Finn was just entering the bedroom to shower when she finished. He’d placed his Kevlar vest beside his clothes, she was happy to note. She was afraid she’d have to battle him to wear it, but he’d pleasantly surprised her with his acquiescence.
“You look beautiful,” he murmured when he emerged from his shower dressed in another Punishers polo and gray pants.
“As do you.”
They smiled at each other, and the connection between them was tangible. “Ready?”
“Yes.”
They headed downstairs and found Clint waiting in the kitchen. They didn’t have time to make protein shakes, but Finn assured her there would be plenty of food available at the rink. As they loaded into her SUV, Clint whistled. “Slick wheels. When did you get this, Finn?”
“It’s Kayla’s.”
“Nice.”
As they drove, Finn pointed out different areas of interest. He lived in one of the most desirable locations in the city with trendy and eclectic restaurants, quaint shops, vibrant green spaces and world-class views.
“Where are you shooting the commercial?”
“In one of the practice rinks. There are two besides the main one,” he explained. “The smallest is used for hockey camps, and it’s the one open for public skating. But the camp attendees get the opportunity to skate on the big rink once the week is over.”
She’d seen pictures of Westfield Arena on television, but it was even more impressive in person. Made of steel and glass, it was both modern and classic. Finn drove through the open gates and parked close to the building.
“Look, Finn.” Clint pointed out the window. “It’s your personal welcome committee.”
He groaned as he turned off the engine. “Prepare yourself,” he muttered to Kayla. “You’re about to meet Darcy Driessen.”
“Finn’s biggest fan,” Clint added.
Kayla glanced out the window to see a woman with long black hair tied into two pigtails with red and black ribbons, wearing a replica of Finn’s jersey. With one hand shading her eyes from the sun, she scanned the parking lot with a frown. When she spotted Finn, she started jumping up and down waving.
“She’s enthusiastic.”
“For want of a better word.” He met Kayla in front of the SUV. When Darcy spotted her, she froze mid-wave. Finn captured her hand, linking their fingers together. It felt like her hand was engulfed in a catcher’s mitt. The warm, tingly sensation from their palms touching was distracting. She needed to fight her attraction to this man. Someone might be targeting him. She needed to keep her head on straight.
“Hey, Darcy, how’s it going?” Clint greeted her. “You’re looking festive.”
Darcy ignored him. Her focus was on Finn. “Hi, Finn. That’s not your car.”
“Darcy, what are you doing here?”
“I knew you were shooting the commercial today. I wanted to see you. Look at my new necklace.” She held up a metal heart on a leather string with a picture of a smiling Finn in the center.
“It’s very nice,” Kayla said, meaning it. The intricate work on the heart was impressive. Whoever made the piece was talented.
Darcy narrowed her gaze. “Who are you?”
Finn tugged her closer against his side. “This is my girlfriend, Kayla.”
Darcy looked confused.
“Finn, why don’t you go on in with Clint and I’ll catch up with you.” Kayla wanted to have a friendly chat with Darcy to decide if she thought the woman was capable of murder. Finn looked like he wanted to argue but gave a reluctant nod. Before he walked away, he tugged her close and dropped his lips to hers, catching her completely off guard. Pleasure exploded, and she barely kept from moaning. Sadly, the kiss ended much too soon. When she opened her eyes, Finn looked just as shocked by the sensations.
It was all she could do to focus on Darcy. Finn left her discombobulated, a completely foreign feeling. Forcing her attention away from him, she turned to the president of his fan club. From the corner of her eye, she saw Finn walk through the door Clint held open for him.
“I like your outfit, Darcy.”
The woman glanced down and back at Kayla. “Thanks. Finn and I are married. Did you know that?”
“Uh, no, he didn’t mention it.”
“Well, we are. Look.” She tugged an album out of her Punishers tote bag and thrust it at Kayla. The first few pictures were of Darcy and Finn at various events, from after a game, to one at a fundraiser. In the shots, Darcy looked normal, and Finn looked happy to oblige the photo. Kayla flipped to the next page and her breath caught. Darcy was wearing a wedding dress, smiling widely, with Finn standing next to her in a black tux. Whoever photoshopped his face on the man did a poor job. The next few photos were the same, with a smiling Darcy and the same picture of Finn pasted on some unsuspecting dupe. Kayla wondered if Darcy was married, and these were her wedding pictures that she’d altered. Would her husband be upset enough to want to get back at Finn?
“Darcy, do you have a husband, uh, besides Finn?” It felt weird saying that sentence.
“Do you think I’m a polyandrist or something? Finn is my one and only. And just so you know, we’re very happy.”
Somewhere along the way, Darcy’s crush turned into an obsession.
Did her obsession lead to murder?
She handed the album back. “The pictures are lovely.”
Darcy nodded. “I know. So, you see, you can’t date Finn. He’s already married.”
A thought struck. “Did you happen to warn Nina Ortega to stay away from Finn, too?”
Darcy’s lips tightened. “Yes. She was very mean. She called me crazy and threatened to call the police. I’m not crazy.”
The jury was still out on that one. “Did that make you mad?”
“Wouldn’t it make you angry if someone tried to steal what was yours?”
“Finn.”
“Yes, Finn.” Darcy rolled her eyes like Kayla was dense. Then her mouth curved into a wicked smile. “I got back at her for calling me crazy.”
Kayla’s heartbeat picked up. Was Darcy about to confess to Nina’s murder?
She lowered her voice to a stage whisper. “I tattled on her and told Finn I saw another man hitting on her, and she wasn’t pushing him away.”
Kayla sighed. Not the confession she hoped.
“He dumped her right after I told him, so he believed me,” she said triumphantly.
More likely, he was already about to end the relationship. “Who did you see her with?”
A beep sounded, and Darcy rummaged around in her bag to find her phone. “Oh, I have to go.” She took off for her car but stopped and turned around to issue a stern warning. “Stay away from Finn.”
The way she said it sounded like a threat. Before Kayla could respond, Darcy jumped into her red and black Mini Cooper with Finn’s number twenty painted on the side and motored away.
Kayla watched her bob and weave out of the lot. Was she clinically crazy or crazy like a fox? She needed to talk to her longer to ascertain her mental health, but after seeing the photo album, she was leaning towards clinical.
#
Finn watched as Darcy handed Kayla an album of some sort. He’d posed for pictures with her at events over the years. That was before she crossed the line from fan to stalker. He struggled with being nice to her, but not wanting to encourage her. Still, as loony as she acted sometimes, he didn’t see her as a murderer.
Darcy stuffed the album inside her bag and took off in her very memorable vehicle. Kayla watched her leave and then headed towards him. He held the door open. “Nuts, right?”
“She’s definitely troubled. Have you seen the pictures of your wedding?”
His mouth dropped open. “What?”
“She has pictures of her in a wedding dress and you in a tux—or someone in a tux with your face photoshopped on him.”
“I had no idea.” He shook his head. “That’s disturbing.”
“Yeah. She also said that she got
back at Nina for calling her crazy by telling you she was flirting with another man and that you ended things with her after.”
“That wasn’t why. I’d already broken up with her when Darcy told me.”
“Who was she flirting with?”
“Clint. You’ve seen for yourself how he is, but he’s harmless.” Annoying sometimes, especially when he hit on Kayla. But he’d been that way since Finn met him years ago, so he was used to it.
“Did you ask him about it?”
“No. As I said, Nina and I were over at that point. If he wanted to date her, I wouldn’t have objected.” Clint would’ve asked Finn first. It happened in the past, especially in high school. After Finn broke up with a girl, Clint often asked them out after clearing it with him.
“Isn’t there a bro code or something about not messing with friends’ exes?”
“Well, yeah, I guess, but only if the original dater objects.” Did that even make sense? He’d never felt a rivalry with either Shawn or Clint. Maybe he hadn’t cared enough about the women. The thought of either one asking Kayla out made his blood pressure rise to a dangerous level.
He led her down a long, winding concrete corridor. It was decidedly colder as they neared the ice, but he was used to it after years spent inside the rink. Kayla only wore a short-sleeved shirt. He fired off a text to the equipment manager, asking him to grab a small jacket when he brought Finn’s uniform. For the shoot, he’d be in full gear, but instead of changing in the main locker room and walking over, he’d dress in the one adjacent to the practice ring.
Two people sat behind a long table that blocked the hallway to keep unauthorized personnel out. Finn signed his name to a clipboard and added Kayla as his guest. The woman handed her a VIP pass, allowing her to wander around the set and watch the action from the stands.
When they stepped into the rink, crews were setting up cameras and lights on one end of the ice. He’d been the spokesperson for the same auto company for the last five years. The commercials followed the same basic theme with him skating around with a puck before stopping in front of a new car or truck. His lines would be few, but he knew from experience it would take all day and well into the evening for the producer to get the shots he wanted. Plus, they’d take stills for print ads at the same time. It made for a long, exhausting day. Kayla would most likely be bored after an hour or two.
He glanced at her. “This might take all day. You don’t have to stay. I can text you when it’s over to pick me up.”
She waved his concern away. “No, I’ll be fine. I’d like to watch what happens behind the scenes of a commercial.”
“You sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“There you are.” Carrying a clipboard and a walkie-talkie, Kip Pennington rushed up to him. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
Finn checked his watch. He was thirty minutes early from his scheduled arrival time. “Why are you here, Kip? This isn’t a team-related shoot.” The company only paid Finn to endorse their products, but they did pay to rent the rink for the day and a fee so he could appear in his uniform.
“Oh, I know,” the public relations manager responded. “But this is happening on our turf. I need to make sure the logo is visible as much as possible.”
“The arena was booked without the protocol for the logo. You know that.”
He held out his hands. “But it’s my job to promote the team.”
That was true, and since Finn skated for the Punishers, it was hard to argue. The guy was only doing his job.
“Hey, Finn.”
He turned to see Darrel Shaw pushing a cart loaded down with his pads and skates. His uniform hung from a hook. “Here’s the jacket you requested.”
“Thanks, Darrel. This is my girlfriend, Kayla.”
“Hi, Darrel.” Kayla shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too, ma’am. I’ll take this to the locker room.”
“Thanks.” He handed Kayla the Punishers jacket. “I thought you might need this.”
She accepted it and slid her arms inside. “Thank you. I forgot to grab mine before we left the house.”
Her hair stuck inside the collar, so he gently lifted it out. It cascaded over his fingers like spun silk. The move had been intimate, like something an actual boyfriend would do for his lady. He made the mistake of looking into her eyes. He was falling for her. There was no denying it. Leaning closer, he wanted to taste her again. The kiss outside was to show Darcy that he and Kayla were together. Mistake. Once he pressed his lips to hers, he’d been lost. If not for the sound of a car horn a mile away, he wasn’t sure he’d been able to stop.
“Finn, we’re ready for you.”
The associate director’s appearance broke the spell, and then he was shuffled away to dress in his uniform to prepare for the long day ahead. He gazed longingly at Kayla, wishing he’d had the chance to kiss her again.
#
Kayla watched as crews rushed around in a frenzy to set up for the shoot in the practice rink. Carpets had been placed on one end of the ice for the production equipment. Cameras were wheeled into place, lights assembled, orders barked. It was controlled chaos. She’d listened as one of the crew members explained to Finn what would happen. Gigantic curtains had been strung along the opposite end where the Punishers kept the machine used to resurface the ice. The curtains would part so the new limited-edition truck—the product Finn was endorsing—would drive through and come to a stop on the ice. Finn would skate up to it and hockey stop for the shot, with ice spraying. The director had gone over the script several times, and Finn was on the ice now with a headset, listening to last-minute instructions.
Finn had introduced her to Kip Pennington, the public relations manager for the Punishers. He scurried around like he was the director, shouting instructions and making sure their logo was visible in several locations. Free promotion, she supposed, assuming they didn’t eliminate the signage in the editing process.
She also met Howard Jones, the corporate representative from the home office. He held her hand a little too long, and his leer made her uncomfortable, but she pasted on a smile for the man who signed Finn’s endorsement contract.
“Who knew so much went into making a thirty-second commercial?”
Kayla turned her head as Clint leaned against the railing beside her with Shawn on his other side. “It does seem like a big production.”
“They do something like this every year,” Shawn remarked. “They’ll go through practice runs and then several takes to get it just right. You’ll be here all day.”
“The good thing is the catering. Have you checked it out?” Clint pointed to an area off to the side where three large tables held an assortment of food and beverages. “Just show them your VIP card.”
The spread looked delicious, causing her stomach to rumble. She’d be checking it out soon.
She could feel the stare of both men as they studied her. Finally, she turned to face them. Shawn shook his head. “I still can’t believe Finn hasn’t mentioned you before last night.”
She didn’t know how to respond. She hated misleading his closest friends. She didn’t stay in contact with anyone from high school. Her mother sent yearly reunion invitations that she routinely ignored. It wasn’t that she didn’t care what happened to her friends. She’d spent her formative years with them. But that part of her life was in the past. She had no desire to revisit it over and over each year, with classmates vying to outdo the others with who had more money, or the bigger house, or better job, or more kids.
Clint shook his head. “He always gets the girls, but you’re in a whole new league.”
Clint’s words made her uncomfortable, so she didn’t respond. Both his friends were judging her by her outward appearance, not what was inside.
“What’s Short doing here?” Shawn muttered.
She followed Shawn’s gaze to see Trevor Short, the disgraced rookie, standing next to Howard
Jones with their heads bent close as they spoke.
“If that bastard is trying to steal Finn’s endorsement, I’ll wring his neck.”
It looked shady. The two men shook hands, and then Trevor spared one last glance at the activities on the ice before departing down a hallway.
“Excuse me.” Shawn moved around them. “I need to have a word with Mr. Jones.” He jogged to catch up with him and tossed an arm over his shoulder as they talked.
The producer spoke into a megaphone. “Let’s practice opening the curtains and bringing the truck out. We want to make sure we get it right.”
She and Clint watched as the large red curtains parted dramatically. The gates around the ice had been opened to the full width to accommodate the shiny red truck that emerged up the concrete ramp. The driver accelerated up the incline, but where he should’ve stopped, he kept going, overshooting the mark. The wheels slid when they touched the ice and skidded out of control—headed straight for Finn. He still wore the headset, so he wouldn’t be able to hear the impending danger.
People were screaming and running for cover. She wanted to help them all, but her entire focus was on Finn. She leaped down the steps and sprinted onto the ice, running along the carpet until she was close enough to dive for him, knocking him hard to the surface just as the truck spun past the spot he’d been standing a second earlier. The force of her hit had them sliding until they came up hard against the boards. She twisted around to watch as the truck slammed into the lights and cameras, sending gear flying before smashing to the ground. The equipment managed to slow it down. It came to a hard stop, rattling the plexiglass surrounding the rink.
Finn groaned. “What happened? You hit harder than Bruiser Briggs.”
She glanced down at him, glad he had on his pads to absorb the impact. “You almost got flattened by a runaway truck.”
Shawn and Clint came sliding over. “Man, that was incredible,” Shawn remarked. “You got him out of the way in the nick of time.”
“With moves like that, you should suit up and play for the Punishers,” Clint added.
Iron Cross (COBRA Securities Book 20) Page 8