The Fan

by Velvet Vaughn

  “We won’t let it get that far, Ms. LaRue.”

  Jade flinched. He was back to using her stage name. She'd heard enough. Standing, she faced Logan and Trudy. “I’m exhausted. I’m going to go lie down.”

  Logan jumped to his feet and grabbed her arm. “Not until I have your word that you won’t leave the house without someone from my agency with you.”

  “You have my word.” She would say anything to get away from that detached, remote look in his eyes.

  He released her arm and she bolted upstairs. She found Logan’s old room and stepped inside. Trudy hadn’t changed anything since he moved out.

  The large space, decorated in typical teenage boy grunge, was neat and clean. The walls were painted a deep blue with matching carpet. Posters of sports teams and bikini clad bimbos lined the walls, a bookcase held trophies from baseball, basketball, football and an assortment of other sports. A desk sported a computer and the entertainment center held an impressive television and stereo. If Jade didn’t miss her guess…sticking her hand under the mattress, she came up with a much-read copy of GlamGirls.

  “Figures,” she muttered, flipping through the worn pages. Replacing the magazine, she flopped on the bed and closed her eyes. The room smelled like Logan, all woodsy and male. Wrapping the comforter around her, she pictured Logan in this bed and felt comforted.

  Before she realized it, she had fallen into a deep sleep.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Where was Juliet now? He wanted to see her in the dress he bought, knowing she would look so beautiful wearing the lacy white gown. But he had to wait for their wedding day. Bad luck for the groom to see his bride in her dress before the day of their nuptials. Still, he wanted to see her lovely face, but there had been no sign of her for hours.

  Plus, he decided they should move from this neighborhood. Too much crime. Yesterday, he'd been forced to drive away when cop cars sped by. They upset Mother. He came back this morning and waited until Juliet left before he went inside and set the stage for her surprises. He hung the dress in her room but didn’t want her to find everything at once, so he left the box on the front porch.

  Mother hadn’t wanted him to break in but he wanted his darling to have the presents. He'd been so excited when she came home and saw it. He knew she would appreciate what he'd done. But then the cops came again and he was forced to flee.

  Now he hadn’t seen Jade all afternoon or evening. No lights or anything at her house. Where could she be?

  He needed to place a call to his cousin, Darrell. He worked in the mailroom of MegaPics. Sometimes when Juliet was playing hard to get, Darrell could find her for him. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed his cousin.

  #

  Logan returned later that night to his Aunt’s house after he tucked Bella into bed.

  “Where is my granddaughter?” Trudy cried as he entered the house through the garage.

  He kissed his aunt on the cheek. “I’m sorry, I know you were looking forward to having her here, but I don’t want her in danger. Dan's staying with her at the house.”

  Trudy frowned with disappointment but understood. “I’ve saved you some dinner,” she said, weaving her arm through his and leading him to the dining room. “I’ll just dump the pot of macaroni and cheese down the disposal,” she sniffed.

  Logan rolled his eyes at her theatrics. “I promise Bella can stay with you as soon as the stalker is caught,” he conceded. Trudy beamed and ushered him to a chair. She proceeded to fawn over him like she did when he was a little boy. He liked it.

  After polishing off two helpings of lasagna, garlic bread and Aunt Trudy’s famous persimmon pudding, he felt stuffed. He refused her offer to join her and Jade for a glass of wine, explaining that he was officially on duty. They sat in Trudy’s comfortable living room while Trudy regaled Jade with stories from his youth that made him cringe. When she started on the story of when he was thirteen and decided to take her car for a spin, he excused himself and sprinted upstairs. Sifting through his pocket, he pulled out a bag of tiny tracking devices. He felt silly sneaking into his old room but he tiptoed to the closet and attached one to the heel of every pair of Jade’s shoes. He pulled out his Swiss army knife, cut a small slit in the rubber sole of her tennis shoes and inserted a GPS into the slot. He dropped one in her purse and planted one in her watch. He’d be able to keep tabs on her at all times. She gave her word that she wouldn't leave the house on her own, but then, she was known to lie.

  He retreated back downstairs hoping Trudy had run out of embarrassing stories. Thinking back to his wild and reckless youth, he figured he’d have to wait another five years before she did. Thankfully Trudy began telling him how she met Jade. These stories he found more interesting but went to great lengths to not appear too eager. He needed to keep his distance.

  It figured that when he needed to stay close to Jade professionally, he wanted to keep his distance personally. He could tell his aloof manner bothered her. Good. Maybe she would keep her distance, too.

  Proving once again that he knew nothing about women, she waited until Trudy retreated to bed and pulled him aside. His forearm tingled where her palm rested. “I just wanted to thank you. I wouldn’t have trusted anyone else to keep me safe.”

  Annoyed at the surge of happiness her words and touch evoked, he shrugged. “Trudy's paying me. It’s my job.”

  She visibly recoiled and he felt like a first class jerk. Why he pretended to keep up the charade of Trudy paying for his services he didn’t know. He would never take a cent from his aunt. He owed her too much. Plus, he already took responsibility for Jade’s safety before Trudy asked. He just thought it would be in the form of Dan or one of the other agents. But Trudy played the guilt card so here he was, standing in the dark hallway with the most desirable woman he'd ever met. And couldn’t have.

  Backing away from her touch, he steeled himself against the look of hurt in her sea green eyes. “Get some sleep, Ms. LaRue,” he said gruffly. “It’s been a long day.” Twisting the handle to Dan’s old room, he disappeared inside.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Jade was going stir crazy. She'd been at Trudy’s only two days and already she was itching to get out of the house. She wanted to stroll around the Farmer’s Market and pick out fresh vegetables, or shop at the boutiques in Fountain Square. Anything to get out in the fresh air.

  Logan had forbidden it, of course. Although an agent from his office sat downstairs watching television, he didn’t want her leaving unless he could go with her.

  Bella and Fiji were staying with them today. A flu epidemic broke out at her day care and Logan didn’t want her catching the bug so he kept her home. Jade was glad—it gave her time to play with the little girl. They'd already had a tea party and even Ed, her bodyguard of the day, joined in. Isabella rolled on the floor laughing when he picked up a dainty plastic cup, stuck his pinky out and pretended to sip the invisible brew.

  Jade called her parents first thing in the morning and sent them on a Caribbean cruise. Trudy had graciously offered to book the tickets in her name so the stalker wouldn’t be able to trace their whereabouts, just in case. Jade insisted on paying her back. Her parents had been terrified for her when she explained why she wanted them to go away, although she left out most of the details including the murders. They knew Kyle, Sid and Nora had passed away, but they thought the deaths were the result of accidents, not a demented fan. She assured them she was in good hands and promised to check with them regularly.

  Jade glanced outside and saw a brown delivery truck pull into the driveway. It must be the script Randolph promised her. She'd called him from Logan's house before she left and given him Trudy's address so he could send the package. She glanced around. She had strict orders not to open the door for anyone at any time but Trudy was putting Bella down for a nap and Ed was nowhere to be seen. He must have run to the bathroom.

  What would it hurt to accept the package from an overnight courier? She was expecting
it so it wasn’t like it was a surprise. She whipped open the door before the man could ring the bell, catching him by surprise.

  “Ms. LaRue?”

  She forgot to ask Randolph to address the envelope to her real name. The young deliveryman tried not to gawk but he obviously didn’t think the woman standing in front of him and the movie star could possibly be the same person. He probably thought they just shared the name.

  “Yes.” She signed his electronic clipboard and accepted the package. He bid her good day and ambled off. Jade ripped open the package and stared at the script. This could be her first starring role, the break she'd waited for her entire career.

  “Attraction Overruled” was a legal comedy, along the lines of “Legally Blonde,” and she knew how Reese Witherspoon must have felt when she read the script. The lure of star billing and the opportunity to carry her first movie were euphoric.

  Bark, bark.

  Jade was so caught up in the possibilities, she didn’t realize she was standing in the open doorway until it was too late. Fiji shot through the space like a fired bullet and took a flying leap off the porch.

  “Fiji!” She tossed the script and bolted after Bella’s beloved pooch.

  “Ms. LaRossa, don’t go out there,” Ed hollered from behind her.

  Jade didn’t pause. She kept Fiji in her sights and when he stopped to do his business on a rose bush across the street, Jade made her move. She dove for the puppy as he wiped his paws on the lawn, kicking up grass. The dog yelped at having his exploring plans thwarted, but his tongue darted out and swiped Jade on the cheek. She looked at the little white poodle, his mouth open in a doggie smile, and couldn’t help but laugh. She pushed to her feet with Fiji in her arms and started back to Trudy’s house. She was crooning softly to the dog as she crossed the road and didn’t hear the car gunning the engine or notice how it picked up speed as it roared towards her.

  “Look out,” Ed yelled seconds before he slammed into her. Jade screamed as she went flying sideways. She managed to twist and land so she didn’t crush the small dog.

  She heard a sickening thump and turned to look for Ed. He was lying on the concrete, his arm at an odd angle, blood pooling around his head.

  Oh, no! He'd been hit by the car saving her life.

  Jade raced to his side, Fiji tucked safely under her arm. A revving engine sounded and she looked up to see tail lights coming her way. Jade was afraid to move Ed for fear of doing more damage. Two shots rang out and Jade froze, waiting for the searing pain. Tires squealed, the stench of burning rubber assaulting her nose. The car sped away.

  Trudy was chasing it with her .38 special.

  Jade slumped. She hadn’t been shot. But Ed was seriously injured. She dropped down beside him again, his low moan bringing tears to her eyes.

  “I’ve called an ambulance,” Trudy said as she bent down and brushed the hair off the young man’s face. “Take this and run back to the house. Lock the door and set the alarm. I’ve scared him away for now but no telling if he'll be back or not.”

  “I can’t leave Ed.”

  “Go, now. Bella is alone. I don’t want her waking up and stumbling out here.”

  That was plenty of incentive for Jade to take Trudy’s advice and race back to the house. She slammed the door behind her and bolted it. Fiji whimpered. “Sorry,” she mumbled to the dog crushed under her arm and placed him on the floor. He scampered upstairs to find Bella.

  Jade grabbed the phone and punched in Logan’s private number. He answered on the first ring.

  “Ed’s been hit by a car. The ambulance is on the way and Trudy's with him. Oh Logan, it’s my fault.” She quickly told him what happened and cringed, waiting for his verbal tirade. She wasn’t disappointed.

  “What part of do not open the door don’t you understand?”

  “Do you think you could yell at me later? I’m still shaking.”

  “Oh, don’t worry,” Logan promised. “There'll be plenty of yelling, I can guarantee you that.”

  She didn’t doubt him one bit.

  He hung up, assuring her he was on the way. Jade watched through the window as the medics loaded Ed on a stretcher and slid him into the ambulance. She said a prayer that he would be okay. Mrs. Edison was having an animated conversation with a policeman who appeared on the scene. He was scribbling frantically on a notepad and nodding. Finally they headed back to the house and Jade waited until they were on the porch before she shot the bolt and swung open the door. “How's Ed?”

  “They're taking him to the hospital right now, ma’am. We don’t know the condition except that he is alive.”

  She answered the cop’s questions, explaining exactly what happened. Footsteps sounded on the porch and Logan breezed in the door, followed by Luke and Detective Hurley. She went over the entire story again on autopilot.

  “Did you get the make or model of the car?” Luke asked.

  “It happened so fast,” Jade explained. “The only thing I know is that it was a dark color, black, brown, I’m not sure. And the windows were tinted.”

  “Dark green Taurus, four door, dent in right rear fender, Disneyworld sticker on the left and Jade was right, the windows were tinted.” Trudy rattled off the license number and Detective Hurley pulled out a phone to run the plate.

  Jade stared with awe at the older woman.

  “What? I have two private eyes in the family. Something had to rub off.” She winked.

  “How did he find me?” Jade asked.

  “You said you opened the door for a package you were expecting,” Luke said. “Where was the package from and who was it addressed to?”

  “It was sent from MegaPics, the movie studio, and it was addressed to me.”

  “To Jade or Juliet?” Logan questioned.

  “I meant to have it sent to Jade LaRossa, but it was addressed to Juliet LaRue.”

  “I think it’s time we thought about putting you in a safe house,” Detective Hurley advised.

  “I’ve been thinking about that,” Luke said. “The safest house would be Logan’s.”

  Logan shot his partner a murderous glare.

  “Think about it,” Luke continued nonplussed. “You have top of the line, state of the art security not even a master thief could breach. Plus two live-in bodyguards.”

  “My daughter,” Logan added meaningfully.

  “I would never impose,” Jade said quietly. “If Detective Hurley can’t find a safe house, I will just go back to California and take my chances there.”

  “Where you would be a sitting duck?” Logan scoffed. “I don’t think so.” He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Luke’s right. My house would be the safest place.”

  “I don’t want to endanger Bella.”

  “We'll sneak you in and as long as you don’t do anything stupid like giving out the address or standing in an open doorway, we can keep you safe until the stalker is located.”

  Jade recoiled. Although everything Logan said was accurate, the truth still hurt.

  “You're coming too, Aunt Trudy.”

  “I will not have some crazy person running me out of my home.”

  “But he knows the house now,” Luke rationalized. “You can’t stay here by yourself.”

  “Of course I can,” Trudy said. “If he's still watching this house, he'll give up soon when he realizes Jade isn’t here.”

  “Aunt Trudy, I insist.”

  “And I just as firmly decline,” Trudy said in a stern tone. “Take Jade and get her settled at your place.”

  Detective Hurley’s phone rang and he excused himself to answer it.

  “Aunt Trudy—”

  “Don’t try to change my mind, Logan. I'm staying here and that’s final.”

  “I’m going to put another agent outside to watch your place,” Luke informed her.

  “Does the name M.J. Kint mean anything to you?” Detective Hurley asked Jade as he strode back into the room.

  Jade shook her head.

&nbs
p; “The car was registered to that name. I’ve got a search going right now.”

  Logan, Luke and Detective Hurley put their heads together and spoke in low tones. Jade climbed the stairs and began loading her suitcase again. How had her life spiraled so out of control?

  She glanced around Logan’s old room and felt a touch of sadness that she had to leave. She felt closer to him in the room. She pulled the door closed and turned right into Logan. His arms came out to steady her. Just as quickly, he released her.

  “This isn’t going to be fun, but we need to put you in the trunk,” he advised her. “Luke parked in the garage and with the door down, we can load you inside and haul you away without attracting any notice.”

  With all the disruption she'd caused on other people, how could she complain?

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Logan finished a set of squats and replaced the weight bar on the rack. Grabbing a towel, he mopped his face and chugged water out of a bottle. He wiped his mouth with the towel and tossed it aside. His muscles were screaming but he had no intention of stopping. He needed to work out all his sexual frustration. Having Jade in the room next to him was about to kill him.

  It was bad enough when he had just his imagination to conjure images of Jade naked and writhing beneath him. Now that he knew exactly what she looked like when he covered her body, how she felt, the little screams she emitted…Logan groaned. He was going to die of unquenched lust.

  He was just about to pick up the weight bar for another set when his cell rang. He turned down the volume on the CD player and answered.

  “Logan, it’s me.”

  He stuck a finger in his opposite ear. “Aunt Trudy, I can barely hear you.”

  “Someone is in the house,” she whispered fiercely. “I’ve called the police, got my .38 cocked and ready.”

  Logan’s heart thumped erratically as he tore up the stairs. “Aunt Trudy, get in a closet. Don’t try anything foolish. Joel Fleming is watching the house. I’ll get ahold of him and have him search for the guy. I’m on my way.”