It's Okay If You Forget Me // Astrid S.

New city, same scene. Our team is holed up in a penthouse suite as we send Char into the lion's den. We're tapped into the court's CCTV to watch the proceedings. I look on as Curt walks into the room with his smug a-hole lawyer a few minutes before Colleen. He hasn't made eye contact with her but even through the screen I can sense his attitude. Char is seated across from him, bent over as she leans in to listen to her lawyer's instructions. Our team knows Colleen is there, two rows back for moral support. But to anyone watching, Char is visibly alone.

"He doesn't look shaken up at all," Brianna says as our team watches from various devices set up around the room. "I don't like it."

Zack rubs her shoulders. "She'll be okay. She's strong, and Colleen will let us know if she needs backup."

My shoulders stiffen at Colleen's name. Other than a text from her when her flight landed and then when she'd made contact with her driver, I haven't heard from her. I tell myself I needed the distance to stay focused. I repeat in my mind that I haven't reached out to her for a reason. My head is telling me that I'm doing my job, but my gut is warning me that I'm fucking this up.

The nightmare I had on the plane, that I'd gone to Colleen after all of this was said and done but she hadn't been able to see me, was ominous. I'd been like a ghost blowing back through her house and she couldn't hear me, I couldn't touch her. It was torture. I'd screamed her name and gotten no response. I woke up drained and sick to my stomach. All I'd wanted to do was wrap my arms around her and hold her close.

But I have a job to do. I'm in the middle of my last fuck-up and have determined not to create another one. We need to get to the other side of this trial and then I can regroup. I can go to Colleen and let my guard down. Right now, I need to get my head in the game and plan for every possible outcome. I won't be caught off guard again.

We continue to watch throughout the morning, as Curt presents his case stating Char was deceitful in their marriage, that she derailed his career by pitting his bandmates against him. That she's a liar. His insinuations are backed up with texts and audio recordings, only some of which are admissible in court. He knew he couldn't secretly record their conversations and expect them to fly. That's not legal in half the states those recordings happened. Char has been in California the entire time, which is a two-party consent state. Curt tries to argue that she called him, and that he was in a one-party state when he received the call, but the judge overruled him.

I can see on Char's face the damage is done anyway.

"God, she looks so violated," Brianna says, her voice hitching.

"That was the point," I say. "His goal is to wreck her emotionally. He knew those recordings weren't admissible but the fact that he has them was enough to hurt her."

"And we insisted on sending her in alone?" Brianna stands and marches across the room. "How could we do that to her?"

"She's not alone. Colleen is there."

"Two rows back. She should have someone holding her hand. Jacob must be losing his mind."

"Jacob doesn't know."

Brianna looks up at me with wide eyes. "What?"

"We went over the plan with Char. Jacob is a liability under these circumstances."

Her jaw drops. "Are you...You can't be serious. A liability? The one person on the planet that could support her and hold her together is a liability?"

I move to stand in front of Brianna, so much smaller than me. It's a déjà vu of standing opposite Colleen, pulling her into me and holding her close. A reminder of how vulnerable she is. All three of these women are vulnerable and it's my job to keep this shit from happening.

"Yes. Curt will 100% use her relationship with Jacob against her. He'll say its proof of infidelity. That she was the aggressor and he's the victim. He'll twist it and turn it to the point where even Char will question her memory of the relationship." I lean closer. "I know you love her. Trust me to keep her safe." I swallow my guilt as I say the words. I didn't keep her safe and that's the reason we sent her into the lion's den alone.

"Clinton, I do trust you. But Char is going to need someone after this is over, and he's not here. He doesn't even know to come."

I drop my head. "Of course, she will. I had Zack schedule a flight out for Jacob if we can work around his shooting schedule. I put his assistant on it early this morning."

Zack would have piped up and given me hell for not getting Jacob here sooner, but I have him in a car with The Kid a block from the courthouse. Just in case. Everyone in this room knows he's there for Char if she needs someone. But the tension is getting to us. Tomorrow's hearing is looming and we're all feeling the pressure to put Curt in his place.

"Ok. Good. But we can do more than put David on it. I'm calling Bryant myself. Afterall, he made his name on my music videos. He owes me." Brianna doesn't hesitate to scoot out of the room to make her call to Jacob's director.

The rest of the hearing drags along. They take a recess, Curt's side stalling because it's obvious to everyone his case is weak. I retreat to one of the bedrooms to check on the tech crew. Minutes roll into hours and I should be satisfied. The hearing is going in our favor. The judge rules in favor of Char. The tech team is staying on top of the story, scrubbing any posts of the video they come across as fast as they're posted. My sources report that Jacob is indeed on a plane to Vegas. I'd send a car for him but keeping everything undercover is better for now.

It's late. The last 48 hours are twisting into a blur, but I have to stay focused. I can't let things spiral again. That's why I've isolated myself in a room for the last half of the day making sure everyone else is on point. Brianna made sure I had a make-shift dinner of fruit and pretzels. I don't have time to grab anything else, although protein would have been nice. I'm rubbing the blur out of my eyes when Jerod strides into the room.

"Eagle has landed," he says, taking the chair next to me and grabbing a handful of grapes from the table.

"That's not his codename." I know he's referring to Jacob. "He doesn't have one yet."

"Oversight. With the shit going down now, he needs one. I say we call him Eagle. The Kid came up with it."

"Too presidential," I answer while rolling my stiff neck and take in a deep breath. The room is stuffy after being trapped in it all afternoon. I'd slide the window open for some fresh air, but windows on the Vegas strip don't open. And I get it. This town is fucking depressing.

"If you don't have any suggestions, we're sticking with Eagle."

"That's fucking stupid. But whatever. Eagle it is. What's Char's name, snake?" The natural prey of the eagle.

"We've been calling her cougar. Cause Jacob is such a kid and he's with her."

I give Jerod a look. "They're the same age."

"Not mentally." Jerod smirks. "Jakey is a rookie in more ways than one."

"It's Jacob." He hates nicknames. "And I don't even want to know what you mean by that." I shake my head and stand up. I've been sitting for too long. Jerod's hand flies to his earpiece as he nods his head and speaks into his opposite wrist.

"Copy. I'll let him know." He looks over at me. "Put your earpiece back in. The Kid's been trying to reach you. Jacob is in the building." He emphasizes the lack of nickname.

I grab my earpiece from my jacket and throw it in as I head to the door. "Shouldn't you have said the Eagle has arrived?"

"Har, har. Where are you going?"

"Down to the lobby. Char isn't here yet. She doesn't know Jacob's coming and neither does the team she's with. This is about to be very entertaining." Brianna's main team is escorting Char back from the meeting she had with her lawyers. They haven't been briefed yet and part of me wants to see how this will all play out without the intel. It's a controlled environment with very few variables. The perfect scenario to put the team to the test.

However, I'm not about to put anyone in a situation more stressful than it already is. I'll go down to the lobby and keep an eye on Jacob from a safe distance. I'll brief the team when they radio ahead that they're on the move.

It'll be fine.

***

It wasn't fine.

The team with Char did not follow protocol and radio ahead. I never got the chance to brief them that Jacob was waiting for her to arrive in the lobby behind a palm frond like a creep. So, when he approached her, the team swarmed and held him back.

I watched from a distance as Colleen was the one to speak up for him, pull him over to Char and then fade back when they made it to the elevators. Press had been waiting outside the hotel because Curt's turned the whole thing into a circus.

I'll have some words with my B team about the shit show they created later. First, I need to confirm they get up to the suite. Then I'll find my way to Colleen.

"We broke a lot of eggs making this cake, boys." I say into my wrist. "Not too smooth. Confirm status ASAP."

"Safe arrival confirmed." The voice sounds in my earpiece. Content with this turn of events, I'll deal with Jacob soon enough. He already texted a string of expletives about keeping him out of the loop. Understandably. I'd be pissed, too, if my woman was in distress and a team kept it from me.

Not something I'll ever have to deal with, thankfully. I'm the man with the information about everyone else. It's hard to keep things from me.

Saving that problem for later, I decide it's time to face my other issue. Namely the verbal ass kicking I'm expecting from Colleen. We set up a room for her in the penthouse suite, but Brianna told me Colleen had requested something separate from the group. I figure she's gone there now so I head to her floor.

The nerves don't start until the elevator doors open. I walk down the hall with a lump in my throat. Something about this hallway feels endless, each step taking more strength than the last. Maybe its because I'm facing a pivotal moment in my relationship with Colleen. She's been my closest friend for a year. She's been so much more for mere weeks. I recognize that I've been distant from her as I've focused on my job, something I have to do in order to keep my people safe. Mara never reconciled that in our relationship. She took it personally.

As I knock on Colleen's door, I tell myself these two women aren't the same. Colleen doesn't resent the roll I play in the safety of others the way Mara did. She's seen how I am over the past year to realize this is part of the gig.

But when the door swings open and I stand opposite a tear stained Colleen, I second guess my own instincts.

Y'all, this was a struuuuuugle. Not gonna lie, I'm still not happy with it, but I think I at least have a direction its going. It's finally hit 50k words so we officially have a novel!! Mine end up between 70-75k for the most part with a couple of exceptions so we still have a ways to go, but we're getting there!

ALSO, there are some very, VERY exciting behind the scenes adventures with this series!! I'll be once again working with my amazing editor, Bryony, who worked on Inevitable, to polish Not Another Diva. My plan is to self publish this series on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited! New scenes and some bonus epilogues for my newsletter peeps are in the works!

I'll keep you guys in the know, but if you want even more details and exclusives, sign up for my newsletter through my linktree in my bio!

Music hasn't hit for this story the same, but here's how I'm feeling with this chapter-And side note, I think I saw Astrid S. open for Troye Sivan at the Hollywood Palladium sometime in 2018 or 19... pretty sure it was her.

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THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR PATIENCE!! Plus, check out my website: CynthiaAnnRomance.com 💕