A-List Kiss: A Laugh-Out-Loud Romantic Comedy

by Brenda Lowder

  “Excuse me a sec.” Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, Matthew pulled out his cell and called his partner, telling him to meet us at the office so they could get started as soon as we got there. I pictured “Buzz Cut” and wondered if he was as pissed off at me for messing up the case in the first place as Matthew had been. Almost definitely.

  We pulled up to the large rectangular gray concrete and glass FBI headquarters building on Wilshire. I actually felt a bit of a thrill. Here I was at the Los Angeles FBI headquarters with a real G-man. Not someone who played one in the movies. Matthew was the real deal, and there was something very attractive about that. I felt my face flush as I pictured Matthew slapping his cuffs on someone who’d been very naughty.

  I pushed the fantasy from my mind with an ounce of sisterly guilt. Maggie could be in real danger. Or she could just be messing with me like she has millions upon millions of times before, albeit this time more elaborately. Of course, that was it! Maggie was messing with me. That’s what she did. And that fine personality flaw is what had gotten her into this mess.

  Matthew parked and we jumped out of the car. He let us into the building with his key card. We stopped at the front desk and signed in with the twenty-four-hour front desk staff.

  I followed Matthew down one narrow beige hall to another, losing my sense of direction almost immediately. He stopped in front of a black door labeled “Equipment Room.” He signed a StingRay out and took it to his office.

  When we got to Matthew’s office, Buzz Cut was waiting for us. Upon seeing me again, he scowled and then pretended I wasn’t there. He and Matthew spent a few minutes setting up the StingRay. Matthew asked for Maggie’s number, and I watched his long fingers punch the digits in efficiently. We waited a moment and then watched the blips on the screen appear. If I was reading it right, Maggie was somewhere in West Hollywood. She was not on the move—the blip didn’t seem to be going anywhere. Good for catching up with her, but bad if it meant she was dead and her phone was just sitting there beside her lifeless body. I shuddered.

  If only I’d been more patient and understanding toward Maggie. Maybe then she wouldn’t have felt the need to stalk me and even risk her life in a situation she knew nothing about. What if she was lying there dead? I couldn’t let my mind go there. Maggie was going to be just fine. The more I told myself that, the less I believed it. Instead I saw my sister’s bloody, motionless body folded into a ditch—always the ditches! Thanks for that, Mom—somewhere in West Hollywood.

  “We’ve got a read on her,” Buzz Cut, who disappointingly was actually named “Kyle,” announced.

  “It looks like your sister is stopped in West Hollywood,” Matthew confirmed. “Let’s go.”

  Kyle jerked his head in my direction. “You can’t bring a reporter with us.”

  “Her sister might need her,” Matthew said. “Also, she might have more information that would help us find Osgood.” Osgood must have been the name of the Soap Opera Star bad guy.

  “Like what?” Kyle asked.

  “Well, if I knew, then we could ask her now and we wouldn’t have to bring her along.” Matthew huffed impatiently, sounding more like regular Matthew.

  “Okay, then, let’s go.” Kyle started for the door when the unmistakable ring of my cell phone sounded. The three of us froze and looked at each other for a second, then I hurriedly grabbed the phone from my purse and answered it.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Eden, this is Maggie.” Maggie yawned loudly into the phone. Maggie!

  “It’s Maggie!” I stage whispered to Matthew and Kyle. They stopped in their tracks.

  “Hi, Maggie.” I didn’t know what else to say.

  “Eden, um, that date you set me up on was really lame, so I ditched him for a house party somewhere in West Hollywood. Anyway, I’m stranded, and I need you to pick me up now.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Huh. Maggie just calling from a party and asking to be picked up? Not what I was expecting. Was it true? Did young Jonathan somehow misread the situation? Was he lying to us? Did Maggie just find a party and crash it? It’s something I could totally picture her doing. Or was Maggie lying? Knowing Maggie as well as I did, it was a safe bet that she was lying and just didn’t want to get into any long, drawn-out explanations. Neither did I. Who knew if she was out of danger or not?

  “Where are you?”

  Matthew handed me a Post-it pad and pen. I wrote down the address she gave me. “Okay,” I told her. “I’ll pick you up in a minute.” I disconnected the call and looked up to find Kyle glaring at me.

  “So this was all a hoax? She just wants you to pick her up somewhere?”

  I bit my lip, thinking. “No, I don’t think so,” I decided aloud. “I mean, yes, she wants me to pick her up, but I think everything Jonathan said was true.” I spared a glance at Matthew who was watching me intently. “He didn’t have any reason to make that story up. Maggie has lots of reasons not to admit she followed some strange guy all night and got into his car. Can you drop me home so I can get my car, please?” I asked Matthew.

  “I’ll take you to pick her up,” Matthew said.

  “Thanks.” I stared at the Post-it in my hand. What was Maggie up to this time?

  “Well, I’m outta here. I don’t need to chase down jilted little sisters in the middle of the night,” Kyle said.

  “I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.” Matthew nodded to him.

  Kyle gathered his stuff and left.

  Matthew looked at me, concern in his eyes, but he didn’t say anything. He got his gear bag and turned the light off in his office, holding the door open for me as I exited. I once again followed him through the maze of narrow beige corridors and out of the building.

  When we got back to the car, he opened the door for me and waited until I was settled before he closed it. Matthew got in, and I handed him the Post-it with the address. He punched it up on his GPS. We were both silent as he reversed the car out of the parking spot and turned onto Wilshire.

  “Thanks for going with me to get her.” I looked out my window and watched the people walking on the sidewalks, thinking about how in Atlanta, people would be at home in their houses now. Los Angeles was more of a twenty-four-hour city.

  “I think there’s more to the situation than what Maggie told you.” Matthew glanced in his rearview mirror. “Jonathan wouldn’t make up a crazy story like that. Maggie could be in real danger and not even know it.”

  I wanted to knock on wood or throw salt over my shoulder or do any of the superstitious counters to bad luck I’d learned from my mother. “Let’s hope not.”

  “Sorry I interrupted your date tonight.” Matthew glanced sideways at me then looked back at the road.

  I sighed. “You didn’t. Jonathan did. He came back without Maggie which freaked Sophie and Corey out. We were in the middle of the big explanation when you arrived.”

  “It’s pretty tough that Gavin is going out of the country right when all of this is going on.” Matthew seemed awfully preoccupied with Gavin. Maybe Gavin really was involved in all this.

  “Yeah. Inconvenient.” I didn’t know what else to say about Gavin. Sure, it was a dick move to bug out on me when I had all this stuff going on, but what did I expect him to do? Stay and hold my hand? It’s not like he could actually do anything to help find Maggie. But then why was I so angry with him?

  “So, you and the movie star…”

  “Are ending.” I may have decided that for sure right that very moment.

  He raised his eyebrows. “Are you sad about that?”

  “Strangely, no.” I had more fire zipping around my veins for Matthew than I’d felt for real Gavin ever.

  “Are you sure he knows? He looked awfully possessive before he ran out on you back there.”

  I shrugged. “He’s leaving the country tomorrow.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you going to arrest him before he does?”

  “No.”

  �
��No?”

  Matthew shook his head. “Turns out he wasn’t involved.”

  I turned toward him as much as my seat belt allowed. “But you followed us to Paris! And the bad guys followed me. And Gavin was in disguise talking to Froggy Voice.”

  Matthew nodded. “Yeah. Turns out he was researching a role.”

  I sat back. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “That’s nuts.”

  “Yeah.”

  I blew out a breath. “And typical.”

  He glanced at me from the side of his eye and cleared his throat. “Yeah. I guess in his next movie, he’s going to play some big business tycoon involved in international industrial espionage. So he decided to research the role by going undercover at a big company in disguise and then got himself caught up in some actual industrial espionage.”

  I shook my head. “Wow. Won’t he go to jail for that?”

  “No. He’s the one who brought it to us. He’s been cooperating with us the whole time.”

  Huh. Maybe that explained why Gavin was so busy in Paris.

  We’d arrived at our destination. Matthew sat up straighter and scanned the scene. He was obviously on alert and in full FBI impressive Special Agent sexy man mode.

  “I’m going to drive by the address she gave us and take a look. We’ll evaluate the situation, do a few passes, and then park a bit away and walk back to where she told us she was,” he said. “Just in case.”

  “Okay.” I rubbed my sweaty palms on the skirt of my dress. Matthew’s strong, quiet presence steadied me. He was good at this, I reminded myself.

  We drove past the address Maggie had given us. It was a small convenience store, and there Maggie was, sitting on the curb next to the door, under a neon sign that said “Open.” Uh, convenient, I’d say. We drove by anyway, but Matthew didn’t find anything suspicious. Neither did I, but I knew less what I was looking for. No one seemed to be idling a car, watching Maggie. Matthew drove by again and checked the area one more time before circling back and parking in the convenience store parking lot right in front of Maggie. I got out of the car and ran to her.

  “Maggie!” I squashed her into the biggest hug I’d given her in years.

  “Hi, Eden.” She patted my back awkwardly and looked at me like I was crazy. “Aren’t you being a bit overdramatic? I just saw you a few hours ago.”

  “I know.” I let her go.

  Matthew, who had been slower to get out of the car, strode over to us.

  “Who’s the hottie?” Maggie asked me, scanning Matthew up and down with a lascivious smile. Matthew didn’t look at her. Had he heard?

  “This is Special Agent Matthew Decker,” I said. “The FBI agent. You remember that ‘date’ you had this evening? This is his brother.”

  “Well, I can see why you’ve been keeping him to yourself.” Maggie licked her lips. “You were afraid he’d want to trade up to me.”

  My eyes darted to Matthew in time to see him wince, but he didn’t otherwise respond to what Maggie said and instead kept his attention on the street around us.

  “Where were you tonight?” I demanded. “What happened? Why didn’t you stay with Jonathan?”

  “How do you know I didn’t?” Maggie volleyed back.

  “Well, I don’t see him around, and, oh, there was another reason. That’s right, he showed up at the apartment without you because he’d lost you! He was really upset about it,” I said.

  Maggie rolled her eyes. “Jonathan is a nice kid. No offense,”—she directed this at Matthew—“but it wasn’t my fault he couldn’t keep up with me. I need a real manly man, if you know what I mean.” She had the nerve to reach her hand out and tug on Matthew’s shirt like she was adjusting it.

  Did my sister have no shame? She was completely ridiculous. I knew, however, that tough guy Special Agent Matthew Decker would not fall for her shenanigans, and she’d be put in her place posthaste. I folded my arms and anxiously awaited Matthew’s biting response.

  Matthew cleared his throat and smoothed his shirt down, repulsing Maggie’s hand. And then he smiled. Smiled? Maggie smiled back.

  I scowled at her. “That doesn’t explain where you went. I really need an explanation, Maggie, and we’re not going anywhere until I get one.” I glared at her.

  For the first time since we’d arrived, Maggie actually looked contrite. She glanced from side to side as if she were expecting to see someone and said, “Okay, I’ll give you the full explanation, but let’s get going, okay?”

  “Why?”

  “Look, I don’t know what Jonathan told you, but I followed your boyfriend, okay?”

  “Yeah, we know,” I said. “You followed Gavin and me to Nobu, and then you followed Osgood and got into his car when he was stopped by the police.”

  Maggie’s eyebrows went up. “Jonathan told you all that?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What a tattletale,” she said. “I knew he was a little rat.”

  “He was worried about you. You ditched him and put yourself in danger.”

  She laughed derisively. “I knew you had a thing for Jonathan. Was it always a dream of yours to bang brothers?”

  I couldn’t help it. I snapped. Yes, I was a mature adult who should let stupid things her sister says roll right off her, but in that moment, I didn’t remember that. Maggie was just the pain in the ass I’d had since her birth who was needlessly and unfairly casting aspersions on me in front of an attractive, infuriating man. “You’re just being critical of my life because you don’t have one of your own.”

  “You bitch.” Maggie lashed out with her right arm and I ducked. Frustrated, she barreled at me and toppled us both to the sidewalk.

  I tried to get up but was prevented by Maggie’s hug-wrestling. Matthew’s voice penetrated the cacophony of grunts and insults. He put his arms around my waist and hauled me away from my sister.

  “Enough!” He pulled me up, but he didn’t let me go. I leaned against him, breathing heavily with the exertion of the wrestling. Was it wrong that I enjoyed the feeling of his arms around me even though he was thwarting my need to get back at my sister? Yes, wrong. But so right.

  Maggie rolled over, then stood up and brushed herself off. She gave me an evil grin. “Looks like you got it worse than I did, Eden.”

  I leaped toward her, lashing out with an attempt at a right hook, but Matthew’s grip on me remained tight, and he pulled me back against him, my backside flush with his right thigh. I relaxed a bit. His physical proximity was starting to anesthetize me to Maggie’s barbs. Or at least distract me from them. What did I care what she said? I shouldn’t. Maggie was horrible. I knew that. Probably deep down even she knew that. I was the fool for caring about her. When Matthew could see that I had calmed down, he let me go.

  “Everything all right?” He looked from me to Maggie and then back again.

  “Fine.”

  “Maggie, why don’t you tell me what happened,” Matthew said evenly.

  “I was just standing here minding my business when she attacked me!” Maggie said. “You saw her! She was a crazed animal.”

  Finally Matthew showed some of the frustration I knew he had in him. “I meant earlier tonight. Why you called your sister for a ride instead of going home with Jonathan.”

  Maggie tilted her chin at Matthew with a calculating expression. I imagined she was wondering whether it was worth it to make up some story that made her look awesome or to tell the truth. I think she settled for something in between.

  “I knew Eden was up to something,” she started. I headed toward her again with violence on my mind, but, again, Matthew restrained me. I liked the restraining.

  “Let her finish.”

  “Eden doesn’t just date a movie star. That doesn’t happen in the real world,” she sputtered at me. “So I naturally wanted to find out what was really going on. I met her boyfriend and decided the tabloids were right that he’s totally gay and Eden is his beard of the moment. What a big break
for her stupid career. But since she’s my sister and I really care about her, I wanted to be sure she wouldn’t mess this up. So instead of going on a date with Jonathan—which, come on, you have to know I can do better.” Maggie winked at Matthew. He didn’t react. Maggie continued. “I followed Eden on her date to see how things were going and if I could do anything to help.”

  Yeah, right. Right over Escondido Falls she’d help me.

  “But while Jonathan and I were in the bar, who should come running out after a well-dressed, handsome man, but my own sister escaping her gay movie star fake boyfriend and totally throwing herself at this other guy. And that’s when I figured it out.”

  “Figured what out?” Matthew leaned over her.

  “Everything!” Maggie said. “He was obviously her real boyfriend. Or she thought he was till he dumped her at Nobu. She was cheating on her fake relationship with Gavin. So obvious! Once I figured it out, I knew I had to get his name and where he lived and the whole story on him—since she’s my sister. So Jonathan and I followed him. He got stopped by the cops and when no one was looking, I got into his back seat. He never even noticed.”

  “He never noticed?” Matthew leaned closer.

  “No. Never. So I got to hear his whole phone conversation, and now I know everything about him and Eden.” Her smile was sly.

  I shook my head. “What do you know?”

  “As soon as he got back in the car, he made a call. He said he saw Eden at Nobu and it was the second time she’d gotten in his way. He said the first time had been lucky because she was a distraction that got him out of a bad situation. Then he listened for a while. Then he said it wouldn’t be a problem because he had the thumb drive on him, and he’d be able to meet with those guys later tonight. So I figured it out.”

  “What did you figure out?” Matthew demanded.

  Maggie pointed at me. “That Eden was a distraction for a while, but now that she’s all throwing herself at him, he doesn’t care. He’s got the thumb drive. He doesn’t need her anymore.”