Going Together

Chapter Twenty - Xavier POV - A Good Guy

We’d been in Seattle 24 hours before Scarlett had to rehearse. It had been nice to act like normal people for once, even with the threat of paparazzi on our tails. Scarlett didn’t even seem to notice them though, and for a while we were just us, no music, no fame, and no huge entourage. Just us.

She left with Hans the bodyguard in the morning to rehearse for the next day’s show. I’d stayed behind because I needed to check up with Nick. He hadn’t called and it had been a couple of days I needed to know if he had anything.

The phone only rung once before the call connected.

“Hello Xavier.” Nick exclaimed. “I was about to call you.”

“Hey Nick, please tell me you’ve got something on Ben?” I asked

“You know me Xavier. I’m like a dog chasing a bone. But everything about Ben said checks out. His mom really is in hospital, or was. She’s being sent home today. His background checks are flawless and the guy is even in one of those sponsor programs for the less fortunate. He’s straight up Xavier. The guy is good.”

My stomach dropped. Surely Nick was missing something. Ben was suspicious, No one was that good. Besides if it wasn’t him, then who the hell was it?

“However I heard back from the police literally half an hour ago. They have gone over the cctv footage from the hotels where the letters were left. Only the first one shows anyone distinguishable leaving the letter. The rest were left by someone in a big thick jacket, a hat and dark glasses.” Nick exclaimed. “They’re bringing the footage for me to look at, I’ll send the file through to you when I’ve got it. But they’ve said there isn’t much to see.”

“So it’s someone that would be distinguishable otherwise.” I replied. “Someone known to us?”

“Yes.” He replied. He sounded hesitant, like there was something else he wanted to say.

“What?”

“Xavier… they also think it’s a female.”

Suddenly a dark storm cloud of realization moved over head and released a downpour so fraught with fear that I choked while I attempted to just keep breathing. Arabelle? She was a disgusting excuse for a human being, but a psycho too?

“Arabelle?” I croaked, even saying her name sickened me to the point of actual nausea.

“I mentioned her name, their looking into her background and so far it’s clear as well. I’ll call when they have more info. Where is Scarlett?”

“She’s at the arena rehearsing. The bodyguard is with her. I haven’t told her that you and I are in contact about this stuff. She already feels like she’s being smothered by protection. I just wanted her not to worry for a while.” I replied, not that telling Nick made me feel any better about it. I was still lying to her.

“I understand. I’ll let you go to her... ” His words were an order, which any other time would have amused me, but right now, under the circumstances and with the new information floating through my mind. With Scarlett was the only place I should be.

“Thanks Nick.”

“Anytime.”

I hung up and stared at my phone. Ben. He was innocent, obviously. I’d let my own pure jealousy get in the way of the truth. I knew part of the reason he’d left so freely was because he knew I didn’t like him. I had to fix it. He was Scarlett’s friend. I found his number in Scarlett’s address book and called him.

“Hey, Ben speaking.”

“Ben. It’s Xavier. How’s your Mom.” I asked, already knowing the answer, but it seemed like the right thing to ask a person before telling them you were a jerk.