Star in the Shadows

Helen Buckley

Description

The world thinks that pop superstar Kiara Anderson has it all, but she spends her nights drinking away memories of her childhood and life as a teen runaway. The Jacobs family are desperate to see the girl next door again and discover why she ran away, especially their son, Shane, who blames himself for her disappearance. When Kiara's manager forces her into a reveal-all TV interview, she knows the family she loved more than her own will finally discover the truth. Can she overcome her demons or will the shadows of the past rob her of fame, fortune, and a chance to finally fall in love?

Informations

• Publié par: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Date de parution: 30 octobre 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528966887
• Langue: English

Extrait

Star in the Shadows
Helen Buckley
Austin Macauley Publishers
2019-10-30
Star in the Shadows About the Author About the Book Dedication Copyright Information © Acknowledgments Part One Surviving An order The interview Twenty years ago The interview Twenty years ago The interview Twenty years ago The interview Seventeen years ago The interview Fifteen years ago Thirteen years ago The interview Twelve years ago Ten years ago The interview Eight years ago The interview Eight years ago Part Two Running Eight years ago – Kiara Eight years ago – the Jacobs Eight years ago – Kiara Eight years ago – the Jacobs Eight years ago – Kiara Eight years ago – The Jacobs Eight years ago – Kiara Seven and a half years ago – Kiara Seven and a half years ago – The Jacobs Seven and a half years ago – Kiara Seven years ago – The Jacobs Seven years ago – Kiara Seven years ago – The Jacobs Seven years ago – Kiara Six years ago – The Jacobs Six years ago – Kiara Five years ago – The Jacobs Four years ago – Kiara Four years ago – The Jacobs Three years ago – Kiara Three years ago – The Jacobs Three years ago – Kiara Two years ago – Kiara Part Three Pretending Two years ago – Kiara Two years ago – The Jacobs Two years ago – Kiara Two years ago – the Jacobs Two years ago – Kiara Two years ago – The Jacobs Two years ago – Kiara One year ago – The Jacobs One year ago – Kiara Ten months ago – The Jacobs Nine months ago – The Jacobs One month ago – Kiara Three weeks ago – Kiara Two weeks ago – The Jacobs One week ago – Kiara The interview Six months reunited Nine months reunited Ten months reunited Eleven months reunited Twelve months reunited Thirteen months reunited Fourteen months reunited Part Four Healing Three days after the group Four days after the group Six days after the group Two months after the group Three months after the group Four months after the group Four months after the group Five months after the group Six months after the group Ten months after the group Twelve months after the group
About the Author
Helen has spent over thirteen years working and volunteering for charities in the UK and abroad, including four years in Honduras. She currently works as a charity communications manager and lives in Bedfordshire with her husband and son.
About the Book
The world thinks that pop superstar Kiara Anderson has it all, but she spends her nights drinking away memories of her childhood and life as a teen runaway.
The Jacobs family are desperate to see the girl next door again and discover why she ran away, especially their son, Shane, who blames himself for her disappearance.
When Kiara’s manager forces her into a reveal-all TV interview, she knows the family she loved more than her own will finally discover the truth.
Can she overcome her demons or will the shadows of the past rob her of fame, fortune, and a chance to finally fall in love?
Dedication
For Donovan – my little star
Copyright Information ©
Helen Buckley (2019)
The right of Helen Buckley to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528966887 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2019)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgments
I want to say a big thank you to Helen Bowen and Mum – for all your unswerving support and for taking the time to read pages and pages of drafts. I’m so grateful to my friends in the States – Amanda Knauss, Jennifer Jenkins-Butts, Beverly Chesser, and Jana Richardson – who helped me with checking the American vocabulary. And thank you to my husband, David, who listened patiently and encouraged constantly.
Part One

Surviving

An order
Marco breezed into the apartment and sat down, his dark hair gelled back with a greasy shine. He always moved with a cat-like arrogance, an air of entitlement and ownership, regardless of whether he was in her hotel room or her apartment. It was one of the qualities Kiara envied about him – his ability to seem so at home and in control no matter where he was. She slid onto the red leather couch next to him, extending her legs onto the coffee table, ankles crossed, her pale skin a contrast to his deep tan.
“Well, good news,” he began. “You’ve been asked to do an exclusive TV interview with Beth Winters.”
Kiara’s mouth opened in surprise. “What?”
Marco grinned, flashing his white teeth at her. “Isn’t it great? Her ratings are amazing.”
“But why would she want to do an interview with me?” she stammered.
“Why not? You’re gorgeous, you’re number one all over the world, and you’ve got a great story to tell,” Marco put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze.
Kiara shook her head. “Marco, I can’t talk to her. She likes to go in deep, uncover private stuff. She’ll want to know real things about me, about my past…” she trailed off.
Marco’s smile faded, and his mouth pressed into a thin line.
“Time’s up Kiara,” he said, his gaze hardening. “Beth’s team already knows plenty about you as do lots of other people sniffing around.”
She sat there silently, palms moist and stomach churning.
“You need to tell the story in your own words, make it your own exclusive. Get ahead of this now and we’ll help you make sure it comes out the way you want it to,” he continued.
“Do I have to tell them everything Marco?” she asked, her heart starting to flutter with anxiety.
“Not everything,” said Marco thoughtfully, rubbing his chin with his finger. “But you’ll need to talk about your dad, about running away when you were seventeen…”
“About why I ran away?” she interrupted, her voice tight and lips numb.
“Yes,” he said, and her stomach somersaulted.
Kiara put her head in her hands, the ground starting to lurch beneath her feet. “Marco please, I don’t want to do this on camera, it’s too hard.”
“I don’t care,” he said bluntly.
She looked up at him, shocked. “Excuse me?”
“You will listen to me and you will do what I say Kiara. This is not optional. We have protected you so far and we will continue to do so but only if you take our advice.” Marco jabbed a finger at her and she sat in anxious silence, trembling at his change of tone. “You have a lot of dirt to cover up and I’ll help you do it but don’t question me. I don’t want any tears or panic attacks or begging. You’ll do it and you will be fine.”
She nodded, eyes downcast, unable to meet the intensity of his dark gaze. His voice softened, and he stroked her hair. “This is best for you and it’s best for the group. You trust me, don’t you?”
She nodded.

The interview
Kiara settled herself on the oversize velvet chair. People with clipboards and headsets were flitting around her, checking light and sound levels, preparing to start recording. She fiddled with the lead of the mic running up inside her sweater. The lights were so hot that a slight sheen of sweat dampened her chest and stomach, and she could feel her face glowing underneath the thick film of studio makeup.
Beth Winters strode over and sat on the chair opposite hers. Tanned, tall and wiry, Beth Winters was famous for her exclusive television interviews. One steely glance of her grey eyes would have celebrities spilling their deepest secrets, all captured on camera and ready for the audience to devour.
“You ready Kiara?” she said in her trademark southern drawl, waving away an assistant with her perfectly manicured hand, her bright coral nail polish shining sharply under the lights.
“Sure, let’s do it.” Kiara flashed a huge smile, sticky with lip gloss. Feeling the sweat bead down her back, she sat up a little straighter and focused on Beth, thankful the interview wasn’t going to be filmed live or in front of an audience.
The cameras switched on, the red lights trained impassive and unblinking on her and Beth.
Beth turned towards the cameras. “Tonight, I’m delighted to welcome Kiara Anderson, lead singer of the chart-topping group Femme Fatale. She’ll be telling us about her journey to the top as a member of one of the sexiest and most successful groups in the charts.”
Beth paused and turned to Kiara, running a bright fingernail up and down the papers she held in her hand. “Kiara, we’re just delighted to have you on the show tonight. I’m actually a huge fan of Femme Fatale,” she said.
“Thanks Beth. It’s great to be here,” Kiara replied, widening her smile. She began to sweat through her jeans onto the plush velvet beneath her.
“I must say, I’m just dying to get to know you better, as I’m sure our viewers at home are too.” Beth smiled at the camera and then leaned in towards her.
“Tell me, how does it feel to be one of the most desired women on the planet?” she asked Kiara.
Kiara smiled coyly, arching an eyebrow. “Oh, I don’t know about that…” she giggled, tossing her red curls over her shoulder, tumbling down her back over the cropped white jumper that revealed her slender waist and hung off one pale shoulder. It was Marco’s choice – he was better at picking out her clothes than she was.
“You were recently voted number nine on the list of the world’s sexiest women, and your latest single is currently topping the charts all over the world. You’ve made a big impact since Femme Fatale came onto the scene just under two years ago.”
Kiara nodded and smiled. “It’s been a crazy journey. Sometimes I don’t know where I am and what day it is!” She had never expected this level of fame and attention so quickly and her and the girls were sti