by Lissa Kasey
Ollie reached out and pinched Jacob’s leg hard enough to make him yelp.
“Fuck, Ollie!”
“Don’t do it again,” Ollie reprimanded.
“Just wanted to see what you find so alluring, baby,” Jacob leered at him.
Ollie pinched him again, making Jacob grip the railing of the bed. “Want to try that again?” Ollie offered.
“You’re a cold bitch,” Jacob threw at him.
“Maybe I should call the doctor and have him give you something. You’re nicer when you’re drugged up. Plus you look a little pained.” Ollie headed for the door. I fought to keep from smiling. Ollie knew how to push buttons too.
“No. I don’t want to stay here!” Jacob called after him. “Do you have any idea how many fucking people are checking up on me? It’s like every ten minutes. I don’t even have it this bad at home.” He deflated. “I’m so tired. My head is killing me, and I just want to be alone for a while. Is that too much to ask?”
“How do you plan to be alone if you’re going home?” I asked.
“No one is allowed in my room.”
“But Kisten has a key,” I pointed out.
“And if I tell him not to come in, he stays out.”
I shrugged and glanced at Ollie. “I want to talk to Kisten anyway.”
“We can give him a ride.” He looked me over. “Maybe I should drive. You look tired.”
Jacob paled. “I’d rather Kade drove.”
Ollie glared at him and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Even the rock star fears your driving, baby.”
“I’m a good driver.” Ollie was indignant. “I have no tickets and no accidents.”
“I’ve always wondered about that. Do you smile at them and they just decide not to write you tickets?” Jacob asked.
“I’ve never been pulled over.”
“Lies,” I said. “You’ve been arrested a dozen times at least.” Never charged with anything, but often detained. Though most of that was from his days before he had a PI license.
“Not for anything driving related.”
“Just staring in people’s windows while they have sex,” I pointed out.
“Kinky,” Jacob said.
“Don’t help,” Ollie told Jacob. “I’m going to see if they are going to release you or give me something I can give you to put the rest of us out of your misery.” He stomped out of the room in a huff.
“He’s cute all riled up,” Jacob remarked.
“Mine,” I said.
“Down, boy. I just want to go home.”
I looked him over, and noticed the bags under his eyes, and despite the IV still attached to one arm, the paleness of his skin. He could probably sleep a week and not be fully rested. “Do you sleep?”
“Sometimes,” he answered honestly.
“Have you spoken to anyone about the insomnia?”
Jacob lay back against the bed. “They just want to throw more pills at me. You know how many celebrities have OD’d from sleeping pills? I’m not playing with that shit.”
“I could knock you out if that would help,” I offered.
“I’m sure you’d love to hit me.”
“It is a reoccurring fantasy.”
“You fantasize about me? Wait till I tell Ollie.”
“Bastard.”
He grinned an evil smile at me.
“Seriously,” I said. “Your house probably isn’t safe. There are too many people who have access to you.”
He shrugged. “You and Ollie could stay with me if you’re so worried. What the hell. It’s not like the house isn’t big enough.”
“That doesn’t keep people out of your room. Or from planting bombs or poisoning you.”
“You don’t know anyone plans to,” he said.
I tapped my own right ear. “And what was that?”
He frowned at me.
“This person wants to hurt you. Maybe they don’t want you dead. But they do want you hurt.” I folded my arms across my chest. “What’s different now? The tour will be starting soon. What is it about the tour this time that is different?”
“I’m getting a bus to myself.”
“How’s that different?”
“Normally it’s a rotation of who stays on the bus with me. This time not even Kisten is allowed on my bus. The driver’s area is separated from mine. They have to exit the vehicle and get through a locked door to get to me.”
I frowned at the idea. How easy would it be to blow up the bus and just take him out? “If we don’t solve this thing by the time you go on tour, I’m going to have to advise against that. It would be a death trap.”
“Why now?” Jacob demanded. “I’ve had shit going on for years, and now they are freaking out? Why?”
“That’s what I’m asking you,” I said.
“If I knew I wouldn’t need to hire you, now would I?”
The door opened and Ollie reappeared. He had a stack of paperwork and a small pharmacy bag. “The nurse will be in to unhook your IV.” He glanced between the two of us and his eyes narrowed. “What’s going on?”
Both Jacob and I shook our heads.
“Creepy,” Ollie said, “the two of you agreeing.”
“We were just discussing where you guys will sleep at my house,” Jacob told him.
I frowned. “That’s not—”
“We can stay in the butler’s closet off your room. It’s got access to you without being intrusive, and anyone coming in would have to pass by us first.” Ollie nodded like a plan was forming in his head. “It will give us time to talk to people, and we’ll need a list of who has regular access to you.”
“Butler’s closet?” I asked.
“Jacob used to use it as a mini dungeon before he created the full-sized dungeon in the basement.”
Dungeon. I let the word sink in. “Dungeon?” I repeated. Because were they for real?
“Too hard-core for you, soldier boy?” Jacob taunted. “I bet you look good on your knees all tied up.”
“You’ll never know,” I promised. The nurse came into the room to remove his IV, which was good, as I really just wanted to hit him and I was pretty sure they’d escort me out in cuffs if I tried.
Chapter Eighteen
WE MADE the drive to Jacob’s house in silence. Jacob sat in the back tapping his feet with nervous energy. He’d tried to draw Ollie and me into conversations twice but failed and gave up all attempts when Ollie retrieved one of our sushi packs from the cooler and began to nibble. He fed me a few choice pieces. It wasn’t how I imagined eating dinner, but it would do in a pinch.
“I should call Tomas when we get there,” Ollie told me. “Have him look in on Newt.”
“Sounds like a plan. Are our bags still in back?” We kept bags of spare clothes and toiletries in the far back of the SUV for emergencies or really late nights. I had a lot more of those than Ollie did, but checked them myself every few days.
“Yes.” Ollie popped another piece into his mouth and groaned. “I missed sushi so much.”
I reached out and took his hand. “How’s your tummy taking it? No pain or cramping?”
“No. I’m okay. Craving avocado, though. I think I’m used to having it for almost every meal.”
“You probably need the healthy fat. When we talk to Tomas about Newt, I’ll ask him to grab a few from the kitchen at home for us.”
“Love being invisible,” Jacob grumbled behind us as we pulled into his driveway. I fought to keep the grin off my face. Jacob had been complaining he never got any time to himself. He should have enjoyed the quiet time we were giving him.
Duke and a half-dozen of his guards had escorted us with their long black sedans in front and behind us. I wondered where the older vehicle that had been outside our house had come from. Maybe one of their own cars to try to avoid suspicion? I’d have to remember to send Will a request to trace the plates so I could find out who was taking money to spy on Ollie.
We waited for Duke’s men to park and
fan out around our SUV. At least they were taking his security seriously now. Sad that it had to come to Jacob almost losing his hearing for the point to be made. They formed a barrier. I got out and rounded the vehicle, then opened Ollie’s door.
He got out but tapped his computer bag. “I’m armed.”
“Taser?” I affirmed.
He nodded. “Spare cartridge too.”
Jacob glared at us when Duke finally opened his door. “This damsel shit is getting old.”
This time I couldn’t help but smile at him. “Shall I have the guards carry you up to your room, princess?”
He narrowed his eyes, but straightened his back and headed toward the stairs, the guards surrounding him like good little minions.
“Your family is waiting in the entry for you,” Duke called after him.
Jacob froze. He glanced back our way. I shrugged at him. “Maybe they were worried about you.”
“More likely they are worried they are about to be parted from my money,” Jacob grumbled. He fixed the headphones over his ears, covering them both, then dug into his backpack to pull out a pad of paper and a pen. Apparently he was going to play deaf for his family again.
Ollie and I made our way up behind him. The valet guy was there again, but I had no intention of letting him touch my car. I hit the alarm on it, arming for movement or touch. It was annoying as hell because if a bird shit on the car, the alarm would sound, but better than letting someone stick a bomb under it.
“What’s with his disenchantment with his family?” I whispered to Ollie as we entered the house to greet a half-dozen servants and what had to be the rest of Jacob’s family, since they all looked like him to a degree.
Ollie shook his head. Either something had changed with them or he just didn’t know. But he did point out who was who in the group. The servants disappeared as soon as Jacob wrote that he was going to his room and wished not to be disturbed. Emily, Levi, and two other males and one female gathered around Jacob.
“Jeremiah, Joel, and Erin,” Ollie told me.
I frowned at him.
“It’s a weird initial thing. The boys all have the same initials as their dad, and the girls the same as their mom.”
“Are they here somewhere too?”
“His mom died almost twenty years ago from cancer. His dad from a heart attack only five or so years after her.”
“How old is Jacob?” It had never occurred to me to ask before, but I knew we had to be close in age since I knew he’d been making music for almost fifteen years. His siblings all looked younger, but if his mother died twenty years ago, maybe not that young.
“Thirty-eight,” Ollie said squinting. “Maybe thirty-nine. I’ve forgotten the exact year he was born.”
I stared at him for a minute. “And Ty is forty-two. I’m sensing a theme here.”
“Theme?” He asked me innocently.
“You have a thing for older men.”
Ollie gave me a sly smile, then winked. “I’m all about the experience.”
“Brat,” I whispered to him, wrote down the names of the others on my tablet, and snapped a quick picture that I’d use as a reference later. “We should probably look at the staff too,” I told Ollie. The suspect pool was just way too large. Jacob had a big family, and apparently a lot of staff, as well as bandmates and ex-lovers. But he was a pro at brushing them off. He walked through them, ignoring their questions and waving instead at us.
“Jacob needs some rest,” Ollie told them. “We’re going to get him settled and then Kade and I will need to talk to each of you for a few minutes.” He did not lead me toward the stairs, but followed Jacob to a little cubby beside the stairs where he pushed a button and a door opened to an elevator. I sighed, pushed the Stop button, and did a thorough search before Ollie or Jacob could get in. It would have been nice if someone had told me the first time I’d come here about the elevator.
Jacob stood off to the side, looking dazed and somewhat bemused. Ollie just waited patiently.
The elevator was clear so I shoved Jacob to the back, put Ollie in front of him, and stood right in the doorway so if someone came at us from upstairs I’d be prepared. Of course nothing happened. The door opened to an empty side hallway. Duke stood near Jacob’s door, waiting for us. He obviously didn’t have a problem climbing the mountain of stairs.
“Did you search the room?” I asked him when we approached.
“It’s clear. No new toys or anything off that I can find. Maids have been in to clean it up, but that’s all.”
“No one else in or out unless I clear them,” I told him.
He nodded and retreated to the end of the hall to give the other guards orders. I opened Jacob’s door, expecting the mess from earlier, except now it was pristine, like something you’d see on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. His bed was made, there were no signs of the trunk of nastiness, and all the surfaces were clear of products, food, and clothing.
Jacob threw the notepad down on a table beside the door and adjusted his headphones again so he had one ear free. “Stay there,” I told him and made a slow circuit around the room with my gun drawn, just in case. I searched the bathroom, the closet, and even under the bed. It was clear. Not even a dust bunny to be found.
Ollie pointed to a wall panel about three feet from them. “The butler’s pantry.”
“In the wall?” I had to ask. “Like a fucking secret passageway?”
“There’s only one way in or out,” Jacob said. He tapped the wall and the panel slid back, opening to an almost-bare room with what looked like a very uncomfortable bed on a heavy-duty metal frame. The handcuffs attached to the upper rail shouldn’t have surprised me. “I can call down to have sheets brought up.”
Ollie entered the room like he’d been there before, and maybe he had. He began stripping the bed, wadding everything up into a pile, which he dropped outside Jacob’s room in the hall. “We’ll sleep in shifts,” he told me. “After we interview everyone.” He frowned as he took his earpiece out of his pocket and put it in his ear. Whenever we were “working,” he was to wear it so I could track him down or he could call in an emergency with little effort. “We should probably split up. One of us stays with Jacob, the other talks to people.”
It made sense, but I didn’t like it. If Ollie went to talk to people, he could be interviewing a potential killer, maybe even push them to act. That also left me alone with Jacob. I wasn’t sure I could spend long amounts of time with him and not punch the smug grin off his face. On the other hand, if I went to talk to people, that left Ollie in the room alone with Jacob, and those two were like oil and water on their best day. I really didn’t want Jacob to have the chance to poke at Ollie again.
Ollie stepped out of the room, walked across the hall to a door, opened it, and disappeared inside for a minute. When he returned it was with fresh sheets, blankets, and pillows. He swiftly made the bed, and carefully tucked the handcuffs aside.
“I have servants for that,” Jacob told him.
“I can make a bed.” Ollie patted Jacob’s arm, then turned to me. “Or we could call one of Duke’s men to sit in the room while we split up and ask questions. We’d get through the list faster that way and we can compare notes when we’re done.”
“You’re brilliant,” I told him, drawing him into my arms and kissing his cheek. He flushed sweetly, but accepted the kiss.
Jacob growled from behind us. “Keep that up and I’ll be joining you.”
The glare he got in return from both Ollie and me had Jacob throwing up his hands in defeat and stalking to the bathroom. I stepped out of the room to wave Duke down while Ollie called Tomas. Once I explained what I needed, Duke nodded and told me he’d be back in five with a guard for inside the room. Jacob’s glare could probably have melted glass.
“You wanted to rest,” I told him. “So rest already.” I waved at the bed.
“I sleep naked,” he said.
I gave him a long, slow blink as the words absorb
ed. “I so didn’t need to know that.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “You want some stranger in my room while I sleep.”
“You sleep with strangers all the time,” I pointed out.
“That’s sex. Not sleep.”
I shook my head and walked into the small room where Ollie had finished making the bed, and hung up his phone.
“We should talk to Kisten first,” Ollie said. “Maybe he has an idea?”
It made sense since Kisten was the one usually delivering gifts to Jacob. “Good idea.”
“He hates me, though.”
“We can use that to our advantage. Keep him off guard. He’ll be so focused on you being there he will just answer my questions.”
“It wasn’t Kisten,” Jacob grumbled again from his room.
I returned to find him curled up in the huge bed, blankets pulled up around him like he was a little kid creating a fabric fort. “Do you have a specific reason why you think it can’t be him? Does anyone know you better than Kisten?”
“He’s been my assistant for four years. He’s with me more than any family member, lover, or employee. He knows all my secrets.”
“My point exactly,” I told him.
“But he’s loyal. He’s well-paid. And unlike everyone else who is afraid of pissing me off, Kisten speaks his mind. He doesn’t need to hide behind pieced-together letters of veiled threats. He certainly doesn’t need the money that I’m paying the guy who’s blackmailing me.”
“Money is a big motivator,” Ollie said. “For most people at least. But Kisten’s background check came up clean. He has debt, but just a few thousand on a credit card.” He had his tablet out and was scrolling through. Of course he’d probably researched the whole family by now. “I sent a list of the servants and guards to Tomas. He’s going to set them to run overnight. We’ll have the results in the morning. Kisten’s financials are pretty solid.”
“Can you discuss this elsewhere?” Jacob asked. “My head is killing me.”
“Give him some cannabis oil,” I instructed Ollie. “He’ll be out of our hair for a few hours.”
Ollie sighed. “I need to order more from Canada.” But he crossed the room with the bottle in hand. Jacob watched him warily, but let him come.