All of Me (Compass Cove Book 3)

by Jeannie Moon

  “You’re perfect,” he said before he kissed her. “It’s all you.”

  *

  It might’ve been the music that woke him, or maybe it was the bright sunlight streaming through the large windows, but all Jack knew was that when he stretched out his hand looking for Lilly, she was gone. Taking a look at the clock, he groaned when he saw it was barely seven in the morning. Why on earth was she up? Especially since they’d only gotten about three and a half hours of sleep.

  But hell, if he was going be sleep deprived, making love to a beautiful woman half the night was the way to go.

  Just when he was going to get out of bed and find her, Lilly dashed into the room with a cup of coffee in her hand and a protein bar between her teeth, dressed in a flowery floor-length dress that moved like water every time she took a step. Dammit. That’s when he remembered she was going to the set today.

  And she wasn’t going to change her mind.

  In just a few weeks, Jack’s trajectory had taken a hard turn, and he couldn’t have been happier about it. Last night, they talked about the future, and while Lilly didn’t want to get into specifics, Jack wanted her to know he was all in. He fully intended to marry her.

  That fact would shock pretty much everybody he knew, but most especially his family. While he knew there was some curiosity about what was developing between him and Lilly, no one knew how hard or fast he had fallen. It was possible they’d pieced together some version of what was going on, but right now, the truth of the relationship wasn’t clear.

  “I forgot you were going to campus today.”

  Gulping her decaf coffee, Lilly nodded. “Yeah, me too. I woke up on my own to go to the bathroom and I realized I had to be on set. I’m not used to early calls anymore.”

  Jack’s stomach turned with worry. “I can’t tempt you back to bed?”

  “As much as I’d like that, you know I can’t.” She moved toward him, leaned in, and planted a quick kiss on his mouth. “I should be home by two. It’s a short day, which was one of the reasons I said yes. Until then, you just have to do without me.”

  “Wait.” Pulling her down, she landed with a plop on the soft mattress. Even with all her confidence and assuredness that she was doing the right thing, Lilly was vulnerable, and Gio was probably more dangerous than anyone realized. “You can’t say anything about the investigation, or that we suspect your devices have been hacked. He can’t know.”

  “I wasn’t planning on talking to him, so you can stop worrying.”

  “That’s not happening.” How did he make her understand? There were so many layers to this problem, and she had only seen the surface. “I know you lived through hell with him, but a criminal who is backed into a corner is more dangerous than you can imagine. And since we know Gio is violent, that kicks this whole scenario up a notch. You can’t put yourself, or anyone else, at risk.”

  He thought she might get pissed, but when her hand came up and stroked his cheek, she seemed anything but. “I get it. I do.”

  A thought hit him and launched him out of bed. “Why don’t I come with you?”

  “To the set? It’s not Bring Your Boyfriend to Work day.”

  “No, but, you could, right? I mean, why not?”

  When Lilly stood and faced him, he could see he’d just pushed it a little too far. “No.”

  “But—”

  “No. I have to leave now. You lock up, and I’ll see you later.”

  He grabbed her hand before she left. “Be careful. Please.”

  “I will. You try and stay out of trouble, G-Man.”

  Jack chuckled. There wasn’t a lot of trouble on his agenda, but if it was out there, he’d find it. That was a given. “I’ll take the electronics to the lab. I can take you to get a phone later on, if you want.”

  “Thanks, I’ve got it. I—I think I have to do it myself.”

  Jack understood. After giving up so much control to Gio, Lilly wanted to maintain some this time around. No matter how much she trusted him, she was going to keep her guard up.

  It wasn’t a bad thing. He just wished she’d used that kind of logic when making a decision about going to the set.

  Lilly gave him another kiss, grabbed her bag, and headed out. She didn’t look back, which meant she was hell bent on moving forward.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The old gym on campus had been set up as a production staging area. It was, thankfully, air conditioned, so that would keep the frizzies down. At least until the actors stepped outside. All bets were off at that point. With the humidity at what felt like 110 percent, everyone would end up looking like a poodle on crack.

  In the adjacent parking lots were a half a dozen luxury trailers for the stars of the film. The area buzzed like a hive of bees, with assistants and staff running around to keep everyone happy.

  Lilly tuned out the blur of people and focused her eyes on the door of the gym. Her job was inside those walls. She’d do what she had to do, and get out.

  Jack was probably right about this being a bad idea. Considering the meltdown she had when she saw Gio the night before, putting herself in his path was not the best move.

  But Lilly was tired of running. She was done with being afraid. Gio Graham didn’t own her, or her life. He’d come to her town, and she had no intention of being scared off.

  When she entered the gym, it was like being hit with a wall of noise. She’d forgotten how busy sets could get, especially in the staging areas. Noel was at the far end of the space, towering over everyone else. He was talking with two other people, one of whom looked really unhappy.

  Approaching with caution, she stood a safe distance away until Noel saw her. With a wave indicating she should join them, Lilly made her way to the group.

  The person with the scowl was Kat’s hairstylist, the one Lilly was replacing for the day. Lilly felt bad, but she wanted to tell the woman that she should consider herself lucky. If Kat wasn’t happy, she was going to make the stylist’s life, and everyone else’s life, misery.

  “Marissa, you will work with Analisa. You have a wonderful touch with the children. Take a break from Kat today.”

  A break. That was a diplomatic way of saying it. Based on her reaction, Marissa didn’t see it that way, nor should she. But there was a good chance if Lilly hadn’t said yes, Kat would have asked for someone else anyway.

  Noel took her arm and pulled her aside. “Don’t let Marissa’s bruised feelings affect you. It’s not your doing.”

  “Right. Sure.” The daggers coming from the eyes of the other stylists were just so warm and welcoming. Lilly would be sure to spend lots of time with them. “Where am I working?”

  “Over here.” Noel brought her to a chair that was a little nicer than the standard salon chair used for actors with less pull. This was definitely a diva’s chair. Lilly unpacked her tools—a hair dryer, flat iron, curling iron, hot rollers, and brushes—and surveyed the products on the counter in front of her. She didn’t like the hair spray or the styling cream, so she pulled some she’d brought from her shop from the bag.

  Everything she was doing was routine. There was nothing difficult or creative. The mundane part of the job, the simple steps, made her feel normal. That was the point of coming here, to reclaim normalcy. Being in the middle of some silly drama on her first day was just a bonus.

  She saw Kat walking toward her with wet hair, a scowl, and a very large coffee. The woman was a glamorous movie star, but this morning she looked like any millennial who was working too hard and mainlining caffeine.

  The redhead plopped in the chair and groaned.

  “Well, good morning to you, Sunshine.”

  “Not funny, Lilly. I was up all night learning new pages because someone decided his scene wasn’t right and needed more emotion.”

  “Ah. Someone. I see.” Lilly glanced at Noel’s notes about Kat’s shooting schedule. Today’s work was simple; any beginner could have given her the blowout she needed. “Why am I here again?�
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  “Because you’ll work your magic and keep my hair from frizzing. It’s like a damn rainforest out there. I keep expecting to see snakes dropping from the trees.”

  “It’s been sticky this week.”

  “Sticky? Girl, I’m from the deep south. Y’all got nothin’ on us with this soup.”

  Lilly laughed as she spritzed some anti-humidity spray and turned the blow-dryer on Kat’s hair. With practiced hands, she straightened and flipped, boosting the volume with nothing but air and a round brush. The job was to make her hair look natural, but done. But that was endless contradiction of beauty. The natural look was always at war with the idea of maintenance.

  It was why Lilly had a job, and a business.

  One of the best parts of her work was seeing how happy people were when they left her shop. There was a confidence swirling around each one, a lightness. It could be that time at the salon was the epitome of “me” time. Women, or men, were pampered for a little while. Fussed over. The stressed-out executive, the doctor, the teacher, or the mom got a little time to decompress. Didn’t everyone deserve that?

  Granted, doing Kat’s hair wasn’t going to bring the same kind of satisfaction. Doing hair for a movie was about a look. It wasn’t about joy or self-care. It was just work.

  Still, Kat was happy when she checked herself in the mirror, running her fingers through the cascading waves. “No one manages this mess like you do, Lilly. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. I’ll be around until two today, so if it needs freshening up, find me.”

  “Awesome.” The smile on Kat’s face dropped, though, when she looked across the gym and forced Lilly’s gaze at a young blonde woman standing about ten paces away from Gio. “That sweet young thing is Gio’s latest conquest. She’s twenty-five. Her name is Tilly. She’s working as a production assistant, but apparently, she comes from some serious money.”

  She really was young and, based on the look on her face, very starstruck. “She needs to be warned, no doubt about it, but she shouldn’t worry about the money. Plenty of other things, but not money. Gio has plenty of that.”

  “Eh, not as much as you think. The guy has some serious issues. Spends money like water. Gambles.”

  “Wait… I’m confused.”

  “Why do you think he wanted your jewelry back? He was going to sell it. Probably to pay off some mob contact for a bet he lost.”

  It was one more layer of lies as far as Lilly was concerned. Gio had spotted her by that point, but he didn’t make any move in her direction. It was possible he realized pushing himself on her in public was a bad idea. She watched him, and the risk she’d taken was all too clear. Lilly knew the man well, and his body language was telling her he was agitated.

  His hand was flexing… open, closed, open, closed.

  Gio was fired up and ready to detonate.

  Tilly was hovering behind him, notebook pressed close to her chest—nervous.

  Scared.

  Lilly’s heart broke. There was something tentative in the way Tilly moved. Her eyes rarely looked up at the world swirling around her. It wasn’t right.

  Gio leaned forward on the craft services table, picking up and then tossing aside fruit, bagels—whatever he deemed unworthy of him. Jesus. People called Kat a diva, when the guy across the room was taking the prize.

  Tilly had stepped back, taking a croissant and some grapes from the display, dropping a dollop of jam on the pastry. Just as she was about to take a bite of her breakfast, Gio’s hand flew up and knocked the plate out of Tilly’s hands, splattering her breakfast across the front of her shirt.

  “Do you really need that?” he snapped.

  There was a collective gasp from the cast and crew. Everyone knew Gio could be temperamental, but he’d never done anything so blatantly cruel.

  At least not in public.

  “Wh—why did you do that?” Tilly stuttered. Visibly shaking, she was obviously unnerved by what had just happened. Lilly didn’t like the feel of it at all, and she started to move closer to the scene.

  “You heard me,” Gio spat. “Do you need it? That’s a lot of carbs and fat. It will go right to your ass.”

  The young woman was taking short, labored breaths, a sure sign she was panicking. This wasn’t just a personal attack; someone with Gio’s stature could ruin her career. In Tilly’s case, it could be ruined before it even started, and she knew that.

  Lilly could feel the tightness in her chest, her muscles quivering. Gio evoked a lot of emotions. But this time, instead of terror, it was anger. Poor Tilly was still in shock, staring at the food on her shirt and scattered on the wood floor around her. Gio, who had turned to talk to someone else, glanced over his shoulder and sneered.

  “Why are you standing there? Clean it up.”

  Tilly’s face froze. By this point, Lilly was close enough to see the tears welling in her eyes, and her own rage started to boil over.

  The room had grown so quiet it should have been uncomfortable, but to Lilly, it was perfect. Gio was showing his ass to the world. In fact, he was defiant. She felt awful for Tilly, but in the long run, this would be a good thing. Gio’s head was tossed back, his mouth set. Zeroing in on Tilly, he took two large strides toward her. “I said to clean it up.”

  His voice filled the space, but it was the sight of Tilly recoiling in fear that made Lilly snap. After years of lying, hiding, and making excuses, she’d had enough. Lunging toward Gio, she came between him and his target. With a slap, her hands landed on his chest and she shoved him back.

  “You clean it up!” she yelled. “You were the one who flipped her plate, you do it.”

  “Who the fuck do you think you are?” His voice dripped with entitlement and disgust. The ugly side of Gio was oozing out of every pore.

  “I’m someone you bullied, who you abused. And I’m not going to let you do it to anyone else.”

  There, she’d said it.

  If Lilly was afraid, the feelings were buried under the anger and contempt. Not for herself, but for all the other women he’d hurt. And for Tilly.

  “Abused?” His hand was no longer flexing. It was curled into a fist. “You have no fucking idea.”

  Forgetting where he was, the need to intimidate her overrode his sense. Everyone was watching. Everyone. But Gio didn’t care. “You were a needy bitch, Lilly, and you got everything you deserved. Maybe you need a little schooling about your place.”

  He leaned in menacingly, and holding his gaze, Lilly felt all the fear, all the dread slip away. There was power in the truth, and she had no intention of hiding it ever again. “Go ahead,” she snarled. “Hit me. You know that’s what you want to do. Let everyone here see what a monster you are.”

  The words did exactly what she intended, they provoked him. His face started to glow red from anger, and Lilly braced for the impact. His fist was like a brick, and she had vivid memories of how the pain exploded across her cheek when he would hit her. But she knew that making him show himself would be her greatest victory.

  Once it was out in the open, once people saw all he was capable of, there was no going back. He would be ruined.

  “You bitch. You fucking bitch…” Gio pulled back his arm, and Lilly, knowing she was going to end up on the floor when he hit her, stood defiantly, eyes open, daring him to do it. She steeled herself against it, thinking about something safe, like Jack, or her family’s house, but the hit never came. She waited, images of the things she loved floating through her mind.

  It was only when Gio lurched back that Lilly saw Gio’s fist in the grip of Adam Miller. Adam was barely straining, and Gio looked shocked that anyone would have the nerve to touch him, but Adam didn’t care. Two members of Gio’s security team finally showed up, and while they didn’t interfere, Adam let go. He’d made his point.

  “I’ll have your job, Miller,” Gio hissed like a spoiled teenager.

  “Not if I get yours first, asswipe.” Glancing at Gio’s bodyguards, he tossed his head
toward the door. “Get him out of here before I really get pissed off.”

  Lilly stood in the middle of the gym all by herself. Everyone kept their distance. Tilly was in the corner with some crew members who were trying to console her. Noel sat in one of the salon chairs, his eyes fixed on some invisible spot on the ceiling. Kat stood hip shot into the wall, her arms wrapped around her middle. She didn’t make eye contact.

  When Adam’s hand dropped on Lilly’s shoulder, that’s when the emotions hit. Everything she’d been suppressing—all the rage, the fear, the frustration—came bubbling to the surface.

  He bent down slightly so he was at eye level. Lilly was doing her best to keep breathing. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  She would never be completely okay, but right then, Lilly felt like she’d climbed a mountain. She’d crossed an important threshold, going from victim to survivor. She finally felt like she’d earned the title. “Yes. I am. I’m okay.”

  He nodded. “Good. That’s good.”

  “Everyone was just standing around, and I couldn’t let him humiliate her like that. I just couldn’t.”

  Adam didn’t say anything, but he nodded again, acknowledging that he understood.

  “Thank you,” Lilly said. “For saving my ass.”

  “Well, I wasn’t going to let him hit you.” With a gentle squeeze to her shoulder, Adam smiled gently. “Do you know how mad Mia would be if you had a black eye in our wedding pictures?”

  Lilly let out a watery laugh. Mia would indeed be pissed, but only because Lilly had put herself in Gio’s sights. She had no doubt she’d done the right thing; first, by protecting Tilly, and second, for standing up to Gio.

  She also knew she’d do it again in a heartbeat.

  *

  Jack stood outside the salon and paced back and forth, trying to calm down before he went inside. He knew Lilly going to the set today was a bad idea, but he had no idea how bad until he’d heard from Adam.

  His brother had detailed what had happened with Gio that morning, and piecing the scene together from what Adam said, Jack’s blood boiled. Without any thought for herself, Lilly stood up for a woman being harassed and faced down her own abuser. Lilly was fierce, no doubt, and Jack respected her commitment to doing the right thing.