Black Light: Rescued

by Livia Grant

  Trevor confirmed her worst nightmare. "It was all a hoax. We know you're Khloe's stalker."

  His words were like a knife to her heart. Surely if she looked down, she would find blood flowing onto her expensive gown.

  Natalie incredibly boasted. "We're in the entertainment business. We feed the media what it needs, that's all. We've learned how to give them what they want, and in exchange, our clients get what they want. Exposure. Fame."

  "Jail time," Trevor deadpanned.

  Natalie's high-pitched laugh made her sound insane. "Don't be ridiculous. No lines have been crossed. This is show-business."

  "See, that's where you're wrong. You knowingly helped Justin Lange defraud his insurance company. You helped arrange for his estranged wife to receive her payoff and even helped book a charter plane for her flight to Mexico. And don't even get me started with the questions surrounding exactly whose body it was that burned up in Justin's car that night, although I'm pretty sure the police are going to want to ask you a few questions about that."

  Bernie let out a low groan as he continued to clutch at his chest.

  Trevor ruthlessly continued with his verbal assault. "And the charity foundation that collected all of the donations for Robby Goldberg's son's recovery fund was very interested to hear that the young boy had actually never been diagnosed with so much as a common cold, let alone leukemia. It didn't sound like they were too happy about being used as a patsy to collect funds for a group of liars. I'd be expecting a call from their lawyers, too, if I were you."

  "You sonofabitch. I don't know where the hell you're getting your information, but you have no clue what you're talking about."

  "All we had to do was follow the money. The money trail never lies."

  It was Ryder's voice that filled the car. Khloe had been so enthralled listening as Trevor painted the tragic picture of how unethical the Kaplans were that she hadn't seen the smoky glass partition separating the passengers from the front seat of the moving limo slide open. Her heart thumped hard as their eyes locked.

  Natalie let out a shriek as she cowered away from the opening in the glass.

  Ryder started adding missing details. "Axel and I have been digging into this for the last few days. We have some grave concerns about the actions of your publicist and agent, Princess. We've confirmed they had access to every location threats were left, including keys to your New York apartment. They were stupid enough to send the threatening emails from their personal laptop, allowing us to trace the accounts to their IP address. They were even cocky enough to deposit the $25,000 check the studio gave them into their personal account."

  In a few brief seconds, she got answers to questions she hadn't even asked yet. Ryder and his friend Axel had dug into the case, and within a few days, had uncovered the ugly truth about people she'd trusted to help her career. More answers started clicking into place for her. How they'd pushed to use the stalker details for fodder with the press to gain Khloe additional airtime.

  But why? They were so successful. Why would they stoop to illegal activities at this stage in their career? She had to know.

  "Why did you do it?"

  "Do what?" Natalie spat.

  "Any of it. All of it. Fake her death. Fake a kid's illness. Fake my stalker."

  "Like I said, don't be naive, Khloe. This is how publicity and fame work. You've been around long enough to know I'm right. You don't get to benefit from all we've done for you and your career and then complain about how we did it. I'd rather you just say thank you."

  "Thank you? Are you fucking nuts? You scared the shit out of me. I thought I was going to be kidnapped. Raped."

  "Well, if you weren't such a goodie-two-shoes, we would have let you in on the plan. You could have taken a nice two week vacation down to some out-of-the-way island and then come back and made the rounds with all of the media outlets to tell your story of your harrowing escape."

  "You're certifiable."

  "No. We're professionals. The best at what we do. I can see our talent was wasted on you, though. Effectively immediately, you are no longer our client."

  Khloe's manic laughter filled the small space. "Are you kidding me? As if I'd allow you to represent me knowing what I know now."

  Ryder's voice filled the interior of the luxury car again. "I'm afraid they won't be taking on any new clients. Not if I have anything to say about it."

  Natalie had finally recognized her husband was in distress and had turned in her seat to help him loosen his tie, ignoring Ryder's comment. "Hang on, Bernie. We're almost to the Marriott. You can take a blood pressure pill and lay down for a bit until you feel better."

  Ryder continued on, "I'm afraid that nap is gonna have to wait. I don't think where you're going has the same accommodations as the Marriott."

  As he finished his sentence, the limo pulled into the parking lot of a stately brick building with a steep set of stairs leading up to a pair of extra-tall doors. As they approached the building, Khloe could make out the words above the entrance, carved into the granite; Police Department - 10th District. At the bottom of the stairs, a half dozen news crews with cameras and microphones at the ready waited alongside three uniformed police officers.

  "What is the meaning of this? I demand you return us to the Marriott."

  Trevor chuckled. "I'm afraid your demanding days are over, Natalie. But some good news. You're about to become the biggest story on the evening news. I know how much you love to manipulate the news cycle."

  "You little shit. You think you're so funny. There's no way they'll dig up anything on us. We made sure our trail is clean."

  Ryder reached through the glass to hold out a small electronic device just as Trevor removed the tie clip from his tie.

  "I hate to be the bearer of more bad news, but we've already handed over all of the evidence we've uncovered. It was substantial. But to be on the safe side, we've been transmitting every word since you got into the limo to the detectives working the case. They got to hear the details of all three cases from your own mouth." Ryder grinned. "They had just planned to ask you how your fingerprints were found on the package you sent to Khloe's parents in the Bronx, but thanks to your little tirade, I'm guessing they'll have a few more questions to ask now."

  Natalie pulled away from her husband to lunge at Ryder's face poking through the glass window. It was easy enough for him to pull away, leaving her to crash against the glass just before she started pounding with her fists in an angry attack. "You asshole! I knew you were trouble the minute I met you. I should have dropped Khloe then and there."

  The door next to Trevor opened and one of the policemen leaned in, addressing her bodyguard, "We'll take it from here. We may have some questions for you and Ms. Monroe, but I won't make you get out into this media circus. Please don't leave town. If we need anything else, we'll stop by the Marriott." The officer reached out to hand Trevor a business card before turning to the Kaplans.

  "I need you to step out of the car now, Mr. & Mrs. Kaplan."

  "I will not! There are too many cameras and reporters out there. If you have questions for us, you can come back to the Marriott for us as well."

  "I'm afraid that won't be possible."

  "And why not?"

  "Because you're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say..."

  The moment was surreal for Khloe as she listened to her agent and her publicist being read their rights as Trevor and the officer helped Bernie from the car before turning towards a defiant Natalie.

  "I won't go. You can't make me." The elderly woman shrunk back to the far side of the car, trying to avoid the clutches of the police officer when his partner opened the door right next to her. She literally fell into the officer's arms. She flailed in an attempt to break free, but she was no match for the muscular lawman as she screamed, "You can't do this to me! Not here. Not in front of the cameras!"

  When Natalie was almost out of the car, Ryder called out to her. "Don't worry! L
ike you said, there's no such thing as negative publicity. I'm sure you'll enjoy having your life ripped apart by the media as much as Khloe did."

  They would never know if Natalie answered him because the roar of the reporters shouting the Kaplans' names, crushing forward in hopes of getting a statement and a close-up picture, drowned out any conversation. Only when Trevor got back in and he and Ricky closed the car doors did the shouting get muffled.

  She should be happy that the stalker nightmare was over. It was sinking in that she'd never really been in any real danger in the first place, but that knowledge filled her with anger, not relief. A fury like she'd never felt before was burning in her empty gut. Rage at the Kaplans for duping her and so many others. Annoyance with herself for not seeing through their underhanded tactics. Irritation with Trevor and Ryder for collaborating behind her back to interrogate the Kaplans without filling her in ahead of time.

  But overriding all of those feelings was the strongest emotion of them all. Dread. Now that her stalker case looked like it would be closed, Ryder would no longer feel he needed to be there to protect her. In light of the scrutiny that was sure to come their way as the world found out about the Kaplans' lack of scruples, she knew that Ryder would be disappearing into the darker crevasses of the globe.

  Just as her tears started to fall, the limo came to a stop on a residential street not far from police station. The door next to Trevor opened and Ryder motioned for her bodyguard and friend to move to the seat recently vacated by the Kaplans. Ricky followed suit, leaving the back seat for Ryder to slide in and close the door before scooping a crying Khloe into his lap.

  She'd been trying to hold back her tears, but as soon as his arms enveloped her, Khloe clung to him with all of her might, letting the cocktail of emotions overcome her as she realized the case was solved.

  "Shhh. It's all over now, baby," Ryder comforted.

  The pent up sob she'd been holding back wailed from her as she agonized, "That's exactly what I'm worried about!"

  Chapter 25

  Khloe squirmed in his arms. They were both restless. That happened when you've been holed-up in the same room for three days.

  "Why are you such a wiggle-butt?" Ryder pulled her against his chest, letting her crawl on top of him as their sticky, naked bodies melded together.

  Khloe giggled. "I was lying in another wet spot. We seriously need to change these sheets. I'll be mortified if Jaxson, Chase and Emma see how many cum stains there are. We may need to buy them replacements."

  Ryder agreed. They'd put the round bed in their friends' loft through its paces. Three days and nights of nearly non-stop sex does that. The only other activities they'd allowed to breach their self-imposed fortress was sleeping, eating and talking into the wee hours of the night.

  "Can't we stay here forever?"

  She'd asked that question a half-dozen times already. He was losing his patience. Ryder was too practical to entertain such fairytale ideas.

  "Khloe..." he warned, using his best Dom voice that had her burrowing into his neck.

  She persisted, "But why not?"

  "You know why not. We've discussed it. The only way for us to really be together the way we want to is to make sure my enemies are neutralized."

  He'd had plenty of downtime to berate himself over his stupidity of leaving the Volkov fortress without putting a bullet into the head of every Volkov man. He was a realist. He didn't often waste valuable thinking time on regret, but there was no other way to describe his present state of mind.

  He regretted leaving the Volkov brothers breathing. How different his life would be if only he'd ended their lives before rescuing the Marshalls. He knew there was no knowing if he'd have been successful at escaping had he alerted the guards with gunfire, but he'd wasted enough time thinking about it. He needed to start focusing on how he'd get back inside long enough to do the deed.

  Khloe hugged him tighter, objecting to his next mission. "But that sounds too dangerous. I can't let you put yourself in jeopardy again."

  She didn't understand. It was what he'd been trained to do. Neutralizing threats against the United States of America was his life's work. Extinguishing anything that might threaten her safety, his new mission.

  He tried to change the subject. "Anyway, we're both getting a little bit stir-crazy. Next time we get together I'll be sure to find us a hideout where we can get outside some. Maybe a little beach cabana away from civilization?"

  The closer they got to saying their good-byes, the more he tried to talk about the next time they'd see each other. He told himself it was to keep Khloe calm, but he knew it was for himself, too. The thought of saying good-bye to her the next morning when she needed to fly out to the London release party for Dirty Business left him feeling empty. He dreaded the moment when he'd have to hand her security back over to McLean and walk away. He was grateful they had a trusted bodyguard to protect her, but it was nearly impossible to push down the anger and jealousy he felt at not being able to be the one to watch over the woman he loved.

  Khloe's left hand traced light circles around his exposed nipple, playfully stroking him as she giggled. "Honestly, I do think my who-ha could use a bit of a break."

  He chuckled, teasing her back. "Aw, poor baby. Are you getting sore?"

  She lifted her hand to slap him playfully. "Having wild, crazy, monkey sex for three days straight will do that to a girl."

  Ryder pounced, rolling them quickly to the middle of the bed, pinning his princess beneath him as he used his body weight to press her into the plush mattress.

  "I know how to solve this problem." He grinned. "I clearly haven't been using your other body parts sufficiently if your who-ha is too sore. I think it's time to spread the soreness to that puckered ass of yours. Then I can face fuck you to make sure you have a sore-throat to remember me by tomorrow on your flight."

  He watched her pupils dilate with a dash of desire and a touch of fear at his dirty promise.

  "Don't worry. Those body parts are already sufficiently achy." Was it possible that she was blushing? After all of the kinky shit they'd done together, it amazed him that the woman responsible for his three-day hard-on could still come off as an innocent.

  "I'm making sure you'll have something to remember me by while you're walking the red carpet in London. I wouldn't want you to forget me."

  "Like that could happen." Tears sprung into her expressive eyes. He'd let her cry it out several times already. It was time for her to start gathering her strength for their coming separation.

  "Enough tears. No wallowing. If you want to cry, we're going to need to go downstairs to Black Light where I can give you something to cry about."

  He loved the way her eyes widened with surprise at his words. He could tell she was tempted.

  "I don't want to share you with anyone," she objected quietly.

  "You know we're gonna have to leave here sometime. Life goes on. You have awards to receive. Movies to make."

  "I'd give it all up to stay here with you."

  Ryder was frustrated. "I thought you said you were happy with the plan to sneak away and spend a few days together every few months."

  "Happy isn't the right word. Am I relieved that you're not gonna walk out of my life, never to be seen again? Sure. But I'll never be happy about having to hide what we have together. About having to settle for just a few stolen days every few months."

  "Baby, it's the best I can offer right now. I'm going to work night and day to eliminate the threat against us so we can be together the way we both want to be. But until my enemies are dead, this is the best I can promise."

  "Why can't we talk on the phone? Or Skype? Even text."

  "Those aren't secure channels. I'm having an encrypted device brought over from Langley tomorrow morning before you leave. We can't use it for daily chitchat, but you will be able to use it to contact me. To leave me a message that I'll get and return as soon as I can safely communicate. And don't forget, we can both ro
ute messages through Davidson and Cartwright. They've offered to help."

  "I'm not going to pass love-notes through Jaxson and Chase. It all feels so high schoolish."

  "I'm not crazy about it either. I mean it's not like I can pass along the message of how much I love you and miss fucking you until your who-ha gets sore."

  A sad smile crinkled the tiny wrinkles at the corners of her gorgeous eyes.

  He pressed her again. "Listen. The club is open tonight. Let's go down and play."

  She hugged him tighter, wrapping her legs around his back as he pressed his growing cock against her sore snatch. "I want to stay here and keep you to myself."

  "And I want to string you up and flog you until you're on fire for me."

  "Sadist," she accused with a grin.

  "Guilty as charged."

  She wiggled beneath him, making his shaft easily slide through her wetness. "We don't need to go downstairs for me to be on fire for you."

  A pang of sheer adoration squeezed at his heart as he looked down into the playful eyes of the woman he loved. He pushed down his own sadness at the thought of having to go months before they'd be together again.

  He needed to get control. For both of them.

  He barked his order as he rolled off Khloe, pulling her along until he could slap her on the ass as he instructed her, "To the shower. We're going downstairs to play."

  Khloe scrambled to her feet, giggling as she got away from his pinching fingers. Her "Yes, sir," went straight to his cock.

  Christ, how the hell am I going to walk away from her tomorrow?

  It was still early by club standards, but Ryder was restless to get downstairs. You'd think a man who was used to being penned up for days on undercover surveillance missions wouldn't be going stir crazy, particularly considering he'd had Khloe's perfect body to keep him company for the last three days. But he knew the truth. The sooner he left, the sooner Vladimir, Oleg and especially Artel Volkov would meet their maker. Only then, would the weight of knowing he was putting the woman he loved in danger by being in her presence be lifted.