Pop Life: Volume 3

Chapter 16

The drive back to Paisley was pretty quiet. Prince kept noticing me look at the ring on my hand making him smile while he drove.

"I take it you like it?" He asked as we reached the entrance of the compound.

"It's beautiful!" I said inspecting the diamond again.

"I know you like the simple things what you deserve more than just a simple diamond."

"What if I chip this thing? You'd probably freak out!"

"Nah. I'd just get you a whole new ring."

The giggle in his voice was really cute but sincere at the same time.

"Prince you know that I'm not with you because of the money right?"

"I know. You've stuck by me since the beginning and I wanted it to be you until the end."

  "So you're really gonna wait for me just so we can get married?"

  "Why wouldn't I? You are all I want and nothing is ever going to change that."

I suddenly got this uneasy feeling when we finally parked. My face was nearly blank and my mind was racing a million miles a second.

"Something wrong?" He asked when he finally noticed my expression.

"What if we don't make it that long? What happens if you decide to leave me?" I asked.

Prince sat with the car door still open and took my hand pushing the ring back and forth with his thumb.

"Regan? Me leaving you at this point would be out of the question. Besides when we have to separated in a few days it's only temporary."

"Yeah I know but.....you know if Marcus finds out-"

"He's not. Just don't wear this when you see him. It will only set him off even more. Then I'd really have to kill him."

"Prince be serious."

"I am being serious. I don't want this guy around any longer than he should be. He's done so much already to try to take you away from me. Hell he tried to kill Andre. And to be fair I'm the last person he wants to worry about coming after him anyway. His real problem is Dez."

"Oh god I know. He wasn't happy when Marcus sent that tape of Andre. And René! I can't shake that image of her.....she was just....."

We sat there in silence reliving that moment those pictures were found and that tape we watched. All of these things made me sick. I turned to Prince only to find him deep in thought. His eyes were getting darker as he stared down at steering wheel in front of him. When he finally came back from his thinking he got out of the car and took off immediately for the front door of the compound. In a complete fog of confusion I got out and ran after him. I don't know how he can take off in a full sprint in six inch heels when I can barely walk six inches in the white stilettos Cat advised me to wear in this rubber band of a dress. Before I could get into the building Prince was already headed up the steps to the second floor. I went inside and got just to the reception desk and took the shoes off and ran after him. I made it to the top of the steps and followed his direction. I didn't get down passed the first guest room when Prince, Dez and Morris have running my way.

"Prince what the hell is going on?"

"Get changed and meet me in Studio B."

"Is everything ok?"

"We're getting Andre. We're getting rid of Marcus tonight."

My face was stunned. The anger in his voice made my heart stop. Was he really serious? Prince has never made such a drastic decision before now when it came to the life of another human being. Prince was so strong in his befits that he felt like taking the life of another person was a ridiculous thing to do. He was always about loving everybody. Maybe the thought of René was what made him change his mind. Prince was a lover first and a fighter second. If you couldn't find a way to make peace then you were usually left alone. This situation is not the case. Somebody has to be the one to keep not just Prince but Dez sane too. We don't need another party room incident. All I could do was just go change like he wanted me to and meet him back in the studio. This whole situation was getting crazier by the day and it was probably eating at Prince's soul to the point where he's reaching his breaking point. I went into the bathroom and took off the dress and hung it up behind the door. I put on a a pair of black jeans and a grey t-shirt with Felix the cat on the front. The only pair of shoes I had were my black flats until I was able to go back home and which out my outfits before I had to pack for college. As I was taking out the big silver barrette and redoing my hair I noticed the ring on my hand in my reflection. The light bounced off the diamond and into the mirror nearly causing me to go blind temporarily.

"Alright Regan take it off. You heard what the mad said. He's not waiting until Friday. He's doing it tonight." I said to my reflection hoping that it would talk me out of this plan altogether.

I took off the ring and sat it on top of the silver plated soap dish that was screwed into the wall. After redoing my ponytail and wiping away the faint smudges of makeup and ran out of the room and down to the studio. There were no lights on and the guys were nowhere to be found. I went back down to his main music room with his baby blue grand piano and all of his cloud guitars where I would usually find him but he wasn't there either. I was starting to get really frustrated. This house is way too big for trying to find three people. Where the hell is Prince and what the hell does he have in mind?