~~
“We have a problem.” Jared’s words sliced through any thought of a rant about Millicent.
“True, but how did you know?”
“I don’t think we are talking about the same thing. We have another murder that involves Nelson, a high-end event promoter by the name of Denny Gates, based in Nashville. The man was suing Chad and his label for a concert they pulled out of due to concerns about venue safety. He was found this morning. Bound and shot. One bullet between the eyes. We are rushing ballistics, but it looks like our perp is at it again.”
“Well, shit.”
“Eloquent.”
“Yeah. Well, I can account for the primary’s whereabouts. He was with me.”
“Figured. He currently has seven more lawsuits pending against him. We had a team en route to this guy for surveillance when we got word he’d been killed. As a precaution, we are contacting the other people who have cases pending against Chad. Local law enforcement agencies are being contacted for protection efforts.”
“This will leak. Someone will say something, and the press will find out. Chad’s name will be connected with the investigation.”
“Yep, needless to say, this case will soon be an epic shit storm. I figure we have a day, maybe two, before we lose the upper hand and the suspect knows we’ve identified him for all three murders. If it is a contractor, he’ll either lay low or get back with his employer for directions. If it’s a floating free radical? God only knows what will happen next.”
“I’ll cover things here.”
“Alright, now why did you call?”
“Three people I need your team to check out. Millicent Wicker, she’s Chad’s PR specialist, and he just found out she’s violated the NDA agreement they had in place. He was going to fire her outright, but I was able to convince him to bait her along. She’ll be back here tomorrow. I’ll need a workup on her. If we need to keep her close, I’ll ask Chad to keep her on.”
“We were already looking into her because of her business dealings with Nelson. I’ll elevate the level on her background. Who’s next?”
“Terry Morgan, Chad’s manager. Slimy, manipulative, and a control freak. He also has a temper. He’s on my scope as a perfect fit for our stalker.”
“Alright, he’s bumped up, too. Who’s the third?”
“Ah, he’s the one that is the huge question mark. Millicent Wicker hired a contractor to follow Chad and, to use her words, ‘make things go away.’ She’s had this guy shadowing Chad for years. His name is Henry Burns. I don’t know where he’s based, but he’s been in the same locations as Chad, so maybe you detective-type people can track him down.”
“And the plot just gets more convoluted.” Jared sighed. “Anyone recognize you yet?”
“Haven’t been in the public eye much. Working on selling the relationship angle.”
“Really?”
She rolled her eyes at the smart-ass drawl. “Yes, really. I just got here late yesterday afternoon. We had dinner. I did some work, and he slept. Probably for the first time since you sprung this shit on him. You’ve got to admit, he’s been handed a lot in the last week. He’s struggling to deal with it.”
“You know he hasn’t been eliminated as a suspect, right? The man could have contracted the hits.”
“No, I don’t think he could have, J. I really can’t see that happening.”
“Be careful, Jazz. Getting too close to the primary while undercover is a huge mistake. It will cloud your judgment. He hasn’t been cleared. He’s a person of interest in three homicides. Separate yourself from this man, or I’ll separate you from the case.”
“I’m more than capable of seeing every side to this case, Jared. I’m telling you my gut reaction. He isn’t involved.”
“As long as you keep your head on your shoulders. Don’t drop your guard. You are there to protect him—and take him down if necessary.”
“You don’t need to remind me how to do my job. Since when do you question my abilities?”
“Since I saw the way he looked at you at the warehouse.”
“And how did he look at me?”
“Like you were a steak dinner, and he was starving. I’ve seen that look before. I’ve been the man who had that look on his face. He wants you. Don’t underestimate him. He may well use you if he sees you’re interested.”
“I’m not and he won’t.”
“Bullshit, and you don’t know that. Look, I have to go. I’ll call you as soon as I have any information.”
“Alright, take care.”
“Be smart and safe, little girl.”
Jasmine hung up the phone with Jared’s words echoing in her ear. Bullshit, and you don’t know that. Her brother wasn’t right this time. She did care. She cared about the man who gave and gave and gave. From what she could see the man didn’t take. All anyone had to do was look around this place. He supported a cast of at least forty people.
The music room doors opened, and her primary entered. She noticed one of the Guardian security team shut the door behind him. Chad looked thoroughly spent. He was a wash of sweat, his gray t-shirt soaked, and a darkened sweat line was also visible on his shorts. The material clung to the man, leaving nothing to the imagination.
“Did you enjoy your workout?”
Chad chuckled and shook his head. “I was able to work through a few things.”
“We need to talk.”
“Bad?”
“It isn’t good.”
“Just tell me.”
“There has been another murder.” She saw the color drain from his face. He closed his eyes and shook his head before he sank down and sat down on the floor.
“Who?”
“A man named Denny Gates. He was suing you and your label for an event you backed out of due to safety concerns.”
“Shit, I remember that cancellation. The venue was shit. Whoever booked us into it was high on something. The theater was decrepit. The venue couldn’t guarantee crowd control, and it was only fire rated for something like two thousand people. The promoter sold way more tickets than that. We had a clause that allowed us to cancel for security and safety reasons. We did.” He looked up at the ceiling as if searching for something. “I didn’t know he’d sued us. We considered suing him at one time. We refunded all the ticket costs because he couldn’t cover it, and I didn’t want my fans to be out money because of his greed. When did he die?”
“Sometime last night.”
“I have an alibi.” A ghost of a smile slid over his face.
“Unfortunately, that’s not going to help when the story breaks. Guardian is interviewing the rest of the people who have suits pending against you, your label and your business endeavors.”
Chad nodded and pushed himself off the floor. He motioned toward the bedroom. “Going to shower, say a prayer for that guy, and try to get my head around this.”
Jasmine watched as he went to the bathroom. He pulled off his t-shirt on the way to the bathroom and then was gone from her sight.
An hour later, Jasmine sat on the bed and pretended to read a book about the Grand Ole Opry that she’d found in the music room. The shower had turned off about twenty minutes ago, but Chad still hadn’t come out of the en-suite. She’d closed the bedroom doors while she waited for him. The man’s world had been knocked into an abyss, and she had no idea when or if Guardian was going to be able to pull him from the spiral.
He finally emerged once again, clothed in his jeans and a fresh t-shirt. He padded over to the bed and flopped onto the pile of pillows. “You know what sucks?”
“Besides all of this shit that is going on in your life?”
“Yeah, besides that.”
“No, what sucks?” Jasmine reclined onto the pillows and rolled onto her side.
He lifted his arms and tucked his hands behind his head. “Of all the people in my life, a person I barely know knows the most about me. That and the fact that you’ve already judged me based on my past.”<
br />
“I did. But I re-evaluated after being around you. I can see some of the background I received tainted my opinion of you. Every good PSO adapts to the current situation and learns to make adjustments.”
“Think you’ll ever let me kiss you without a witness?” Chad rolled onto his side and reached out to stroke her hand with his index finger.
“I…” A knock at the bedroom door prevented her answer. Thank God. She’d dodged a bullet with that one.
Kirk’s voice boomed through the door, “Chad? Yo, dude, time to hit the phones. Terry says you have a telephone interview in twenty minutes.”
Chad rolled off the bed and walked out into the music room. Jasmine heard the men talking about the interview. She sauntered into the huge room and sat down at the baby grand piano, being as unobtrusive as possible. Kirk stopped speaking and looked at her. “I have to ask. Have we met before? I mean before yesterday when Chad did the whole whirlwind intro through the house?”
Jasmine shook her head and smiled. “You don’t look familiar. I haven’t left Wisconsin since I got out of the Army. Have you ever been to Madison?”
“Only for a concert about four years ago.” Kirk studied her with an intensity she didn’t care for. Of all the people at the Georgia Dome last week, he had been around her the most, both while she was standing in the wings of the stage and in Chad’s well-lit dressing room.
“I’m getting the weirdest sense of déjà vu. I rarely forget a face. But anyway, here.” He handed an envelope to her. Jasmine looked to Chad in question. His brow creased in confusion.
“What’s this?”
Kirk shrugged. “Beats me, I found it inside the music room doors lying on the floor when I came in a couple of minutes ago. It’s got your name on it.” He sucked in some air and winced comically. “I also stepped on it, so I’m hoping there was nothing breakable in it.”
Jasmine took the envelope by the very edge and placed it on the piano. She’d open it once she had gloves on.
“See you in the office in fifteen?” Kirk asked.
Chad nodded. “I’ll be there.”
Jasmine watched the man leave. As soon as the door closed, she motioned toward the envelope. “Don’t touch it.” She sprinted into the bedroom and threw open her makeup case. She tipped it over and rifled through the dumped contents. Finding a small baggie with a pair of evidence gloves in it, she hurried back to the music room. The envelope had been tacked down at the point of the envelope flap only. Jasmine carefully examined the outside. Her name was inscribed in harsh block lettering. It was also misspelled.
Chad stood behind her and placed a hand on her hip as he leaned over to see. The touch sent a shiver through her that she promptly ignored. His low chuckle let her know Chad noticed the response. Great. She drew a deep breath and carefully opened the envelope and retrieved the paper. There was no powder or foreign object left in the envelope, so she opened the single sheet of paper.
It was a photograph of her and Chad printed on plain bond paper. It had been taken that night at the Georgia Dome when Chad had escorted her back to his dressing room. The block letters at the bottom read Dead x 2.
“Fuck me.” Chad’s whisper echoed her sentiment.
“Okay, we go to plan B.” Jasmine grabbed her phone and punched a text out before she slammed it down on the side table. “Go, pack a bag. Enough for a week or more. We are out of here.”
“Whoa, there. I have obligations I have to meet. I can’t go anywhere.”
“You can and you will. There was always a possibility that someone would recognize me. Well, they obviously did. Now, get your ass in gear and let me do my job.” The door to the music room opened, and three men from Guardian’s security detail filled the doorway. “We’ve been compromised. I need a Suburban. Sweep it to make sure there are no tracking devices.” She held up the note “This needs to be processed. Someone stand guard outside and escort us out of the house when we’re ready.” A chorus of ‘yes ma’ams’ echoed as she raced into the bedroom. Chad followed her in and stood as if shell-shocked. “Chad.”
He turned to her and blinked. “Chad, you are in danger. We have to go. Whoever has threatened your life has now threatened mine as well. If you won’t leave to protect yourself, leave for my sake. I’ll have my brothers take care of your damn obligations. Go, get what you need.”
She spared him a glance. He was pissed. At her? At the situation? Who the hell knew? She grabbed the phone and put it on speaker while she packed.
“What’s up, Jazz?” Jared’s voice floated across the expanse of the room.
“Chad’s road manager found an envelope with my name on it slid under the door of Chad’s music room. It was a picture of us together at the Georgia Dome. He’s grabbing a week’s worth of clothes, and so am I. I have our team collecting the evidence for you. The vehicle is being swept, and we will be out of here in under five minutes.”
“We’ll shut down the compound. No one in or out. We have a roster of all people allowed on the grounds since we set up four days ago. At least we will have a finite pool of people to sift through. Where are you going to go?”
Jasmine glanced at the clock. “We aren’t going to make it too far today before we need to pull over and stop. I’m taking him north.”
“I can send a jet.”
“I’m not waiting around here to give this asshole any opportunity. He’s included me in this last threat. Who knows what this guy has planned. A sniper shot, knifing, maybe poisoning our food? Hell, we are out of here. At least on the road, I know how to gauge and react to a threat.” Jasmine heard Jared’s fingers hitting the keys of his computer as she packed.
“Alright, it’s just about twelve thirty. Going the speed limit, you can make it from Nashville to Kansas City in about eight hours. From there it will take you ten to twelve hours to get to the ranch. That’s doable. I’ll make arrangements for lodging and call you with the details.”
“Great. Will you let Dixon and Drake know?”
“That will be the highlight of my day. Be smart and be safe.” Jared disconnected, and she zipped her bag shut. She slipped off the long sleeve shirt and armed up: the .45 caliber in her shoulder holster, her knives sheathed and strapped on, and her trusty Glock 43 at her back. She made no attempt to conceal any of it. Her badge hung on the front left side of her jeans, the cuffs clipped on her back right hip. She was going out of this room with a show of force, and fuck that son of a bitch who was after her man. That thought stopped her. She listened to the sound of Chad packing nearby. She’d never had a problem remaining detached and objective when handling a client. What was it about this man? Why did she feel this way? Possessive… invested. Fuck, she didn’t have time to examine her messed-up moral compass. First and foremost he was a client, no matter what her emotions were telling her. Chad’s safety was paramount, and she’d be damned if someone would hurt him on her watch.
Chad walked out with a medium sized duffle and strode into the music room. He picked up a guitar and placed it into a hardened plastic case. He snapped it shut and looked around the room before he stared across at her. “Let’s do this.”
Jasmine nodded to the guard by the door, picked up her bag in her left hand and drew her .45 with the right. They hit the hallway and headed for the staircase. Kirk stepped out of one of the rooms to the right. Jasmine leveled her gun at him.
“Whoa! Hey, what the fuck is going on?”
She hadn’t seen the envelope on the floor, and she didn’t know whether or not the man had planted it, so she held the gun level as she and Chad passed. Right now, there was only one person she knew for a fact wasn’t the stalker, and that was Chad.
“Chad? Seriously, what the fuck?” Kirk called after them. Jasmine took point and trusted her Guardian counterparts to have their six.
“I’ll call you later,” Chad called over his shoulder.
Not if I have my way. Jasmine kept an eye on her man while scanning the bottom landing. As they headed toward the do
or, Kirk’s yelling brought people out of the woodwork. Jasmine kept them going. Her goal was to get her man out and safe. The front door stood open, and one of the security detail stood in front of the opened Suburban door. He took her bag and assisted Chad with his before he escorted Chad to the passenger side and secured him inside. The keys were in the ignition, and she wasted no time in getting them the hell off the property.
Twenty minutes into the drive and after she’d played out a hundred different scenarios in her mind, she realized Chad hadn’t said a word. His head was leaning against the passenger side window with his eyes closed.
“You okay?” There was no way the man was sleeping.
“Nope. Not even close.”
“Everything will work out. It will be alright.”
“Yeah? When?” He opened his eyes, turning in his seat to face her. “Someone I trusted to be in my house wants us both dead. How is that going to be alright? Someone is killing people, and the authorities believe I’m connected to their deaths. How is that going to work out? Please, explain that to me!” Anger rolled off the man. She couldn’t blame him, but she did need to settle him down.
“I’m not the enemy here,” Jasmine reminded him.
He turned away and looked out the window. The road hummed under the tires. Chad cleared his throat. “Take the next exit and head south.”
“Why?”
“My mom lives about thirty minutes from here.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Jasmine (Kings of Guardian Book 6) Page 11