by L A Dobbs
“Do you deny that you were once a couple?”
“No. I don’t deny it.” Jan did her best to keep her voice from trembling as badly as her insides. “We were a couple. Fifteen years ago, in high school. We broke up a long time ago.”
“Why?” Trixie leaned closer, an expression of mock concern on her face.
“We were teenagers.” She glanced into the shadows where Dino stood, though she couldn’t see him. “Some things don’t work out.”
“And how does your past relationship affect his current position as your bodyguard?”
“It doesn’t. My manager hired him without knowing of my past connection with Mr. Machiavelli.” She narrowed her eyes at Trixie and flashed her perkiest smile. “Besides, I thought I was here tonight to promote my new single, not rehash old romances. It releases next week.”
“Right.” Trixie glanced down at the papers in her hand then back at Jan. “This song is a bit of a departure from your earlier works, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. We’re going for a different vibe this time. More upbeat and positive.”
“I see. This song in particular, however, is about finding love, correct? You usually sing about the other end of the spectrum, losing love. You wouldn’t have chosen it because Dino Machiavelli walked back into your life, did you?”
Face tight and smile frozen, Jan forced herself to take a deep breath. She was a professional—she’d sat in this interviewee seat a million times over the last two years. She refused to let some glorified ex-showgirl fluster her. “As you know, all of the songs on the album are picked months in advance and approved by the record company before I ever hit the recording studio. So obviously, me choosing something due to Mr. Machiavelli’s presence in my life, or not, would be impossible. And my manager, Lou, wrote this song. So unless he’s got some inclinations I’m not aware of, the two are completely unrelated.”
“So you didn’t write this song?”
“No.”
“Awesome. Thanks for setting the record straight, Ms. Winters. Now, can we get a sneak peek of this new single all the critics are raving about?”
“Of course.” Jan rose on shaky legs and made her way across the set to the small area where a pianist awaited. Time blurred as she picked up the mic and sang, grateful the spotlight was now focused on her abilities and not her love life. By the time she finished the first part of the song—the only portion she was allowed to reveal—and they went to commercial break again, what was left of her nerves were shot, and all she wanted to do was go home and bury her head under a pillow.
Dino walked her back to the SUV, and thankfully the parking lot outside the studio was press-free at their exit.
“What was that about in there?” Dino asked once they were in the car.
“What? You mean the part about our past?”
Dino nodded, keeping his eyes on the road.
Jan sighed. “Sorry about that. She blindsided me. Must have seen the photos in that tabloid paper. Don’t worry, they’ll tire of that as soon as they realize nothing’s going on with us.”
"Right."
They drove the rest of the way to her home in awkward silence, and she laid her head back against the seat, closing her eyes and doing her best to relax, but all she kept thinking about was that the media madness surrounding them had just begun, and for better or worse, she and Dino were linked together once more, at least until this whole stalking mess was over.
9
Lou confronted Jan the minute she stepped into Treble Studios the next morning. “Why did you say I wrote that song?”
She winced at his loud tone. Good Lord, she’d barely had a sip of her coffee. “What was I supposed to do, Lou? Lie?”
“Yes!” Wild hand gestures joined her manager’s berating voice. He was on a roll now. “We missed a shot at some great publicity. If your fans thought you wrote Lie with Me out of love, they’d be ten times more likely to buy it. Now, the whole thing is just weird.”
Jan bristled. “What’s weird is skulking around my house trying to get pictures of me and Dino in a compromising position.”
Lou scrunched up his face. “What?”
“Oh, forget it.” Jan brushed him aside and headed for her dressing room. It was just like Lou to try to wriggle out of the fact that he’d been trying to use her and Dino’s past to get media attention, and there was little point in arguing.
She pushed inside her dressing room and tossed her bag on the sofa along the wall then headed to the vanity mirror to check her appearance before going upstairs. She hadn’t paid much attention to her appearance at home since she’d been running late and had hustled downstairs to meet Dino, for the awkwardly silent car ride to the studio.
At least they’d stopped for coffee and she wouldn’t have to drink the swill from the coffee machine at the studio. Dino had paid, making good on their deal from the day before. Maybe he was better at keeping his promises now.
She’d been so rushed she hadn’t even given her outfit a final once-over. For someone who always dotted all her i’s and crossed all her t’s, the thought of sloppy bedhead or a missing button was horrifying.
The muted beats from the musicians in the other studios thudded through the wall as she stood in front of the mirror, patting her hair and checking her teeth for stray lipstick marks. She glanced down at the counter and frowned. Tabloid magazines were scattered across the surface. She never read in here. Hell, with her busy schedule, she was lucky if she even stepped foot in her dressing room more than once a day.
Maybe one of the cleaning people had borrowed them from the lobby to look at on a break then left them behind by accident. She started to gather them up then stopped, her breath catching and her hands trembling so hard she dropped them all again.
Her image appeared somewhere on each cover, except something was missing from every single picture of her. Something important. Her face. It had been hacked out of every single image on every single magazine and newspaper, along with long gashes cut through the images of her body and what looked like red ink, or worse, dripped over them.
Pulse racing as fast as her feet, Jan ran from the dressing room and out into the lobby, spotting Dino as he entered the building after his morning rounds to check the exits. She swallowed hard and did her best to keep the terror from her voice, aware the receptionist watched their every move. “Hey, Dino,” she yelled and waved to get his attention. He stood just inside the door and lowered his aviator shades down his nose to gaze at her over the tops of the lens. “Could you come here for a second, please?”
“Mr. Machiavelli?” the receptionist called from behind her large oak desk. “Lou wanted to see you upstairs as soon as possible.”
“Dino?” She gave the receptionist a quick glance, her tone pleading. “This will only take a second.”
He nodded and started across the lobby toward her dressing room, calling over his shoulder, “Tell Lou I’ll be there in just a second. Thanks.” He reached Jan and placed his hands on his hips, his expression impatient. Today, he looked as tired as she felt, and Jan couldn’t help wondering if he was having problems sleeping too. “Yeah. What is it?”
She dragged him inside by the arm, closed the door behind them and pointed at the magazines. “I found those waiting when I got here this morning.”
“These?” Dino grabbed a paper off the top of the stack and stared at the disfigured photo front and center. The look on his face slowly transformed from annoyance to concern with each new picture he saw. “Jesus. This could be serious, Jan. Who else has access to your dressing room?”
“I don’t know. Besides me and Lou and the receptionist, the cleaning people at night, I guess. At first I thought maybe they’d left those behind on a break, but none of them would do something like that.”
“Know them all well, do you?” He crossed his arms and narrowed his gaze on her.
“I’ve met most of them before, and they seemed nice.”
“Seemed nice? People said Ted Bund
y was nice too.”
“Oh my God!” Jan raised the back of one trembling hand to her forehead. “Do you think it could be someone that works here?”
“I don’t know what to think at this point.” Dino rolled up one of the magazines in his hand then took off for the door. “Stay here. I need to get the security footage from last night.”
The door swung shut behind him, and her agitation grew. She felt violated, vulnerable. All her steely resolve about not needing anyone to protect her evaporated.
She looked around the small dressing room. Her stalker had been in here. She’d always thought of the room as her haven, a place to get away and relax, but suddenly the room did not seem as welcoming. She sure as hell didn’t want to stay here. Not by herself, anyway. Jan yanked the door open and hustled across the lobby to where Dino stood, speaking to the guard on duty.
“Where are the logs from last night?”
“In here.” The beefy guard led them into a small, dark office off the lobby, its walls covered with monitors and the lone desk stacked high with loose papers. A transmitter in the corner softly chirped static as the guy pressed a few buttons on the desktop computer then pointed at one of the screens. “Here’s the footage from last night, but you can see there wasn’t anyone in here from the time the place closed at ten last night until this morning when the receptionist arrived.”
“And the logs?” Dino asked again.
“Um.” The guard shuffled through the mess on the desk then pulled out a clipboard. “Here.”
Dino ran a long, tapered finger down the list then scowled. “I don’t see anything suspicious, but I’ll need a copy just in case.”
“Sure thing.” The guard tipped back his hat with one finger. “What about the footage?”
“Better give me a copy of that too. I’ll have our tech team make sure it wasn’t tampered with.”
“Got ya.” The guard led them back out into the sunny lobby. “I’ll get your copy for you right now.”
“Thanks.” Dino waited until the guy walked away before turning to face Jan once more. “Which part of ‘stay here’ didn’t you understand?”
Even scared as she was, her hackles rose at his domineering tone. “I’m not staying in there by myself. What if they come back?”
“Then you scream and I come running.” His face softened at her stricken look. He put his hands on her shoulders, his warm touch creating a calming effect that relaxed her tense muscles. “Look, you’re not in any danger right now. There’s too many people here for the stalker to do anything, and besides, we don’t know that he would do anything to harm you. These wackos typically don’t confront their targets in person.”
Jan’s brows drew together. Finding magazines with your face slashed out of them sure seemed like danger, but Dino had a point. No one could get in and hurt her while everyone was here. “Really? You don’t think this person intends to hurt me?”
“Probably not. They usually prefer to skulk in the shadows and send anonymous threats. Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Dino dropped his hands, pulled out his phone, and thumbed in a number, brushing past her to pace the room in front of the security office. She trailed behind him, dogging his steps. “Hey, it’s Dino. Listen, I need a team over here at Treble Studios today. I want security cameras installed inside all of the dressing rooms and additional ones set up in the lobby.” He hesitated. “Okay. I’d say maybe eight to ten. Okay, great. Thanks.”
She knew she was being paranoid, but she couldn’t make herself leave his side. Even with their past she knew that if anyone would defend her against her unknown foes, it would be Dino.
“C’mon.” He turned fast and barely avoided stepping on her toes, only inches from his as she stuck close by his side. With her hand in his, he led her back to her dressing room then pulled her inside and closed the door. “Seriously, Jan. I need you to stay in here for me. I need to know you’re safe so I can worry about other things right now. Nothing is going to happen to you in here.” He took a bottle of water from her small mini-fridge in one corner and cracked the lid open before handing it to her. “All right?”
Jan took the water, gave him her bravest smile, and nodded, even as her legs wobbled and she collapsed onto the sofa. Tough as she might try to appear, this whole thing had really thrown her for a loop. As if the texts and phone calls weren’t bad enough. Now she had these gruesome images circling through her overtaxed brain on endless loop, not to mention the intruder on her property…
Glancing up, she noticed Dino with his nose about an inch from the wall. He cursed low and raised his hand to pluck something from the wall near the side of her vanity mirror. “What the…”
From her spot across the small room, she squinted at the tiny black object in his hand, two long wires dangling from the back of it. “What is that?”
Dino held it up before him between his thumb and forefinger. “Nanny cam.”
“Nanny cam?”
“Yeah. People install them a lot to spy on their staff.” He dropped it on the floor in front of him, and it crunched loudly as he crushed it beneath his boot. “Nasty little devices.”
“Someone’s spying… on me?” Coupled with the other ghastly things swirling through her brain, her rising panic swelled into a tsunami of uncontrollable anxiety. Her chest constricted, and her throat swelled, severing her oxygen supply. She hadn’t had an attack like this since high school. Always before a huge test, always when she felt least able to cope. Wheezing and coughing, Jan doubled forward, her vision tunneling as the room around her faded.
Hyperventilating. She was hyperventilating, and the one person who’d always helped her before was completely off-limits now. With her head between her knees, she did her best to calm her rioting body, but it was no use. Dizziness swamped her system, and there wasn’t a doubt in her mind she’d face-plant on the floor in front of her in ten seconds, nine, eight, seven, six…
“Jesus, Jan.” As if conjured from her long-ago memories, Dino swept in and took her in his arms, cradling her against his strong, warm chest and stroking her back softly, whispering words of solace in her ear just like he used to.
It felt like she was back where she was always meant to be. She clutched the front of his shirt in her fingers like a drowning man grasping at a life raft. Slowly, his soothing words and steady warmth seeped into her frozen fears and thawed her from the inside out. By the time the attack ended, her forehead rested against the hollow of his throat, and his fingers were tangled in the hair at the nape of her neck, massaging softly. How long she’d sat pressed against him like that, she had no idea. It felt like an eternity but had probably only been a minute or two at most. She wanted it to last forever.
Cheeks hot and mouth dry, she raised her head to look up at him.
“Okay now?” he asked, his fingers stilling against her scalp.
She nodded, not trusting her voice to speak. This close, she could see the worry warring with desire in his intense blue gaze.
“Good.” His fingers slipped lower, under her chin to tilt her face up to his. His eyes drifted to her lips and for one crazy second she thought he was going to—
Bzzzz.
A loud, hard buzz came from the front pocket of his T-shirt, where he’d slipped his phone earlier.
“Shit.” He let her go and reached into his pocket. “I’ve got to get this. It could be the team. I’m sorry.”
Jan took a deep breath and readjusted herself on the other end of the sofa. Maybe it was best if she kept her distance from him.
After a few seconds he hung up. “Sorry. I’ve got to go.”
“Of course.” Jan regretted the disappointment that leaked into her voice. But why was she disappointed? Had she wanted Dino to kiss her or was she just scared and not wanting to be left alone?
Dino sat forward and ran a hand through his disheveled hair, hair she’d mussed with her own fingers. From his serious expression, he’d obviously switched back into work mode, and so sho
uld she. Lou was probably pitching a small fit in the recording studio by now, and she still had three more tracks to lay down today. She had a deadline, and it had to be met, no matter how many stalkers left presents in her dressing room.
He pushed to his feet, and so did she.
“Listen, we’ll talk later, okay? Promise me you’ll stay in the building while I’m gone. I’ll be back as soon as I can, all right?”
“Okay.” The word croaked out of her parched throat. “I’ve got a ton of work to do today anyway.”
“Okay.” He headed for the door. He looked back, a lingering look full of longing that made her heart leap. “Be safe.”
“You too.” She stood there after he’d gone, staring at the closed door. She sank back down on the sofa and closed her eyes, forcing herself not to stare at the magazines and papers still left behind. She breathed deep, trying to calm herself. Hadn’t Dino said that stalkers usually didn’t hurt their victims? Yep, she was going to focus on that. Her eyes drifted to the spot in the wall where Dino had found the nanny cam and one question kept bubbling up in her mind. If stalkers liked to keep their distance and send their threats from afar, then why had this one come so far as to go into her dressing room?
10
Dino pulled his Tahoe up in front of his two-story, white stucco home, parking cockeyed in the driveway. He jammed the transmission into Park and rubbed his hands over his eyes, the smell of Jan’s floral scent still clinging to his skin.
He cursed and bit his lips, putting his head back and staring out the moonroof of his SUV at the blue sky above. His heartbeat still pounded against his chest, his breath faster than normal as he struggled to put a damper on his emotions. If he hadn’t received that damned text from Stacy, things between him and Jan might have gotten serious. Fast.
Shit.
Sitting forward again, he rested his forehead against his forearms on the steering wheel and took a deep, steadying breath. Frustrated as he was presently, the text had probably been a good thing. Jan deserved better than an old flame taking advantage of her vulnerability.
