13. The Lost Songbird of Venice Beach

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I didn't know the full details of the plan that I had quickly concocted, but I did know that if I managed to pull it off, I might just be Jace-free after all.

At that moment, I didn't even care that someone might replace Jace and that I would lose the semblance of freedom I had enjoyed in school. All I cared about was freeing myself of Jace Frost.

Elliott and Chloe both watched me, confusion painted on both their faces at my request.

"What type of help do you need?" Elliott asked as he cast a questioning look in Chloe's direction before looking back at me.

I darted a quick look over at Jace to make sure he wasn't looking in our direction. I didn't need him to suspect that I was planning anything or that something was amiss. When I saw that he was still busy in conversation with Yuri, I leaned in front, motioning for both of my friends to do the same.

"I'll be leaving first," I said once they did. "And I need you both to take my bag after ten minutes and go somewhere far away from here."

"Why? What's going on?" Elliott asked as he cast a look around us as if he could find the answers to his questions in our surrounding.

Chloe's brows were furrowed together in worry as she pressed her lips together. "Something's going on, isn't there? Why else would you ask us to take your bag for you?"

I sighed in frustration as I cast another look towards Jace. The longer I would take before I executed my plans, the more likely it would be that Jace would discover it. "Look, I don't have time right now. I'll explain it later. I promise." I pinned them with a look that I could only hoped to be reassuring. "Please I need you guys to do this for me."

Elliott still had a suspicious look on his face. "Phillipa," he began, "Whatever it is, we can help. Just tell us what's going on now."

I shook my head. "It's nothing serious. I just want to do something on my own and I'm worried that Bruce or someone would be able to find me if I took my bag with me. They might have a tracker installed in there," I explained.

I was being honest about it but not fully. I still didn't mention that it was Jace that I was worried about.

"Just promise us that it's not dangerous," Chloe said as she reached over and placed a hand over mine.

I smiled, trying to look as confident as I was feeling at the moment although a part of me was worried about Jace noticing what I was planning. "It's not dangerous, Chlo. I just need you both to take my bag with you ten minutes after I get up."

Chloe and Elliott both sent each other questioning looks and after a couple of seconds of silent exchanges between the both of them, Elliott said, "Okay. But take your phone with you at the very least and some cash. Call us thirty minutes after you leave or I will contact the cops."

I scoffed at him. "The cops, seriously?"

Elliott arched a brow back at me. "Take it or leave it. That's my offer."

After seconds of staring at him and him not backing down, I sighed and nodded. "Fine, fine." I reached into my bag and grabbed my purse before pulling out a couple of notes.

"So what's the plan?" Chloe asked as she finished her rice tea.

"I'll head out the back door," I replied as I looked over at Jace. He was watching us now and I thanked my lucky stars that he hadn't been paying attention when I was trying to convince Chloe and Elliott.

We had come regularly to this restaurant and I knew the place enough to know that there was a back entrance that led out into an alleyway that led to a busy intersection.

After a quick thought, I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Jace.

I'm going to the toilet.

I knew that it was absurd that I had to do that, but that was one of the things I'd learnt the hard way the first day Jace started tailing me. I hadn't told him I was going there and he had followed me and waited outside while I took care of business.

Since then, we had come to a silent agreement that I would let him know when I went.

I looked up at Jace, who had pulled out his phone to check. A couple of seconds later, without looking in my direction, he nodded slightly, almost too miniscule that one wouldn't take that as him nodding.

"I'll call you guys later, okay?" I whispered to the both of them. Not waiting for a response, I got up and tried to naturally walk towards where the toilet was. The back entrance was just across from it.

Not casting another look towards Jace, I stifled a smile as I headed towards my freedom.

* * *

I took the matcha ice-cream from the lady behind the counter before handing over a couple of dollars bills. She smiled before she handed over my change and a tissue.

"Thank you," I said before I turned around and started walking down the Venice Beach Boardwalk.

Even when I was planning to run away from Jace, I hadn't expected to come here of all places. I remember having come here at most twice when I was younger with both of my parents. We used to have fun here.

But since then, I hadn't returned here. Usually it was because it was too crowded that my safety couldn't be certain. Or it was because I was too busy. Or it was because I had been in the social headlines for so long that I couldn't stand the attention that brought me.

But at the end of it all, I knew those were just excuses.

I hadn't come here again because they reminded me of her.

My mom.

Today was different somehow though. Somehow today, after escaping Jace, I felt empowered and fulfilled. I felt like I had gripped my life with my own two hands and made a choice to take back control of my life.

I took in the beautiful sights of Venice Beach. The sight that had brought many people and many tourists to it.

There were various entertainment and stalls set up from break-dancing to broken glass walking. Mimes to musicians, jugglers to jesters and everything in between made up the human landscape that flooded Venice Beach. There were stalls where you can have your fortune read, get a temporary tattoo or have your name written on a grain of rice.

I took in the sights of people, of all shapes, sizes, ethinicty and colors walk past me and after a long time, I felt like I was just another person in the midst of some many.

Usually I felt like I was being singled out, like I was pointed at, talked about and laughed at. Usually I felt like everyone was watching me and that I didn't blend in with the crowd, but here I was, just some random girl eating her ice-cream.

I smiled at the thought as my mind drifted to Jace.

I wondered how he was feeling right at this moment. Whether he was worried about his job right now or he was already out looking for me. I didn't know if he really had a tracker in my bag, but if he did, he would be following after Elliott and Chloe until he realized he was being duped.

I felt almost invigorated by the thought that I had managed to get one over Jace Frost and that I might properly have managed to get rid of him finally.

After calling Elliott and Chloe a couple of minutes before to assure them that I was alright, I found out that they had gone shopping. Of course, by that I mean Chloe had dragged Elliott along with her kicking and screaming.

I settled down by an empty bench, hoping to take a rest from the sun that was bearing down on me. I hadn't had the foresight to consider the weather today.

If I had, I might've chosen a different day to escape Jace, most preferably one that promised cloudy skies and breezy weather.

I was surprised that neither Bruce or Jace were blowing up my phone, asking me where I was. The fact that Bruce hadn't called meant that Jace hadn't alerted him to my disappearance.

I didn't know whether I was impressed by his determination to handle it on his own or insulted that he thought he could outsmart me and find me without Bruce and the squad's help.

Jace hadn't once called which further added injury to insult. It was as if he was determined to prove to me that he could find me without any help at all.

I ate my ice-cream, trying to come up with the next place I should go to.

Before I could come to a definite conclusion, my phone vibrated, alerting me to a text.

I scoffed out loudly as I guessed it to be Jace finally asking me where I was and threatening to call my dad or whatever.

But when I check my phone, I stop short, taken aback by the name that appeared on my screen.

Jordan Wolfe.

I hadn't expected to hear from him ever again, especially not so soon.

The screen lit up with a simple text that left me dumbfounded the longer I stared at it, the ice-cream melting and now running down my hands.

I'm back.

I stared at the text and read it over and over again.

The last time I had seen him was seven months ago. We had met at our secret place because the paparazzi had been hounding him the entire day.

I remembered seeing him walking towards me as I sat enjoying the starry night view over the lake.

Six feet three with broad shoulders and a fit body. His hair was short and his eyes were a clear, pale brown, like amber from the tall forests across the sea. He had a dark cocoa complexion and a chiseled jawline that had millions of girls around the world going crazy for him.

But at the end of the day, or back then at least he was mine.

Jordan Wolfe was an up and coming actor that had made a breakthrough in his career a year ago when he starred in a werewolf franchise.

He had gone to South America for the past couple of months filming the latest installment to the franchise.

We had met when my father's company had been responsible for the security detail for the filming. I had gone to a black tie event where I ran into Jordan and from there we had hit it off.

I had thought everything was going great for the both of us. That despite our conflicting schedules, we still had time for each other and cared for one another.

That was until that night. He had called it quits before I could've even had gotten a good excuse out of him.

When I pestered him for an explanation, he had simply said, "I only dated you because of who you were, Phillipa. Don't take it too hard."

That was the last time I'd seen or heard from him again.

Until the text that still lit up my screen.

I glared at my screen, feeling the anger rise up within me and suffocate reasoning out of my system.

How dare he? How could he send me a text, telling me he was back after what he did?

To make it worse, he had been my first and only relationship. And after what he did and said, I wondered if a relationship was even worth it at all.

I got up from the bench and threw the melted ice-cream and cone into the bin a few feet away as I turned my phone off. I didn't want to deal with him right now and by turning it off, I could almost fool myself into believing that he hadn't even texted me.

I started walking down Venice Beach without a destination in mind. My feet carrying me as I pondered why I felt like a trapped songbird that had lost its voice.

I was so lost in thought that it took me awhile to realize that someone was following me. I stopped walking and listened, honing my ears to shut out the drawl of music and people chattering.

Nothing.

I started walking again and heard it. Someone's steps hurrying to keep pace with mine.

I stopped again.

The footsteps stopped.

I felt my blood run cold and the hair on my arms stand up.

I was being followed.

Without even taking into consideration that it was Jace, my mind raced towards the threats and blackmails my father had been receiving.

Could it be?

My mind raced and I realized that this wasn't the first time I'd felt like someone had been following me today.

Even when I got ice-cream and stopped at a souvenir stall, in the back of my mind, I had felt those same eyes on me as I had felt in Wanderlust. Not the same but they gave off the same vibes.

Dangerous vibes.

I started walking again.

The footsteps resumed.

Without a second thought, my pace quickened and after a couple of seconds, I broke off into a run.

This time, the footsteps were pounding behind me, trying to keep up and I knew that whoever it was knew that I knew he was following after me.

That made the situation even more dangerous. He knew I knew he was following and right then he didn't care anymore about being found out.

I felt my heart pounding against my chest and in my ears as I maneuvered through the busy Venice Beach and tried to escape my stalker.

I didn't know if I had lost him at this point but my legs couldn't keep up. They felt like they would collapse very soon.

Without meaning to, my footsteps had slowed and soon after I stopped running. I couldn't even jog at that point.

I turned around and to look for the person, but before I could I felt someone's hands grab mine and pull me to the left, into an alley.

My eyes widened as I contemplate who could it be. Just as I'm about to open my mouth to scream, rough hands cover it and shush me.

I looked up and my eyes widened even more.

Jace?

He stared back at me, a serious expression on his face as he presses a finger against his lips.

"Keep quiet if you don't want them to find us."

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