Shooting Star

by Bradley Wright

  “Okay. I don’t like it, but okay. I agree it’s the only way. I feel disgusting.”

  “Come right back here after you talk to Clint. We can’t chance you being gone too long.”

  Cassie handed Lawson her phone so Frank would believe they stayed there together, and was on her way.

  Lawson switched off that part of the plan in his mind; his focus now was what exactly he was going to say to Marty Sloan. He wasn’t sure what it would be, but he was sure it was going to have to be good.

  27

  Taylor excused herself for the fourth time on her beach walk with Lexi. Lexi opened the bag of potato chips Taylor told her to bring and began feeding a small gathering of seagulls. The sun was high in the sky, and the sand between Taylor’s toes was beginning to warm. She took out her phone, and for the twelfth time she dialed Lawson’s number. She had also sent a few texts trying to warn him about what was going on. She’d received nothing in return. And she was starting to really worry.

  The phone continued to ring like every other time she’d called. She moved in a circle on the beach as she waited, and when her turn brought her around to the hotel they were staying at, she could have sworn she saw a man’s leg as he went back inside a hotel room from the balcony. Her hotel room.

  She did her best to count the rooms, trying to figure out if it really was hers, but did it really matter? She wasn’t going to take Lexi back to that room now. Though she didn’t tell Victoria where she was, in the back of her mind she almost knew it wouldn’t matter. She probably had police able to track her phone somehow. She heard Lawson’s voice telling her to leave a message, but she didn’t. A pit formed in her stomach as she looked back at Lexi enjoying the birds. It occurred to her that what Taylor had done might have ruined this poor girl’s life, and her father’s.

  Taylor ended the call and walked back over to Lexi. Her mind was working on who she could call to help her get out of this mess. The problem wasn’t that she didn’t know anyone who could help; the problem was that she didn’t know anyone she could trust. Everyone in Hollywood knew everyone else. And word always got around. What she needed was someone who made a living being discreet.

  Taylor stopped just before she reached Lexi again and turned her back to her. She needed the guy who’d helped keep her clear of what happened the night the girl in that photo died. The night of the picture that Victoria had tried to blackmail her with. Her then-agent had called him a fixer. She pulled her phone from her pocket and searched her contact list for the number. She couldn’t remember the guy’s name, so since it was all she knew him by, she scrolled to the Fs in her contacts. Sure enough, there it was: FIXER.

  Taylor pressed the call button, but as soon as she looked up, she found that her suspicions about a man being on her balcony were correct. Two men had just walked off the hotel’s pool deck and onto the beach. And they weren’t wearing surfing gear either. Taylor tucked her phone in her pocket and sprinted back to Lexi.

  Lexi saw her coming. “Oh no, what’s wrong?”

  Taylor grabbed her by the hand and yanked her in the direction opposite the hotel as well as the two men coming toward them.

  “We have to run.”

  28

  “You want me to do what?” Clint couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was already reeling from learning that Victoria and some FBI agent were working together to blackmail Lawson into taking down Sloan, so hearing Cassie tell him she needed him to kidnap Sloan’s son was a lot to take in. Especially when it wasn’t more than a half hour ago he finally got rid of the cops who’d come to his office looking for Lawson.

  “I know it sounds crazy,” Cassie explained, “but it will work out for all of us. Believe me, if there was any other way, I wouldn’t be here telling you this.”

  Clint shook his head, taking a minute to consider what she was saying. At that point, what Lawson Raines needed didn’t really concern him. His daughter being in trouble didn’t help Clint get rid of Sloan. However, what he was trying to calculate was if he took Sloan’s son, would it help get Sloan out of the picture? He knew Sloan and his son were close. He had only been to Sloan’s house a handful of times, but it was easy to see how much he cared about him.

  “I don’t mean to rush you, but Lawson is with Sloan right now. We don’t have a very big window to make this happen.”

  “No,” Clint said.

  “No?” Cassie seemed confused.

  “Yeah, no way I’m doing that. Even if I pull it off, and Lawson gets what he wants out of it, he could easily turn around and spill it all to the cops, pinning everything on me. So, yeah, the answer is no.”

  As Cassie took that in, his wheels started spinning. Was there a way he could use any of this to blackmail Sloan himself? Either by taking him out or getting back in his good graces? He would need to talk to Jenny about it as soon as Cassie was gone. He needed to bounce some ideas off her, because he wasn’t sure what was the best way forward.

  Cassie didn’t know what to say. She honestly hadn’t expected Clint to say no. Lawson was going to kill her if she didn’t make this happen, but in a way she was relieved. She understood why Lawson would be willing to go this far to save his daughter. But the thought of kidnapping a little boy, even knowing he wouldn’t be harmed, made her skin crawl. So did a lot of things lately, like sitting here in this scumbag’s office practically begging him to help her. She was finished with it, and she knew she could find another way.

  She uncrossed her legs, and just as she was about to stand up and tell Clint to screw himself, Clint’s cell phone rang and his reaction to the number calling him shocked Cassie.

  “Taylor Lockhart?” Clint said, looking down at his phone. He looked over at his partner Jenny. “Taylor Lockhart is calling me, can you believe that? Haven’t heard from her since her agent called me to bail her out of that party disaster a while back.” Then to Cassie. “I’ve got work to do. Come up with something else, find something on Sloan, anything, and we’ll be ready to help. Otherwise, it sounds like you all have your hands full.”

  Cassie did the only thing she could think to do. She pulled the pistol Frank left her in the pickup truck and pointed it across the room, directly at Clint’s head.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Clint dropped his phone on his desk and instinctively held up his hands. “Are you crazy?”

  Cassie held the gun on him with her left hand, and pointed to Jenny with her right when she saw her move for her gun. “Don’t.”

  Jenny froze. Cassie hardened her tone. “Give me the phone.” When Clint didn’t move, she shouted, “Now!”

  Clint slid the phone over to Cassie, and she picked it and answered the call. “Taylor, it’s Lawson’s friend Cassie. If you hurt Lexi, I’m going to kill you!”

  “Cassie? Cassie! Thank God! How did you get this phone?”

  Taylor sounded like she was out of breath. Thank God? Why would she be relieved to hear Cassie on the phone if she was working with Victoria?

  “Where’s Lexi?”

  Clint started to stand, until Cassie re-extended the pistol in his direction, letting him know to stay back.

  “She’s with me. But they are after us. Cassie, I did something really bad. I—”

  “I know. We are trying to clean up your mess right now. And it doesn’t look good. Where the hell are you? Who is after you?”

  “Victoria. Her people, I mean. How do you know—”

  “Taylor, I don’t have time for this, and it sounds like you don’t either. I just need to know, are you with Victoria? Are you working for her?”

  “No—yes, I mean, I was, but no, not now. I couldn’t do what she wanted me to do. I was stupid. She has something over me. Something I thought only two people in the world knew. Please help us—help Lexi—what do I do?”

  Clint and Jenny still looked dumbfounded. At least that was the expression their faces were swapping. Cassie kept the gun on them while she tried to get things straight with Taylor.

  “A
re you really in Malibu where you told Lawson you were? At the Malibu Beach Inn?”

  “Yes, but they found me. I swear I didn’t tell them where we were. Victoria tried to make me but I wouldn’t. They must have tapped my phone somehow.”

  “Yeah, she has the FBI helping her. Do you know anyone in Malibu? A place you can hide?”

  “If I can get away from them, shouldn’t I just go to the police?”

  “No, Taylor, no police. We don’t know who we can trust.”

  “I don’t know what to do. They’re catching up to us. We’re on the beach, there’s nowhere to go!”

  Taylor was really out of breath at this point. Cassie felt a thousand miles away from Lexi. With them all the way in Malibu, she might as well be. Cassie was racking her brain to try to find a way to help her. To help Lexi.

  “The SOBA Recovery Center,” Clint said.

  “Taylor, keep running, give me just a second,” Cassie said.

  “I’m at the pier! There’s nowhere to go!”

  Cassie heard Taylor’s words, but she was keying in on Clint. “How does that help?”

  “It’s where I had her go to talk to someone about her drug use.” Clint spoke fast. “Taylor knows where it is. If she’s at the pier, she’ll have to double back, but it’s not far. A guy I’ve done a lot of favors for owns it. I’ll call him and tell him to look out for her.”

  Cassie spoke to Taylor now. “The SOBA Recovery Center. Clint said he’ll have a guy watching for you to come in.”

  “SOBA? But it’s on the other side of the hotel. They’ll catch us!”

  “It’s all I’ve got. Get there, I’m on my way. Just get to the main road and stay out in traffic. They can’t do anything to you in the middle of the road.” She covered the phone and looked up at Clint. “Can he really keep her safe?”

  “He’ll do what he can. He owes me.”

  “Taylor, you’ve got to get to SOBA . . . Taylor?”

  The call ended. Taylor heard Cassie say SOBA. All she could do was hope she could get Lexi there safely.

  “Can you take the gun off me now?” Clint asked.

  Cassie lowered the pistol. “Why are you helping?”

  “She called me, remember? I need all the clients I can get right now.”

  “Bullshit.” Cassie saw through his statement like it was written on glass. “Why are you helping?”

  Clint motioned with his hands, moving them from high to low, telling her to lower her gun. “That’s not bullshit, it’s true. But . . . I also need Lawson’s head in the game here. If I help you secure Lexi, he can concentrate on helping me with Sloan. You know that’s all I care about here.”

  “Well, he’s with Sloan right now, already doing your dirty work. Helping Lexi is the least you can do.”

  “It’s already done. Roger will keep them safe until you get there. No matter what.”

  Cassie put her gun down. She needed to get back to the Roosevelt Hotel before any of Frank’s men could tell she was gone. But she needed to go to Malibu even more. It’s what Lawson would want her to do. She just hoped it didn’t really jam him up with what he was trying to do with Sloan.

  29

  Lawson checked his watch for what must have been the thirtieth time. Sloan’s men had told him to wait in the lobby, that he was in a meeting, and they would see if he wanted to talk to Lawson when he was finished. Considering Sloan would have to walk by him to exit, he still felt like there was a chance to sit down with him. The time waiting wasn’t all bad. Lawson had needed a few minutes to find his angle. He felt pretty good about the plan he’d formed, but he wouldn’t know until he could actually feel Sloan out.

  Two men, clearly not part of Sloan’s movie operation but the more seedy ventures, walked toward Lawson. One of them looked familiar, but Lawson couldn’t place him. He could tell by their determined stride and scowling faces that Sloan had declined to see him. Lawson had prepared for this scenario. Drug Thug number one opened his suit jacket just wide enough to let Lawson know he had a pistol tucked in his belt line. Lawson stood, looking down on both of them.

  Lawson played offense. “Before you tell me Sloan doesn’t want to see me, and that he actually wants me dead, I need you to let him know that his family is in danger.”

  The Hispanic man, the one with the gun, reached for it, letting his hand rest on its handle. “Are you threatening Mr. Sloan? That’s not a very smart way to get what you want.”

  “Not a threat,” Lawson said. “Just trying to warn him that someone—not me—wishes to do his family harm. But if you don’t want him to know that, I’ll just be on my way.” Lawson turned to his left but Drug Thug One stopped him by grabbing his arm.

  “Why didn’t you tell me this when you first got here?”

  “Because I was trying not to alarm anyone, but now it seems necessary that Sloan is alarmed.”

  The two drug thugs stepped back. Drug Thug One said something to Two, and Two walked back toward the bar.

  “Just wait here for a second.”

  A few seconds passed, and Two walked out of the bar, nodded toward One, and several people moved out of the bar where Sloan was having lunch. Drug Thug One nodded toward Lawson. “Follow me.”

  Lawson walked to the entrance. Both of Sloan’s men patted Lawson down, confiscating the two phones. He was happy he’d decided to leave the pistol in the truck. Lawson could see that the bar was empty now. Not even a bartender. He was going to get his time with Sloan, and he needed to make it count.

  A bearded man at a table in the back of the darkened bar waved Lawson in. Lawson understood what tone Sloan was going to take before ever sitting down. He’d been looking for Lawson ever since Lawson ruined the meeting with Victoria Marshall. He wasn’t going to be happy. The hardest part of this entire confrontation was deciding whether or not Lawson believed that Clint Hues was no longer working for Sloan. It was the crux of the entire plan. If Lawson sat down and said what he was about to say, and Clint had been lying and was still working for Sloan, the plan was dead. Not only that, but more than likely Lawson was dead too. Sometimes you have to take chances, and even though that is hard to do when your own life is on the line, in this line of work, it’s just how things roll.

  Sloan presented Lawson a seat by waving his hand toward the opposite side of the table. Lawson sat without saying anything. He would let Sloan facilitate the meeting. Lawson was better at counter punching, so he would be patient and wait for all the right moments.

  Sloan was smug. “Of all the people I didn’t expect to see today, you’re the biggest surprise. Don’t you know it isn’t safe to seek out a man like me when I’m not very happy with you?”

  Classic organized crime bravado. Lead with telling someone how powerful you are. Lawson had seen this a dozen times. They think making you feel weak will make it more likely you’ll give them what they want. The last thing they expect is for you to show your own strength.

  “Haven’t you done your homework on a man like me?” Lawson said. “If you have, you’ll know men like you don’t fare well when I’m not happy with you.”

  Sloan sat back in his chair and smiled. The reaction Lawson expected. Sloan wasn’t used to someone not willing to cower to him. Lawson had found over the years that resistance was actually something men like Sloan appreciated. They weren’t challenged very often. It intrigued them. If of course they felt you to be a worthy adversary.

  “Okay, you have my attention. Don’t waste it.”

  Lawson continued to show his strength. “I really wanted to walk in here and do to you what I did to Clint Hues in that meeting with Victoria. Maybe worse.”

  Sloan didn’t seem affected by the threat. “But you didn’t.” Then he turned sarcastic. “To what do I owe this great act of mercy?”

  “I decided Clint was lying.”

  That garnered a raise of the eyebrow. “You’ve been meeting with my former associate?”

  “He came to me.”

  “And just what interesting
things did he have to say?”

  Lawson got right to the heart of it. “That you were going to kidnap my daughter.”

  Lawson scanned Sloan’s face like a computer. In the FBI you learn to profile people. To look for subtleties in facial expressions, a deepening of breath, a twitch of the mouth, even a pounding jugular, but Sloan gave no indication that this statement affected him in any way. Lawson’s read on him was no read at all.

  Sloan brought his hands from his lap and sipped on what looked like an espresso. “And you didn’t believe him?”

  “I didn’t really know what to believe. Guys like Clint Hues have no loyalty, except to furthering their own cause. So belief doesn’t lie in his words, it’s in his motivation.”

  “Let me guess.” Sloan placed his napkin on the table. “His motivation was me.”

  It was time for Lawson to take some leaps. He needed to get to Lexi. “You know how this works. You fired Clint, he needs his reputation intact. He has a reason you already don’t like me. You told him to find me and make sure I don’t interrupt any more of your meetings.”

  Lawson paused, giving Sloan a chance to correct him. Sloan didn’t.

  “Then to make sure I help him bring you down, he told me you are the one who tried to kidnap my daughter and my partner.”

  “So the two of you could work together to take me down. But again, you don’t believe him. Can we wrap this up and get to why you believe my family is in danger? I told you, don’t waste my attention.”

  “At first I did believe him.”

  “What changed?”

  Time to jump off the ledge. “After I found my daughter, the two men who tried to kidnap her were taking me to who I assumed was you. After someone killed them in the street, and tried to kill me, it wasn’t long before I got picked up by the real problem, Victoria Marshall.”

  Lawson expected that to get a bigger reaction. Sloan was still unfazed. He sat back in his seat again and checked his watch. “Mr. Raines, when I had my men look into who you are, and I found out it was you who took down my old business partner, I did want to find you. Not because I wanted to harm you or your family, but to keep Victoria from galvanizing you to come after me. I could have told you she would do anything to get what she wanted. Kidnapping your daughter wouldn’t have surprised me. She learned that sort of behavior from Nero De Luca. I never liked that son of a bitch. He and I may have had similar operations, but we operate very differently. We were only together in business because of promises made by our fathers. Are you about to tell me what I agreed to meet with you about? Why my family is in danger?”