Between Dino’s lies and Stacy’s truths, they’d ruined what had been a pretty awesome night up to that point. Making love with Dino had been everything she’d wished for and so much more. Then poof, gone. Now, instead of snuggling in bed with her love, she was on alert for any noise that would suggest her addict cousin was robbing her blind while she slept.
Raw. Betrayed. Outraged.
None of those words adequately described how Jan felt this morning. But she shouldn’t have been surprised. Dino and Stacy hiding the truth of what was going on from her only validated her unwillingness to trust. But she couldn’t blame them fully, because when it came down to it, it was her fault she hadn’t paid enough attention to Stacy. She’d been too busy with her rising career … too busy to notice that her cousin needed her. Maybe if she’d paid more attention, Stacy wouldn’t have ended up like this.
With about as much enthusiasm as a drunk snail, she rolled out of bed and stumbled for the bathroom to get ready. Half an hour later, she stepped back into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her, freshly scrubbed and brushed and combed, ready to get dressed and tackle the world the way she had for the last fifteen years—alone.
Grumbling, she pulled out a clean pair of jeans and a soft chenille sweater then decided on a less fashionable but way more comfortable pair of Uggs. After tugging on the boots and running her fingers through her still-damp curls, she exited the bedroom and walked down the hall toward the guest room where she had stuck Stacy the night before.
She hesitated outside her door, guilt gnawing at her. She should have paid more attention to Stacy after her uncle’s shooting. She knew her cousin had gone into a funk, but she just figured she’d eventually pull out. Maybe if she’d been more observant instead of being so wrapped up in her own career, she would have seen the signs. Could have prevented it. Nothing she could do about that now. The best she could do was try to help her get back on track.
She knocked once and waited.
Nothing.
“Hey, Stacy,” she called, knocking again. “Time to get up.”
No response.
“C’mon, Stace. The longer you put this off, the rougher it will be. I’ll make some fresh coffee and breakfast, and we’ll research group programs together. Despite how you acted last night, I won’t dump you off all alone, I promise.”
Nada.
Impatience growing, Jan tried the door handle and found it unlocked. She peeked inside the shadowed room but found the bed neatly made and no sign of Stacy anywhere.
Dammit.
Of all the ungrateful, messed up, selfish things to do. Angrily, she thumbed in a text to Stacy’s cell number then hit her speed dial button just for good measure. If her lying, cheating, gambling-obsessed little cousin thought she could outsmart Jan, she had another thing coming.
Jan jogged downstairs and laid her phone on the kitchen counter while she started a pot of coffee, expecting a reply any second. Except none came. A half hour passed, an hour, still nothing. Two cups of strong black coffee later, real worry set in.
They’d all been upset last night, said things better left forgotten. Surely Stacy wouldn’t have taken that to heart, wouldn’t have overreacted and done something stupid. Memories of her cousin—bruised and battered and barely able to stand on her own two feet from whatever substances had been circulating in her system—swirled through Jan’s exhausted brain, and her worry morphed to full-blown panic.
Dino.
Had she been too hard on him? Her thoughts returned to their lovemaking. He’d been sweet, sincere. She hadn’t imagined the connection, and she knew he felt it, too. Then he’d gone and blown it by lying to her.
Well, not exactly lying. More like avoiding telling the truth. It was kind of sweet that he’d been helping Stacy all these years, especially because Stacy was Jan’s family. Her heart pinched. He’d been doing it for her.
Last night she’d been emotional—the fact that he’d never mentioned Stacy being in trouble had hurt. It had brought back all those feelings of betrayal she’d felt when her mother would “avoid telling the truth” about her stepfather and take his side against Jan, and it had felt too much like the other lies she thought he’d told her.
But now she feared she’d been too hasty. Slipped back into not-letting-anyone-in mode too easily. Was her anger at Dino really just misplaced fear? Fear that he’d break her heart again?
No matter what the reason, she needed to push aside her fear and call him to tell him Stacy had disappeared during the night. She needed his help. Jan dialed his number without even glancing at the keyboard, his digits permanently seared into her brain.
“Hello?” he answered after the second ring, his voice sounding as strung out as she felt.
“It’s me. Jan.”
Silence, then, “What’s wrong?”
“Stacy’s gone.”
He cursed loudly. “Stay put. I’ll be right over.”
Thirty minutes later, he stood on her front porch, hair still damp from a recent shower and looking entirely too sexy for her comfort. Unsure how to act or what to say after shutting the door in his face the night before, she stepped aside and held the same door for him while he strode into her foyer, then closed it behind him.
“When did you first notice she was gone?”
“This morning. I went to check on her on my way downstairs, and I found her guest room empty. The bed hadn’t been slept in, so she could’ve left any time during the night.”
“What about the security system?” He glanced around the place like he expected Stacy to just walk out of some corner. “The alarms should’ve gone off if she left without disarming them.”
Jan exhaled and looked away. Much as she’d like to wipe that superior look off his face by telling him some grand story about the security system malfunctioning, she couldn’t. “I might’ve forgotten to set it last night.”
“Excuse me?” Scowl dark and lips compressed into a thin white line, Dino looked every bit the intimidating bodyguard he’d been hired to be. “Why would you do that, Jan? In case you’ve forgotten, there’s a crazy person stalking you right now. Screw Stacy, you could’ve been attacked or worse.”
He raked a hand through his hair and turned away, mumbling under his breath.
Fists clenched at her sides, Jan squared her shoulders. “No. I haven’t forgotten. I’m the one who has to live with it every day, twenty-four, seven, remember? I’m not allowed to forget.” She stalked back into the kitchen, not caring if Dino followed or not. She’d called him here to help, not harp on her about her mistakes.
Like he had any room to talk.
She picked up her mug of coffee and took a big swig, grabbing her phone off the counter to check her e-mails. Still nothing from Stacy. Figured. She opened up her mail and began scrolling through the messages as Dino walked into the kitchen. Jan glanced up at him to find his expression less Terminator and more contrite.
He stood on the other side of the island and rested his hands on the granite top. “Listen, I’m sorry for the way I acted out there. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Neither did I.” She wasn’t giving him an inch. After all, she was the injured party in their little game of deceit. Seems she’d always be on the receiving end of Dino’s distorted version of honesty. First Erin, now Stacy. “It was a bad night all around.”
“Yeah, it was.” He continued to watch her until she met his gaze. “I’m sorry. I should have told you up front that I’d been in contact with Stacy. It’s just that at first, it didn’t seem important, then later…” He sighed, the dark circles beneath his eyes more pronounced under the overhead lights in the room. “I didn’t know how to tell you. But I should have found a way. I should have told you, and I’m an ass.”
Well, then.
Jan scrunched her nose. She didn’t want to let him off the hook that easily, but when he stood there all self-deprecating and rumpled and with that dark stubble gracing his jaw because he’d apparently r
ushed over here so fast he hadn’t even taken the time to shave, her stubborn heart caved without a fight.
“I’m sorry too.” She exhaled and put the phone down. “I was just so hurt that you two would keep something like that from me, and I guess I overreacted. I should’ve trusted you enough to know you’d have a good reason for not telling me.”
They eyed each other across the island for a few tense moments before Dino lowered his head and smiled. “Apology accepted.”
“Ditto.” She tilted her head and smiled. “Now, how are we going to find Stacy?”
“Let me call the office. I’ll have the IT team search for her through her social media and SIM card.” Dino pulled out his cell and dialed. “The girl does love to talk.”
“Got that right.” Jan picked up her phone to finish going through her e-mails. Toward the bottom of the list, she spotted one from the last person she expected to find in her inbox. Erin McCabe. Of all people. She glanced across the island at Dino before clicking it open and scanning the message.
Hi Jan,
I came to the studio this morning to get my shoes from the other night, but the guards wouldn’t let me in. Said you needed to be there. That’ll teach me to show up without warning, right? Let me know when I can get my shoes.
Thanks, Erin.
Damn. She’d forgotten about those dumb shoes. Considering how well her day had started, Jan figured why not get all her less savory tasks out of the way in one fell swoop. She typed in a quick response, telling Erin to come back to Treble later that morning and she’d be sure to be there, then closed her browser.
“Okay,” Dino said, striding back to the island. “I’ve got the IT guys on it. I also had the Rockford techs run through surveillance. The flowers were delivered by florist, taken in by a guard. No one went in or out of your dressing room after that.”
The hairs on the back of Jan’s neck bristled. “So some guard is my stalker?”
Dino shrugged. “Probably not. He was probably paid off. The problem is, he kept his face hidden behind the flowers, so the cameras didn’t get a good shot of him. He must have put the flowers in your dressing room then added the blood. Security at Treble went through it, and he’s not one of their guards.”
“What? How can that be?”
“It was planned. The guard kept his back to everyone and the cameras. With the Treble uniform, I guess no one noticed he didn’t belong. They’re still scrubbing through the rest of the videos to see if they can find anything else.”
“So we still don’t know who it is?” Jan’s anxiety ratcheted up a notch.
“No, but we’re getting closer. Now we know for sure someone on the inside is involved.”
Great. One of her trusted co-workers or guards was a stalker.
Dino must have sensed her nervousness. He came around the island and took her hand. “Hey, nothing’s going to happen. I’ll be right there to protect you.”
The words calmed her. She couldn’t hide in her house all day—she had work to do. And with Dino by her side, what could go wrong? She smiled up at him. “Thanks. I need to go to the studio today.”
“Are you sure? You don’t have to go in there until this is settled, you know.”
“I know, but I have work to do, and I can’t let this derail me. I have an album to put out.” She finished her coffee and put the mug in the sink then headed back out into the foyer. “Let me just grab something upstairs, and I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll wait out in the Tahoe.”
“Okay.” Jan headed back to her bedroom and grabbed her purse and Erin’s shoes then locked up the house and climbed into the SUV with Dino.
“Need a spare?” he asked, glancing at the shoes, his cocky grin back in place.
“No. I borrowed them the other night at the gala when my heel broke. She’s coming by later this morning to pick them up. I’ll leave them with the receptionist.”
“Not in your dressing room?”
She shook her head and looked out the window beside her at the passing scenery. She’d not been back in there since they’d found the flowers. And honestly, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to go back in there. “No.”
Dino reached over and took her hand. “I’ll have them switch you to another dressing room. It’ll be all right.”
“I know.” She didn’t look at him, just stared out into the bright Las Vegas day.
Once they reached the studio, she dropped the shoes off at the desk in the lobby then went upstairs to check in with the recording guys. They were still busy mixing that new single, and she wanted to make sure they didn’t need any more vocals from her. Dino trailed in behind her and camped out on the sofa, engrossed in whatever it was he was doing on his phone.
Half an hour later, security called in over the PA system. “Ms. Winters, there’s an Erin McCabe here to see you.”
“Right.” She straightened from where she was leaning over the producer’s shoulder at the mixing board and smoothed a hand down the front of her shirt. “I’ll be down in a minute.”
Jan glanced over at Dino to find him watching her with his usual stoicism. If having Erin around made him uncomfortable at all, he didn’t show it. In fact, he looked like he couldn’t care less, like he hadn’t even recognized the name. Doubts crept in on the heels of that realization.
Had she been wrong about what happened between them in high school? Sure, Erin had been Ms. Popularity—head cheerleader, always bubbly and flirty—and Dino had been King Jock—the man all the guys wanted to be and the stud all the girls wanted to be with. But there’d never really been any indication Dino had cheated on her with Erin, other than her own suspicions. Suspicions possibly brought on by her own negative feelings of self-worth. She’d never even asked him. And the other night after the party, it had seemed like he really didn’t remember Erin, which surely he would have if he’d had a fling with her.
“Be right back,” she said to Dino and headed for the door.
“I’m coming with you.” He pushed to his feet and followed her down the stairs.
They reached the reception desk, and Jan smiled warmly. “Hi, Erin. So sorry you had to make two trips for those.” She indicated the strappy sandals in the other woman’s hand. “How about I give you a tour of the place as an apology?”
“Oh, I’d love that!” Erin grinned. “I’ve always dreamed of being a superstar singer.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s silly, I know.” She glanced over Jan’s shoulder at Dino. “Don’t I know you?”
“Oh.” Jan glanced between the two of them, again struck by how neither one seemed to remember the other. Of course, it could all be an act. An elaborate one, but still. “This is Dino Machiavelli. He’s my new bodyguard. He also went to high school with us.”
“That’s right.” Erin stepped forward to shake his hand. “I remember now. You got some big scholarship for college, right?”
“Yeah. Then I blew my knee out and lost it.”
“I’m sorry.” Erin stepped back, her gaze narrowed. “You were at Binion’s a week or so ago, weren’t you? With Stacy? That was really nice of you to come down there and help her out the way you did. I—”
Jan glanced at Dino sharply. Did everyone in the whole stinking town know about him and Stacy except her?
He cut Erin off quickly. “It was nothing. A friend helping a friend. Excuse me a minute, I’m getting a call.”
Jan watched him walk away with his phone to his ear then turned back to Erin. “So, tour?”
“Absolutely.” She grinned. “Wish I had a guy like that to guard my body.”
“C’mon.” Jan took Erin by the arm and steered her toward the opposite corner of the room. “This is our lobby area. Down here we have the dressing rooms, the security office, reception, a few conference rooms and—”
“What the hell is she doing here?” Lou yelled from over the second-floor railing. He ran down the steps and over to where Jan and Erin stood, his expression ste
rn. “You need to get out of here.”
He grabbed Erin’s other arm and wrenched her away from Jan.
“Lou, what the hell is going on? She’s here as my guest.” Jan gave Erin an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry.”
“She doesn’t belong here, that’s what’s wrong. In case you’ve forgotten, we have a serious situation going on here. No one that doesn’t work here gets in.” He tugged Erin toward the side exit and shoved her out the door then slammed it in her face. “Guest, my ass.”
“Lou!” Jan stalked over, appalled by his rudeness. “She was here to pick up some shoes she lent me. And you just tossed her out on her butt like a criminal.”
“Damn straight.” He straightened his suit jacket and hailed over one of the security guards milling around the receptionist desk. “Why didn’t the alarm go off on that door when I opened it?” He pointed at the side door, the one where her mysterious package had been delivered the week before. “I thought you had that fixed. What the hell kind of operation are you people running here?”
The guard sputtered and stammered an explanation, but Lou wasn’t interested, obviously on a roll now. “And where the hell is that beefcake bodyguard I hired?”
Dino glanced over at them from where he stood on the opposite side of the room. He ended his call then walked over, looking far less than pleased. “What’s wrong?”
“Do you even screen any of these people coming in?” Lou’s face had flushed an unattractive shade of purple. “I’m paying you a hell of a lot of money to protect this woman, and you let people like that just waltz in and cuddle right up to her. Do you even have a clue how to do your job?”
“I’m the best bodyguard in town,” Dino replied, his words clipped and his voice lethally calm. “You seem awfully on edge today. Why, I wonder? Could it have something to do with the fact that you were seen talking to the security guard impostor that delivered the flowers to Jan yesterday?”
Deadly Betrayal (The Rockford Security Series Book 1) Page 18