Starlet: A Dark Retelling - Cora Kenborn Page 0,93
missing.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Angel
For the last hour, Dominic and I have sat in silence on opposite ends of the cinema room couch. I don’t know why we ended up here. Maybe because it’s the room most likely to contain whatever ugly truth eventually spills out of both of us.
We’re both swimming in oceans of lies, barely keeping our heads above water. But the sea is a vast, dark place, and we can only fight for so long before we both slip under the surface. Dominic has retreated into a dangerous shell I’m afraid to break, and I’m haunted by a nightmare that won’t leave me.
The girl in my dream looked like me. A mirror image, but different. I know her. I’ve heard her voice so many times before. In dreams. In my head. In whispers. But seeing her and touching her has changed everything.
“You’ve protected her for so long, but she’s getting stronger. You know it; you just can’t see it.”
Brenda McCallum’s words echo in my head, and I know she was right. I’ve known it all along, and last night the power shifted, and I became the weak one. I’m no longer in control.
“I want you to break your contract.”
The words feel like a punch to the chest. My nails dig into my arms as I turn to face him. “What?”
Dominic doesn’t look at me, his body remaining rigid as he continues to stare at the blank screen. “Quit the movie. Tomorrow.”
“I can’t quit.” I know he hates Rosten, but this whole thing was his idea. His elaborate scheme. He pushed me toward him. He told me to sign with Silverline. I’m not sure what wires crossed in his brain, but we’re in too deep to walk away now.
Snapping his head around, he glares at me. “You have the money, so buy out your contract. Just don’t go back there.”
We stare at each other, engaged in a battle of wills as cold sweat scatters across my forehead. It’s not that simple. My back is against the wall. His back is against the wall.
Rosten will ruin us both.
“You can’t ask me to do that.”
Sliding across the couch, he curves his palm around my jaw, his icy blue eyes hardening. “I wasn’t asking.”
I’m pacing the floor when the elevator door finally opens. Stopping dead in my tracks, I meet Detective Rubio’s gaze and search for a hint of promise, only to find the same blank stare I’ve encountered for the past seven days.
“Have you found anything?”
He sighs, his usually immaculate suit worn and wrinkled. “Not yet. But it’s only been a week.”
Only a week.
A week since I threw her out of my life.
A week since I filed a missing person’s report.
A week since she disappeared into thin air.
I turn away, resuming my pace, my stomach churning as I wrap my hands around my waist. A week. A week. A week. I wish Dominic was here. Even though there’s still an uncomfortable distance between us, his presence makes me feel safer.
“Miss Romanov, are you all right?”
His question takes me by surprise, and I spin around. “Why?”
Instead of answering, his gaze flicks toward my waist. Glancing down, I realize the skin on my arms is red and raw from being pinched between my fingers. Clearing my throat, I drop my hands by my side.
“May we should sit somewhere and have a few words?” He sounds insistent but exhausted. Like me. But not like me. Never like me. I’m sure he goes home at night, crawls in bed, and sleeps just fine. I’m sure he closes his eyes knowing screams and faceless angels aren’t waiting for him.
Well, fuck that.
“No. We can talk here.”
“Very well,” he says, finally dropping the act. “How well do you know Dominic McCallum?”
I pause again, my muscles twitching. “Why? What does Dominic have to do with anything?”
“Are you aware Greg Rosten sued him for libel and settled in arbitration for four-hundred-thousand dollars?”
Fools. They think they can turn us against each other, but they’re wrong. He can’t tell me anything I don’t already know. I’m in control, not him. Our secret is sacred.
We’re sacred.
“Yes.” My eyes dart toward the elevator. “If that’s all, I’m going to have to ask you to leave now.”
But he doesn’t leave. He steps forward, his dark eyes digging into mine, searching for answers he’ll never find. “What about his impending bankruptcy? Don’t you find the timing odd that McCallum found you only weeks before losing everything he owned?”