecision trickled into Ramsey’s eyes and then his shoulders relaxed a fraction. He turned to Bryan. “Okay, what happened?”

“A guy was passing by. He had a press pass on a lanyard around his neck. He was friendly. He struck up a conversation about basketball. The guy had a box of brownies. He offered me one. They looked good, so I took one.” Bryan grimaced. “Twenty minutes later, my stomach started cramping. I had to run to the bathroom.” His cheeks reddened. “Diarrhea.”

“What did he look like?” Ramsey fired back.

“Dark hair, mustache. Dressed in a button-down shirt and jeans. Either late twenties or early thirties.”

“I need to check the security footage,” Ramsey said, a new layer of eagerness peaking out beneath his austere disposition.

“What should I do?” Bryan asked, giving Ramsey a hopeful look.

Ramsey turned to Hartley. “Are you seriously still performing tonight?”

“I have to,” she said fiercely, “for my own sanity.”

Time seemed to stand still as they eyed one another. Finally, Ramsey’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. “Okay, after the police get done with their questions, go to Ava’s dressing room. Y’all can both get ready for the concert there.”

Hartley turned to look back at Ava. “Are you okay with that?”

“Of course,” she said.

Ramsey looked at Bryan. “Your assignment is to guard that dressing room with your life. This is your last chance. Don’t mess