Gavin immediately exited the room, his phone already to his ear. “Alec, get to Ginny’s dressing room, pronto. Lock down the exits. I don’t want anyone leaving without my eyes on them.”
“Did you leave my room unlocked when you brought the clothes?” Ginny whispered as Gavin continued to talk to Alec.
“No,” Kimmy answered, giving Gavin a frightened look as he ended the call. “I swear, Ginny. I’m always careful about locking doors. Alec drummed that into my head when he told me I was the only one who had a master key to get into all the dressing rooms. Well, beside him. I wouldn’t do anything that would jeopardize my job or anyone’s safety.”
Ginny placed a reassuring hand on Kimmy’s shoulder. “I believe you.”
Gavin didn’t seem as sure. “Where’s your key?”
Kimmy raised her wrist in the air, showing the purple elastic wristband with the key dangling.
“It’s never out of my sight. Ever,” she stated forcefully. “Not even when I sleep.”
Ginny hit her forehead with the palm of her hand, aggravated at herself.
“The door was unlocked when I opened it.” Ginny shook her head. “I can’t believe I didn’t catch that before I opened it.” She hit herself again. “Stupid.”
“Yes, it was.”
“Thanks for trying to make me feel better,” she snapped at Gavin.
“I’m not here to make you feel better. You should have waited for me. I told you to stay put.”
“I screwed up. Okay? I feel bad enough as it is.”
“Good.”
Sin came to her rescue. “This isn’t her fault. It’s the fucker who trashed her room. We all leave our rooms unlocked once we arrive. No one expects their room to be trashed. Usually the place is full, with everyone coming and going. Whoever it was knew that everyone was in the meeting.”
Ginny paled, grabbing Gavin’s arm, forgetting her irritation at his rebuke. “Alec usually has a security guard walking the area, even during the meetings.” Fear that she would have another death on her conscience, Ginny started walking frantically back to the door. Had the security guard been in there and she hadn’t noticed?
Gavin caught her, preventing her from entering. “Sin, you and Kimmy go to the VIP room and lock the door. I know it’s clear because I just came from there.”
Sin nodded. “I can watch Ginny too.”
“She’s stays with me.”
Sin didn’t argue and neither did Kimmy, looking relieved to be out from under Gavin’s suspicious regard.
“Kimmy didn’t have anything to do with this. If she said she locked my door, I believe her.”
“I do too.”
“You do?”
“Yes,” he said shortly, moving her out of the way as Alec arrived with four men from his staff. There was enough testosterone in the thin corridor to make any woman have the jitters, yet the only one who drew her gaze was Gavin.
It wasn’t Alec who took charge; it was Gavin. Giving quick instructions, he had Alec check on his handheld radio to see if any of his staff was missing, while he sent two off to check the security footage, then placed the last two at the opposite points of the corridor to make sure no one left.
“Mason is missing,” Alec reported.
“Are the exits covered?” Gavin asked.
“Yes.”
“Then we’ll start at the VIP room and work our way down. You have an extra man you trust?” Gavin asked Alec as they walked toward the room a few steps away.
“Nate.”
“Get him here.”
Using his knuckles to tap on the door, Sin opened the door at Alec’s prompting.
With his hand on her back, Gavin urged her inside, checking the restroom before going back to the doorway.
“Nate’s here,” Alec told Gavin as he came through the door.
“Stay here with them. No one comes in here until I get back. Understand me? No one.”
“Yes, sir,” Nate responded deferentially to Gavin’s instructions, even though his boss was inches away.
Content his order would be obeyed, Gavin took her arm, moving her to a private corner of the room. “You have your phone?” he asked.
“Yes.” Ginny patted her jacket pocket, reassuring herself it was still where she placed it this morning.
“I want a happy emoji texted to me every two minutes. If you become the least bit uncomfortable, text me a sad one.”
“Okay.”
“I don’t care if this fucking room catches on fire, you don’t fucking leave.”
“I swear,” she promised, trying to lighten the hard-lined way he was talking to her.
Gavin wasn’t having it. “Don’t disappointment me again, Ginny.”
Ginny reached out, running her hand down the length of his arm. “I won’t.” She tried not to be hurt when he shrugged away from her touch.
Feeling helpless, she watched Gavin and Alec leave the room, shutting the door behind them.
With her heart pounding, Ginny took a chair closest to her.
“Why would someone want to trash your dressing room?” Kimmy’s frightened voice broke the silence.
Ginny didn’t know how to explain. Shade had warned her not to mention she had a stalker to any of the crew before she came to Nashville. The only ones who knew about the situation were Kaden and Alec’s security team.
“I don’t know.” She had no idea who her stalker was, so she wasn’t lying.
Kimmy wasn’t buying it. “Is the person responsible the reason you have your own security? I’ve worked in this industry long enough to know you don’t pay out the big bucks for this type of security without a darn good reason. Kaden has a huge fan base, but they cover the whole band, not just him. What’s going on, Ginny?”
Uncomfortable under three sets of eyes focused on her, she couldn’t bring herself to be evasive when a man they all knew was now missing.
“A fan has taken a liking to me enough that he will strike out the only way he can.”
“Apparently, he wants to be more than a fan if he doesn’t want you singing for anyone else.”
At the same time, Kimmy’s mouth gaped open. “You have a stalker?”
Denying Sin’s assessment would be futile, so Ginny didn’t, answering Kimmy’s shocked question instead. “Yes.”
Kimmy’s eyes widened. “For how long?”
“Since Queen City. When I moved to Nashville, he stopped. Or so I thought until I went to Treepoint and Viper told me someone had been watching Rider.”
“Who’s Viper?”
“He’s another friend of mine.” Ginny took out her phone, texting Gavin a smile emoji.
“Jesus. You have a stalker. Why didn’t you tell us?” Kimmy looked at Sin for confirmation as to his lack of knowledge.
Sin shook his head. “Don’t look at me. I’m just as much in the dark as you.”
Ginny licked her suddenly dry lips. “Alec and Shade said it would be for the best if you didn’t know.”
The drummer’s sensual lips curled in a smile. “We’re all potential suspects, Kimmy.”
“Even me?” Kimmy shook her head as if she couldn’t believe anyone would think she could be a suspect. “I mean, I like you, but not that much … I mean, not anything more than a friend.”