N. Walters - Mark of the Bear

But Kellsie had to know.

She pulled the first paper out of the bag and spread it out on the folding table just beyond the dryers. “Hollywood Hunk Dumps Wife.” The headline screamed out at her. In smaller letters beneath it read, “Is he going back to where it all began?” An old grainy picture of her sat just below the headline. Right next to it was one of the woman he’d left her for. Beneath the pictures, the article speculated that Jon had been secretly seeing Kellsie Morris the past few weeks. That was all she needed.

“Shit.” She glanced around the room after she swore. There were three other people currently doing their laundry and none of them were paying any attention to her. One was reading a tattered magazine that someone else had left behind months ago by the looks of it. Another was reading a book. And the third person, a guy, was talking to himself. Not that she could criticize him. She talked to herself all the time.

Her dryer chose that moment to shut off. Kellsie stuffed the tabloid back into her bag and went to the dryer. Her laundry was done and she didn’t want to stay here any longer than she had to. Just being out among people was a risk. Everyone and his dog had a cell phone that took pictures. And the tabloids would pay a lot of money for a new one of her.

Maybe she should find a photo booth, get a few shots of herself and make some money. Maury would be in full agreement as long as he got a cut of the proceeds.

She snorted under her breath as she transferred clothing from the dryer to a nearby table. No way in hell she’d give Jonathan Braun more airtime on the entertainment shows and tabloids. Not if she could help it.

She took the time to fold her clothes so they wouldn’t wrinkle too badly. Not that it mattered. Wardrobe would provide her clothing for the movie. What she wore on her own time was inconsequential. But she wanted to make a decent first impression since she hadn’t worked with this particular director before. A quick Google search hadn’t yielded her much information on him beyond a few links to several obscure, yet critically successful independent films he’d shot. Not that it mattered. Work was work and money was money.

Satisfied she had everything, Kellsie slung her duffle over her shoulder, grabbed her purse and her bag of goodies and headed to the nearby parking lot where she’d left Betsy. It was a gamble to use her own car. As sure as she was standing here, the media hounds would have her license plate number and her home address by now. But she wasn’t leaving Betsy behind. Nor was she spending extra money on a rental when she was leaving the city.

She stowed her belongings in the trunk and climbed into the driver’s seat. After a quick look around to make sure no one was watching her, she started the car and headed out of town. A motel beyond the city was what she needed. Less chance of some paparazzi stumbling across her.

Hours later, she unlocked the door to her motel room and pushed inside, hitting the light switch as she went. It was drab but clean, and that was all that mattered. She’d certainly stayed in worse. Heck, she’d lived in worse.

Thankfully, they let her pay in cash. She’d given a fictitious name as well, just to be on the safe side. Motel desk clerks didn’t make a lot of money. If he recognized her face or name, chances were good he’d contact someone at one of the tabloids in hopes of making a few bucks. She should be safe for now.

Giving the door a knock with her hip, she closed it. It locked automatically. She dumped her bags on the bed and flopped down beside them. Damn, she was tired. Instead of finding a motel close by, she’d driven as far as she could, pushing to put some distance between herself and the city. It was late and she was exhausted.

The last twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind. She’d gone from finishing a movie to getting the leading role in another to being on the front page of every tabloid in the country. Not a bad day’s work.

Kellsie rubbed her hands over her face. “Eat. Shower. Rest.” She had to get a good night’s sleep if she was going to get an early start tomorrow morning. Groaning, she pushed herself upright. It wasn’t easy when her body was screaming at her to let it fall back on the mattress and stay there for at least eight hours.

Her body was crying out for sleep. She’d been running on pure adrenaline and caffeine all day and was going to crash. Soon.

“Shower first.” She dug in her bag for her sleep shirt, an oversized white cotton shirt with a huge brown bear on the front. She’d seen it at a discount store a few weeks back and had to have it.

She staggered toward the bathroom and hit her shoulder on the doorjamb. “Damn it.” She rubbed the spot. She didn’t need any more bruises, not with a new role starting. She had a few as souvenirs from the last job, but nothing makeup wouldn’t cover.

Kellsie dragged off her shirt and studied her shoulder in the mirror. The skin was red around her tattoo, but other than that, it looked fine. Her finger traced the shape of the four-inch bear that sat on her back just below her shoulder. She’d gotten the tattoo for her eighteenth birthday, a kind of celebration of her starting her life on her own.

Who was she kidding?

She’d been terrified of being on her own and wanted a totem animal. A protector. She’d been going through her metaphysical stage and had been reading tons of books from the library about Native American mythology. To her, the bear had seemed to be a strong guardian.

She no longer believed in such things, but she still liked the tattoo.

She removed the rest of her clothing and let it fall to the floor. She didn’t have the energy to pick it up so she left it there, stepping over it on her way to the shower. It didn’t take her long to start the water and step beneath the spray. She stood there, letting the warm water cascade over her tired muscles. When the water started to go cold, she washed as fast as she could but was shivering slightly by the time she shut off the water.

The towel the motel provided was thin but adequate. Kellsie forced herself to moisturize her skin, all the way from the bottoms of her feet up to and including her face. She couldn’t afford to neglect her skin, especially since she would be spending the next four weeks in front of the camera. Luckily, she’d had her legs waxed just before the last shoot and didn’t have to worry about shaving them. As tired as she was, she’d probably leave a trail of nicks and cuts on them.

She tugged on her sleep shirt and somehow found the energy to grab her clothing off the floor. The ingrained habit of having to take good care of what few belongings she’d had as a kid couldn’t be overcome and had followed her into adulthood.

Kellsie left the bathroom behind and yawned her way into the bedroom. God, she was more tired than she could ever remember being in her entire life. And that was saying something.

She dumped her stuff on top of her duffle and stumbled to the bed. She yanked back the covers and climbed in. The mattress was lumpy and the pillowcase didn’t smell like her fabric softener, but she didn’t care. She was horizontal, and that was all that mattered.

Sighing, Kellsie let her eyes drift shut. Her stomach growled, but she ignored it. She’d eat later…

Kellsie wandered through a dark tunnel. She had no idea where she was. It was hot and the hair on the back of her neck fluttered. She was being watched.

A quick glance over her shoulder told her nothing. She couldn’t see a damn thing. It was like being blind. “Don’t panic,” she told herself. Speaking aloud made her feel not so alone. Which was stupid, because she was alone. At least she hoped she was. She didn’t think there could be anything good lurking out there in the dark.