It was time he distanced himself from Layla and the whole Madison mess she was dragging him into. He was tired of always looking over his shoulder. Tired of always being hounded by paparazzi. Tired of complete strangers tweeting so much shit about him.
He’d arrived in LA with a dream, and it was time he started taking meaningful steps toward making it real.
“Have you ever considered that maybe Aster is guilty?” he said.
Layla balked. He’d rendered her speechless. A victory of sorts, though it hardly felt worth celebrating.
“You did not just say that,” she snapped.
Tommy had meant exactly that and more. In the days since Aster’s arrest, he’d had plenty of time to contemplate the evidence leveled against her, and he was no longer so convinced of her innocence. “She was dating Madison’s boyfriend,” he said. “They found Madison’s blood on her dress. Not to mention how Aster’s alibi for that night just doesn’t add up. She doesn’t remember? Really? Don’t you think that’s a stretch?”
“You can’t be serious.”
Layla was in shock—angry, and in shock. But someone needed to say it. Might as well be him. The evidence piling up against Aster made it increasingly difficult to believe in her.
Besides, how well did he actually know her? Not well at all. His experience with Aster was mostly limited to the contest, and even that revealed Aster as cutthroat, focused, and willing to play dirty and do whatever was necessary to secure the win.
Didn’t matter that the same could be said of him. He wasn’t guilty of harming Madison, whereas he couldn’t definitively say the same of Aster.
“I’m out.” He slid an envelope across the table toward Layla, watching as she blinked but wouldn’t so much as touch it. “Madison’s keys,” he explained. He should’ve turned them over to the police right from the start. But with Detective Larsen always breathing down his neck, Tommy had hung on to them, convinced Larsen would only use them against him. “Wiped clean of my prints, I might add.” He exhaled long and deep, relieved to finally be rid of them. “Seriously, I want nothing to do with this.” In an instant he was up, pulling a sizable handful of bills from his wallet and tossing them onto the table. He’d managed to find a place where he could drink a beer without being carded, and he hoped to keep it that way.
“But you haven’t even read the card yet! There was a card that came with it—it had a cartoon picture of a seriously messed-up cat, and—”
“Don’t need to,” he interrupted. “I meant what I said.”
“I can’t even believe this!” Layla’s voice was harsh, attracting the attention of the drunks at the bar, and she wore an expression so furious Tommy cringed when he met it.
He nodded toward the guy aiming a camera in their direction. “Pretty sure the waitress alerted the paparazzi. I’m guessing we have less than five minutes before we’re swarmed. Guess you should’ve ordered more than a coffee.”
Instinctively, he slung a protective arm around Layla’s shoulder, scowled at the photog, and rushed her toward the door, all the while cursing himself for so quickly abandoning his vow to be done with her. First sign of trouble and there he was, jumping to Layla’s rescue, willing to do whatever it took to protect her. It was the decent thing to do, sure, but it also left him wondering if he’d ever truly be over her.
He’d see her safely to her car and no more. After that, they’d go their separate ways. He wished her and Aster well, but this was the end as far as he was concerned. Tommy Phillips was officially moving on.
FIVE
I WOULD DIE 4 U
Spotlight magazine exclusive!
Spotlight: We here at Spotlight recently caught up with teen heartthrob Ryan Hawthorne, who has been through a whirlwind of a rough time lately. Between the cheating scandal that led to the very public breakup with his girlfriend, A-lister Madison Brooks, followed by Madison’s disappearance, Ryan himself being called in for questioning, and the cancellation of his show (which we just received confirmation of after weeks of rumors) . . . Well, Ryan, first things first—our condolences on all the bad news. How are you holding up?
Ryan: Thanks, but no condolences needed. Life has its cycles, and peaks are always bordered by valleys. The key is to accept each stage as it comes, find the lesson so you can learn and grow and try not to repeat your mistakes, and never, ever take the good times for granted, or the dark moments personally.
Spotlight: Well, that’s certainly very enlightened of you. Not sure we could maintain such serenity in the face of all you’ve been dealing with. Maybe we need a new life coach or yoga studio!
Ryan: Is there a question here?
Spotlight: Certainly, and we’ll get right to it! We know Spotlight readers are dying to hear your take on these recent events, including the arrest of your former paramour, Aster Amirpour, just hours after you spoke to detectives. Do you have any thoughts you’d like to share pertaining to Aster’s arrest and the part she allegedly played in the murder of Madison Brooks? Was there some insight or clue you shared with police that led them to the discovery of the blood-soaked dress?
Ryan: Are you serious?
Spotlight: Well, even you have to admit the timing is extremely suspicious. . . .
Ryan: What I know is that I willingly spoke to the police. I wasn’t “dragged in for questioning” or however you chose to relay it at the time. Also, I had nothing to do with the discovery of the dress or Aster’s arrest. I was as surprised as you are. You have to understand that I haven’t spoken to Aster since the scene at Night for Night. And though I deeply regret my actions, which I’ve stated on countless occasions, I sincerely doubt Aster had anything to do with Madison’s disappearance. I also don’t believe Madison is dead.
Spotlight: And the dress?
Ryan: What about it?