by Laura DeLuca
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The heavy thumping rattled the walls, and startled Drew so much that the letter slipped from his fingers. The pounding persisted as he bent over to scoop it up, even more demanding. Drew doubted Lainey would be so forceful, and he was pretty sure she’d let herself in anyway. They were past formalities in their relationship, and he’d left the door unlocked in anticipation of her arrival. He wasn’t expecting anyone else. Few people were aware he’d acquired a new home. So who could be knocking?
Setting his priceless correspondence down in a safe place, Drew trudged to the foyer to see who was raising such a ruckus. Unfortunately, the solid mahogany wood had no peephole, so all he could do was swing open the front door. When he realized who stood in the entranceway, Drew’s jaw practically hit the floor.
“It’s about damn time.”
Never one to wait for an invitation, Paulie brushed past Drew into the foyer, filled with arrogant authority, despite the fact that Drew stood at least a foot taller than him. He creased his beady eyes into slits and gave Drew an accusing stare, all the while brandishing a stack of newspapers in his hand like a weapon.
“Paulie? When ... how...?”
“These seashore bumpkins are rubbing off on you, Andy.” His agent set his lips in a pencil-thin frown. “You’ve already lost your ability to articulate. But if you’re asking me what I’m doing here, I took the first flight out of L.A. as soon as I heard about this.”
Paulie held up one of the papers he’d been carrying and Drew almost threw up. The bile literally rose into his throat and he had to swallow hard to fight it back down. He had no idea it was possible to go from feeling so fabulous and optimistic, to hideously ill and filled with premonitions of dread in two seconds flat. But that headline turned his stomach. The icy hand of fear pressed his heart in a vicelike grip that was all consuming. He leaned one hand against the wall, knowing he gawked at Paulie like a moron, but somehow unable to get his mind to function past the shock of what he was reading. How had those bastards found him? He’d been so careful...
“Let me see that.”
With trembling hands, Drew found the strength to snatch the tabloid from Paulie’s stubby fingers. He was horrified to see a photo of him and Lainey walking hand in hand on the beach, along with a smaller image of Catherine sobbing in the corner. An instant headache made it hard to focus on the headlines, but it said something about the end of Candy—a fictional duo that had never existed to begin with.
“Oh my God.” Drew sucked in a deep breath. “Th—this is terrible.”
“You’re tellin’ me.” Paulie pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is a publicity nightmare. I can’t believe you got yourself into this mess—and less than a week before the premiere for Christ sakes! You should’ve learned your lesson after that whole drug fiasco a few years back. Somehow I managed to pull your ass back out of the gutter after that one, but this—trashy liaisons with some nobody? The fans will turn on you for sure. What the hell were you thinking? If you have to play the field, at least find somebody worthy of the headline!”
Drew looked up from the paper. He’d almost forgotten his agent was there, and the last thing he cared about was bad publicity. As he scanned the article, his one concern was Lainey. What would she think when she saw this? And he knew for a fact she would eventually. Not only did it reveal his true career, it also suggested he had another girlfriend waiting in the wings back in Hollywood.
Drew released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “I can’t believe this happened. I thought I was off their radar.”
Paulie shook his head. “You’re never off their radar, kid. Doesn’t matter where you try to hole yourself up, the press will always find you. It’s the price of being a star. And trust me; you haven’t seen the worst of it.” Paulie tossed another rolled-up paper in his direction. Drew was amazed his reflexes were sharp enough to catch it in mid-air. “Wait until you take a gander at this one. Next thing you know I’ll be reading about you drinking Kool-Aid laced with cyanide.”
Drew narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Just read the damn article.”
When Drew lifted the paper, his whole universe tilted on its axis. Of all the crap printed about him over the years, this was the most outrageous and the most potentially damaging. Maybe not to his career—the fans only loved him more when he was the center of a scandal, but to his relationship with Lainey. Cults? Orgies? Goddamn paparazzi. They always twisted things around to make a quick profit. They didn’t care whose careers they ruined, whose reputations were destroyed or who got hurt. Drew barely skimmed a few lines before his head started to pound. Furious, he crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the face of his disgruntled agent.
“This is bullshit, Paulie!” Drew raged. “It was a freaking drum circle—a drum circle for Christ sakes! Nothing crazy happened and the closest we came to getting naked was kicking off our shoes! Everything in this article is a pack of lies!”
Paulie threw up his hands in defense and took a step backward, out of the line of fire. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. I didn’t write the damn column. In fact, I flew all the way here to try to salvage your career and your relationship with Cat. She was none too pleased when—”
“I am not in a relationship with Cat!” Drew slammed his fist into the wall so hard he made a dent in the plaster. “That’s a lie you fabricated as a lame publicity stunt, without my consent I might add. So if you think about it, you’re just as much at fault here as the damn paparazzi. How do I know you didn’t feed the story to the press yourself to try to lure me out of hiding?”
Drew was furious, actually seething, but he could tell he pushed Paulie too far. His agent’s face turned a strange combination of red and purple and there was a big vein throbbing in his forehead. He waddled over and pointed a fat finger in Drew’s face. “You can’t put this on my shoulders. Yes, I’ve done everything but chain a tow truck to your ass to drag you back to L.A., but that was all an attempt to keep something like this from happening. You’re the one who ran off half-cocked trying to escape the Hollywood blues, pretending you’re something you just ain’t anymore. You think I haven’t seen this crap before? I’ve been in this business longer than you’ve been alive. Your desire to be an average Joe is what caused all this bullshit and you got no one to blame but yourself that the whole thing exploded in your face.”
Drew wanted to fight back, but he had to grudgingly admit Paulie was partially right. Of course, it wasn’t something he’d say out loud. His agent already considered himself the master of the universe and Drew wasn’t about to add to his inflated sense of self-importance. So instead, he changed the subject.
“How did you find me here anyway?” Drew demanded. “The Jersey shore is a big place, and I know the creepers haven’t found me here. If they had, I’m sure they’d be camped out in the backyard.”
Paulie sighed. His flushed cheeks turned back to their normal chalky white. “A buddy of mine works on one of these rags and he gave me a heads up, for a price of course. He told me a reporter down here in Jersey recognized you at some charity event, put two and two together after some big donation. He gave them information on the chick you’ve been messing with, where she works and her hang outs, and they’ve been following her to get to you. He tried to sell his snapshots to one of the papers in New York, but instead they sent their own guy down here to scope things out. Once the seed is planted in a batch of manure, it don’t take long for the rumor grapevine to run rampant.”
Drew raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t tell me how you found my house. All the places in the paper were public spots, but I was pretty careful about keeping this location under wraps.”
Paulie shrugged his shoulders. “When your accountant realized you were in trouble, I talked him into giving me the location of this uhhh...” He paused and scratched his head. “Lovely abode.”
“That bastard,” Drew swore. “I’ll fire his ass.”
&nbs
p; “Now, don’t take this out on Ross,” Paulie cautioned. “He’s the best in his business, but so am I. When I want information I can weasel an admission from a tongue-less nun who took a vow of silence. Besides, Ross had your best interests at heart. And believe it or not buddy, so do I. I know I’m a hard ass sometimes, but you’re like a son to me, Andy. I don’t like to see you acting so crazy and jeopardizing everything you worked for.”
“Crazy?” Drew shook his head. “Paulie, for the first time in five years I actually feel sane. So what if I took an extended vacation? It was the best thing I ever did. I learned to relax a little and I even fell in love...”
“Love? Whoa boy!” Paulie crossed his arms. “Vacation girlfriends are all well and good, but you can’t expect to bring this chick back to Hollywood. I’ve seen her pictures. Her kind won’t survive the glamorous life.”
“You don’t know anything about her! Lainey is the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.”
Paulie was unimpressed. “If you insist on keeping this going, I give her five months before she swallows a bottle of valium.”
“You’re a real schmuck, you know that, Paulie?” Drew said through gritted teeth. “A completely heartless pig.”
Paulie shrugged again. “Hey, call me whatever names you like, but I calls them like I sees them.”
Drew was tempted to hit something again, but he didn’t think his hand could handle another impact with the wall without breaking a few fingers. And as tempting as it was, using Paulie as a punching bag wasn’t an option either, no matter how much he deserved it. His callous attitude wasn’t helping, but the person Drew was really angry with was himself. Instead of sulking about it, he needed to take action, starting with finding Lainey. Without another word, Drew stomped back to the living room to retrieve his phone. As an afterthought, he grabbed the letter from the literary agent and tucked it in his back pocket. Using speed dial to punch in her number, Drew prayed he’d catch Lainey before she got to his house. The last thing he wanted to do was introduce her to Paulie.
“Hey, it’s Lainey. I’m currently unplugged from the matrix, but you can leave a message at the beep. Peace out.”
Drew cursed under his breath when the call went to voicemail. He tried to steady his speech before he left a message. “Lainey, it’s Drew. Call me back as soon as you get this. There’s been a change of plans. I have a slight ... infestation problem I have to deal with before we start painting. I’m hoping we can hang out at your place tonight instead. There are a few things I need to talk to you about anyway. Love you.”
Drew had a sinking feeling as he disconnected the call. He checked the time on his watch. It had been well over fifteen minutes since Lainey had phoned in to take his order. The convenience store was only a few blocks down the road. Even if it was busy, she definitely should’ve been there by now.
“Andy, what the hell are you doing in here?” Paulie stomped in and twisted his face in disdain when he noticed the paint cans. “You can’t seriously tell me you’re here trying to play Martha Stewart. You know there are minions you can bankroll to do the dirty work. You have better things to do with your time. You do realize the premiere of Masked Secrets is just a few days away, right?”
A part of Drew wanted to retaliate, insult for insult, and explain that some people actually enjoyed fixing up their own homes, but the fight had quickly gone out of him. He was concerned about Lainey, and his head pounded in time with his nervous heartbeat. “I am aware and I already have my flight booked. I bought a new tux and the limo is rented. I’ll be there for the premiere and will make the necessary appearances. You have nothing to worry about. Go back home and wait for me. You don’t belong here.”
Paulie curled his lips. “I got news for you, buddy. Neither do you.”
Paulie was always good at reading him, knowing exactly what to say to make Drew doubt himself. But nothing had ever cut quite so deep. Perhaps because his agent was right. He’d been living in a dream world, thinking he could be a regular guy with a normal, everyday life. Now the secret was out and the fantasy was over. And if he didn’t get to Lainey before the reporters found her, their relationship would be history too.
Without another word, Drew pushed past Paulie and marched out the door, refusing to as much as glance in the older man’s direction. Once on the veranda, he debated for a moment whether to go or stay. He worried Lainey might show up after he’d left, and find Paulie fuming on his doorstep. But since there was only one road leading into Cape May Point, if she was on her way, he’d probably pass her on the street and could wave her down. So Drew jumped into his car and peeled out of the driveway, kicking up rocks and debris as he sped along. Fighting the urge to put the petal to the floor, he cruised slowly down the street, keeping an eye out for the familiar Fiat. He made it all the way to the store without passing more than two or three other drivers, none of which were Lainey. Frustrated, Drew pulled into the parking lot and looked around, but there was no sign of her there either.
“Damn it, Lainey, where are you?”
Drew punched the steering wheel, setting off the horn and making his already bruised fingers ache. He ignored the curious stares of the patrons walking into the store. This wasn’t a good sign. It was as though she’d vanished. Desperate, he pulled out his cell for the second time and frantically dialed her number. Once again, he got her voicemail. This time when he left his message, even his acting abilities couldn’t keep the anxiety from creeping into his voice.
“Lainey, sweetie, please call me back. I really need to talk to you.”
Drew felt like a yoyo, but he drove all the way back to his house, just in case Lainey knew some obsolete back road she hadn’t shared with him. She wasn’t there, but Drew was relieved to see Paulie had gotten the message and vacated the area. Alone in the yard, Drew got out of the car and paced up and down the driveway a few times before collapsing onto the steps with his head in his hands. This whole mess had caused a major migraine. He would’ve given anything for Lainey to pull up and run her soothing hands along his neck. She always knew exactly what to do, how to touch him, to make him feel better. But at least half an hour went by and there was still no sign of her. Obviously something had gone terribly wrong since there last chat. Flinching against the suddenly overly bright sunlight, Drew attempted one last phone call.
“Lainey, it’s been over an hour. I’m getting worried. I’m going out to search for you. If you get this message, call me back or meet up with me at your condo.”
Drew’s hands trembled as he disconnected the call. He’d been trying to deny the facts, but it was time to consider the possibility that Lainey had seen the tabloids. The convenience store always had them lined up right by the checkout line, and even if she hadn’t noticed it herself, any one of her friends could’ve come across the articles. He was sure even a casual acquaintance would drop everything and call to blow the whistle. Had something else delayed her—a flat tire or engine trouble—he would’ve seen her on the road. Even if she suddenly felt ill and went home, he was certain she would’ve called. The idea made him feel sick himself, but regardless of whether she had learned the truth or not, he couldn’t sit around any longer.
“I’ve got to find her.”
Drew stood on shaky legs and headed toward his car, clicking the auto unlock button on his keychain. His need to get to Lainey was urgent, but he had to stop before he pulled open the door. He clung to the handle, trying to steady himself as a wave of dizziness washed over him. Pain shot through his head that felt like shards of glass being plunged into his eye sockets, but he pushed past it. He didn’t have time for this crap now. He had to find Lainey and make sure she was safe. That was the only thing that mattered.
Drew climbed into the driver’s seat, ignoring the occasional blur of his vision as his head continued to thump in protest. He also disregarded the speed limit, taking the turns at twice the legal range. He was lucky there weren’t many cops lurking around Cape May Point this time of year because h
e couldn’t spare any more delays. First he stopped at the insurance place, in case Lainey had been called back to the office for some claim related emergency. When he didn’t see her car there, he spun by Blanche’s house. No sign of Lainey there either. Erin lived in Cape May, but he wasn’t sure of her address, so he couldn’t check with her. He had no choice but to precede to Wildwood. If that didn’t work out, he wondered if he could remember how to get out to Sharon’s place in Bellplain.
With his route mapped out, Drew pulled onto the parkway. He tried Lainey’s number one last time as he drove. Again, he was forced to leave a message.
“Lainey, please call me back,” Drew pleaded. He didn’t even try to cover up his desperation anymore. “I need to know you’re all right.”
The twenty minute ride to the island was one of the longest of Drew’s life. No matter how quickly he coasted, the skeletal forms of the unlit Ferris wheel and roller coaster in the distance never seemed to get any closer. He couldn’t even pump up the music to try to distract himself because the bass made his head pound in time with the beat. He felt queasy and light-headed. Still, when he pulled into the underground lot and noticed Lainey’s Fiat tucked away in its normal spot, he breathed a sigh of relief. That meant she was unharmed—at least physically. He could stop imagining kidnap scenarios. But the fact that she’d blown him off without so much as a phone call of explanation didn’t bode well for him. A small piece of Drew wanted to take the coward’s way out. Just turn and run, and preserve all the beautiful memories he’d made in the last few months. Maybe sit things out until the media storm blew over and then try to reach out to her. But in his heart, Drew knew that wasn’t the answer. After all, running away is what had gotten him into this mess in the first place. It was time to man up and accept whatever punishment Lainey saw fit to deliver.
