by K. M. Scott
“Is it really that bad?”
She nodded and looked at him with sadness in her eyes. “No one remembers the charities she’s given so much to or how incredible an actress she is or even how gracious she was when she found out right before the Golden Globes that her husband was cheating on her with a woman even younger than her and wasn’t even trying to be secretive about it. Nope. All of those things disappear if she makes one mistake. So when she’s alone with those of us who are closest to her, she has to let off some steam. Everyone deserves a release, and I’m happy to give Alexis that from time to time when she needs it.”
Clearly, Lauren loved her friend. Hunter didn’t know if he could completely rule her out as the person behind the letters Alexis had been getting, but he had a gut feeling she was just what she seemed to be.
A good friend.
“Lauren, can you think of anyone who would want to do this to Alexis?”
She shook her head sadly. “No. No one I know would do this to her. Carla and I love her, and although she isn’t close to any of her bodyguards, they are devoted to her.”
“What about her ex-husband? He did cheat on her.”
After thinking about his question, she shook her head. “No way. Jackson is an ass, but he’s moved on. He never held anything against Alexis, even when she took him to the cleaners.”
“Okay. I just wanted to ask. And the bodyguards are all fans of hers, in your opinion?” he asked, still unsure what he thought of her security detail, even after meeting with them briefly earlier.
Paul had told him how much Alexis Marchand paid her bodyguards, so even if they hated the very sight of her, they’d be devoted to their salary. He was curious, though, if she’d ever slept with any of them. Love always changed things.
And lust definitely could.
“Like with us, Alexis can be difficult with them, but I don’t think any would want to hurt her.”
“Have any of her bodyguards become more at any time?”
For a moment, Lauren seemed confused as to what he meant by that, opening her mouth to answer but saying nothing. Then, as if a lightbulb turned on in her head, she smiled.
“Oh, you mean that. Just one but that was last year when her divorce was finalized.”
“Who?”
“Kyle. Kyle Murdoch.”
“How long were they together?”
“Only once. She got drunk out of her mind and Kyle was there. I’m not even sure they…” Lauren hesitated to finish her thought for a moment and then continued, “…I mean…you know…slept together. I’m not sure Alexis was in any condition to do that,” she said, blushing.
As charming as Lauren looked all embarrassed by the discussion of sex, Hunter still needed to know about Kyle and what he may have felt after that rendezvous with Alexis. “And nothing more ever happened between the two of them?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. It’s as if that night never happened.”
“What about for Kyle? Have you ever had any sense that he wanted something more to come of that night?”
Lauren looked away and thought for a moment before shaking her head again. “No, I don’t think so. Kyle doesn’t say much, so it wouldn’t be like he’d talk to me about it. But I’ve never seen him looking longingly at her, if that’s what you mean.”
Hunter smiled at the way she said that. “Not exactly what I meant, but I get the picture. Would he talk to anyone else if he had feelings for Alexis?”
“I’m not sure. I’m not really close to the bodyguards. They always live separately from those of us who lived in the main house. I’m not even sure where they’ll be living here in New York.”
Surprised to hear Alexis didn’t have her security team close by at all times, Hunter said, “Well, that’s going to change. No wonder someone thinks they can get to her.”
He’d already sat down with her head of security, Malcolm Batish, but he hadn’t mentioned the living arrangements back in LA or there in New York. He’d have to make it clear to him that situation would end right now.
From the other side of the apartment, Alexis yelled, “Lauren, I need you!”
Lauren jumped up from her seat and bolted toward her boss’s office. Then after only a few steps, she stopped and turned around to look at Hunter, who stared in amazement that merely by yelling for someone, Alexis Marchand could get people up and running.
“Please don’t mention to her that I told you all of this. I don’t know if she’d want you to know.”
“I can’t find out who’s behind the threats and letters if I don’t ask questions like that and even more personal ones. If they embarrass her, better that than her being hurt or killed.”
Alexis yelled again, this time with impatience lacing every word. “Lauren, where are you? I need you now!”
Her assistant hurried away toward her boss, so Hunter went to find Paul. He stood near the counter eating a bagel with cream cheese and smiled when Hunter walked into the room.
“How are things coming?” he asked as he quickly wiped food from his mouth.
“Did you know that her bodyguards aren’t usually anywhere near her when she’s at home? For God’s sake, they’re in another residence, if I’m understanding the set up in LA correctly.”
Paul nodded and then shrugged, like all of this sounded normal to him. “Yeah. Lexi doesn’t like having them hanging around.”
“Well, they need to be close by. They aren’t just giant sized paper weights. Where did she plan on having them live now that she’s here in New York?”
“Hmmm, I don’t know. Now that you bring it up, I have no idea. They can’t stay here since there are only four bedrooms and she’s using one of them for an office.”
“Well, she’s going to have to make some decisions on that and quick because they need to be nearby until we get to the bottom of who’s stalking her.”
A look of worry came over Paul’s face. Frowning, he said, “She’s not going to like that.”
Hunter slapped him on the arm and smiled. “I’ll tell you what. Let me tell her and you’ll avoid being the one in the line of fire when she blows up. Sound good?”
That brought a smile to the manager’s face. “I like that. Anything to avoid the wrath of Lexi.”
“For that, I need you to get me the names of every assistant, bodyguard, and anyone else who’s been paid by Alexis in the past year.”
“Okay. I can get on that today. I’ll get you everything I can tonight or latest tomorrow.”
Slapping him on the arm again, Hunter smiled. “Great! Now I need to go speak to the woman herself.”
As he walked out of the kitchen, he heard Paul say, “Good luck.”
He didn’t need luck. This was a job, and she was a client. Simple as that. It’s not like he planned to make her do much anyway. All he needed her to do was answer a few questions.
Making his way to her office, he stopped in front of it and listened for a moment. He heard nothing, so he knocked on the door.
She responded by barking, “Go away!”
Hunter had already had enough of this shit. If he was ever going to find out who was stalking this woman, he needed cooperation.
Her cooperation. And right now.
Throwing the door open, he walked in and stared her down as Lauren looked on with terror in her eyes. “I’m not going to be able to do my job if you don’t work with me, Miss Marchand. If you want to ever be free of whoever is stalking you, I suggest you help me.”
He watched as rage filled her brown eyes, and she said to her assistant through gritted teeth, “Lauren, leave us alone.”
She did just that, hurrying past him and shutting the door behind her. Now maybe he’d get some answers that could help him. He’d dealt with feisty women before. He actually preferred women to have some spunk.
Too bad Alexis Marchand had a bit too much of it. Not to worry. He’d handled women like that too. All it took was a firm hand and letting them know who was in charge.
&nb
sp; And he would have no problem making her understand the person in charge of this job was him.
Chapter Five
Rage bubbled up inside Alexis. How dare he barge in there without being asked! The nerve of this man! Did his rudeness have no end? First, he ignored her when she tried to be nice and strike up a conversation, and now he thought he could just march into her private office and demand to speak to her.
Nobody demanded anything of Alexis Marchand, especially some man she didn’t even much like. If he thought she was going to simply let this pass, he was sadly confused.
Standing from her comfy chair, she walked over to where he stood looking like some conquering Alpha male and stopped directly in front of him. Only a few inches taller than her five foot ten, she looked him in the eye and let him know whatever he thought he’d accomplish by walking in on her, he’d only succeeded in angering her even more.
“Mr. McKary, I’m not a fan of being told what to do, especially by men. Strangers who have shown me nothing but disrespect don’t get to tell me what to do either.”
She didn’t see surprise in his eyes so much as something that resembled disappointment. Had he expected her to act like some helpless damsel in distress? If so, this job of his was going to be nothing but disappointment because she would never be that.
Better he started understanding who he was dealing with right now. She had no intention of being a spectator to her own life, no matter how good or bad it got.
“It seems you’ve been laboring under the false impression that I’m just some pathetic creature who needs your help. Well, let me disabuse you of that right now. Paul called your boss, not me. He’s the one who thinks you can help. As far as I can tell from how you’ve acted so far, you don’t seem any more capable of solving this case than the cops in the city where you used to work.”
Hunter stepped toward her, decreasing the space between them so much that she had to tilt her head back to keep staring him in the eye. Was this supposed to be some kind of intimidation tactic to get her to submit to his power?
If it was, he had grossly underestimated her.
He didn’t say anything for a long moment, and as Alexis stood her ground, she couldn’t help but notice how beautiful his eyes were. The darkest green she’d ever seen, they stared down at her with an intensity that made her feel like she was getting lost in their forest green color.
When he finally spoke, she felt like she’d been put under some kind of magical spell that made her want to listen to his deep voice.
“You’re going to find that my methods work best when the client doesn’t get in my way, Miss Marchand.”
Unlike when he’d spoken to her before, this time he didn’t sound rude or disrespectful. Hearing a hint of kindness in his tone, she responded with a question she wasn’t sure he could answer.
“Do you even know my first name?”
For a second, he said nothing. Just as she’d suspected. He didn’t even bother to note her name when he came barging into her world, thinking he could come in and take over and she’d be thrilled to let him mistreat her like that.
She made a move to turn away, to leave him standing there alone, but he grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. Stunned, she couldn’t even bring herself to tell him off like she wanted to.
“Alexis.”
His voice washed over her, making her head swim. She’d never heard her name sound like that. Strong. Powerful. Confident. It made her want to hear him speak it again.
His intense stare unnerved her now, and she looked down at where his hand sat on her forearm. It should have enraged her, but strangely, it didn’t. His hand didn’t squeeze her so much as gently but insistently hold her right where he wanted her to remain. That alone should have infuriated her, but as she looked at his strong hands touching her skin, she didn’t feel angry at all.
Alexis looked up at him and tried to speak, but at first, nothing came out. Words became impossible as her mind whirled from his touch.
Finally, she gathered her thoughts and cleared her throat to speak. “Mr. McKary…Hunter, I work best when I’m an active participant in my life. You may be used to timid women, but I’m not one of them. I’m not tied to the railroad tracks. I respect your expertise. Please respect my desire to help in my own defense.”
When she finished, he said nothing and simply stared into her eyes as she looked up at him. It felt almost as if he didn’t know what to say either. And yet, Alexis had never felt so at ease with anyone this close to her since Jackson.
Hunter nodded and gave her a smile. “I can respect that, Alexis. Maybe we got off on the wrong foot before. Let’s start over again. Nice to meet you. I’m Hunter. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure this person stalking you is stopped.”
“Thank you, Hunter. It’s nice to meet you too.”
He smiled again, and this time Alexis noticed how sexy he looked when he wasn’t scowling. She liked that and hoped she’d get to see that side of him more.
“I think it would be a good idea if we talked about your staff. I need to know all about them, and you’re the best person to tell me about them. But first, I noticed that Paul calls you Lexi. Would you prefer me to call you that, or is that name reserved only for him?”
The sweetness she’d felt a second earlier instantly evaporated at hearing Paul’s pet name for her coming out of Hunter’s mouth. “No, I’d prefer Alexis, thank you.”
“Okay, Alexis. Now about your staff.”
“Just tell me what you need to know,” she said as she walked back to her favorite chair.
Hunter took a seat on the tan loveseat across from her, not in the chair further away near the desk. Alexis watched as he leaned back against the cushion and spread his arm across the top of it. Hunter looked like a man comfortable in his own skin, something she saw far too little of in all the men she’d ever met. She liked that kind of confidence. It looked good on him.
Even more interesting, he seemed comfortable with her now. No one but Lauren acted like that with her, and she’d known her since they were children.
He took out a pen and notepad from his shirt and began writing. “I need to know how long each person has been with you and if you’ve ever had any problem with any one of them.”
“Paul can give you all the details on that. He handles all the employees’ and their pay.”
Hunter looked up from his notes. “I need to know your point of view about these people. I’m trying to figure out who is stalking you, so hearing what you think of the people around you is important. If one of them has an ax to grind with you, knowing how you interact with them might help me figure out who’s behind it all.”
As much as she believed what she thought was important, Alexis had never had anyone ask her about how she felt in all of this. Everyone had always been worried about her, but no one investigating had wanted to know her opinions. They’d just always listened to her story about the most recent letter and then assured her they’d find out who did it, but never had they asked what she believed about any of it.
She’d always just been a victim in their eyes. A woman who needed their help to survive in the world.
One by one she listed her bodyguards first, starting with her head of security. “Malcolm has been with me the longest of all my guards. Paul hired him right after my first film four years ago.”
“Any problems between the two of you?” Hunter asked as he jotted down notes on what she said.
She shook her head and answered without giving the question a second thought. “No. He’s always been a wonderful man to have protecting me. I sort of feel bad for him, actually. I think he feels like this whole thing is a reflection on him, but I don’t think that at all.”
Hunter lifted his head and squinted his eyes. “What makes you think that? Has he ever said anything to you about it?”
“No, no, nothing like that. I just get a sense that he feels bad for me and worries I might fire him if this continues. That’s
probably more because I tend to have a short fuse and yell at people more than him feeling anything like guilt.”
Once again, Hunter smiled in that way that made him look very sexy. “Yeah. I can see that.”
She wanted to explain herself, to make him see that she wasn’t just some raving lunatic with too much money and too much fame. Pulling her legs up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her knees and hugged them to her.
“I’m not some Hollywood diva, Hunter. I’m really not. I admit I have been known to yell and scream sometimes, but everyone who knows me knows that’s just my way. I don’t mean any harm. I just need a release from the pressure of the world outside my home, but I care about all these people who work for me. I’d be lost without them, especially Lauren.”
“She cares a lot about you. I can tell just from talking to her.”
Alexis smiled, happy to hear him say that. “I love her. She’s the sister I never had. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
“Okay, back to your bodyguards. Who’s next?”
She explained how long each man had worked for her, and after each name, Hunter asked, “Any reason he would want to hurt you personally or professionally?”
Every time she answered the same way. “No.”
When she gave that answer about Kyle Murdoch, Hunter stared at her, clearly wanting more information. Confused, she wondered why he’d singled out that one bodyguard until she remembered the night she’d spent with Kyle when her divorce became final.
Oh, God. She didn’t want to talk about that with him.
Looking away, she quietly said, “Whatever you heard, it wasn’t anything.”
“Are you sure he felt the same way? Maybe he thought it was more something than nothing.”
She turned back to face him and nodded. “Trust me. He didn’t think it was anything, just like I said.”
Hunter smiled. “Alexis, you’re a beautiful and successful woman millions of men love from afar. It’s not ridiculous to think Kyle would want to be with you for more than just one night. Maybe he wanted more and didn’t get it, so he became resentful. The male ego can be a very fragile thing.”