Pretending She’s Mine

by Paige, Violet

  “I never thought that chick would have had a gun. It still blows my mind. Since when do yogis carry guns?”

  My head jerked. “What did you say?”

  Tristan looked at me. “Who are you, exactly? Did you get a new manager, Journey?”

  Journey intervened. “No. No. I still have Dante. This is Asher Westbrook. He’s personally investigating the shooting,” she explained. “It would be a huge help if you could answer any questions he has. He owns Westbrook Securities. We’re using all his resources to find the attacker.”

  “What did you just say, Tristan?” I pressed again. “Yogi?”

  He blew a long breath of air. “She must be bat-shit crazy. Didn’t get Zen on that morning.”

  I stood at the foot of the bed. “Are you saying you saw the shooter and it was a woman?”

  Tristan looked at me then Journey. “Yeah. I saw her. She was maybe twenty feet from us, standing between the cars. She had on yoga pants and a tank top.”

  “And that makes her a yogi?” I questioned.

  He shook his head. “I saw her before she raised the gun because she had a fluorescent Namaste on her shirt. It was bright even at sunrise. In fact, if she hadn’t had that on I wouldn’t have had time to step in front of Journey.” He turned his gaze upward and she smiled at him.

  “You were so brave.”

  What in the hell did this mean? The emails had been from a man. The gym video had been too blurry to distinguish any characteristics of the shooter, but we had all assumed it was a male suspect. What the fuck was going on?

  “What else? What else do you remember? Did you recognize her from the gym? A client maybe?”

  He rubbed his temple with his free hand. The other was strapped in a sling.

  Journey gave me a stern look, cautioning me to slow down. I didn’t care if I was rushing him. It felt as if the information could disappear. I needed to extract it.

  “No.” He shook his head. “I’ve never seen her before. That was the first time.”

  “Anything else out of the ordinary besides the shirt? Tattoos? Piercings? Can you describe how tall she was?”

  Tristan paused. “She did have a tattoo on her wrist.”

  “You saw that?” I was surprised.

  “I probably wouldn’t have noticed it except it was on her shooting arm. I wasn’t close enough to see what it said. But it was like time stood still. I saw the gun, like it was frozen or something and then I saw the tattoo.”

  “But it said something? You’re sure it was words and not a drawing?”

  “I think so. I don’t know for sure. It seems like it was a message, not just one word.” He scrunched his forehead in concentration.

  Journey patted his arm. “Let’s take a little break. I don’t want you to get a headache. Can I get you something? Want some water? Or a protein shake?”

  He laughed. “No. I’m good.”

  I wanted to run through the analysis again. I needed to call Tomas at the office. He was my lead agent and had updated me every hour on all incoming information. He never once mentioned the shooter could have been a woman. We were certain it was an obsessed fan. Some lunatic who thought Journey had shunned him. A guy. A psychopath. A male. It had to be.

  The shooting had all the signs of a revenge attack. The emails seemed to confirm our theory.

  But now I realized we had been wrong from the beginning.

  “Journey, we need to go.”

  “But, we just got here,” she argued. “I want to stay a little longer.”

  I eyed her. That wasn’t going to be possible with this revelation.

  I placed my hand on her shoulder and extended a hand to Tristan. “Thank you for what you did. I hope you know it makes you a hero.” He shook my hand, gripping probably more than he should.

  “Thanks, man.”

  I squeezed her shoulder. “We’ve got to reassess the protocols for tonight. We need to discuss if it’s even possible to leave the compound.”

  “But tonight is the first awards dinner.”

  If I had to throw her over my shoulder and carry her out of here kicking and screaming, I would.

  “Journey, if you want to go to that dinner, we need to leave now. All the plans have shifted.”

  She nodded. Maybe she was starting to realize there were things she had to compromise too.

  “It’s all right,” Tristan offered. “I’ve got some hot nurses waiting on me.” He winked at her again.

  “You say your goodbyes and I’ll wait in the hallway for you.”

  “Ok.”

  I stepped through the door and waited for her outside the room.

  A minute later she appeared.

  “Is it really that bad?” I saw the worry on her face and had to admit she had been strong in there for Tristan.

  I nodded. “Worse. But you’re not alone, babe. You’re not going to be alone.”

  She squeezed my hand. “I know. For the first time in a long time I actually believe that.”

  “Good. Let’s get out of this hospital and go somewhere we can talk. Everything has changed.”

  Our palms slid together as we traveled through the corridor and exited the back entrance of the hospital. I scanned the sidewalk and the parking bays before ducking inside the car after Journey. The sick feeling that had started when I realized we were off track with the suspect had grown. I wondered what else we had gotten wrong.

  Seventeen

  Journey

  I don’t know what I thought it would feel like being inside the beach house again. The last time I was here I dressed, poured a smoothie, and left for my killer workout session with Tristan. I grimaced. Bad choice of words.

  I wandered through the rooms, feeling like a stranger.

  Asher followed behind me. “I’ve added additional window sensors and laser triggers at all entry points. I don’t have a full computer system installed, but by the end of the week you’ll have the best tech I’ve got.”

  “Mmmhmm.” I nodded absently.

  I looked out at the ocean breaking against the shore. It was rough today.

  There were two men planted on the beach, wearing ball caps. There were two more in my driveway. This didn’t feel like home. I missed Big Bear.

  Suddenly, Asher’s arms wrapped around me. He kissed the side of my head.

  “Something’s wrong. What is it?” he asked.

  I didn’t want to admit he was right. I was more comfortable at the cabin. I liked the serenity and isolation. I didn’t realize how soothing it was until it was gone.

  “It sounds dumb.”

  “Try me.”

  I sighed. “It feels creepy here. Like someone’s watching. Maybe it’s all the windows.”

  It was why I had loved the old house to begin with. It wasn’t one of the new fancy Malibu houses. It had been here since the first wave of celebrities moved to the coast in the fifties. The windows stretched from the floor to the ceiling. I had loved the sunlight. Now I wished I could board up the windows and hide.

  Those beautiful old windows made my skin crawl.

  “Let’s head back to Big Bear,” he offered. “We don’t have to stay here. Nothing says you’re locked into the beach house.”

  I shook my head. I had finally achieved the greatest recognition in my career. I couldn’t let some maniac ruin that for me. This was my time. My hard work had gotten me here.

  “I’m not going to be scared out of my own home. Besides, I’m not going to miss my first awards dinner. I have a dress you’re going to love.”

  I spun to face him. Maybe all I needed was a little Asher distraction.

  “What kind of dress?” he asked.

  “A very low-cut black dress.” I grinned, flattening my hands against the ridges of his abs.

  “Is that so?”

  I nodded. “Want a preview before tonight?”

  He brushed his lips over mine. “I’d love a preview, but I have to go over the schematics for the venue.”

  I st
uck my bottom lip out. “Schematics over sex?”

  “Believe me. Not an easy decision, but the dinner is only a few hours away, unless you want to cancel. In that case I promise to put your dress to good use right now.” He gripped my ass roughly and I moaned. “Want a trade?” he taunted.

  I shook my head. “You know I can’t do that.”

  “Then sex will wait.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Fine.” He took a step back. “But you aren’t leaving, are you?” Little alarm bells went off under my skin. I didn’t want to stay in the beach house alone even if I was under heavy protection. I couldn’t bear it without him.

  “No. I’ll be here. I’ve had everything sent to my tablet. I’m not leaving.”

  I sighed. “Good. Maybe I’ll lie down then. Can you work in my room? There’s a desk.”

  “I can do that.”

  He followed me down the hall to the master bedroom. It was a suite I remodeled as soon as I bought the house. There were soft blush hues mixed with a pale sky blue. I liked to think it was somehow both cool and warm at the same time.

  He watched as I curled up in the center of the bed. Asher pulled a blanket over me, draping it at my shoulders.

  “Don’t let me oversleep,” I warned. “I need at least two hours for hair and makeup.”

  “Got it. I remember your schedule.” He smiled.

  “I remember all of this.” I knew I sounded sleepy. My body felt heavy and exhausted.

  “All of what?” he asked, running a hand over my hip.

  My eyes burned too much to open. “The way we fit together.” I turned into the feather pillow. “The way your hands feel. The bourbon you drink.”

  “You remember all that?”

  “Mmmhmm.” I nodded. “And how no one else in their right mind gets up at 5am to work out. Except us.”

  “What?” he asked. “What did you say?”

  I thought there was something different in his voice.

  “I never dated anyone after you who wanted to wake up before five. We’re the crazy ones, I guess.” I didn’t know if either of us liked it, but it was what we had trained our bodies to do. He had always been meant for early-morning military PT. Even when he was no longer a Seal.

  “No one else you dated…” His voice trailed off. “Holy fuck.”

  My eyes blinked open. Oh great. I had opened Pandora’s box.

  “I-I didn’t mean to say I dated other people. I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to bring that up. Just forget I said anything.”

  He waved me off. “It’s not that. I dated other people, Journey.”

  “It’s ok. I know.” I just wanted him to rub my hip and put me back to sleep.

  “No. I said something once.” He walked from the bed and paced in front of the window.

  This nap was going nowhere. I pushed myself up. “What is it, Asher?”

  He sat in an overstuffed chair. It was funny, it could actually make him look normal-sized. He folded his hands together.

  His eyes landed on me. “There was a girl I dated.”

  “We each have a mini-past. I’m ok with it. We don’t have to go through this.”

  He shook his head. “This girl. She wanted more from me. She wanted to take me home to meet her parents and buy a dog together. She was serious. More serious than I ever was about her.” His eyes drifted across the room. “And I was an ass to her. I said something shitty.”

  I didn’t know why he was confessing, but I listened. I didn’t want or need to rehash our separation. I knew it would reveal itself in fragments as we got to know each other again.

  “It couldn’t have been that bad. You’ve never said anything I couldn’t forgive.”

  He huffed. “I said, ‘You really think I want to meet your parents? I don’t even want to spend my 5am workouts with you.’” He paused. “She laughed and said that was ridiculous, no woman would get up that early anyway. And instead of keeping my fucking mouth shut, I told her she was wrong. I told her I loved 5am with you. That you were worth the sting of the morning. That you were the kind of woman I wanted to take home. That I’d buy a dog with you, because 5am workouts with you were what made me want to wake up every day.”

  I swallowed hard and my stomach knotted. “Oh my God.”

  He closed his eyes. “This is my fucking fault.”

  I rushed from the bed and knelt in front of him. “You think it’s her? The girl you dated?”

  His eyes hardened. “She had a tattoo on her wrist. Something from a college spring break trip.”

  I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think.

  “Where is she?” I asked, shaking him. “Where did she go when you broke up?”

  He lifted his head. “She moved from New York to L.A.”

  Eighteen

  Asher

  I deserved that bullet. Me. I was the one who should have been in the hospital. I should have had to fight for my life. Not Tristan, and especially not Journey.

  I had swallowed Claire and spit her out. Used her. I never pretended to want a relationship. The terms were always clear, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t an ass. I never let anyone get too close. Not with Avajean in my life and Journey in my past. At some point, that behavior was going to catch up to me.

  That day had come.

  I couldn’t stand the look on Journey’s face.

  I pushed her off me and rose from the chair. “I need to call Tomas and get Claire’s profile to the police.”

  “Claire? That’s her name?”

  “We dated a few months ago. I guess two or three maybe?” I didn’t have the exact date. It hadn’t mattered that much. “She texted and told me she was moving to L.A. I thought it was just to get a reaction from me. She wanted me to ask her to stay. I don’t know. I don’t do mind games. And honestly, I didn’t care. I haven’t heard from her since.”

  “Then how do you know it was her, Asher? You don’t know for sure it was this woman you knew. This might be one jump too many.”

  “It’s not.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed the office. I looked at Journey. “She knew about you. I said too much. I don’t know why.” I walked out of the bedroom when Tomas answered.

  “I have an ID on the Tessier shooter.”

  “You do?” He sounded surprised.

  “Her name is Claire Stephens. She doesn’t have a criminal record. I’ll send a picture. I’ve got one on my cloud. Roughly 5’6”. Black hair. Green eyes. Moved to L.A. in the past two months. I don’t have an address. We have to find her. She isn’t done.”

  “As soon as I have the picture I’ll start scanning for facial recognition.”

  “We leave in two hours for the dinner. I can’t take Journey out of the house with Claire waiting for her.”

  “I understand.”

  Nothing else mattered right now except finding Claire. She could be in the house next door. She could be parked in a car down the street. She knew me, and she knew about Journey.

  My next call was to the detective contact I had at the LAPD. Officer Erickson took the information I gave him, but without any evidence or proof, he wasn’t willing to go after an accused woman. It was my word and hunch, and he had to follow the law.

  I didn’t.

  I met with the four agents at the house. They all had shots of Claire on their phones. If they recognized her from when we dated, they didn’t mention it.

  I vetted Journey’s hairstylist and makeup artist at the door. They were patted down for weapons and I personally searched them for anything planted. Journey thought I overreacted. They had worked for her for years, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t taking any chances.

  The only good thing about tonight’s dinner was it kept Journey distracted. For two hours, she could focus on transforming into a Hollywood starlit. I’d worry about her safety and let the artists do their work.

  I spoke to the driver while Journey was upstairs getting ready. I wanted to make sure we took a different route than what was expected from Malibu. We neede
d to stay in well-lit areas. Any unexpected stops, and he had instructions to detour immediately.

  I walked into the house just as Journey emerged from the double set of doors at the end of the corridor.

  She walked toward me, her hips swaying seductively. This was the girl I didn’t recognize sometimes. The star. The woman people saw in the theater. People screamed and fainted when they saw this version of her. They pushed and scrambled for autographs and selfies.

  And here she was, walking into my arms.

  “God, you’re gorgeous.”

  “You like the dress?” She smiled like a devilish cat.

  My eyes dipped to the deep V that ran to her navel. “Sexy as hell.”

  She smiled and I saw the light blush on her cheeks.

  The doorbell rang and I tensed.

  “It’s just Dante. He wanted to ride with us.” She leaned to kiss my cheek before entering the foyer.

  I rushed in front of her. I didn’t care there was an agent at the door, she wasn’t going near any open spaces.

  “I’ve got it.” I looked over my shoulder. “And you should have told me he was coming. We aren’t operating under normal circumstances.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would be a big deal. It’s just Dante. He goes everywhere with me.”

  I huffed and let the manager inside. He was wearing a dark purple tux.

  “Babe, stunning. Truly stunning.” He ignored me and embraced Journey.

  “Thank you. I love that color tux. Armani?” she asked.

  “It’s going to pop on the red carpet.”

  I fucking hated the red carpet. Tonight more than usual. Claire could be anywhere in the crowd.

  “Are we ready?” Journey asked, looking at me.

  I nodded. “But not out the front.” I pointed the staircase that led under the house. “We have three cars tonight. We’re going in car number two.”

  Dante’s eyes bulged. “I had forgotten how thorough you were.”

  I slapped him on the back, almost sending him down the stairs. “Not something you should forget, man.”

  Nineteen