Anger flashed through her eyes so briefly he almost missed it. “Manny knows how to treat a woman. I’m sure Leona is having a great night away from you. All those sexy book cover models are there to keep her busy.”
Luke snorted. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
Manny shook his head. “Maybe I shouldn’t have brought her.”
“It’s fine,” Luke muttered. “Hopefully the next couple hours will pass quickly, or I’ll leave if she keeps this up.”
Tara leaned into Manny. “Sorry, I’ll play nice. I’m happy with my man.”
Bitterness dripped off Tara and Manny didn’t seem to notice.
One of Manny’s eyebrows arched at Luke. “We good?”
“You and I are,” Luke clarified.
Reaching across Tara, Manny gripped Luke’s shoulder. “How is Leona?”
“Good, at a signing today. I talked to her on the way here. I’ll see her soon.”
He leaned back, holding on to his iced tea, and continued his conversation with Ryan. Time couldn’t move fast enough, and it seemed to be crawling.
After Tara took a long look at Luke for the dozenth time, Manny grabbed her chin and pulled her face back to him before laying a kiss on her. That quickly escalated to making out and groping.
At least Manny held her attention.
Ryan leaned in and whispered, “Sorry. I told him not to bring her. Told him she would make a scene.”
“Not your fault.”
Glasses smacked together and nearly went over. Luke spun to find Tara grabbing the glasses before they were knocked over.
Luke sighed. “Looks like you two should have gone home to work that out of your system.”
Manny rubbed at his neck. “Sorry.”
Laughing, Tara pushed Manny back. “Sorry, we tend to get overheated fast.” She half stood, pulling her dress down, then nearly knocked his drink over as she fell back into the seat.
Luke rolled his eyes and turned back to Ryan. He mouthed, Can’t wait until it’s time to leave.
Ryan glanced at his watch. “Stay a little longer. Don’t make me hang out with those two too long.”
“You could go home,” Luke muttered.
“And you could dance. I’m sure Leona would understand,” Ryan offered.
Luke shook his head. “Nope. Not with all the phones out. Last time I danced with someone at a club it wound up everywhere.”
“Yeah, and she is still with you,” Ryan pointed out.
Grinning, Luke changed the topic, “Why didn’t Raven come out?”
Ryan glanced around the room. “She went on a date.”
“Good for her.” Luke took a long drink of his tea.
“Be right back,” Tara announced.
Manny let her out, took a kiss, and watched her disappear toward the bathrooms.
“Sorry about Tara. She promised to behave.”
Shaking his head, Luke asked, “How have you been?”
“Good. She’s not like she was…” the words droned on, and Luke was having trouble keeping up with the conversation.
Time seemed to slow down. His heart sped up like a damned race horse. He wiped the back of his hand across his forehead. Cold, but sweaty.
Something wasn’t right. “Need out,” he managed to say.
Ryan dipped his head. “You okay, man?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just need the restroom.”
“Right. Sure.” He slid out. Luke managed to get to the hall before stumbling and catching himself on the wall. He felt sluggish, though his heartbeat was wild and erratic.
He shoved past a guy at the sink. “Sorry.”
The room started to spin as he caught himself on the sink. He flipped on the water and splashed his face.
* * * *
Leona made her way through the airport, to the arrivals, and sent a text to Luke.
Leona - Hey, I’m here. Love you.
A few minutes passed with nothing. She took a seat on the bench and sat back. Maybe he was still out with Ryan.
While waiting she hopped on Instablast. There were thousands of notifications. Pushing her hair behind her ear, she pulled them up and saw that someone had posted a video on every post going back a week or so.
Holding her breath, she pulled up the video. The first thing she saw was blond hair and the woman’s dress pulled up around her waist as she rocked over Luke.
The date and time was just a few hours before, around the time she climbed on the plane.
Pain spread through her chest. She couldn’t even think as she replayed the video to make sure that was Luke and another woman. She didn’t fail to recognize SASS News stamped across the corner of the video. Or the fact he wore the necklace she gave him a few weeks before.
Pain flooded her and she wiped at the tears falling down her face. She found a text from Mona with the link to the video and nearly died.
Mona - I just saw the video. What can I do to help?
Nothing. Nothing at all. She was the only reason she gave Luke a chance.
Shattered, she stood and made her way to the arrivals as she opened up a travel app. All she knew was she needed to escape everyone. Go somewhere rural, away from the public eye. Where no one would think to look for her.
Her phone rang. Her mom’s number. She answered. “Hey?”
“Did you see your page?”
“Mom, don’t. I’m taking a vacation. I’ll call you in a few weeks.”
“Where are you going?”
Wiping at her face, she sighed. “Don’t know. Just away. If you talk to Mona, tell her I can’t. I love you.”
“Hey, listen, he didn’t look right. There was something wrong with Luke. Shouldn’t you get the whole story?”
“Yeah, the bastard had some other woman in his lap. Look, I need some time. Don’t worry about me. I’ll email you soon. Okay?”
“Come back to New York, stay with us.”
“I can’t. I don’t want to be anywhere anyone will find me. Someone will want me to tell them how I feel. I can’t. I just want it over.”
“You shouldn’t be alone. I know this is messing with you.”
That was such an understatement. She trusted Luke, and then that. She stopped and closed her eyes.
“Leona, come home.”
“No. This is worse than what happened with Russell. Luke and I were good, we were good. And Luke goes and does this? I love you, but I need to go.”
Hanging up, she went back to the app and found a flight leaving in twenty minutes for Hawaii. An old friend of hers owned a small resort for creative types. No one would expect her to go there. As long as Bea had a room, or better, a beach house to rent, she could escape until she could figure out how to move on. And if there wasn’t a vacancy, maybe she could tell her where to go.
Chapter 41
After landing, she found a small charter flight and went to Kauai. Too many people had looked at her with pity on the way. She left her earbuds in, bought a big pair of sunglasses and prayed everyone would leave her alone.
As she walked down a street, trying to drown out all thought, she came across a salon that was open on a Sunday. Another hour to go.
With nothing better to do, she parked her ass outside, and waited for them to open.
Eventually, an elderly lady opened the door and smiled. “Hello, lovely. What can I do for you?”
She drew a breath and let it out. “I need a haircut. A bob. Short, choppy. Something easy. And I want to donate the hair, if you do that.”
She nodded. “You okay?”
“Will be.” Maybe someday.
“Come in.”
She felt lighter by the time she left. Her hair would be easy to deal with, and maybe, less people would recognize her. She walked up the hill to the resort, thinking maybe she should have rented a car, but that required more effort than she wanted to deal with.
By the time Leona pushed her way into the office, she was exhausted. Bea looked up and frowned as Leona pulled
her sunglasses off.
They’d met in high school, and went to college together. Bea was a reclusive book worm. A year after finishing college, she moved to Hawaii, took a job at a resort, and wound up taking over. She eventually bought it. Leona had stayed there three times since. Once with Russell, who hated it. Another time with Mona, who was too easily bored there. And once on her own, soon after Russell served the divorce papers, and she learned he was cheating on her.
But Bea never pushed for answers. She would listen if Leona opened up, but she understood the need to sort through things on your own.
Hopping up, Bea ran over and wrapped her arms around her. “How the hell are you, Leona?”
“Not good. I need a place to lose myself in my writing. Have a beach house I can rent? I want to hide from the world awhile.”
“Sure, I have the perfect bungalow. Now, what’s going on?”
“Don’t want to talk about it. I’ll be fine. I just need time to process.”
“Fair enough. Maybe when you start to climb out of that hole, you can talk to me, tell me what you’ve been up to.”
Nodding, Leona managed a smile. “Thanks. I’ll fill out whatever you need. But I need to sleep soon.”
She moved behind the desk and grabbed a key. “Did you drive?”
“Walked from the airfield.”
Her brow arched. “Damn, girl, you’re a mess, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. I am. But I’m not ready to talk about it.”
“Let’s get you situated. We’ll worry about what you owe and all that later.”
“Thanks. Really. What do you need from me?”
“We’ll work that out later. I know you’re good for it. And you have that look of someone who needs to shut down. Later, I’ll bring you food so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“Thanks.” For more than the room. Mostly because Bea wouldn’t ask anything personal, wouldn’t dig, and wouldn’t give advice.
Leona hopped into the golf cart. Bea drove down the manicured path, to the cabin.
After parking, Bea hopped out and nodded to the cabin. “No one is in the next one. You’ll be all alone for as long as you want.”
“This means the world to me.”
“Hush with that. Just take the time you need.”
“Will do.” She walked up the porch and let herself in. The air was stale, but with all the sliding glass doors, it would air out soon.
Chapter 42
Luke woke with a start and the world spun, his heart thumping faster and harder, making his chest hurt. Beeping went crazy.
Someone took his hand. “You’ve got to calm down, baby,” Mom murmured.
That feeling, it was the same as when he woke up after having his appendix out five years before. And he couldn’t figure out why.
He blinked and looked up at his mother. “Mom? Where’s Leona?”
She shook her head. “We don’t know.”
The airport. Did I make it to the airport? Shaking his head, he asked, “What happened?”
“Relax, son. You’ll be okay,” Dad murmured.
That wasn’t an answer. His heart pounded harder. “Where’s Leona?” Luke demanded.
Mom blurted out, “No one knows, Luke. She thinks you did something you didn’t.”
He rubbed at his pounding head and couldn’t remember anything questionable. But the last thing he remembered was going into the bathroom. Then nothing. “What does she think I did?
Mom rubbed the back of his hand. “Ryan says you slept with the woman once. That she became obsessed, jealous. And when Leona wasn’t with you, she drugged you. She made it look like you two were together last night.”
Panic set in. “What happened? Why don’t I remember anything?”
Dad paced away and came back. “Some asshole videotaped her half naked in your lap. Everyone thinks you fucked her in that club.”
Mom gasped. “Lucas, language.”
“That’s what everyone believes, Jillian.”
“I wouldn’t have done that.” Luke shook his head, then grabbed onto it as pain erupted. There was a bald patch. He explored the curve of stitches with shaking fingers. That had to be why his head hurt.
“Careful. You have a two-inch cut, twenty stitches, and a severe concussion.”
Mom took his hands and a tear ran down her cheek. “You were unconscious. Your heart stopped. She took advantage of your situation. Someone videotaped the whole thing, but the only thing anyone saw, was what looked like you two having sex.”
Dad picked up the story. “It’s all over Leona’s Instablast. No one knows where she went. One of your friends went to the airport, but didn’t find her.”
“She’s not here?” Luke whispered. He could barely hear himself over the roaring in his head.
The door opened and someone started talking to him at a million miles an hour. He only caught the words calm and relax. Nothing stuck.
Closing his eyes, he nodded. He tried to slow his breathing and push away the frustration. After a moment, he let himself lie back and dropped his hands.
The door shut a second later.
Someone else spoke up. “Can I have a moment with Luke?”
Luke opened his eyes to find a doctor. He nodded. “Please.”
“You sure?” Mom asked.
“Yeah, I should know what the hell happened,” Luke answered.
“We’ll be right outside,” his dad promised.
Mom teared up as she slipped through the door. Dad was right behind her.
“I’m Doctor Beecham. How are you feeling?”
“Shitty. Can’t decide if I’m wired or about to pass out again.”
She let out a huff. “Considering how much Ketamine was in your system, and your allergy, I’m not surprised. You’re lucky your friend called 911 after pulling the woman off you.”
“Yeah, look, I don’t remember anything.”
“What’s the last thing you remember?”
“Being at the club with Ryan. I was drinking tea, killing time until it was time to pick up Leona.” He shook his head. “Manny brought Tara to the club. She started being catty, then stupid.” He looked away. “Then I felt wrong.”
“She slipped the drug into your drink. Because you’re allergic, it not only knocked you out, it also knocked your heartbeat out of sync, until it stopped. You fell and have a concussion. She attempted to rape you while you were unconscious. Your friend gave you CPR. He’s the only reason you’re here right now and not in the morgue.”
“Shit, I’m glad he was there.”
She nodded. “Me too.”
Luke reached up to the bald patch. “How many?”
“Twenty stitches. And your heart is back to normal. We’re mostly worried about the concussion right now, and want to make sure you won’t have any other side effects to the Ketamine.”
“How long before I can leave?”
“You need to stay a night at least. With the allergy, I don’t want to risk anything.”
“I need to find my girlfriend.”
She gave him a look of pity. “You need to rest today. Tomorrow, you can figure out where she is.”
“Is my phone here?”
She shook her head. “You didn’t come in with one.”
“Right. Do you know who is here for me?”
Doctor Beacham nodded. “Your family. Ryan King followed the ambulance here. Raven Star is out there. There are a few more friends, but I don’t recognize them.”
“Can you send Ryan in? Please.”
“Sure. As long as you’re willing to stay put.”
“Yeah, I don’t feel right yet.” Not to mention, he needed some clue where to start looking.
A few minutes later Ryan and Raven came in.
Ryan moved to the bed. “Thank God you’re alive. You had me worried.”
“You gave me CPR?” he asked.
He nodded. “Yeah. Wasn’t going to lose you because my brother fell for a damned psychopath.”
/> Raven leaned against the wall with her hands in her pockets. The concern in her eyes worried him more than anything.
“Do either of you have any idea where Leona is?”
Raven shook her head. “We don’t know. I went to the airport when Ryan called. I couldn’t find her.”
“Fuck me.”
Ryan cleared his throat. “Her Instablast is full of that damned video. And of course, it only shows the worst part.”
“How bad?”
Raven shifted from foot to foot and wouldn’t look at him. “If Ryan hadn’t explained what really happened, I would have never talked to you again.”
“What the hell is on that video?” Luke demanded, and his head pounded harder.
“Only the part showing Tara with her dress up around her waist, in your lap, and it looks like you two are having sex.”
“What the fuck?”
“Yeah, look, I can show you the rest of the video, but I really need you to calm down first,” Ryan pleaded.
“It’s all over her page?” Luke asked.
Raven nodded. “Yeah. Everyone posted it on her posts, your page, everywhere, Luke. It’s bad.”
“I need to find her.”
“Don’t know how. Mona doesn’t have a clue where she is.”
“Is she here?”
Raven nodded. “She flew out as soon as Roach told her you were in the hospital. I can get her. But, Luke, Leona won’t talk to Mona. She didn’t answer the texts. She disappeared.”
His chest heaved and he got himself upright.
Ryan pushed him back down on the bed. “Luke, you can’t leave yet. Let PR and the police handle this while you get better.”
“She thinks the worst of me right now.”
Ryan huffed. “No one is letting you leave the hospital, dude. You nearly died last night. This can be fixed, but it requires the right people taking over. At least until the rest of the video is released, no one is going to believe you. If I hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t.”
“Where’s my phone?” Luke asked.
“Smashed. I saw it on the floor when the paramedics wheeled you out. Someone stepped on it.” Ryan pulled it out of his pocket and handed it over. “Won’t turn on. I tried that as soon as I got to the hospital. If I had Leona’s number I would have called her.”
The Callback Page 23