"You're the one," Barb said, her voice shrill with venom and hatred. "He was looking for me, but you pretended you were me, didn’t you? You stole him from me."
Something flashed in front of her, and Mia took her eyes off Barb's face long enough to see the chef's knife in her hand. "I don't want him now," Barb spat out. "He's unfaithful. A betrayer. He cheated on Gemma, then he lied to me. He has to pay." She held the blade in front of her, testing the edge with her finger. Blood began to trickle down the silver blade and onto the black handle.
"Put the knife down, Barb," Mia said, pulling her gun out of the holster and creeping closer. "It's over. You're not going to hurt him. I won't let you."
Barb edged around the table, holding the knife in front of her, still testing the sharpness of the blade. Blood dripped onto the asphalt, black drops in the dim light. There were only a couple of plastic chairs separating her from Mia.
"You won't let me?" she spat. "How are you going to stop me? You think he wants you? He wants me. He's always wanted me. But he's betrayed me too many times. He has to be punished. When a man betrays you, he deserves punishment." She twisted the knife in her hand, still testing the blade. Blood spattered onto a white table, spreading in a dark red pool.
"Stop, Barb. Put the knife down and raise your hands."
The woman kept moving, her gaze slipping past Mia and zeroing in on something behind her. Or someone. Was Finn there?
Of course he was. He wouldn't leave her to face Barb by herself.
Adrenaline shot through her body, fueled by terror at the danger he was in. It sped up her heart beat. Quickened her breath.
Love flooded her as well, for the courageous, stupid man behind her. "Finn!" Mia yelled. "Get out of here! Right now."
Barb kept moving, her gaze fixed on a point behind Mia. On Finn. Hatred twisted Barb's expression into a frightening mask, one that reminded Mia of a medieval painting of the lost souls in hell. "Stop! Now!" Mia ordered, raising her gun. She didn't want to shoot the woman. She wanted to take her into custody. Get her the help she needed.
But she'd do what she had to do to protect Finn.
"You think you can tell me what to do?" Barb's gaze flicked over Mia. Dismissed her. She stared over Mia's shoulder. "You betrayed me," she spat out, her voice rising in intensity. "And now you have to die."
Barb lunged to the side, stumbling over a chair, ignoring Mia completely.
"Get back, Finn," Mia yelled as she sidestepped to avoid the knife and reached for Barb.
Shoving the chair into Mia, Barb lunged again. For Finn.
Steadying herself on the chair, Mia edged closer to Barb. The woman transferred her attention to Mia. "Get out of my way," she screamed, twisting the knife back and forth.
When Mia didn't move, she lifted the knife. Mia tightened her finger on the trigger, aiming for Barb's center mass.
Barb drew her arm back. Just before Mia pulled the trigger, a can of soda flew through the air, hitting Barb's shoulder and sending her stumbling backward. The knife skittered across the asphalt with a harsh scraping sound.
The bullet hit the concrete wall and ricocheted away.
The woman screamed as she rushed at Mia, her hands curled into claws. Mia stepped aside and pushed Barb to the ground, then put a knee on the woman's back as she fished her handcuffs from her belt.
Once her hands were secured behind her, Mia pulled Barb to her feet. The woman twisted and writhed, trying to free her hands, screaming unintelligible words at Mia.
Holding onto Barb's arms, Mia glanced over her shoulder and found Finn a step away. "Did you find another cop?" she asked.
"He's coming. I sent Jenna for him. I wasn't about to leave you."
Remembering the knife in Barb's hand, the way she'd lunged at Finn, Mia's blood ran cold. "She could have killed you!" Mia yelled at him. "You put yourself right in front of her. What were you thinking?" He was distracting Barb, Mia realized, a chill racing through her. Protecting her from the woman with the knife.
As she was yelling at Finn, one of the off-duty officers ran over. "She needs to be patted down," Mia said, her arms aching from trying to restrain Barb. "I couldn't do that and control her at the same time."
A crew member materialized. "I've got her," he said. He had to be one of Doug's undercover officers.
He replaced her hands on Barb and held the twisting, writhing woman while the off-duty cop, a young woman, pulled on gloves and patted her down.
Barb had a small stoppered vial in her pocket, and the cop slid it into an evidence bag. Then they hauled the still-screaming woman to a clear area where they could control her more easily as they waited for the squad car the cop had already called.
Mia backed away, the adrenaline burn making her shake, as she re-holstered her gun. The entire cast and crew of the movie had pressed close, watching and murmuring. The massive lamps illuminating the scene turned them into shadows passing in and out of the light.
The scream of approaching sirens settled Mia, made her take a deep breath. "Get back," she called to the actors and crew members. "On the other side of the street. This is a crime scene."
When no one moved, she headed toward the crowd, her hand resting on her gun. "I'm not going to tell you again. Back up. Now." She scanned the crowd, making eye contact with one person after another. Finally, they began to move.
Jenna Stanton was the last one to back up. She stared at Mia, at the gun on her waist. "You're a cop," she finally said, her mouth twisting in a dismissive smirk. "Nothing more than his bodyguard. You've been playing a game all this time." She tossed her hair. "I knew you weren't his type."
Too shaken to play this game, Mia glanced at the woman, then back at the crowd, making sure they were still backing up. "I don't think you are, either, Jenna."
The woman said something else, but Mia didn't bother to listen. She didn't have to play games with Jenna Stanton anymore. Barb was in custody. Mia's role as Finn's bodyguard was over.
By the time the two squad cars rolled to a stop, everyone was on the opposite side except Barb, the two officers holding her arms, Finn and Mia.
Officers jumped out of both cars and hurried over to take charge of Barb. They wrestled her into the back seat of one of the squad cars, then came back to take everyone's statements.
Mia went first, describing what had happened. Pointed out the knife on the ground, the drops of blood from Barb's fingers, the shell casing on the ground from the bullet she'd fired.
After she finished, the undercover cop and the off-duty woman working security stepped up to answer questions, Finn drew Mia to the side and put his hands on her shoulders. "You all right?"
"I'm fine." She drew in a deep, shuddering breath. "You, on the other hand, are in a shit-load of trouble. I told you to back away, but you didn't." She grabbed his shirt and gripped it in her fists. "She wanted to kill you. Do you know how I felt when I saw the man I love five feet away from a woman with a knife?" She shook him hard. "I could have lost you."
He froze for a long moment. Stared at her. She replayed what she'd said to him, and her stomach swooped to her feet. Shit. She hadn't meant to say that. Had never meant to tell him she'd fallen in love with him.
They stared at each other for a long moment, neither of them speaking. Then he put his hands over hers on his chest. "I wasn't going to let you face her by yourself. Who do you think threw that can of soda at her?"
"That was you?" Mia asked, frowning.
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "All-state shortstop in high school," he said with a wobbly grin. "Guess I still have it."
They were going to pretend she'd never said it. That was the smart thing to do. But her heart still ached and tears prickled her eyes. Reaction to the adrenaline, she told herself.
"I guess you do, hotshot." She let go of his shirt and elbowed him lightly in the ribs. "Let's go. You're going to have to wait for me to show you how grateful I am for your heroic pitch. You have no idea how much paperwork I have
to do."
Chapter 26
As he struggled out of sleep, Finn automatically reached for Mia. When his hand touched nothing but the sheets, he cracked his eyes open. She was on the other side of the bed.
Only half-awake, Finn rolled over and reached for her. When his hand slid off the silky skin of her shoulder, he forced his eyes to focus and found her watching him. Sunlight flooded the room, making her eyes the bright blue of a tropical sea.
"Hey," he murmured, tugging her closer. "What are you doing so far away? And why are you awake? Didn't I tire you out last night?"
A smile softened her mouth but didn't reach her eyes as she reached for his hand. Slipping her fingers through his, she said, "My brain's too noisy to sleep. All kinds of thoughts bumping into each other up there."
From the sad expression on her face a moment ago, they weren't happy thoughts. "Is that so?" he said, wishing he could wipe away her sadness. He wasn't having any success in banishing his own, though. So he needed another strategy. "Think I can distract you?"
"I hope so," she said, moving close enough to press her body against his. "I didn’t know you were such a sleepyhead. I was ready to wake you up to have my way with you."
"You can wake me up whenever you want, babe," he said as he ran his tongue along the seam of her mouth. Mia opened to him immediately, her kiss hard and desperate and needy.
The way she clung to him was a reminder of how little time they had left together. Deepening their kiss, he was determined to make every second count.
He was kissing his way down her body when his phone began vibrating, dancing across the table next to the bed. Ignoring it, he swirled his tongue around her navel, enjoying the way her muscles quivered.
Mia put her hand on his head. "It's someone named Angie," she said, scooting away from him. "She called twice while you were sleeping."
Finn flopped onto the bed beside her. "My publicist. Damn it! Why this morning?"
Mia handed him the phone and slid up against the headboard of the bed, pulling the sheet over herself. "Probably something to do with the mess with Barb last night."
Mia had helped him forget all about Barb Riddle. Leaning against the headboard, he pushed the call button. "Angie. This better be damn good."
"I think you'll like it, Finn. Turn on the Star channel. Interesting interview coming up in five minutes."
"About the film?" he asked, reaching for the remote.
"In a way. I'll call you later."
Finn ended the call and tossed the phone onto the table. "Do you mind?" he asked Mia. "I'll make it up to you."
She looped her arm through his and pressed against him from shoulder to hip. "I'm counting on it," she said, nudging him. "Turn on the television."
By the time they found the Star channel, a perky blond reporter was looking into the camera, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "…Lars Benson, the drummer from Gemma Radley's band. Lars, welcome to the Star Factor."
"Thanks, Tiffany. Good to be here."
Finn's teeth clenched as he stared at the blond man with the California surfer boy good looks. The last time he'd seen Benson, the asshole had been naked in his bed with Finn's girlfriend. "Not sure I want to watch this."
"Maybe you should hear what he has to say." Mia snuggled closer. "You can turn it off any time."
"…shocking revelations on Gawker this morning," Tiffany said, her voice breathless. "Thank you for agreeing to come on Star Factor and clarify them for our audience."
Benson's expression turned serious. As if the jerk had something important to say. "I’m ashamed it's taken me so long to come forward," he said somberly. "But after hearing about what happened last night, I felt as if I didn't have a choice."
"The attack on Finn O'Rourke, you mean?"
"Yeah. O'Rourke's gotten nothing but crap from the press and the public for the last year and a half," he said, turning away from the camera to stare at Tiffany. "From the Star channel and everyone else. It's time someone set the record straight."
"And you're going to do that," Tiffany prodded.
"Damn right I am." He stared into the camera again. "Gemma didn't catch O'Rourke in bed with someone. She was in bed with me at his house. O'Rourke walked in on us banging."
Finn sucked in a breath, and Mia slid her hand into his. Wrapped her other hand around his biceps and held him close.
"That's not what Gemma said."
"Of course it isn't," Benson scoffed. "Gemma knew exactly when O'Rourke would get home. She planned it so he'd catch us."
Finn bit back a gasp. The anger he'd locked up in a dark place for the past year and a half roared out of hiding. He almost missed Tiffany's next words as he struggled to rein in in.
"That's a serious accusation, Lars. Gemma Radley has already issued a statement accusing you of lying. She said you're trying to punish her because she broke up with you. And Finn O'Rourke has never denied Gemma's story."
"Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with that guy. Does he think he's being all gentlemanly or something? What an idiot. Gemma pretty much ruined his career."
"So these accusations are nothing more than 'he said, she said'," Tiffany said with a smirk.
"Nope." Benson reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "Gemma released a new song last week. A breakup song. When we took it into the studio and I heard it for the first time, I knew what was coming. So when she said we were over, I recorded our conversation. That bitch has been using me, the same way she used O'Rourke. And after what happened in Chicago last night, it's time to come clean."
"Oh, my God," Mia breathed.
Finn tightened his grip on Mia's hand as Lars pressed a button on his phone. "Really?" Benson said, his voice tinny on the recording. "You're dumping me?" There was the sound of movement, as if Benson had leaned forward. To better record the conversation? "At least you didn't set me up like you did to O'Rourke. Am I supposed to be grateful for that?"
There was a too-long silence. "You're more of a bastard that Finn ever was." The distinctive low, growly voice was clearly Gemma's. "I knew you'd have gotten even if I set you up like I did to Finn."
"What I still can't figure is why you bothered going to all that trouble. If you were sick of O'Rourke, you could have just dumped him."
"You were never the sharpest crayon in the box, Lars. Just dumping him wouldn't have done me any good. My career was tanking, and I need a boost. Other musicians have used break-up songs to break out." Gemma's voice was the sulky whine that had always grated on Finn's last nerve. "Finn has always been such an altar boy.
"If I made him out to be the bad guy, I knew I could play the wronged girlfriend and kick up my record sales."
"Wow, Gemma." Lars' voice. "That's really nasty, even for you. Weren't you afraid he'd call you on your bullshit?"
"Finn wouldn't have contradicted me," Gemma said, her cold voice confident. "He's too nice to do that."
Benson pressed the off button on his phone. "There it is. In Gemma's own words."
Finn reached for the remote and turned off the television. For a long moment, he stared at the black screen, beyond stunned. He wasn't sure he'd heard correctly. He had no idea how to react to Benson's revelations.
"That was…that was amazing," Mia said, swiveling to face him. She cupped his face in her hands. "That guy just gave you your career back."
Finn shook his head slowly, focusing on Mia. Staring at him, joy and love in her eyes. For him. Mia was real. Genuine. Happy for him, with no hidden agenda, no plans to use this revelation to help herself.
Mia was the only real thing in his life. Even the movie he was filming, the movie that Sean was so sure would be a breakout performance for him, was only an illusion.
Last night, Mia had told him she loved him. She hadn't meant to do it, but she hadn't taken it back.
Finn had ignored her words. Did that make him as bad as Gemma? Was he using Mia, just like Gemma had used him?
His phone rang again before he could think it
through. He grabbed it like the lifeline it was, stabbing at the green call button.
"Did you see it, Finn?" his publicist asked, her voice quivering with excitement. "That loser Benson's interview on Star?"
"Yeah, I saw it." He reached for Mia's hand, and she pressed her palm against his as she curled into him. His skin prickled wherever they touched.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me what had really happened with Gemma?" Angie's voice rose until he had to hold the phone away from his ear. "We could have put a stop to that bitch's lies right at the beginning."
"Angie, you know damn well it wouldn't have made any difference if I'd denied it. Gemma got her story out first. It doesn't matter now. I've moved past it and gotten on with my life."
What a liar he was. Mia had told him she loved him, and he'd ignored her. Because of what Gemma had done to him?
Before today, he would have said no. But before today, he wouldn't have imagined that hearing Gemma's lies revealed would shake him to his core.
"You need to get back here, Finn. Everyone and his brother will want to interview you. This is perfect timing. Great publicity for Dark Vengeance. You're done filming, aren't you?"
"I have one more day."
"Location or green screen?"
"Not sure," he lied. It was two scenes that needed to be shot in front of a green screen. But if he told her that, Angie would insist he come back to Los Angeles. He didn't want to cut short his time with Mia.
"I have calls coming in. I'll talk to you later," Angie said, hanging up before he could respond.
He dropped the phone onto the bed and turned to Mia. Reached out and pulled her against him. He breathed in her citrusy orange scent and trailed his fingers over her warm, smooth body, trying to absorb as much of her as possible. Fix her in his memory.
God, he was going to miss Mia. He hadn't realized how much until now. They weren't going to have another few days – he'd be leaving today. He'd been in this business long enough to know what came next.
Protect Me Page 24
