The Tin Man (Inner Circle #1) : Enemies to Lovers Dark Romance Thriller

by Kailin Gow

  Chapter 4

  Dante Black/Parker James

  “How did things go?” Ace said when he came in the next morning.

  “Not so great,” I said. I was on my laptop, trying to find information about Summer but coming up empty handed.

  “Mission failed?” he said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

  “Mission aborted is more like it.”

  “Did you do something to upset the queen?”

  “I didn’t even get to see the queen, if that makes you feel any better.”

  “So, why did you abort?”

  I shrugged. “An idiot thief came in and tried to steal one of the most ridiculously guarded pieces of jewelry. I don’t know how he thought he was going to be able to run out of that place with that. But… anyway. Security was beefed up even more. You could barely move after that… yada, yada, yada.”

  “So, what are you looking for now?” he said as he came to look over my shoulder. “The name of the thief?”

  “No.”

  “Did a classy dame turn you down?”

  “I think I saw Summer at the fundraiser,” I said as I turned to him.

  He took a step back and arched a mocking brow. “Your friend from high school?”

  “Yeah.”

  “The one from the explosion?”

  “Yeah.”

  “The one you keep seeing everywhere.”

  I glared at him. “Yes,” I said. “But it was different this time.”

  “It always is, Parker,” he said. “In the few weeks since we’ve been in London, you’ve only seen her six times. You swore up and down that you saw her at Piccadilly Circus, then you saw her in front of the Tower of London. Then what? Oh, yeah. You saw her as you were walking into Cardinal Place. Then as you were driving down Oxford Street.”

  “Okay. Okay,” I said. “So, I’ve said it a few times before. This time was different.”

  “Different how?”

  I closed my laptop and got up to pace the room. “I got close to her, I saw her face.” I turned to look at him. “I mean, I really saw her face. It wasn’t a mirage across the room sort of thing. She was right there. Right in front of me. Damn it, it was her, Ace,” I whispered as I sank into the armchair. “I just know it was.”

  “Okay,” he said with a little more compassion. “So, let’s say that it really was her. Did she see you? Did she recognize you?”

  “No,” I said. “But you know there’s no way she could. I mean, even if she did get her memory back, I’ve changed so much since I last saw her.”

  “All right,” Ace said calmly. “Now what?”

  I looked up at him. “I want to know where she is. I want to know what became of Summer Jones.”

  “Okay,” Ace said as he sat behind my laptop and opened it again. “Why didn’t you say so?”

  After thinking it over a second, he started tapping away.

  “Anything?” I said after a brief moment.

  “Give me a minute, will you?” he said. He continued to tap away. “If she’s still out of it, she has no profiles anywhere. No pages, no accounts, no photos. Nothing under the name Summer Jones.”

  “Hey,” I thought suddenly as I bolted up from my chair. I opened my phone and found the photo of Summer. “Do you think you can do anything with this?”

  Ace looked at the photo. “Don’t you have anything a little clearer?”

  “No,” I said. “This is all I have.”

  He took my phone, sent the photo to a file on the laptop then opened the photo on the laptop. “I’ll give it a try, but no guarantees. This is pretty fuzzy.”

  I waited patiently as he put the photo through a face recognition program, but as the minutes ticked by, I began pacing again. The sense that this would bring me nowhere grew, intensified and played on my last nerve.

  “Damn it, Ace,” I hissed after an eternal five minutes. “Do you have anything or don’t you?”

  “Calm down, Parker,” he said. “I think I may… have… wait a minute… wait a minute…. There we go.” He gave the laptop keyboard a final dramatic tap. “There she is.”

  I ran up behind him and looked at the screen. My heart stopped. There she was, so beautiful, glamorous and fashionable. Her long caramel hair flowed around her face and over her shoulders in luxurious curls.

  “Where is this photo from?” I said. “Where was it taken?”

  Ace leaned into the screen to read. “Some sort of charity event.”

  He clicked to another photo; a close-up of her and a handsome blonde guy who looked familiar.

  “Who is he?”

  “Ash Fairway,” Ace said as he continued to dig deeper. “Appears to be a well-known action movie star.”

  “Well-known?” I said with a smirk. “I’ve never heard of him. Have you?”

  “No,” Ace said. “But action movies aren’t really my thing. I get enough action in real life.”

  I snorted my agreement.

  “Here she is at a movie premier with him.”

  “So, it’s not just a one-time deal,” I said solemnly. “They’re an item.”

  “Hey, it’s Hollywood. You never know what’s what.” He turned away from the screen and looked at me. “So, do you think the couple you saw last night was them?”

  “A different hair color, but he looked like he could be him if he changed his hair color and style like he was under disguise. Remember a few nights ago,” I said. “There was a fuss over a new film out. There was a fuss because one of the actors had snuck into the movie theater to see people’s honest reaction to the movie. Someone spotted him and called him out.”

  Ace nodded. “Yeah. I heard about that. Fans kept him there for over an hour signing autographs.”

  “That was here, Ace,” I said. “In London. It all adds up. He was in town promoting a film and he was at the fundraiser last night. And that gorgeous woman on his arm was Summer.”

  “I think you might be right.”

  I stared at the photo, taking it in, looking at her face and remembering the times we’d had together. I leaned in closer and noticed that there was something else about the photo that struck me. Something in the background. Something I should put more focus on. But the need to find out more about Summer was more important and I tucked that bit of curious information aside.

  I slapped him on the shoulder, urging him to turn back to the laptop. “Find out where they’re staying.”

  He glanced up at me. “You know they don’t readily let that kind of information out.”

  “I know,” I said with a smile. “But I also know that you are just devious and cunning enough to find out anyway.”

  With a proud grin, he got to work. “The Regency,” he said as he continued to investigate.

  “What room?” I said, already set to go out there and find her.

  “Sorry,” he said as he looked up at me. “They’ve already checked out.”

  “Check all the flights leaving London today,” I said.

  “All of them?” Ace said. “Parker, are you aware that Heathrow is one of the busiest airports in the world?”

  I huffed. “All right, then. Check those heading to LAX first… then maybe New York.”

  “Again,” he said as he rapidly tapped on the keys. “You’re asking me to put my nose where it doesn’t belong.”

  “That’s right. That’s what you do best, Hacker.”

  “Ex-hacker, now right hand man to the mysterious Parker James.” Ace grinned. “Bingo,” Ace said triumphantly only moments later.

  “You found them?”

  “Well…” Ace said. “I found him. A charter flight. He reserved it and signed for it, but I can’t access the passenger list. I have to assume that she’s with him.”

  “And the flight? It’s to LAX?” I said, my excitement coming out by way of a shrill cry.

  “It appears so.”

  “So, Mr. Movie Star is on a charter flight…” I said with a cocky smirk.

  Nodding, Ace looke
d up at me. “They should be landing in time for lunch.”

  “Good work,” I said as I slapped his shoulder. “Let’s go.”

  “Go?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “We’re going to Hollywood.”

  “But the mission to end the Inner Circle… Stanley, Worth, Claire… all of them.”

  I shrugged. “I might have something better.” I headed out to start packing. “Get my private jet ready. We take off in two hours.”

  Chapter 5

  Dante Black/Parker James

  “So, Parker,” Ace said as we prepared to land in Los Angeles. “Are you going to tell me what this other ‘better’ mission is? Or am I going to have to beat it out of you?”

  I laughed at him. “Pull up that last photo you showed me of Summer.”

  He pulled out his phone and showed me the picture.

  “Take a close look.”

  He brought his phone closer to his face. “What am I looking for, exactly? Something specific on Summer’s face? Something about movie star Kyle? A piece of jewelry? What?”

  “No,” I said quietly. “Behind them. Look behind them.”

  He was silent for a moment, then, “Oh, holy shit.”

  Grinning, I looked sidelong at him.

  “Do you really think that’s...?”

  “Stanley Campbell,” I said, nodding heavily.

  “What the hell is he doing in Hollywood?” Ace looked at me. “I thought he was in the music industry. Doesn’t he own a label or something? What’s it called?”

  “CBR Records,” I said. “Looks like he’s branching out.”

  “Damn.”

  “I’m going to find the bastard,” I said. “One of the original founders in the Inner Circle.”

  “Los Angeles is a big place. What have you got on him?”

  I pulled out my own phone. “So, while you were snoring the flight away, I did a little bit of digging myself.”

  Ace shot me an amused glare.

  “I’m capable of digging when I have to,” I said in my defense. “This morning I was just too rattled by seeing Summer to think straight.”

  “Right,” he said with a mocking grin. “Too rattled.”

  “Anyway,” I went on. “Tonight, Campbell Entertainment is launching a promotional tour for his biggest rock star, Rob Raven.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Ace said. “I’ve heard a few of his songs. Not bad.”

  “Heard a few of his songs,” I repeated sarcastically. “You always have Rob Raven playing in the car. And I’ve heard you listening to him sometimes even when you work.”

  “Okay. Okay,” Ace finally admitted. “So, I’m a fan of the guy. He’s got one of those raspy voices that is just spot on and the guy can shred a guitar like nobody’s business.”

  “Well,” I said playfully. “Stanley is going to be at the show tonight. The guy has an incredible ego, and he can’t resist the spotlight, even if it’s aimed just a little to his right.”

  “Tickets to that show must have sold out weeks ago,” Ace said. “How do you intend to get in?”

  “It’s already settled,” I said.

  “You got tickets?”

  “Well, actually. I have one ticket. But I’ll be sure to let you know how it went.”

  He glared at me with narrowed eyes.

  “All right. All right,” I said, quickly giving in. “Don’t throw a fit. I got two tickets.”

  “Cool,” he said. “Love you, man.”

  “Yeah. But remember. We’re going there on a mission. I want to spot Stanley and I want to take him out.”

  “Hey. Did you know that Raven has a song called Assassin’s Bullet? That would make for some cool timing.”

  Looking at him, I laughed. “You’re such a kid sometimes.”

  We landed and got into the waiting limo.

  “The Sandy Coast Hotel,” I said.

  “Good choice,” Ace said. “Right there by the arena.”

  “This isn’t my first rodeo,” I said with cool calm.

  Once in our hotel room, I pulled the binoculars from the service bag Ace had.

  “It would be great if I could catch him as he went into the arena,” I said. “It’d be simple and over with. Then we could sit back and enjoy the show.”

  Ace set up his laptop, scanner and printer, and settled in to work.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Trying to score us a couple of backstage passes,” he said.

  “Good,” I said. “Check that out. In the meantime, I’m going to go to that shop down the street. We need something a little more casual to wear tonight.”

  “Cool. Catch you later.”

  I was able to find some faded jeans, black t-shirts and a couple of leather bracelets with metal studs. It would have to do.

  Back in our room, Ace handed me a convincing backstage pass.

  “Nice job. What’s our story?” I said.

  “Entertainment columnist for the Sun. You’re Bob Thompson and I’m Roger Tate.”

  “Perfect.”

  “Did you see anything happening over there while I was gone?”

  “No,” Ace said. “Everything is happening on the other side. We’re essentially blind from here.”

  “No limousines circling around? Nothing?”

  “No,” he repeated. “Nothing.”

  “Okay. Fine. We have about two hours left before they open the doors,” I said. “I want to be there early. I want to be among the first to go in. So, get showered up and ready.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  *****

  We arrived at the venue early, but not early enough. People were already lined up and waiting an hour before the doors open.

  “Do you want to try your luck with press access?” Ace said.

  “No,” I said. “Too risky.”

  We waited patiently and were finally let in.

  Once inside, I looked at the lay out of the place. It was a typical sports arena with concession stands everywhere and entry ways into the seating area.

  While the backstage passes that Ace had printed would allow for easy access and the possibility of an easy hit, I didn’t want to rely on that.

  I had to be ready to take Stanley out right there on stage.

  “Great,” Ace said when he looked down at the stage. “In the round.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “It could make for an easy shot, but…” I looked around. “Doing it discreetly is going to be nearly impossible.”

  “Yeah. You can bet there will be people everywhere.”

  I pinned the backstage pass to my shirt. “Then you better hope these things do the trick.”

  “Now?” Ace said.

  “Well, yeah,” I said. “What do you think?”

  “I was thinking… like… after the show. Or at least half the show.”

  I glared at him. “The show will go on one way or another. I’ll off Stanley and we’ll come back to enjoy the show.”

  Ace pinned the backstage pass to his shirt, and we headed down to the belly of the stadium.

  We walked confidently up to security guard.

  “Sorry, guys,” he said. “It’s too close to showtime. Only crew and roadies can come through.”

  “We’re with the Sun,” Ace said.

  “You guys can come back after the show. Rob and the guys will be hanging out for about an hour afterward. You can catch them then.”

  “So much for dealing with Stanley before the show,” Ace muttered on our way up to find our seat.

  “Truth be told,” I said, feeling increasingly agitated at the idea of finally killing him off. “There’s something a little appealing about doing him in right in the open… right in front of everyone. It’s precisely what he deserves.”

  We found our seats. Sandwiched between a group of rowdy guys on one side and a couple of hysterical girls on the other, we settled into our seats.

  Everyone around us were chatting away while I just stared at the stage.

  “Thinking of trying it
?” Ace said.

  “It’ll all depend on how things pan out.”

  As the stadium filled up, the noise level increased. There was electricity in the air as the anticipation grew.

  Finally, the lights went down, and the crowd went wild. While there was a noticeable degree of disappointment when the opening act started up, the band proved to be entertaining and the crowd got on board.

  Foregoing an encore, the band left after their last song, the lights came back on and the road crew tended to the stage, taking away what was not part of Rob Raven’s show and bringing out any addition equipment that would be needed.

  Once again, the lights went out. Once again, the crowd went wild. But as a single sustained note on a guitar blared loudly, a spotlight found its mark as a lone man came to the microphone.

  “Everyone excited about tonight?” the man shouted.

  The crowd screamed wildly.

  “There he is,” I told Ace. I reached in my pocket for the small gun Ace had made for me with the 3-D printer. But there was no way I could pull it out and get a decent aim.

  “Everyone’s eyes are on the stage,” Ace said.

  “But too many people are on their feet. They’re blocking.” Besides, I knew we were too far away, but my desire to kill him was too great.

  “Are you guys ready to hear the best music you’ve ever heard?” Stanley went on.

  Again, the crowd screamed.

  The old guy had no business being there. He was painfully out of place, trying to play it cool with the young fans.

  “I am so proud to have this young and talented young man on my label. I am so proud of everything that he’s accomplished. And…” Beaming, he looked up into the crowd. “Look at this crowd. Look at all the folks who came out to see him.”

  The crowd cheered.

  I got up. “Excuse me,” I said as I sidestepped past the guys next to us to get to the aisle. I had to try to find a place where I could…

  A huge fan stepped out of his row and blocked the path as he cheered wildly. “Bring Rob out,” he shouted, pumping his fist. “Bring Rob out!”

  The crowd joined in the chant.

  “Yes. Yes,” Stanley said. “He’s coming out. Let me just tell you that there will be plenty of t-shirts, posters and other cool merch for sale after the show.”