Deadly Betrayal

by L A Dobbs

  “Hi,” Jan said, hands clasped in front of her. She looked worried and nervous, and Dino wanted nothing more than to pull her close and hug her until both emotions disappeared, but he knew that wouldn’t help. Both women needed to face this situation and resolve it before they could move forward. Finally, she stepped forward and gave Stacy an awkward hug before taking her seat once more on the sofa.

  Dino gave Stacy a big bear hug, concerned when he could feel her ribs and the knobs of her spine beneath his hands. She felt fragile, like he could break her with a single snap.

  “How are you?” he whispered in her ear before pulling away.

  “I’m good. Better.”

  “Honest?” He narrowed his gaze.

  “Honest.”

  They each took a seat, Dino beside Jan on the sofa, stretching his arm out on the cushions behind her head and dropping a hand on her shoulder to keep her close, and Stacy in the armchair across from them. She tucked her slipper-covered feet beneath her and blinked at them.

  “So.” Jan pursed her lips and looked around the lobby, anywhere but at her cousin. “This place seems pretty nice.”

  “Yeah, it is.” Stacy lowered her head. “Listen, Jan, about what hap—”

  “Don’t.” Jan leaned forward, causing Dino’s hand to slip down her back. “There’s no reason to bring that up again. It’s over. Done. We can all move on now.”

  “But I hurt you, and I never meant to hurt you, Jan. You’re like my sister. I should’ve told you a long time ago about what was going on with me, my problems. But I couldn’t even face them myself, let alone talk about them with somebody. Then the whole thing with Erin.” She shook her head and rubbed a hand over her forehead. “I can’t believe she used me like that. I thought she was my friend.”

  “She fooled everybody,” Dino said. He stroked his hand up and down Jan’s tense back. “But she’s locked up now, and they’re getting her psych evaluation later this month. My guess is she’ll be put away for at least a few years because of this.”

  “And what happens afterward?” Jan glanced sideways at him, her tone shaky. “Once she gets out?”

  “We’ll deal with it then.” He slid his fingers up to the nape of her neck, beneath her silky hair. “Together.”

  Jan leaned against him once more, and all seemed right with his world again. He meant what he said. He planned to stay by Jan’s side through thick and thin, whatever the coming years brought, for as long as she’d have him.

  Stacy watched them with a small smile. “I’m glad you two finally got back together again.”

  Dino winked. “Me too.”

  “Me three.” Jan leaned up and kissed him on the jaw. “Now that he’s not my bodyguard anymore, he’s a lot more fun.”

  “First of all, I am always fun.” Dino spoke to Stacy, though his attention was focused solely on the woman at his side. “And second, I will always guard Jan’s body, in an unofficial capacity, of course.”

  “Of course.” Stacy chuckled. “What about Lou?”

  “What about him?” Jan laid her head on Dino’s chest and stared across at her cousin. “He’s out of jail now, and I’ve offered him his job back.”

  “Even after all the scandal?” Stacy sounded surprised.

  “Scandal is that man’s middle name. He loves it, thrives on it, says it’s the stuff platinum records are made from.” Jan snorted. “Besides, he’s the best in the business. He might drive me nuts sometimes, and I don’t always agree with his methods, but he gets the job done. At the end of the day, that’s what I need.”

  “I saw on TV that he’s still being fined for the copyright infringement though, right?” Stacy shifted in her seat. “That’s quite a hefty fine.”

  “He did something he shouldn’t have. He was wrong, and now he has to pay for it.” Jan shrugged. “I’ve already dropped the song from my album, which is too bad. It was a good song, even if it was written by Erin.”

  “Wait, so Erin wrote the song for you to record, presented it to Lou, who said it was no good then proceeded to steal it from her and tell you he wrote it himself, which caused Erin to flip out and turn into a crazed stalker who almost killed you, and you still want him to be your manager?” Stacy asked.

  Dino snorted. “Sounds crazy, huh? No wonder Lou freaked out when Erin showed up at the studio that day—he wanted to keep Erin as far away from Jan as possible. But he didn’t have anything to do with the stalking.”

  “I know it sounds crazy,” Jan admitted. “But I feel sorry for Lou. He did what he did for a good reason, and he’s a good manager.”

  Stacy frowned. “Wait. What was the good reason? Seems like there’s never a good reason to steal.”

  Jan pressed her lips together. “His daughter has cancer. I guess the bills are really mounting up. He wasn’t thinking straight—who would in that situation?” Jan was still surprised at how Lou had kept his family and daughters illness a secret. Now all those times he would disappear from the studio made perfect sense—he’d been going to chemo treatments with his daughter.

  “Yeah, I guess,” Stacy said.

  Dino couldn’t help but put in his two cents. “Still doesn’t excuse what he did. He stole someone’s song—even if that person was a psycho stalker, it still isn’t right.”

  Jan turned sad eyes on Dino and pressed a finger to his lips. “I know, but someday when you have your own child, you might realize that you’ll do anything in the world for them.”

  “Our own child,” Dino said softly.

  The look in Jan’s eyes made his heart leap, then she turned to Stacy. “Anyway, it turned out okay for him, because the treatments seem to be working and his daughter is in remission. I just feel bad that I never even knew he was going through any of that.”

  “Well, I guess as long as you feel comfortable and trust him…” Stacy looked from Dino to Jan then back again. “I’m glad it all worked out.”

  “Has nothing to do with trust on my part.” Dino shook his head. “He and his family passed my rigorous background check—otherwise, the guy would’ve been toast.”

  Jan leaned closer and stage-whispered loud enough so half the waiting room could hear. “I let him think he’s in control. Makes him happy, and it’s kind of a turn on for me.”

  “You don’t let me do anything.” To prove his point, he grabbed Jan around the waist and tickled her mercilessly until she begged for mercy and recanted her statement. “See?”

  Jan winked at Stacy, and the girls grinned at each other.

  “I really am sorry about everything that happened,” Stacy said.

  “I know.” Jan reached over and took her hand. “Me too.”

  Dino looked away and let them have their private moment then turned back again after a few seconds. “So.” He patted Jan on the thigh then took her hand again. “Have you decided what you’re going to sing on Friday?”

  “You’ve got a gig this Friday?” Stacy asked. “Where?”

  “Lou booked it like a month ago, right before everything happened. It’s at a local monthly arts review called First Friday. It was supposed to be a big reveal of the new direction my album was taking. All those ‘happy songs.’”

  “There’s got to be something you’ve got that would work.” Dino traced tiny circles with his thumb over her palm and delighted in Jan’s answering shiver. “What about that song you used to sing to me back in high school? You never recorded that, right?”

  “Since when do you listen to my albums?” She gave him an incredulous look. “All you ever used to listen to was heavy metal.”

  “My musical tastes have matured over the years.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I listen to all kinds of stuff now, as long as it’s good. And for your information, I own every single one of your albums.”

  “You do?” Jan blinked up at him, her eyes filled with love. “All of them?”

  “Yep. And I’ve got the new one on pre-order.”

  “I’m impressed. And oddly
touched. Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?”

  “Not for the last hour or so.” He bent and kissed her quickly. “I think you’re overdue.”

  Stacy cleared her throat. “Sorry to interrupt, but we’ve got like five minutes left. I wanted to make sure someone is feeding my cat and getting my mail.”

  Jan raised her hand. “I am. Both. And I wanted to talk to you about something before we’re done. That trailer court you’re living in is not safe. I want you to move in with me once you get out of here. I’ve got a huge house that I never use, and it’s a waste.” Stacy started to object, but Jan held up her hand to stop her. “Not permanently. Just until you find a new job and we get you a decent place to live. All right?”

  After a long exhale, Stacy sat back in her chair. “Okay.”

  “Good.”

  The nurse approached once more, and they all stood and exchanged hugs. Jan promised Stacy she’d come back in a couple of days and bring pics of her cat. Dino promised to be back at the rehab clinic the following day to take Stacy outside and show her the gardens. He was between cases now anyway, and it made him feel better knowing Stacy was around people who cared for her.

  Hand in hand, he and Jan walked back out into the bright-afternoon Nevada sunshine and headed for his Tahoe. He looked over at her and grinned. “So?”

  “So what?”

  “Will you sing my song for me tomorrow night?” He clicked the button on his key fob to unlock the doors then pinned her with a puppy dog stare. “Please?”

  Jan sighed and leaned against him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Well, since you asked so nicely…”

  28

  Jan peeked around the canvas flap of the tent serving as her makeshift dressing room for the night. From what she could tell, there had to have been at least a thousand people out there, if not more. Way more than the First Friday organizers were used to and way more than she’d ever expected.

  “Hey, cupcake,” Lou said, coming up behind her. “How’s it going?”

  With a sigh, Jan turned back to see her newly rehired manager standing beside a petite, pretty middle-aged woman and three kids, a boy and a girl who looked about ten, maybe eleven, and another girl, about five years old, with only a peach fuzz of hair on top.

  Jan’s heart melted. The fact that Lou’s daughter Ivy had just been given a clean bill of health by her doctors was evident by the joy that radiated from the entire family. She gave Lou a nervous smile. “I hope I’m up for this.”

  “You’ll be great.” He winked. “You always are. I wanted to introduce you to my wife and family. Jan, this is Helen, and the twins, Marco and Mabel, and this here is Ivy.”

  She shook hands with Lou’s wife and grinned at the kids. Ivy flashed her a tentative smile from behind Helen’s leg, but the twins were more bold.

  “Those are unusual names, especially Mabel,” Jan said.

  “Yeah,” the girl said, scrunching her nose, her dark hair and eyes the same as her father’s. “Belonged to some lady on his side.” She pointed at Lou. “I like to be called Bella instead. And you’re really pretty in person.”

  “Okay. Bella it is.” Jan met Lou’s proud gaze over his daughter’s head and smiled. “And thank you for the compliment.”

  Bella continued like she was the most important person in the room. Something else she’d inherited from her father. “Yeah, I got to see a Britney Spears concert last year, and Dad took me backstage to meet her afterward, and she did not look like her album covers.”

  “Oh.” Jan stifled a laugh at the affronted disappointment in the preteen’s voice. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “You look better in person.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “Hey,” Dino said, walking back inside the tent and moving in beside Jan. He gave her a quick kiss then gave a quick nod of acknowledgment to Lou. “Blake and I stationed the extra guards around the stage, so you should be good to go, sweetheart.”

  “Thank you.” She kissed him again, just because it felt so good. “I appreciate all your hard work.”

  “Is that your boyfriend?” Bella asked, eyeing Dino suspiciously.

  “It is.”

  Bella crooked a finger at Jan, beckoning her closer, and she bent nearer to the girl.

  “He’s super cute,” Bella whispered in her ear, loud enough for anyone standing close by to hear.

  Jan chuckled and glanced back at Dino over her shoulder. “I think so too.”

  “Five minutes, Ms. Winters,” a stagehand said, leaning his head into the tent.

  “Well,” Lou said, placing his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “We’ll let you finish getting ready. You all set with the music, cupcake? Rehearsals earlier seemed fine.”

  “Yeah, I think I’m good.”

  “Like I said, you’ll do fantastic.” Lou leaned over and kissed her cheek then shook Dino’s hand. “See you guys later.”

  “Yep,” Dino said, his attention focused on Jan. “See you around.”

  Lou led his family outside after corralling the rest of the people in the tent and making them leave as well, with his usual finesse, or lack thereof. “Come on, people, artist in need of alone time. Move it or lose it. As in your job.”

  Blissful quiet settled around her and Dino, and Jan rested her head against his warm chest, savoring this brief respite before the storm of her upcoming performance struck. His voice rumbled, low and soothing beneath her cheek as he rubbed her back. “Okay, sweetheart?”

  “I don’t know why I’m so nervous tonight.”

  “You’ve been through a lot over the past few weeks. It takes a toll. But you should never doubt your talent. You’ll be great.”

  “I wish I had your confidence.”

  He kissed the top of her head, and she felt him smile against her scalp. “I have an idea.”

  “What?”

  “When you’re onstage, pretend like you’re sitting in that bedroom all those years ago. Pretend it’s just you and me again.” He pulled away slightly and met her gaze. “Think that will help?”

  “Maybe.” She smiled as he kissed the tip of her nose. “It’s worth a try. Will you stay close?”

  “Always.”

  The stagehand lifted the tent flap again. “Ready, Ms. Winters?”

  Jan exhaled slowly then took Dino’s hand. “Yep.”

  “Follow me.”

  The guy led them through a gauntlet of fans lining the blocked-off side street where the stage had been set up. There’d been about a dozen local bands who’d taken the stage at various times throughout the evening before her. And now it was her turn.

  A slight breeze stirred the cool desert air, and in the distance, the Las Vegas Strip glittered like diamonds against the starry sky. All around her, people cheered and smiled and applauded her journey to the stage, but Jan’s focus remained completely on the man holding her hand and guiding her forward. Even in the midst of all this chaos, he settled her and made her heart wild with love, all at the same time.

  Dino helped her up the stairs to the stage then kissed her once more. “Okay. I’ll be waiting right over here for you. You need anything at all, even just a friendly face of encouragement, look my way.”

  She nodded and took a deep breath, gazing out at the sea of faces before her. A few she recognized, like Lou and his family. A couple of the Rockford clan had made the concert as well, from what she could see. Blake and Olivia and Laura—at least she thought that was her name. She and Dino were supposed to go over to Blake’s house again that Sunday for dinner, so she better remember it before then, she supposed. Her heart warmed at the thought of being at Dino’s side, part of his surrogate family.

  Hands trembling from adrenaline and nerves, she walked to the microphone and adjusted it to fit her height then gave a tremulous smile. “Hi, folks.”

  Booming applause and whoops followed.

  Jan waited until the crowd quieted before continuing. “Um, some of you might’ve heard about all the controv
ersy about my new single.” She glanced to her left and caught Dino’s eye. He smiled, and her tension eased. “Well, there’s been a few changes in the plan, and I’ve decided to sing something else for you tonight.” She grabbed her guitar from the stand beside her then took a seat on the stool they’d provided. “Tonight, I’ll be singing something I wrote a long time ago for someone who’s very special to me.”

  A murmur ran through the crowd—disappointment or excitement, she couldn’t tell. She strummed a few strings on her guitar and made a few adjustments then glanced up. Lou and his family stood near the edge of the stage, and he gave her a confident wink and a nod as if to indicate excitement. Definitely excitement.

  “We love you, Jan!” someone out in the crowd yelled.

  “Aw, I love you guys too.” The crowd erupted in thunderous applause once more, and she laughed. This was why she’d gotten into the business. Not the fame or the fortune or even the work. It was the connection with people. The way her music and lyrics could affect how people felt and lived and loved. She looked over at Dino and blew him a kiss. “And this song is for one special man who I love more than life itself. This one’s for you, Dino.”

  Jan closed her eyes and played the first few bars of music, and instantly she was back in that bedroom with Dino by her side, two battered souls against the world. Love and warmth infused her body and mellowed her voice, and she put her heart and soul into every word.

  After she finished and the last bittersweet notes lingered in the air, the crowd remained silent. Even Dino seemed momentarily stunned. For a minute Jan’s heart stopped, wondering if it was because her performance had been so awful they hated it. Then the crowd went wild, and Dino rushed up on stage. She barely had time to put her guitar down before he swept her into his arms and kissed her deeply.

  “That was the most beautiful thing anyone’s ever done for me, sweetheart.” He hugged her so tightly, she could hardly breathe, but Jan didn’t care.