Rory couldn't help the uneasy flutter of his heart as his eyes scanned the heavily veiled crowd. Was the person who continued taunting him through text out there, watching, waiting… right now? A tug on his wrist drew his attention back to Rin, who was bowing beside him. He followed suit stiffly, not wanting to take his gaze from the many shadowed faces staring back at him.
As they stood and stepped down onto the lower platform, the crowd rushed to the lower stage, waiting impatiently for their turn. Rory involuntarily tightened his hold on Rin's hand as a cold tremble crept up his spine. He could feel eyes piercing his flesh. They followed his every move like he was prey, and they were a predator biding their time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Rory leaned closer to Rin. "Rin… I… I suddenly don't feel well…"
Rin sent him a distracted glance. "Do you need a chair? We can call Dillon over."
Rory's nervous eyes scanned the crowd in search of the person he knew was watching him as he answered. "No... Well… maybe… but really I just want to go back to the room."
Rin frowned. "We'll only be here a short time. You think you can hold out… maybe 30 or 40 more minutes?" He lifted his hand to wave Dillon over, but noticed Dillon was just past the curtains, having a heated argument with someone else. Rin snatched the walkie-talkie from under his robe. "Can we get a chair out here. Rory isn't feeling well."
"Over," Dillon replied flatly.
Rory's brows lifted, temporarily distracted, as he watched Sabastian chase after Dillon. "Rin…" Rory nodded toward the pair.
"Ah, fuck…" Rin muttered before forcing a smile for the next group of fans.
"This is important! It can't wait! I came all this way, and besides, I'm already here now!" Sabastian called as he chased after Dillon.
Dillon huffed out a growl as he set the seat down for Rory. "Sabastian needs to talk to the two of you ASAP. He'll not take no for an answer." He whispered as he bent between Rin and Rory.
"Tell him to wait behind the stage. We're working, obviously." Rin bit out between a clenched-toothed smile.
"No! It has to be now!" Sabastian pleaded from behind Rin, now.
"Sabastian, so help me god!" Rin growled.
"Sabastian stomped his foot in frustration. "I've given up and stepped back like you asked, haven't I?! This is important! It's about your lover's safety! Isn't that important enough to you? If you love him as much as you claim, shouldn't you prioritize him over work? Shouldn't you choose someone over work for once in your selfish, self-centered life, Rin!" Sabastian was all but jumping up and down in anger now.
Rin snapped around and grabbed him by the shoulders. With a jarring shake, he muttered through clenched teeth. "Are you seriously interrupting my show and causing a scene that I'll have to clean up again because you're afraid I don't show Rory enough love?! Be fucking real, man!" He shoved Sabastian away, causing him to stumble, but Sabastian ran back toward him stubbornly.
"You don't understand! I was threatened! Because of the two of you! Blackmailed even! They wanted information on Rory. And… and I think they could be here tonight!" Sabastian screeched.
Rory froze, the color drained from his face as a hooded figure moved along the back of the crowd. The height was right, the build… The man lifted a hand and waved. The tattooed hand… Though the tattoos couldn't be made out from this distance, they were in just the right places and the same coverage… The room began to spin before grey crept in around Rory's peripherals.
A loud thud followed by gasps and concerned shouts drew Rin's attention away from Sabastian. Dillon was already by Rory's side, checking his vitals as Rin spun and slid across the stage on his knees. "What happened?!"
Dillon shook his head. "I don't know… You said he wasn't feeling well, right?"
Rin nodded as he brushed the hair away from Rory's pale, clammy forehead.
"I'll carry him back to the room and take Sabastian with us. I'll see what information I can get out of him if you want to finish up here."
Rin shook his head. "Take them to the room, but wait until I get there."
"Heard…" Dillon motioned for Sabastian. "You heard him. Come on."
Sabastian's gaze moved anxiously from Rin, toward the crowd, then to Dillon.
"Come on, I'm not telling you again." Dillon barked.
Rin shook his head as he watched Dillon carry Rory away.
"It's never boring, your shows that is…" Beck commented, a triumphant smirk curving her lips.
Rin blew out a long sigh as he rolled his eyes. "Of course you'd be here to catch that. I'd almost think you were working with that little rat."
Beck shook her head as she lowered her phone. "Oh no, though if I knew how easy to manipulate he was, I would have tried my luck with him a long time ago." Her eyes scanned Rin. "You'd better prepare yourself, Parish. This story will break before the end of the weekend."
Rin rolled his eyes. "And what story is that? Crazy ex model claims I'm in love with my new assistant, but when I don't rush off to aid him after he faints, claims die off?"
"Do you honestly think it's over or that that was all I've gotten all weekend?"
Rin gritted his teeth. "If that's all, I'm working…"
**
Rin stormed through the door of the hotel room, his eyes instantly seeking out and landing on Rory the second he'd made it inside. "How is he?"
Dillon nodded. "He's alright, a slight fever. I gave him some meds, and he's sleeping now."
Rin's eyes shot to Sabastian. "So, what's this bullshit that couldn't wait?"
When Sabastian didn't answer right away, Dillon jerked his head from Sabastian toward Rin. "Well, go ahead. Tell him what you told me." Dillon nodded toward the laptop he was sitting in front of. "I've already verified it, by the way."
Sabastian began ringing his hands nervously. "Right after all the videos from the club broke, I was contacted by an unknown account on my Insta. I didn't think much of it at first, ya know. I just thought it was an obsessed fan," His eyes darted nervously to Dillon. "But when I wouldn't agree to help them… they began harassing me and trying to blackmail me."
Rin scrunched his brows as he moved over to the desk and leaned over to scan the screen Dillon had pulled up. "That's the same username that's been harassing Rory." He shook his head. "I brushed it off as just an overzealous fan as well." His gaze shot back to Sabastian as he straightened. "What exactly did they want from you, and how did they try to blackmail you after?"
Sabastian blew out a shaky breath. "At first, just basic info that all your fans ask. Your real names, real relationships with each other, where you'll be appearing next… I provided the standard answers as always… though with the way Rory was freaking out when he woke up earlier, that might not have been the best of ideas…" He ran his hand through his hair, his growing anxiety palpable.
Rin shook his head. "No, if this stalker is here, it's not because you leaked our location. Our event calendar is posted on all our socials, the website, Perish Publishing's site, and all our promotional other sites." Rin tossed the wig and fox ears onto the desk and began loosening the robes. "Grab me one of your t-shirts and a pair of jeans. I need to be able to blend in." Rin directed Dillon as he worked to free the elaborate fastenings. When Sabastian had gone silent for too long, Rin sent him a questioning glare. Sabastian was turned away with a heavy blush creeping up his neck. "Really? You're going to choose now to be shy."
Sabastian risked a glance in Rin's direction. "I… I didn't expect you to… to not be wearing the chest piece…"
Rin shrugged. "Rory has made me very comfortable with my body. I don't feel the need for it as much nowadays. Now go back to what you were saying. What other information did they want?"
Sabastian frowned as he flopped onto the other bed and watched Rin pull one of Dillon's baggy t-shirts over his head. "Again… it wasn't anything your fans haven't asked before… Places you hung out, your address, how often you left your home…"
Rin arched a brow as he tugged on the tight, ripped-up, black jeans. "And when you refused to answer?"
Sabastian gulped harshly. "That… that's when they changed… They became angry and even started threatening me. Eventually, they tried to blackmail me, but the blackmail was nonsensical…"
Rin scrunched his brows in curiosity. "Which was?"
Sabastian shrugged. "To out me to my family as a 'fagot'. Who cares, right? I laughed at him. He stopped messaging me altogether when I told him I didn't have family to out me to." He crossed his legs and shrugged.
Rin's eyes narrowed as they moved from Sabastian to Rory's sleeping body. "This isn't a regular stalker… Rory was right…"
Dillon furrowed his brows. "What do you mean? How do you know?"
"His biggest threat was to out Sabastian to his parents. Where does that sound familiar?" Rin's frown deepened as Rory moaned in his sleep. He scooped Dillon's cigarettes off the desk and headed toward the balcony. "Follow me out, both of you."
"Shouldn't one of us stay in here with him in case he wakes up?" Sabastian asked.
"Since when do you give a fuck?" Rin snapped. Rin held the balcony door open as Sabastian scampered across the room. "Docile and obedient really does look good on you. You should have tried it sooner."
Sabastian lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I can't help but feel responsible… If I hadn't drawn all this attention to you… to him…"
Rin shook his head. "No… I dragged Rory into the light,"
"Because of me!" Sabastian interrupted. "Because I got jealous and drunk and didn't show up!"
Rin nodded. "Yeah… because I became obsessed with Rory and wrote a part that only he could play. Don't blame yourself." Rin sent him a sincere smile. "I'd pull you into a hug, but I can't risk Rory waking up and seeing, then getting jealous and taking off while a psycho is out there after him." Rin shot him a wink.
"You think this guy is psycho?" Dillon muttered around the cigarette he'd just lit.
Rin nodded. "I do… Rory hasn't said much… Hell, he hasn't said hardly shit, but from what I've pieced together…" Rin blew out a breath. "Here's what I'm guessing from what we've seen and what we do know. He was homeless with nowhere to go on the run when he came to us. He is scared easily, especially towards yelling and anything that resembles violence. He has nightmares, and it's obvious he thinks he's being attacked in some way during them. He was on the run from his ex the night he went to his mom's and was turned away… and ended up back with the ex somehow…"
Dillon nodded. "He's said before that he has nowhere to go, and the night Sab was drunk in the hotel room…"
Rin nodded. "I didn't think I was ever going to pull him out of that one… It's not been the last or the worst, but they've gotten easier to wake him up from. I've not asked, and he's not said much about them though…" Rin snagged the cigarette and took a long drag. Rin's eyes studied the cherry of the cigarette. He took his time exhaling before he added. "He has burn marks on his inner thighs… and a few other places where it's obvious someone has tried… or maybe even succeeded in putting cigarettes out on him before… again he's not said and I've not asked…" He pressed it against the soft flesh of his wrist, but Dillon quickly moved to grab it. Rin jerked it away and took another drag instead, as if needing it before adding. "The day we went to check out that new bookstore in town was the first day he'd gotten a DM… He was suspicious then, but I blew it off as a fan…"
"And now?" Dillon asked, snatching his cigarette back.
"I don't even know what the bastard looks like… But if he's out there right now, I want to find him." Rin bit out.
Dillon shook his head. "Violence is all fine and dandy, Rin… but we need to come up with a way that will actually protect Rory… It's already too late to hide him away and pull him out of the public eye…"
Rin tilted his head. "So, what are you suggesting?"
Dillon shrugged. "The opposite… Your dad's going to have to approve, of course…"
"Fuck… Get Mandy on the phone…" Rin's gaze shifted to Sabastian. "Are you willing to stay the night? We'll do a press conference and tie the news in with the official release of the new novel."
Sabastian nodded. "I know you said I'm not to blame… but I do still feel responsible…"
Dillon patted Sabastian's back. "Good boy."
Rory awoke to yelling throughout the room, but that wasn't the most surprising part. It was the person who rushed to his side to comfort him.
"Don't worry. Rin is working very hard to convince his father for you!" Sabastian cooed as he slid onto the bed beside Rory and awkwardly patted his shoulders, his eyes still focused on Rin.
Rory's wide, sleep-blurred eyes watched as Rin paced the room. A laptop was opened to a video conference call between at least 2 other people. He could detect Rodric's booming voice as it reverberated through the laptop speakers. "You'll not stand there and blatantly lie to my face right now, Renee Ingred Nichole! You've been fucking the boy behind my back already, and this is just your latest scheme, is it not!"
"Don't fucking use that name with me, Rodric Perish!"
"And don't call me by name! You disrespectful little shit!" Rodric shot back immediately.
"Respect is earned, asshole! And I assure you, regardless of who I'm currently fucking,"
"Enough!" Dillon barked out, interrupting Rin. "I can send you all the proof you need. The threats are real. Rory has already been dragged into the public eye; there is no going back on that now. The best way we could think of protecting him is to drag him in farther. Draw so much attention to him that he would be untouchable… Ideally…"
Rodric was quiet for a moment as he contemplated what Dillon had just said. "And you believe releasing this 'relationship news' tomorrow with the official release of the new book would what?"
"It would stir up more drama, and it would beat Beck's story release; she could be cooking for the weekend. She's already threatened Rin tonight with one, so why not beat her to the punch tomorrow? We could simply say that what started as work for the novel turned into real love. Blah, blah blah… The fans will eat it up."
Rin nodded, his arms crossed over his chest. "We could even build from that with 'daily life' content, Q&A interviews, make a few 'caught out' posts… Hell, might be able to turn the next book into a series if we're lucky."
Rodric pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Don't get ahead of yourself just yet. See how tomorrow's news is received first. I expect a full report back by this time tomorrow night." With that, the square of Rodric's video call went dark.
Rin blew out a heavy sigh as his arms fell by his sides and he collapsed onto the foot of the bed. "Fuck…"
"Is it true?" Mandy asked hesitantly.
"Yeah… yeah it is…" Rin groaned and flopped onto his back.
Rory furrowed his brows as he leaned over Rin. "What have I missed? What's happening tomorrow?"
A tired smile curved Rin's lips as he reached up and cupped Rory's cheek. "We're going public with our relationship… with dad's approval."