The Price of Fame by Hazel Gower Page B

with questions. The one thing he hadn’t anticipated was the nastiness of some of his supposed fans. They yelled at her to go home, to be with one of her own men, or rude things about her body, basically anything nasty. Grateful she didn’t understand Greek for once, he was relieved to get inside and to their seats, only to groan at who he’d been seated next to—his ex-girlfriend, Helena, and her new man.
    Kylie knew as soon as the woman smiled at them and introduced herself as an old friend what Helena had been to him. She went stiff and slowly removed her hand from his, not saying a word.
    He’d won all of the awards he’d been nominated for and was now closing the show.
    Taking a deep breath when his name was called out, he walked out on stage with his guitar and sat on the chair. He closed his eyes for a moment before starting, and then he opened them as he sang, searching out Kylie, only to find her seat empty. Closing his eyes again so he could concentrate on the song, he prayed she hadn’t left, and for the first time in years, he hoped this would all hurry up and end so he could go and find her.
    * * * *
    Kylie didn’t speak much Greek, but she had been trying to learn to surprise Markus. She understood some, and the woman next to her hadn’t helped when she repeated things in English, saying she was just trying to help. Kylie wasn’t stupid. She knew the woman had had a relationship with Markus. It didn’t bother her that much, but everything else was getting to her. She had understood some of what had been yelled at her outside, and she couldn’t get over the cruel stares from most of the women.
    Needing a moment before she had to return to the chaos, she’d snuck off to the restroom, only to be locked in. So here she sat, looking around the lavish room, thanking god she had put her foot down about bringing a purse with her phone and ID.
    Only having Markus’ number, and not knowing who else to call, she sat in the restroom and debated what to do. When she’d called Markus, he hadn’t picked up. She’d known he wouldn’t, but she had no one else to try. She doubted the police would take her seriously, plus she didn’t speak Greek. She had banged and yelled on the door until her hands were bruised and her voice hoarse, but no one came.
    Now she sat looking at her phone, trying to decide what to do next. Bored, she called Gemma and got voice mail. Without thinking, she called James. He answered, sounding pissed.
    “Where the fuck are you?”
    Thanking God the media in Australia didn’t care if she was engaged to a celebrity, she took a deep breath and slowly told him where she was and what had happened. “I was going to come and talk to you, but…”
    She heard things smashing in the background. “Tell me this is all some weird joke. Tell me I’ll wake in the morning, and this will all have been a dream.”
    She winced and glanced around the bathroom. Her heart broke as he whispered, “Tell me you said no, or that you haven’t known him long enough to marry him.”
    She looked down at her ring, and then darted another glance around her. “I’m sorry, James. I love you like a brother, but I love him with all of my being. Maybe I haven’t known him long. Maybe he will break my heart, but I’m willing to give it all a chance. I would love your support. You are my best friend.”
    “Kylie, you are locked in a bathroom in a foreign country because of him.”
    “It’s the country I’ll be living in from now on, and he didn’t lock me in here. Someone else did.”
    He let out a groan. “Fine. I’m always here for you. I’ll come and get you at any time you need me.”
    She muttered her thanks and hung up as the door opened and a very angry Markus stared at her with his fists clenched at his sides, his face pulled tight, and his body rigid.
    He spoke in rapid Greek to the big man next to him, and without saying a word, he walked to her, looked her over, and almost dragged her out. She