by L A Dobbs
“No. I haven’t dated anyone in the past year. I’ve been too busy with recording and touring.”
“What about the e-mails? Is there any certain event you can think of that might have prompted them to start?”
“Not really.” Jan frowned and wrinkled her nose. “I mean, I guess they started right after I started recording this new album, but I doubt that’s related.”
Blake squinted and looked up at the ceiling. “Dino mentioned something about a poem. Something you wrote in high school?”
Jan nodded, pulling her sweater tight around her. “Yes. That came in one of the e-mails.”
“Who would have access to that? Is there anyone from your high school days that recently came back into your life?”
“No. Unless you count Dino. And you.” Jan made an attempt at a smile. “But I guess anyone could have found out about the poem. An obsessed fan might have dug it up somehow.” Jan wracked her brain to think about where they could have dug it up. Had she published it in the school paper? The yearbook? She didn’t think so. “I have it in a box at my house. I save all my poems and lyrics.”
“And who has access to your house? Do you have a lot of parties? People coming and going?”
Jan shook her head. “No. Believe it or not, I live a relatively quiet life. I have cleaning people and people that come in to fix things, set up the cable TV, and so on.”
“Family?”
“Just my cousin, Stacy.” By the slight nod of his head, Jan figured Blake remembered Stacy from high school, too.
“Okay.” Blake pulled a small notepad from the inner pocket of his suit jacket and jotted down notes on what she’d told him. “Good. That will give us a little more info to go on.”
Jan peered past the team installing a camera and spotted Dino’s SUV swerving back into the parking lot. She took a deep breath and forced her stiff shoulders to relax. She couldn’t help but wonder where he’d gone. Maybe Blake had sent him on an urgent assignment. She looked back at the man beside her, his head still lowered over his notepad. “Dino rushed out of here in a big hurry earlier. I hope it wasn’t an emergency.”
“Nah.” Blake shook his head and tucked his pad back into his pocket. “Not that he said, anyway. Said he had some errands to run.”
Errands? She crossed her arms and did her best not to pout. Maybe Dino wasn’t as concerned about her safety as she’d thought. And what about how he’d almost kissed her? Probably a good thing he’d gotten that call before things got out of hand between them.
One of Blake’s workmen came over and bent to whisper something close to his ear. Blake nodded and held up a finger. “The team is wondering if it would be all right for them to install a camera inside your dressing room as well. Given the stalker has been in there personally, it might give us just the break we need to identify them.”
“Yeah, sure. I guess. I don’t actually change in there anyway.”
“Excellent.” He raised his chin to the guy, who took off across the lobby toward her dressing room. “I’d also recommend installing a few cameras on the outside of your home too, just to be on the safe side.”
“Okay.”
Blake pulled out his cell phone and hit a speed dial button. He kept his gaze steady on her as he spoke. “Everything up and running? Good. Good. Yeah, send a crew out to Ms. Winters’ home this afternoon as well. The usual setup. The address is in the file on my desk. Yep. Thanks.” He ended the call and shoved the device back in his pocket. “All the feeds are good to go, according to my tech team. I’ll have someone out at your house this afternoon to put up those cameras there as well. From today on, you should be well covered.”
“Good.”
Dino strode back into the lobby. “Hey, Blake. Didn’t expect you to come and oversee things personally.” Dino removed his sunglasses and stopped by Jan’s chair, placing his hand casually onto her shoulder as he spoke. She shrugged it off and turned away, but not before seeing the confused look in his eyes. He rested his hand on the back of the chair instead. “So, we all set up here?”
“Yep. The crews are putting in the final cameras as we speak. Jan agreed to have one in her dressing room, and I have a crew headed to her house this afternoon to install a few cameras around her property too.”
“Great. Tell them to put one in the backyard too. That’s where you said you thought you spotted someone the other night, right Jan?”
“Yes.”
Dino hesitated at her one-word statement, his friendly smile dissolving into a frown. “Right. Well, okay then.” He gestured to Blake. “Let me walk you to the door. Be right back.”
Jan shrugged and met Dino’s blue gaze. The spark of annoyance in his eyes made her feel childish. Was she seriously angry that he’d left to run errands? Or was there something deeper she didn’t want to admit to herself. Either way she was acting like a High School kid and needed to stop. It was embarrassing.
She walked upstairs and into the recording studio. Lou had gone on one of his mysterious outings and that was fine with her. Sometimes it was less stressful without him around. Soon she lost herself in her music and the tracks they needed to lay down for the album. Time ceased to exist, as it always did when she was working on things she loved, and by the time she looked at the clock again, it was after six that night.
Jan stretched her stiff muscles then checked with the sound engineering that they had enough material for the day before pulling off her headphones and heading out into the production area to find Dino slumped on the couch, looking as strung out as she felt.
They drove back to her place in silence, and she’d hoped to make it out of his Tahoe and into her home without a word. As he pulled up to the front of her house and parked the SUV, Jan reached for the door handle to make a quick escape.
No such luck.
“Maybe I should spend the night here, to make sure no one tries to get into your yard again.” He looked over at her, his expression unreadable.
“No.”
“No?”
“No. I’m fine on my own.” She opened the door and climbed out. He did the same and followed her up the front steps. He stood close enough that she could feel his heat penetrating the night chill around her, close enough to touch, to smell. Ugh. Jan forced her stupid emotions into submission and at last gave her inner annoyance free reign. “It looks like Blake’s crew is here installing the new cameras anyway, so I’ll be okay.”
“Okay, if you’re sure …”
Jan tried to keep her tone light. “Yep. Pick me up tomorrow night for the charity event. Don’t be late.”
She turned quickly, ignoring the raised-brow glance from one of the workmen on the front porch, and punched her security code into the keypad by the door then jammed her key into the lock. Dino was still there so she pasted on a reassuring smile. “Go home, Dino. I’ll be fine. See you tomorrow night.”
Jan tossed her bag and keys on the round table at the center of the large foyer then headed into the kitchen. Her nerves over this stalker situation and confusing feelings for Dino called for copious amounts of hot tea. And chocolate. So much chocolate.
After making a beeline to the fridge for a handful of kisses, Jan unwrapped one and popped it into her mouth, savoring the velvety sweet taste while she filled her kettle and set it on the stove to heat. Exhausted, she slumped against the cool granite countertop and glanced over at the island. A large manila envelope sat atop it.
Probably an invoice from Blake for the camera installations. It had been good to see him again today. She’d forgotten how warmly he’d always treated her, like one of his own family. Something a gal like Jan, from a broken home, had always appreciated. She grabbed the envelope and tucked it under her arm while she pulled down the canister of her favorite chamomile tea and scooped a large dollop into a little round strainer. Once things were ready, she sealed the tea back up and put it away then tore open the top of the envelope to peer inside.
She’d expected paperwork and notes. What
she found seized the air in her lungs and crumbled what little confidence she still had left. Reaching into the envelope with shaky fingers, she pulled out a stack of photos, all taken within the last few days, all candid shots of her doing normal, everyday tasks like getting in and out of cars, buying her morning coffee, talking outside the recording studio with Lou. Even a shot of her the night Stacy had shown up to do her nails. Only someone close to her could’ve gotten close enough to get all these photos. She looked into the envelope again, held it upside down, and shook it. No note. No explanation. No nothing.
Jan crossed her arms tightly around her middle and rocked back and forth slowly, her mind racing. Part of her wanted to run to the phone and call Dino, but another part of her made her hold back.
She couldn’t go running to Dino every time something upset her. It might become a habit. A habit she could get dangerously used to. Sooner or later, the stalker would be caught, and the bodyguard job would end. Then what would happen? Dino would move on to another job and disappear from her life like before.
Better she didn’t get used to having him in it now.
Dino had said these creeps usually don’t escalate into confrontation. The stalker was just sending her this crap to freak her out, and she wasn’t going to let him win. After all, she had a top-of-the-line alarm system, a sharp knife, and now security cameras. She would get through this alone. She’d gotten through much worse on her own—her father’s death, her mother’s remarriage, her breakup with Dino, her uncle’s shooting. Yes. She’d get through this alone. She had no choice.
The sound of a clearing throat brought her head up. The guy from Rockford Security, the one from the front porch, stood just inside the kitchen doorway, holding his toolbox in front of him like a shield. “Um, sorry to interrupt you, ma’am, but I wanted to let you know that the cameras are all installed now and working properly.”
She coughed to clear the constriction from her throat and forced a smile. “Thank you.”
“Sure thing, ma’am. They’re motion activated, so if anything moves out there, the lights will come on, and they start taping automatically.”
“Great.” She took a step forward, and her wobbly knees threatened to give out. Jan gripped the edge of the island to stay upright. “Let me walk you out.”
The technician’s expression shifted from polite to concerned. He stepped forward then hesitated. “Are you all right, ma’am?”
His hand hovered over the phone on his tool belt as if he was getting ready to call someone. Probably Dino, who would likely come rushing over ... unless he had important errands to run. That was the last thing she wanted to happen.
“I’m fine.” She crumpled the envelope and photos in her hand and dumped them in the nearby trash can before facing him again, the fake smile plastered on her face. “Perfectly fine.”
“Okay. And I can show myself out, ma’am.”
He walked away, and Jan slumped onto a stool at the island counter. Clutching the steaming mug of tea, she listened while the front door closed and he drove away leaving her alone for the night.
12
At eight p.m. sharp Saturday night, Dino Machiavelli walked around to the passenger side of his Tahoe and helped Jan from the vehicle. They were both dressed to the nines—Jan in a jaw-dropping black sequined evening gown with a slit up the side of the skirt, and him in his best tuxedo. The valet held the door open for him while he extended his hand to Jan.
She gripped his fingers lightly and stepped down, her shapely calf and ankle shown off to perfection by her black satin stiletto heels catching the eye of every man within a hundred-foot radius. Once she stood before him, he fiddled with his bow tie and looked down at her, catching a whiff of her strawberry-scented shampoo that brought back memories of high school.
At least she was speaking to him tonight in more than one-syllable replies. He still hadn’t worked out exactly what he’d done to piss her off, but considering that he was here tonight as her bodyguard and pretending to be her date, it was probably for the best. Keeping his hands off of her these days was hard enough when she wasn’t mad at him.
After her panic attack in her dressing room, he’d thought—hoped—maybe he wouldn’t have to try to keep his hands off of her. For that brief moment, it had seemed like they’d gone back in time. To the way it used to be. And when he had been about to kiss her, Jan had seemed receptive. If only his phone hadn’t buzzed at the most inopportune moment. If he’d known it was Stacy he would have ignored it.
But then Jan had done a total one-eighty that had him reconsidering. She was probably right, he thought, as he looked over the top of her head at the expensively dressed celebrities alighting from their fancy cars. This wasn’t high school anymore. They no longer traveled in the same circles.
“Here.” Jan pushed his hands out of the way and straightened his tie then smoothed her hands down his shoulders and the front of his lapels as if dusting off some imaginary dust. “You look good tonight,” she said, her tone quiet and her eyes lowered.
“And you look beautiful.” He reached out to touch her then dropped his hand to his side. Better not push his luck, in more ways than one. Instead, he linked her arm through his to lead her toward the front entrance of the elaborate Venetian Hotel. A red carpet worthy of royalty had been spread beneath the ornately painted alcove covering the entrance. Paparazzi shouted and jostled from either side, staying behind the red velvet ropes, at least for now. As the bright lights blazed and flashbulbs popped, Dino scanned the area for any potential threats.
No matter that the tickets had all been purchased months in advance and all the attendees and their guests had undergone extensive background searches prior to arrival, this place was still far too open and massive for Dino’s comfort. Not with Jan’s stalker still lurking around out there somewhere.
Someone bumped into him from behind, and he glanced over his shoulder to see an actress who’d just won that year’s top award. She didn’t apologize or acknowledge his presence, just kept on moving like he wasn’t there. Hell, to these people he probably wasn’t. Next to her stood the country’s top-earning quarterback and his tabloid-cover bride.
While Jan posed for photos and did several on-the-spot interviews for the entertainment networks, he stood off to the side, watching as limo after limo swerved up to the curb at the end of the carpet to deliver the cream of the current celebrity crop. All of it drove Jan’s fame home to him like a sucker punch to his gut.
She was a superstar.
A mix of pride and disappointment welled in his chest. Pride for what she’d accomplished. Disappointment over what he’d lost. He fit into this world about as well as diamonds in a dumpster.
Jan glanced over at him and tilted her head slightly to indicate she was ready to move on, and he stepped in beside her once more. Together they walked into the grand marble lobby that had been closed to the public for tonight’s event. He led her through the crowd and down a lovely arched marble hallway through a set of double doors into the grand ballroom, decorated like an Italian fever dream.
Twinkle lights and low-slung crystal chandeliers sparkled in the candlelight from thousands of votive tea lights scattered atop the tables. People mingled about, weaving through the maze of tables with their lush floral centerpieces, and the air all but sizzled with excitement and anticipation.
Dino scanned the crowd for anything amiss, his attention distracted by the beautiful woman at his side and the fact that he felt so out of his league with her he wondered if they even existed in the same zip code anymore. Glitterati from all walks of life, business tycoons to movie moguls, came by to greet Jan with a quick kiss or brief hug. Not one of them so much as glanced at Dino.
He supposed he should be thankful. Doing his job was easier from the shadows, and honestly, he couldn’t care less what these idiots thought of who he was or what he did for a living. What did bother him though was the fact that since they’d walked in the front doors to this place, Jan had been acting
just like the rest of them. The extensive bio he’d studied on her had mentioned “diva” behavior, but he’d never experienced it from her. Until now.
From her fake smile to her frou-frou air kisses and flouncy behavior, it all made him want to put her across his knee and spank her for acting like a brat. Or kiss her senseless until the real Jan, the one he knew and loved, returned. Either way, he could tell already that this evening was going to last forever.
“Oh, there’s Lou,” Jan exclaimed with faux enthusiasm. “Let’s go say hello.”
She bustled across the room toward her manager, while Dino trailed along behind her, keeping an eye on anyone who ventured too close. She waited for a moment while Lou finished up his conversation with whomever it was he was talking to, and Jan glanced up at Dino, catching his eye briefly. In their stormy blue-gray depths, he glimpsed a blend of yearning and defiance that made his chest ache. Then it was gone, so fast he wondered if he’d imagined it.
“There’s my doll,” Lou said, leaning into Jan to kiss the air beside each of her cheeks while she did the same to him. “How’s Mr. Beefcake there treating you tonight? Good, I hope.”
Dino raised a brow at Lou for the remark but remained silent.
“He’s fine.” Jan waved a dismissive hand in Dino’s direction without looking at him.
“And so are you.” Lou gave a wolf whistle and spun Jan around by one hand, making the skirt of her gown lift even higher and giving the entire ballroom one hell of a show. Several nearby males applauded, and Dino clenched his fists, ready to pummel something, anything, to release the unbearable frustration and tension inside him. It was bad enough Lou ogled Jan—did he have to invite the rest of the damned ballroom to do it too? “Damn, cupcake. You do look fine.”
