Hudson probes for stories from the day, but Luna isn't up for sharing. She leaves the table first, heading to her room and closing the door.
When she's out of earshot, Asher updates Hudson on the post-concert drama. He's going to be working the stadium tomorrow, so he needs to be in the know.
"This shit is escalating," he says. "What did the police say?"
"They were going to dust it all for prints. They'll let us know if they come up with anything. One of Luna’s bras is missing too. It’s like they wanted to freak her out and take a memento."
"Do you think this is a German psycho or one that's traveled from home?" Elijah asks.
Connor shrugs. "Who the fuck knows? What we do know is that they got through into the secure backstage areas unchallenged. It doesn't fit with an inexperienced super fan with a fixation. It feels more deliberate…more skillful."
Mo shakes he head. "When someone really wants something, they will move a mountain to get it."
Connor nods thoughtfully. "Maybe. We need to get some sleep. Jax is taking tonight’s shift. Better drink some coffee."
Jax grins and nods. "Don't worry about me. I've heard the German pay-per-view porn is worth staying up all night for."
"Now, I know you're joking, right?" Connor's eyebrows practically disappear beneath his hairline.
"Of course I'm joking."
As we're heading to bed, Luna's door clicks, the handle turning slowly. She doesn't appear, but instead pads back to her bed, switching off the light. My eyes meet Connor's, a knowing look passing between us. She feels safer with her door ajar.
Now that's trust, for sure.
8
HUDSON
Luna sleeps late into the morning, and we're careful not to wake her. She must be shattered from her first performance, and, as she's not required to do much before the show today, we figure she should make the most of it. Jax retires to sleep as soon as I emerge from the bathroom dressed in a neatly-pressed white shirt and gray slacks. I'm making coffee when Luna appears, fully dressed in tight leather-look leggings and a black shirt emblazoned with Girls in a pink neon font. Her hair is scrapped into a messy bun, and shiny chestnut tendrils surround her pretty fresh face. If she's wearing makeup, it's so natural that I can't tell, but then what do I know about women’s things?
"Please tell me that's something with caffeine," she says. "I feel like I need it injected into my veins this morning."
"It's good strong coffee," I tell her, pouring a cup and handing it to her carefully. Angelica can take a hike if I’m supporting the no caffeine policy when Luna has so much on her plate.
She sips it tentatively, her eyes rolling when it makes contact with her tongue. "Now that is the drink of the gods," she says.
"Didn't you sleep well?" I ask.
She shakes her head. "Nah…I tossed and turned a lot, thinking in that horrible way where everything seems overwhelming and extreme."
"You know that there is always one of us awake. It was Jax last night. He would have cheered you up."
"I didn't want to disturb him."
"He would have been grateful. It's boring being the only one awake while everyone else is dreaming."
"I'll bear that mind." Luna smiles in a way that doesn't quite meet her eyes, then she wanders to the window, gazing at the city spread beneath our feet. "I want to go see some stuff today," she says. "What's the point of traveling the world if all you get to see is the inside of generic hotel rooms?"
Gazing around the room, she straightens her shoulders, taking another sip of hot coffee. "I shouldn't say this place is generic. It's so nice. Nicer than I need."
"Why nicer than you need?" I ask. "There's nothing wrong with some comfort when you're working so hard."
"I just can't get over the amount of money that something like this costs a night. That would have kept my family housed for a few months back home."
"Things are different for you now, though," I say, hoping I can make her feel better. "And you need space to house us too." The wink I give her aims to lighten the conversation, but Luna lowers her gaze to the floor.
"Things are different from the outside, but not that different on the inside." She blows a breath through her pursed lips, glancing back at the view. "How many people out there are sleeping on the streets, and I'm up here bathing in a huge marble bathroom like a modern-day Cleopatra. It just feels wrong."
"It's the change," I say. "I think, with time, you'll get used to it."
"You think I'll forget my roots?"
"I think you'll feel less like you don't deserve your success."
As the words leave my mouth, I fear that I've said too much. She could easily take it personally. Instead, she frowns a little.
"Maybe it’s better that I keep feeling like I don't deserve it. That way, if this all disappears, I'll just go back home as though I was an imposter all along."
"You're not an imposter, Luna. You're made to do this! It's your purpose."
"You think?"
"Of course. Your voice is…like an angel…and you can dance and entertain."
"And I look the part. Isn't that the main thing?" Her tone is sharp, believing maybe that her looks are the reason she's popular, and maybe she's right. How many ordinary-looking people end up becoming famous because they have a talent? Most of the celebrities you see on television are good-looking.
"You're the whole package, Luna. That's why you've sold out stadiums across the world."
"The whole package?" She puts her hand on her waist, cocking her hip. "You've seen me in my pajamas. Without all the warpaint, I'm nothing special."
"Without all the warpaint, you're even more special," I say. When she blushes, her eyelashes flutter with the surprise of my compliment. My cheeks heat too, and then someone clears their throat across the room. Connor and Mo are there, Mo eyeing me with a strange half-smile on his face and Connor's expression like thunder on a gray wintery day.
"Luna wants to go sightseeing today," I say, hoping that I can distract Connor enough for him to forget my overfamiliarity.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Connor says, shooting me another look that tells me I shouldn't be encouraging this kind of thing.
"Why not?" Luna pivots gracefully on one foot to face the man blocking her plans.
"Because it's not safe. It'll be harder to protect you out in the open. A clip of your show was on an entertainment program here last night. If people didn't know you yesterday, they know you today. And we have no idea who left that shit last night. There are just too many variables."
"You're saying I have to stay trapped in a hotel room for the whole tour? Seriously?"
"Maybe not the whole tour. I just think, after yesterday, that we need to be more cautious about today. We're out of here tomorrow. In the next city, we can have a little more freedom."
"This is bullshit." Luna makes a growling voice in her throat, and she stomps back to her room, slamming the door behind her.