In short, the universe had provided a much needed way out for her at the nick of time. Courtney’s tuition was coming up. Not to mention paying off loans and taking care of her parents’ affairs since they did not have adequate insurance. She was also able to come up with the rent for at least the next twelve months. Maybe she could even manage scraping together a down payment to finally own her own home. Courtney could have more room for herself, too. It sure was a challenge being cooped up in the little apartment with her young adult sister. But finally, there was hope. A new beginning. A chance to set things right.
Thank you, Universe.
Thank you, Mr. Romero.
Blue surprised herself when her mind drifted again. She had a vision of Zack Romero. She was alone with him in the most fascinating penthouse suite. He was moving his hand slowly down her back making her dizzy with unbridled excitement. Her nipples strained through her bra while he slowly undressed her like James Bond did in one of the earlier movies, smooth and suave. Her dress was on the floor before she knew it and she stood before him as he delighted in her body. He then lowered his head to hers and pressed his luscious lips to hers and kissed her so passionately, she forgot where she was. Heck, she forgot WHO she was! He then slowly unhooked her lace bra and she felt his hand move slowly down her body where he…
Blue shook her head and blinked hard, trying to shift the focus back on the road.
Did he harbor some magical mystique that drew women in to him like a magnet? Everybody’s heard of the Romero men’s sexual appeal and potency. The reputation of the brothers had been reputed to have spread far and wide for years.
Blue was still grinning while behind the wheel. She’d better keep her focus on the road and her mind out of the naughty gutter or else.
She peered in the rearview mirror and noticed that a blue SUV was driving close behind her. In fact, he’d been tailing her for quite some time now. An uncomfortable feeling befell her and she just couldn’t figure out why.
She decided she was going to turn off the main road. Maybe check a few emails on her smartphone then get back on the road. The paranoid princess inside her just wanted to make sure she wasn’t being followed. For whatever reason.
She remembered that day at the cemetery, a few weeks ago, she felt as if she were being watched.
You’re not being watched or followed, Blue. It’s all in your silly imagination.
Blue stopped the car and put her gear into park and waited. She looked at the rearview mirror again. Slowly, the blue SUV, the same vehicle that was shadowing her since she left the Romero estate had turned on the street she was parked.
Oh, God!
Her heart pounded hard, knocking the chest wall inside her with a heavy beat. She felt her body turn cold. Her worst fear confirmed.
She was being followed.
Blue, panting hard, fiddled with the gear shift after turning on the ignition. She quickly reversed then turned her car around. Should I call 9-1-1?
And say what, idiot? You think you’re being followed while you are safe in your car?
She hit the gas and continued on. Unfortunately, there were no other cars on the road.
Great!
The trouble with travelling out of town from the city was that oftentimes some of the roads could be so isolated. Lonely driving. Thank heavens, the sky was still light enough.
Breathing hard and fast, Blue floored it while glancing up every so often in her rearview mirror. She was going to die tonight, she thought with terror.
Somebody was trying to kill her.
The blue SUV drove faster, tailgating her. She couldn’t quite see who it was. Blue couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman or more than one person. The windows of that vehicle were tinted dark.
Crap!
Keep calm, Blue. Nothing gets done in a panic.
Yeah, tell that to her body. She was so tense she could barely steer her car. She pressed the gas pedal harder trying to outrun him. Trying to shake him off. But it was no use.
She felt a bang and her body flung forward in her car. His truck nailed her from behind. The driver struck her bumper on purpose. What the hell was going on?
Who was that crazy person?
Just then she heard the wheels of the SUV screeching as he sped up and rammed her again. This time, Blue saw her life flash before her. Blue lost control of her car and drove off into a ravine.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Oh, somebody’s got a woman on his mind,” Carl teased his brother, Zack, as he walked into the foyer at the winery house.
Zack was leaning back on his desk with his arms folded across his chest, peering out at the window. An incredulous look formed on his face at his brother’s words. “What are you talking about, Carl?”
“Oh, come on. You were daydreaming about Blue. She’s one heck of a gorgeous reporter.”
“Film producer,” Zack corrected, not amused. “She’s only here working on a documentary for the winery, Carl. And no, I was not thinking about her.” Zack tried to keep his tone as cool as he could. Truth be told, he was lying right through his teeth. Damn! Blue Monroe was hot as hell. So hot, his body was on fire from the embers of her kiss. He really needed to take a cold shower more than anything. Good thing the main house wasn’t too far from the winery house on the estate. He loved working close to home, or at least one of his homes, since Romero Manor was the family estate.
“Well, good, because you know you can’t break that deal with Granddad, or he’ll have you out of here. You’ve still got what? Another week!”
Zack winced. “Another day,” he scowled. Old man Romero was a sturdy, fine man who grew up on principles and loved his family dearly, though at times, he often imposed some childish rules on his grown, accomplished grandchildren. But Zack, like his brothers and cousins, loved Toni Romero without bounds. They would do anything for him.
“Did you find anything else out about that tape?” Zack changed the topic. “I presume you’re not here for a brotherly chat.”
Carl grinned. Zack’s sense of humor was often dry but he tended to make light of most situations.
“Well, yeah. That,” Carl said, rubbing his stubble. “There is a digital file in some Cloud storage.”
“What? Are you sure about that?”
“Yeah. Sorry, man.”
“Right.” Zack’s jaw clenched. Of all the lowdown things. “Doesn’t she realize that Cloud storages can get hacked into?”
“Well,” Carl grinned. “First off. No, our men did not hack into her account.”
“I didn’t think you did. You know I wouldn’t stand for that.”
“I know. Anyway, our man JoJo mentioned that she sent emails to an associate. They were talking about how much they could potentially get on hot video like that. They’re looking at a bidding war of seven figures between several of the leading online news rags.”
Zack winced. A sick feeling settled in his gut; he felt acid burning a hole in his heart. Selina. Nothing but trouble.
“Just keep me posted, will you?”
“Sure thing.”
“And you still want to go into politics, bro? You’re crazy,” Zack chided, pouring himself a glass of wine. He took out another glass and offered it to his brother one.
“Sounds like a great plan, don’t you think?”
“No. Not in the least bit. If you think business can get crazy, politics is way worse, Carl. Just you be careful. We Romeros have to stick together. Too many crazy people out there would like nothing more than to see us trounced.”
“I hear ya, bro. I thought about it but, I really want to do something decent in this town. Help those who started out like us—with very little or even nothing. You know, be a voice for the voiceless.”
“You’re full of crap, you know that?” Zack teased his brother. Truth be told, he loved his family more than the breath in his lungs, but the guys infrequently complimented each other outright or said anything sappy. “But you just might stand a chance. If you ca
n get those skeletons cleared out of your closet in time for election.” Zack grinned and took a sip of his Merlot.
Carl, who was standing close by to him, gave him a playful punch in the arm. As if his steel biceps could feel a thing. But it almost knocked the drink out of his hand.
All this time, Venus was still there, working late and knocked on the door to Zack’s office.
“Hi, I’m sorry, Zack,” she said, breathless.
“Venus, what is it?” Zack asked, concern evident. He cared a lot about his employees. A damn lot and now his level of alertness shot up. She seemed to be in distress.
“Are you okay?” Carl dropped his glass on the table and went over to her.
She shook her head. “No. I mean, yes. It’s…I just got a call from security. They spotted Blue Monroe’s car in a ditch. Off the main road.”
Zack's fingers went numb, which almost never happened, and he dropped his glass on the desk. “What? Are you sure?”
“How far from here?” Zack asked, grabbing his keys and his jacket. Fury fumed through his veins. It was an inferno in his body right now. All he could do was think about lovely Blue, crushed. Hurt. Or worse. Her shiny black hair tangled. God help somebody out there, if a hair was out of place or a scratch was on her skin. Why all of a sudden did he assume it was somebody else’s fault? He didn’t know why, but he just did.
He cursed under his breath. Damn! Why hadn’t she taken him up on his offer to have a car take her home? One of his drivers could have easily done that. She looked so darn tired at the end of the day. Shit! If anything happened to her, he didn’t know what the hell he would do with himself.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“You’re very lucky, Miss Monroe,” Dr. Randall at the Mayberry Hill County Hospital told Blue later while she sat up on a stretcher in the emergency room. The green hospital curtains around her bed were pulled closed for privacy. “It could have been worse. Much worse. No broken bones. No fractures. The nurse will give you something for your headache.”
The doctor stood in the private area along with Zack. Carl stayed back at the estate after driving Venus home. She also overheard Zack asking Carl about finding out some information about what happened. Information? Whatever could that mean? Weren’t the cops on the case? She’d heard about the men having their own team of investigators who work behind the scenes on projects for them from time to time. They could never have too many or too few enemies and always aimed to stay on top of things as far as dealing with unscrupulous people was concerned.
Regardless, Blue loved the way the Romero family was so down-to-earth and went to great lengths to take care of their staff members. Holy hell! She was grateful to be working with them. What a change from Channel 31 News. She didn’t feel like a contracted employee at the Romero Winery and Vineyard. She felt more like a family member. It was as if she had an extended family of her own.
“Thank you,” Blue said, her voice hinted at fatigue and she felt so drained. She was glad to have Zack by her side.
“You’re very welcome, Miss Monroe. The nurse will give you the discharge papers later. In a few minutes she’ll bring you some Tylenol.”
The doctor nodded politely to Zack and left the area, pulling the curtains open and closing them behind him.
“Oh, no. Courtney!” Blue said, remembering her sister would be at home worried about not seeing her.
“It’s okay,” Zack said quietly. “I had Venus call before she left to let your sister know that you were okay. We have someone posted at the building outside on watch to make sure nothing happens.”
“You don’t need to do that, Mr…Zack.”
“After someone tried to kill you just now by forcing your car off the road? Please!” he objected, leaning against the wall.
Blue pinched her lips together. Oh, great. Now she might have to tell him…everything. Blue really didn’t want to get into her past right now. She didn’t want to have to go deeply into all the crap that had happened to her and her family. But then again, she didn’t really know who ran her off the road. She never got a license plate or saw a face. What did she really have to go on?
The police had already taken the report on the scene and Zack offered to have his men at their own garage take care of vehicle repairs. It was all she had. She didn’t want to report the accident because she knew her insurance would go through the roof. Then how would she afford the monthly premiums? Still, she was glad she got the help when she needed it. Blue always sought to do things on her own. She was an independent woman, who, in the past, would take on three part-time jobs at the same time just to make ends meet. Going from one place of employment and at quitting time, taking the bus to her next job. At one time, she even worked a double-shift, long before she finished college and became a journalist, which ended up being a short-term career thanks to her ex Elliot.
Yet, Zack was not judgmental. He just wanted to be there for her. She wasn’t used to being treated like that. She could see the look of genuine concern on his face.
She remembered a while back when she had borrowed Elliot’s car to take her sister to the orthodontist. Someone had parked their car beside hers and had opened their door wide and carelessly enough to scratch the car door on the passenger side.
“You idiot,” Elliot shouted in a rage at her. He hurled a whole lot of abusive words and Blue failed understand his fury. It was a car! At least she and Courtney were fine. Wasn't that what mattered? Nonetheless, Blue offered to cover the damage done, even though it wasn’t her fault. She shouldn’t have parked there. She should have checked the licence plate of the car beside her just in case before she drove off. She should have done this, or that. Never, are you okay, honey? Never. He wasn’t even concerned about her sister’s procedure. He only informed her it was the last time she would drive his car. He obviously had completely forgotten how many times she loaned him her car when his was off the road. He became increasingly horrible towards her. Blue could no longer bear it. What a difference it was to see Zack not scold her for not taking him up on his offer, knowing that she was tired, to take a ride home. Perhaps, if she were more alert, she would have thought to take down the license plate number. Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps.
“Yes, you’re right, Zack,” Blue conceded, getting back to reality and the present moment.
The nurse came in and gave Blue two Tylenol tablets with a cup of water. Blue thanked the woman.
“Thank you,” Zack also said to the nurse in a low, deep silky voice while Blue swallowed the water. That was awfully nice of him. He was very gracious, that was evident.
“No worries. I’m glad you’ll be leaving soon,” the nurse said, turning back to Blue. “For your sake,” she corrected. The nurse appeared nervous. She was a young woman with dark brown hair and blue eyes that matched the color of her scrubs. The nurse kept glancing at Zack and gushing. Did she know who Zack was? Or maybe it was the sexual appeal that was so splendidly obvious. A blind woman would notice his sexiness. The way he walked, his smooth voice, his aura, his admirable physique and handsomeness was a gift to behold all eyes that were laid on him.
And oh, he was with her, Blue Monroe.
Not that they were together of course. Like only in her dreams. But he was there, with her and no one else. The thought brought on an a comforting warmth to her stomach.
All her life Blue was the one to rush to the ER for her sister or a friend or when her parents were alive and had sudden chest pains or other ailments that would require a visit. Yep, Blue was often the go-to gal.
But who would be there for her?
It was nice to be the one taken care of and fussed over for a change. Even if Zack was her boss and nothing more.
Moments later when Blue got her things together and her discharge papers, Zack rolled her out to his awaiting SUV. Oh, my. It was evening now but she could still appreciate the fine shiny black vehicle. She felt as if she were a celebrity who’d just gotten out of rehab and had one of those monstrous luxury trucks awai
ting them. Only difference, of course, was no reporters or freelance photographers. Ha! Unless, she counted herself.
Zack introduced Blue to a burly man who looked more like a bodyguard.
“Nice to meet you, Hans.”
Hans nodded and echoed the sentiment.
She scooped herself into the backseat. The leather interior was plush and opulent. The dim lights inside brought on a soothing ambiance. Oh, what a day it had been. Blue never thought it would end up like this. Alone with billionaire playboy Zack Romero at her side. A headline story if she had to write it herself.
She groaned. Thankfully, Blue was no longer in that awful line of work and didn’t have to come up with sensational storylines to sell copies of a newspaper or score viewers for her network.
There was a more pressing thought on her mind, as much as she didn’t want to admit it to Zack. She desperately needed to know. Who the hell tried to have her running scared? Zack was right. Courtney had to be protected at all costs. She really didn’t know who could have done this to her. Was it some drive by crazy who randomly chose to drive her off the road? Was it Elliot or his guys? Elliot always hung with gangsters outside of his duties at work. Was it the ex-Senator Aitkin? She squeezed her eyes shut, momentarily, and sucked in a deep breath as the vehicle traversed the main road to her home.
She glanced in Zack’s direction. He seemed lost in thought as he sat in the seat beside her. She could see raw hurt in his sexy, dark eyes. What was on his mind? He was miles away.
“We’re going to pick up your sister. You’ll get a chance to gather your things.”
“What?” Blue’s heart pounded hard and fast in her chest. “What are you talking about?” she queried. She did not like the finality in his tone.
“You don’t think I’m going to let either of you stay at your apartment after this, do you?”
“Well, where else would we stay?”
“In one of my apartments in the city, if you wish. Or you could stay in Mayberry.” His tone, it was hard, authoritative. Commanding.
The Playboy Billionaire (The Romero Brothers, Book 3) Page 7