by Unknown
“Slow down,” she said. “We need to make sure it’s safe out there. We’ve got officers who’ll find the man if he’s there.”
The other cop gave some orders and directions over the walkie-talkie.
“If he’s there? Where else would he be?” Abbey lifted her arms like she didn’t see any other options. “Trust me, he wasn’t walking away from what I witnessed. The knife was…” She swallowed and shivered, looked to him for help.
“You okay?” She nodded, but she still had that freaked out look in her eyes.
“And who are you?” the same cop asked, his brows pulling together in the middle.
Blake took a measured breath. “My name’s Blake St. John. This is Abbey Washington.”
The cop took notes in the small pad. “And you two are…” he gestured between them, “…together?”
Abbey took a step away from him and Blake wanted to punch the guy.
“No,” she said. “Our bosses are married so I guess you could say we work together.” She kept glancing toward the doors, craning her neck like the people chasing her might burst through any second.
“What exactly happened?” the second cop asked. She kept a sharp eye on Abbey.
Abbey ran her hand over her straight shoulder-length hair and took a deep breath. “I was about to enter the back door near the artist entrance and a man flew threw just before I opened it. We bumped into each other and went down. I noticed a cut on his face and I thought it happened when we hit each other. But then he got up and started running. Two guys came out a second later and started chasing him. They tackled him near the first row of cars at that entrance. One of them stabbed him.”
“Stabbed him?” The first cop said, looking up from his notes. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Abbey nodded. “I heard him scream. I saw the knife. He yelled at me to run and get help. I tried to go in the same door, but it was locked so I started running. One of the guys pulled out a gun and started chasing me. He fired at me.”
“Can you tell me how many shots you heard?” Brinkman asked.
“I don’t know. Two. Maybe three. I’m not sure,” Abbey replied.
The cops glanced at each other and Officer Brinkman stepped away and spoke into the microphone on her shoulder.
“So they had a knife and a gun?” The older cop busily scribbled in his pad.
“Yes. Both. I didn’t stick around to see what else they had hidden in their pockets. I ran like hell.” She swallowed and started shaking. “I’ll never forget that man’s face as long as I live.” She took an unsteady breath.
Blake didn’t give a shit what Abbey or the cops thought and wrapped his arm around her again. She didn’t stop him and the big cop lifted a bushy eyebrow.
“Did they find him yet? He’s got to be there. I don’t think he could walk.”
“Find who yet?”
Blake glanced over his shoulder to see Troy and Julie coming closer. Good deal. Troy would know exactly how to handle this. As usual, their appearance caused a stir with onlookers, not just because they made a hell of a striking couple, but Troy’s wife was mega-famous. Though his boss could’ve been a model or actor with his rugged good looks, he had always been a private man. Learning to live in the public eye was the price Troy paid for being married to the woman he loved.
“What’s going on?” Julie asked, landing at Abbey’s side.
Abbey pulled away from him again, but Blake refused to be crushed by the abandonment.
“What happened?” Julie eyed Blake and he glanced at Troy. Abbey might be leery of saying anything since Julie was a victim of a bullet wound a year ago.
“Whoa. Everybody slow down,” the first cop said as his partner returned. “And I need you two to—” He’d lifted a hand to gesture to Troy and Julie to back off then did a double take. “Are you Julie Fraser?” His gaze widened a bit in the usual reaction when people came face to face with her. Nicknamed “America’s Sweetheart,” Julie had become Hollywood royalty at a young age. Her honey blond hair and striking blue eyes turned heads wherever she went, but it was her down-to-earth personality and sense of humor that kept people coming back for more.
“Yes, I am. Abbey works for me. What happened?” Julie asked. “Are you all right?” She held Abbey at arms’ length and gave her a thorough once over.
“If you don’t mind, I need to ask her a few more questions.” The officer focused on Abbey before his walkie-talkie squawked and he lifted it from his belt.
“No sign of anyone here,” a voice said.
“That’s impossible,” Abbey insisted. “He was there a few minutes ago…at the artist entrance. I’m sure of it.” She pointed in the direction she’d come from and the second cop used her walkie-talkie. As this took place, more and more black-and-white cruisers pulled up to the front entrance.
Blake hated the fear in Abbey’s eyes. He liked her smiling and carefree. Not that she lived her life always smiling and carefree, especially when he was around. She guarded herself more than anyone he’d ever known. Even his twin brother. But he’d caught her smiling and laughing a few times when she didn’t know he was around.
She wreaked havoc on a guy’s ego.
“It’s taking forever,” she said. “Did they find him? Those men have to be long gone by now with all the police cars here.”
The second officer’s walkie squawked. “On further inspection, we’ve got blood, but no body.”
Her eyes went wide. “What? He has to be there! I saw him. He was on the ground.”
“Let’s go take a look,” the officer said, letting Abbey take them to the artist entrance with an escort of five officers around them, all with weapons drawn. Abbey’s gaze darted across the whole area and Blake took it all in just as his boss did. Troy never missed a thing.
It took a couple of minutes to walk around the building and as they neared the exact spot, Abbey got more and more agitated.
“This is it,” she said, picking up her pace. “We collided right outside that door at the end on the left.” She rushed ahead, leading the way, because it was just like Abbey to want to help someone. “And they tackled him over there, by those cars.” She pointed toward a row of cars that included a red Mustang, a black Mercedes convertible and two white Escalades. Parking lights overhead had turned on as the evening got darker.
The officers exchanged a glance and followed her, just as other officers wearing body armor came out from between two other dark SUVs.
“Did you get him?” Abbey asked the officers. She pushed past them.
“Nobody to get, but we found blood,” one said. “Which direction were you running? We’ll start searching for bullets.”
“That way.” Abbey pointed toward the main entrance. “I stayed along the curve of the wall.” Shaking her head, she moved forward. “Oh my God. They must have taken him.” She looked around, clearly searching for something. Or someone. She swallowed and Blake saw her chest to rise and fall with labored breaths. She was about to have another panic attack.
Blake moved right in front of her. “It’s okay. Abbey, it’s okay.” He set his hands on her shoulders and searched for a reason, any reason that might justify the missing man. “Maybe someone else came and helped him. Maybe he crawled out and got help.” More likely, she was right and the guys who knifed him took him and were long gone.
“We know something happened,” one of the new cops said. “We’ve got blood.”
She was already shaking her head. “They took him,” she murmured. She turned to the group of cops staring at her. “They took him. He told me to run. Told me to bring help fast and I didn’t.”
“It was kind of hard with a man shooting at you and chasing you,” Julie reminded her.
“I’m guessing he was still alive or they’d probably have left him,” Troy replied. He’d been listening to the conversation, watching Abbey and scanning the scene. A man of few words, he said the one thing that everyone was thinking. “Either way, the guy is not in a good place
.”
Kim Jacobs picked up her luggage at the LAX baggage claim and rolled her large Gucci suitcase out to the curb among the other travelers arriving in Los Angeles. Families, couples and singles all jostled for space as they moved toward the curb or crosswalk. The stench of exhaust fumes smacked her nostrils and added a nasty layer to the uncomfortable heat as dusk fell on the City of Angels.
She’d needed a change of scenery from Indiana. She’d never planned to live there, so the last few years had been a battle to stay out of obligation to her business partner. This trip to L.A. provided not only a much needed vacation—albeit a working one—but the chance to decide if maybe she required another life change. She’d already made two in the past decade.
“Hope you didn’t screw yourself with this favor,” she muttered to herself as she stopped at the curb. Agreeing to help her old college roommate’s husband wade through his financial issues had put her on the clock. Especially since her best friend back in Indiana was pregnant and due to have a baby in a few weeks.
It seemed everyone around her was married or pregnant and she was still single and lonely. She’d had a feeling years ago that her move to Indiana from Chicago would do her no good and she’d been right. But that’s where the business had led her, so that’s where she’d gone. There went another few years down the toilet. She was quickly heading down that road to thirty with no prospects in sight.
A sleek black limousine slid to a stop in front of her. A cute chauffeur with steel gray hair got out and walked around the car. His wrinkle-free suit fit over broad shoulders and his healthy tan said he did more than sit in his car all day. His body and hair color didn’t match at all and made it hard to discern his age. He could’ve been anywhere between thirty-five and fifty-five.
“Miss Jacobs, I can take your bags,” he said.
Kim held on tight. Stephanie hadn’t mentioned sending a car for her. “Thanks, but I’m waiting for—” Wait. How would he know her name unless…
The back passenger door opened and a leggy brunette got out of the car, a smile from ear to ear as she laughed. Her slinky black trousers fell over four-inch black Jimmy Choos. The low-cut cream top exposed a cleavage only money could buy and the tone figure under the whole outfit indicated a woman who worked hard to keep herself in great shape. “You better lighten up, sister,” she said. “You’re in SoCal now.”
Kim relaxed and grinned as she let the chauffeur take her bags. “I should’ve known it was you.” She hugged her first college roommate, Stephanie Wyncott, then stepped back. “Wow. Looks like being married to a millionaire agrees with you.” Kim really wasn’t too jealous since Stephanie’s husband was about thirty years older than her. As much as she’d wanted to be in the lap of luxury, she wasn’t willing to waste the best years of her life on a guy who might not be able to get it up more than once a week.
“Life is okay,” Stephanie said, pulling back. She shook her head as she assessed Kim. “But you. You haven’t changed a day since college. I see you still dress for a party no matter where you are. You’re gorgeous.”
Kim waved away the comment and dismissed her own black skirt, high heels and silk top. Fashion was one of the reasons she and Stephanie had bonded so quickly. They both liked to look their best. “Thank you. It takes one to know one.”
“You know it, girl. C’mon, get in the car. I’m dying to catch up.”
Kim slid into the black leather seat as the chauffer closed her bags in the trunk. Across from her sat another seat for two and adjacent to that was a mini bar and small fridge. “This is nice. I didn’t know you had a personal chauffer.”
“I don’t. This is Fido,” she said as the man climbed back behind the wheel. “Fido, this is my old buddy, Kim Jacobs.”
“Nice to officially meet you, Miss Jacobs. I hope you have a nice stay here. The weather should be perfect.” His light gray-blue gaze met hers from the rearview mirror. Kim hadn’t met too many limo drivers, but she doubted they had as much sex appeal as this guy.
“The weather is always perfect,” Stephanie said as she slid into the limo next to Kim. “I call Fido anytime I need a ride. There is no one else I trust more. No Fido, no limo. Besides, I hate driving in the traffic.”
“Must be nice,” Kim murmured. Although business had certainly been better the last few years, she wasn’t anywhere near the limo stage, and as time marched on, she didn’t see it happening in her future either.
“The good with the bad,” Stephanie said softly and Kim caught the sadness behind her smile. “Speaking of bad, I’m still upset that I missed your parents’ funeral.”
The usual pain that accompanied any mention of her parents stabbed Kim’s heart. “You were out of the country. It’s okay. I know you would’ve been there if you could.”
“Are you doing okay?” Stephanie asked, concern evident in her tone and eyes.
“Yeah. You know what they say… Time heals.” Didn’t matter that Kim was an adult, it had taken her a while to deal with being an orphan. The unexpected loss of her parents three years ago had been a giant shock.
Stephanie sighed. “I know, but it still sucks. I’m so sorry. And thank you again for coming to help us with this money mess. Carl has been stressing big time not knowing what’s happening. He’s really hoping you can sort this out.”
“I’m happy to do what I can. I guess I’m not sure why you wanted me,” Kim said.
“Because I trust you.” Stephanie’s gaze said it all. “I’ve never trusted our accountant and only now is Carl beginning to see why.”
“So he just quit returning your calls?” Kim asked.
“Pretty much. Carl has so much going on that he needs someone he can trust to go through all the books. I told him that person is you. I know I’m pulling you away from your own business, but you kind of sounded like you needed a change so…”
“It’s okay. I did. Do. Need the change.” She’d been restless in Indiana and with what Stephanie and Carl offered to pay her for helping them through this issue, she could afford the time away. Her partner, Chelsea Rivers, understood her need to go. Chelsea’s own life had turned out perfectly. She had the adoring, gorgeous husband, with a child on the way and she wanted the same for her best friend. Kim just worried that maybe she missed the boat when it came to love. She’d dated and slept with more men than any woman should, all in the hopes of bagging Mr. Right on the Money.
She’d learned her lesson the hard way. Giving herself had only whittled away her self-esteem. When she looked in the mirror, she no longer saw the blonde bombshell she used to be. She saw a foolish idiot who needed to grow up and take charge of her life.
The drive into Holmby Hills passed by in a blur of palm trees, smog and the setting sun as Stephanie caught Kim up on life in general. Aside from emails and speaking to each other a few times a year, they’d only seen each other once, at Chelsea’s wedding four years ago.
“I can’t believe that girl is going to have a baby,” Stephanie said, crossing her legs and shifting in the plush leather seats.
“Yeah, what happened to us? You and I used to be the first to do everything.”
“That’s the truth.” Stephanie’s smile turned melancholy. “I was the first to get married.”
“Twice,” They both said in unison. And laughed. Stephanie’s first marriage had lasted all of forty-seven days. Viva Las Vegas.
“Speaking of marriage. How’s Carl?” Kim asked. “Besides stressed.”
“That pretty much covers it,” Stephanie said with a humorless chuckle. “He’ll be better knowing you’re getting to the bottom of things.”
“This sounds very intriguing,” Kim admitted.
“Nothing intriguing about it. Carl just wants to know what’s up with his money.”
“Can’t blame the man for that.”
The scenery shifted from heavy freeway traffic to office buildings then to a residential neighborhood with houses bigger than her condo building in Indiana. Thirty minutes after they pic
ked her up, the car pulled through huge white wrought iron gates. Kim’s jaw nearly hit the limo floor as she surveyed the huge estate. The two level monolith stretched long and deep with park-like terraced grounds in the front, and a long paved road that led to a giant circular driveway with a massive fountain in the middle. Stephanie had sent a few pictures when they moved in a couple of years ago, but they didn’t do the place justice.
Kim knew Stephanie had married into money, but she hadn’t realized the amount of money.
“I see business has been good for Carl.”
Stephanie nodded. “It has. And it keeps him very busy.”
Kim read between the sad lines. Stephanie was lonely. It was in her eyes and in the tone of her voice. “What keeps you busy?” Kim asked. “You could go back to school and get your arts degree. I don’t see anything stopping you.”
“School?” Stephanie laughed. “At this point?” She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’ve been volunteering at the museum a few days a week. Between that, the gym and my shopping sprees, my days are full.”
And lonely, but Kim didn’t say it out loud.
“C’mon,” Stephanie said, getting out of the car. “I’ve got the guest room in the east wing set up for you. I thought you might like to have some privacy while you’re here. We’ve got an extra car for you, too, so you can get around.”
Kim pretty much missed everything after the words east wing.
Fido grabbed her bags from the trunk and bought them inside. The front entry of the house was Architectural Digest-worthy: Black and white tile flooring that led to a double curved staircase and a chandelier overhead that must have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Crazy, right?” Stephanie said. “I always wonder what people think when they first walk in.” Though Kim had come from a modest upbringing, Stephanie’s family had been downright poor. It was Stephanie’s brain that got her a full ride into college. “Fido, you can set the bags down here. We’ll take them up later.”
He kept the bags in his hands. “It’s no trouble, Mrs. Wyncott. Only take me a minute.” Fido headed upstairs like he knew where he was going. Apparently he did more than just drive Stephanie to the airport.