“Exactly.” She pushed to her feet and walked to the door. “I need to talk to Lou.”
“I’ll come with you.” He set his empty plate aside and followed her up the stairs to her manager’s office. “Seems Lou’s got some explaining to do.”
“Yep.” She knocked once then opened the door, only to find the office empty. “Damn. He’s not here.”
“Huh.” Dino peered over her shoulder then followed her inside and watched while she riffled through the papers scattered on Lou’s desk. “What are you looking for?”
“I’m not sure.” God, for a man who seemed so on top of her career, this guy’s office was a mess. Jan glanced at a document in her hand and read the letterhead of one of the most prestigious law firms in Las Vegas. What the hell had Lou done now? The whole thing was written in legalese and made little sense to her. The only words that stood out were Copyright Infringement. “Uh-oh.”
“What?” Dino moved in beside her again, and she handed him the paper. “What does this mean?”
“Means someone thinks that I copied their work and put my name on it.”
“You would never do something like that.”
“I know.” She crossed her arms. “But they don’t. Whoever they are.”
Dino flicked a skeptical look between her and the paper.
“It’s nothing,” Jan assured him. “This sort of thing happens all the time. People trying to get money for nothing, hoping we’ll settle.”
He tossed the paper aside and took her arm. “C’mon.”
“Where are we going?” She had no choice but to follow him out of the room.
“This place isn’t safe for you. I’m taking you home. And that’s where you’re going to stay until I talk to Lou and get this sorted out.”
“I can’t just leave.”
“You can today.” He led her back downstairs and to the dressing room. “Now get your stuff. You can come back as soon as I’ve straightened things out with your manager.”
“When will that be?” Jan asked as she grabbed her bag. “I’ve got an album to finish.”
“Not long.” Dino escorted her out the front door and into the bright sunshine. He slid his sunglasses into place and opened the door of the Tahoe for her. “I’m good at tracking people down.”
Seventeen
Two days later, Dino sat outside the small radio station recording studio adjacent to Treble Studios in the 18B complex. True to his word, he’d tracked down Lou at a fancy business luncheon later the same day that he’d taken Jan home early. In his book, “fancy business lunch” was code for eating too little, drinking too much, and overall just wasting someone else’s money. Lou apparently had the same definition.
Dino snorted and shook his head. At least Lou had explained the copyright infringement paperwork they’d found in his office. From some disgruntled fan, he’d said. Claimed Jan had taken a poem they’d written to her and used it to create her song. He said they get notices like that several times a year. He never shared them with Jan because they never amounted to anything and he didn’t want to stress her out any more than she already was.
He couldn’t argue with that logic.
Plus, Lou had agreed to give Dino free reign when it came to investigating everyone at Treble Studios. With his increased authority in place, Dino had called Blake and gotten a team at Rockford on it right away. So far, none of the background checks had turned up anything yet, but if Jan was right and it was an inside job, then it would only be a matter of time. Things seemed relatively safe at Treble Studios, so he’d allowed her to go back to work. With things going as they were, he was confident that the stalker would be caught soon and Jan would be safe.
So why did he have this niggling feeling of trepidation?
“That, listeners, was a clip from January Winters’ new song, Lie With Me,” the DJ’s voice boomed over the speaker system. “And we’re lucky enough to have January in the studio with us today. How are you doing, Jan?”
“I’m really good, thanks.”
Through the glass, he saw Jan flash the guy her brightest smile, the one that always sent Dino’s heart racing, and he tuned out the interview as memories of their night together a few days prior returned. It had felt so good to hold her again, to feel her soft warmth cuddled beside him just like old times, that he’d never wanted to let her go again.
Of course, he had to let her go. That’s what she said she wanted, despite her desperation to be held the night before, which she apparently regretted in the light of day. She hadn’t said it in so many words, but through her actions. She’d hightailed it out of his bed and his arms so fast that morning after, he’d doubled-checked to make sure her ass wasn’t on fire.
Well, that and he just liked looking at her perfect little butt.
He couldn’t help himself. He was a man in love with a woman who wanted nothing to do with him. A woman who’d left him behind and moved on with her life, which was exactly what he should do as well, except he couldn’t. Not yet. Not until he was sure she was safe. Until he was sure she was happy. Happy without him.
It was for the best—getting involved any deeper with Jan would distract him, and he couldn’t afford that. Not with the stalker escalating like this.
His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out to see a new message from the team at Rockford. Still nothing on the Treble staff, and now, to make matters worse, the stalker e-mail with the screwed-up lyrics had originated from the same Internet café as the others. Which meant it was as untraceable as all the others.
With a sigh, he clicked the phone off and shoved it back into his pocket. Hell, he’d even gotten the police involved after the magazine debacle, but they hadn’t had any better luck finding this guy than he had. Not that he’d expected them to. Local law enforcement wasn’t known for their diligence when it came to celebrity stalker cases. They put forth minimal effort and produced minimal results. It seemed like they figured the celebs either had their own security to handle those issues or they had it coming for daring to become rich and famous.
Even with all the added eyeballs on the case, Dino was still worried. Worried that this stalker was one of the few that didn’t stick to sending anonymous e-mails and packages and that the next time he attacked, it would be something far worse. He hadn’t been kidding about the escalation. Sometimes these people who became obsessed with a particular celebrity only got more violent the longer they eluded capture. Over the years, there’d even been a few cases of stars being injured or killed by their stalkers.
The thought of this whack job getting anywhere close enough to Jan to harm her that way scared him beyond reason. He’d do whatever was necessary to protect her, but he wasn’t with her twenty-four, seven. Even if he was, what if his best wasn’t good enough? What if he did everything he could and this psycho still got to Jan?
The door to the radio station recording booth opened, and Jan stepped out. “Thanks again for having me on today, Randy.”
“No problem,” the DJ said, his dopey expression clearly stating he was as star struck by Jan as the rest of the country. “Any time you want to come back, just let me know.”
She flashed the guy her best fake smile again then turned to walk out with Dino. He opened the door for her and placed his hand at the small of her back to escort her out into the hallway. At his touch, she shivered, and he smiled. She might not want him around, but her body sure did.
He cleared his suddenly constricted throat as they weaved through the maze of businesses that made up the art-house-meets-hipster-complex on their way back toward Treble Studios. “How’d that go?”
“Fine.” She glanced over at him, her expression annoyed. “You were sitting outside. Didn’t you listen?”
“I was busy with work.” He tapped his phone in his pocket. “Got a message from the team. So far, everyone at the studio checks out, and that e-mail with the lyrics came from the coffeehouse, just like the others.”
“Great.” She exhaled hard. “Which m
eans we’re no closer to finding this person than we were before. And I have to talk to Lou this afternoon.”
“About what?” They turned another corner, and the door to Treble loomed in the distance. “Anything I can help with?”
“Unless you want to handle booking my next promo appearance, no.”
“Yeah, coordinating big social events is not my thing.”
“Tell me about it.” They reached the studio door, and this time, she held it open for him. “I still remember that awful surprise birthday party you tried to set up for me when I turned sixteen. I haven’t been able to look at a clown the same way again.”
“Hey.” He chuckled as he walked beside her to her dressing room door. “What happened with that clown was so not my fault.”
“You hired him, right?” She pushed open the door, her gaze still on him as she walked into the small room. “I’d say that makes him your responsibility.”
“First off, I didn’t hire him. He worked for free. I found his ad in—” He followed behind her, his gaze locked on her perky behind until she turned and halted so fast in front of him that he damned near ran her over. Her muffled scream jarred him back to reality. Acting on pure instinct and adrenaline, Dino grabbed her by the arm and yanked her behind him, using his own body to shield her as he pulled his gun from the holster at his waist and aimed straight ahead. “Freeze!’
Except the room was empty. Empty besides them and a huge bouquet of white calla lilies, Jan’s favorite flower, drenched in bright-crimson blood.
Fuck.
Dino clicked on the safety of his Glock and shoved it back in the holster, noticing the horror in Jan’s eyes as they flicked from the flowers to the gun. He hated having to add to her angst over the flowers by pulling the gun, but it had been a gut reaction to her scream. He wouldn’t have done it differently, even knowing how she felt about guns—if someone had been in there hell-bent on harming her, the gun might have been the only thing to stop them.
He stepped closer to inspect the gruesome gift. No card, no apparent marks or clues as to who left them or why.
Yep. Escalation.
Definite escalation.
Jan’s choked sobs had him swiveling fast and gathering her into his arms without a second thought. He held her close and stroked her hair while he murmured into her hair. “I’m here, sweetheart. Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise. I’ll protect you with my life, if that’s what it takes.”
Through the open door into the lobby, a small crowd of people had gathered to gawk, including the receptionist. Dino scowled over at her and shouted, “Call the police. And tell Lou that Ms. Winters needs to see him right away.”
“I’ve already called 9-1-1, and the police are on their way,” she said. “But Mr. Tanner is out for the rest of the day.”
“Fine. Let me know when the police arrive.” Dino shut the door on the curious onlookers and pulled Jan over to the sofa against the wall. Once he had her settled on his lap, he did his best to calm his own rioting nerves and get his head clear. The police would need all the information they could get, and Jan was in no fit state to face them alone. And Lou. He was beginning to think that guy was more and more useless every day. All he seemed to do was berate Jan and take every chance he could get to make her life a living hell. Every chance he could when he wasn’t out wasting her money on expensive lunches and booze. It was almost like the guy had it out for her…
Pissed, he managed to pull out his phone and hit the speed dial button for Rockford Security.
His boss answered after the first ring.
“Blake Rockford.”
“We’ve got escalation.”
“What happened?” Blake’s concern was evident in his tone. “Do you need me to come over?”
“No. The police are on the way.” Jan shifted on his lap and burrowed deeper against him. He kissed the top of her head and tightened his arms around her as he glanced at the blood-drenched flowers on her vanity counter. “Someone left a rather unpleasant gift for Jan.”
He described the scene while Blake took notes then confirmed what Dino had hoped to hear. “Okay. I’ll have our team follow up there after the police leave. Anything else?”
“Yeah. I want you to do some additional checking on Jan’s manager, a guy named Lou Tanner. There’s something about him I don’t quite trust.”
“Done.” Blake hesitated. “Listen, are you sure you don’t want me to come down there? It might help to have someone objective to—”
Dino’s hackles rose. “What the hell are you implying? I’m objective.”
“All I’m saying is that you and Jan have history, and maybe I should’ve considered that more seriously when I made the assignment.”
“You think I can’t do my job?”
Jan tensed and leaned away from him to meet his gaze. “What’s wrong?”
Dark circles shadowed the delicate skin beneath her eyes, and her whole body was shaking, and he felt like an enormous ass. Here she was, petrified out of her mind by this crazy asshole who was stalking her, and all he could think about was his own goddamned pride. His own selfish needs.
Jesus. Maybe he was no better than Lou.
Dino hung his head and took a deep breath, making his apologies to both Blake and Jan. “I’m sorry. I was out of line.”
“Yeah, you were.” Blake snorted. “But you’re forgiven, under the circumstances. Call me if anything changes, all right?”
“Will do.” He ended the call then shoved his phone back into his pocket and gathered Jan close once more.
“Who were you talking to?”
“Blake.”
“Did you tell him about… those?” She pointed behind her to the flowers while keeping her face buried against his chest. “Calla lilies are my favorite.”
“I know.” He winced. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
A knock on the door sounded, and the receptionist peeked her head in. “The police are here.”
“Okay.” He moved Jan off his lap and to the seat beside him, cupping her cheeks in his hands and smoothing his thumbs over her cheeks to whisk away her tears. “Will you be all right to talk to them?”
She nodded and took a deep breath and straightened, giving Dino a rueful smile. “Yeah, I can do it. I don’t fall apart over a few blood-soaked flowers.”
“Good.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead then smiled down at her. “That’s my brave girl.”
Two officers entered along with several technicians who began dusting the place down for prints and searching for other evidence. At the cops’ request, he led Jan back out into the sunlit lobby then sat by her side as she answered questions for over an hour.
By the time the police left and her dressing room had been cordoned off with crime scene tape, she looked ready to drop on the spot. He gathered her bag for her then led her out to his SUV and helped her into the passenger seat. As he leaned in to buckle her seat belt for her, she placed her hand atop his and gave him a weak smile, the polar opposite of the diva one she’d sported earlier. “Thanks.”
“For what?” he asked, using his body to block any nosy paparazzi that might be lurking around. He knew they patrolled the police radio waves like a band of vultures. He wanted to get her home and safe before they swooped in on this situation.
“For taking such good care of me.”
“Always.” He shut her door then jogged around the SUV to climb in behind the wheel and start the engine. As he backed out of his parking spot and headed toward Summerlin, he glanced over at her again and found her watching him. He reached over and took her trembling hand, needing the contact. “Always.”
Eighteen
An hour later, they were back at her house, where Jan couldn’t seem to sit still, while Dino instructed someone back at Rockford Security to scrutinize the surveillance tapes and then spoke with the police on the phone. She paced the living room, glancing sideways at him and hoping to catch snip
pets of his conversation, but so far she hadn’t heard anything useful.
“Yeah, yeah, okay.” Dino looked up and caught her staring then flashed her a small smile. “Good. Okay, great. Thanks. I’ll tell her.”
He ended the call then stood and walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders to stop her in front of the fireplace. “Okay. That was the detective we spoke with at the studio. They sent the flowers for testing at their lab, and it wasn’t human blood, thank God. Animal. Cow or pig—they’re still running the DNA to be sure. There are several meat-packing plants around, so that would make sense.”
Jan nodded and kept her gaze lowered, not wanting him to see how much the fact that any blood at all was used—human or otherwise—bothered her. She bit her bottom lip and muttered a quiet, “Okay.”
Dino exhaled long and slowly then slipped his fingers beneath her chin and lifted it, forcing her to meet his eyes. “Are you all right? Really?”
“I’m fine.” She winced and pulled free from him to take a seat on a nearby armchair. “Just tired.”
“Well,” he said, crouching in front of her chair and taking her chilled hands in his, “why don’t you go upstairs and take a nice long, hot bath. I’ll check things out down here while you’re gone, then maybe we can order a pizza and just sit around and watch movies the rest of the day. How does that sound, sweetheart?”
It was the endearment that did it. Jan blinked several times to clear away her tears, but once they started again, there was no stemming the tide. “I can’t…I-I’m sorry, but I just can’t…”
Before she knew what was happening, Dino had pulled her into his arms again, cradling her against his strong chest, the steady thump of his heart the most reassuring sound in the world to her at that moment.
“I’m sorry,” she said again, between sobs. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“Shhhh.” He stroked her hair, his voice rumbling under her cheek. “You’re scared. We both are.”
Deadly Betrayal (The Rockford Security Series Book 1) Page 15