by WL Knightly
Thomas couldn’t imagine the number of drugs that had gone from Max’s hand to Starr’s without getting angry, and he didn’t even want to think about the many other ways the man had taken advantage of her while she was under contract at Collier’s mansion.
She had let herself get in over her head, and before he knew it, she was too far gone. Desperation had set in a few times, and while Thomas hadn’t seen it firsthand, he had heard about it from his mother.
“You’ve got to help her,” his mom had said. “She’s going to lose everything if she keeps going like this. She’s got too bright a future.” His mom had pleaded with him more than once about it, but Thomas had his own life and career to worry about at the time, and other than having talks with her, telling her to act right, there wasn’t anything he could do.
At least that was what he used to tell himself. Now, he wished he had dropped everything back then to get her the help she needed. While she had played it off, it wasn’t until she came up missing that he could fully admit she had a more serious problem.
All of a sudden, he saw Max emerge from the club a lot earlier than expected, and he decided to follow him down the street to where he was parked.
When the man got in his car, he stayed on the phone for a few minutes before pulling away, and Thomas did his best to follow without being seen.
It wasn’t until he realized the man was making a late run out to the mansion that Thomas decided to bail for the evening.
Before he did, he stopped at the lookout down the street again and waited for the man to arrive at the house.
As he turned on the audio for the bug, hoping to tune into another episode of Collier drama, he didn’t expect Lana’s voice. “It’s the rules!” she shouted.
“The rules here suck,” said a tinny voice. “I have never had a curfew before. Why now?”
“Because of what happened to Cassie,” said another voice. It sounded a bit more mature, but she soon dispelled that myth by whining as much as the other one. “We’re all going to have to sit here bored for the rest of our lives because of her.”
All of a sudden, one of them grew excited. “It’s Uncle Max!” He could hear some racket in the house and, soon, footsteps.
“Don’t call him that,” scolded Lana. “It makes you sound like a hooker.”
“He likes it,” said the tinny voice. “And besides, he looks like my uncle.”
“Hey, ladies. You all look good enough to eat.” Max’s voice boomed much louder as he entered, and the girls’ excitement nearly busted Thomas’s eardrums.
As they oohed and ahhed over “Uncle Max,” Thomas had a feeling the man lived for the attention. He had made sure to insert himself in that household on a regular basis, from what he could tell, and there were probably a million secrets in that brain of his.
“How are my two favorite girls tonight?” he asked.
“Spoiled,” said Lana before the others could speak. “And ungrateful.”
“Can we get a joint, Uncle Max?” one of the girls asked. “Please?”
Both girls joined in together for a chorus of pleading.
“How can I refuse those gorgeous faces?”
“Take it and go to your room,” said Lana. “And don’t stay up all night. We have photos tomorrow.”
“I thought we had shopping tomorrow,” said the tinny voice as it faded in the distance.
When they seemed to clear out, he heard Lana mumbling something about the girls that he didn’t quite pick up.
“Of course, they’re acting out. They’re all nervous,” said Max. “Pixie said that she’s scared what happened to Cassie was going to happen to her.”
“If she keeps getting on my nerves, it just might.” Footsteps clicked on the floor.
“She talked me into giving her something for her nerves yesterday. She said she couldn’t sleep. I told her I really shouldn’t, but you know I can’t refuse them.”
“Stop giving them drugs,” said Lana. “I don’t need another junkie with her hand in the cookie jar.” There was a brief pause until Lana’s voice sounded again. “What are you doing here anyway?”
“You don’t know? I thought you knew everything that went on around here. I thought if a mouse farted in the pantry closet, you’d be the first one to smell it.”
“Do you have to be so vulgar? Besides, if I did know, I wouldn’t have asked. It’s kind of late for you, isn’t it?”
“Roald called me down.”
“He’s in his office. Bryan came in just before you. Must be a boy thing.”
He could tell by Lana’s tone that she didn’t like being left out, and he knew that he was going to have to play that against her sooner or later, especially if he ever needed her on his side.
Thomas listened as footsteps faded and changed the audio to the second device so he could hear in the office.
As soon as he tuned in, Roald spoke up. “Max. Thanks for coming.”
“Yeah, no problem. Is something wrong?”
“You tell us. Are you selling to Asher?”
“Not directly. Not so far. Lana had worked it all out for now.”
“See that you do. He needs to think you trust him.” If Roald’s words weren’t enough to let the men know he meant business, his tone was. “I want you to get something on him. Make sure it’s good.”
“No problem.”
“I trust you took care of business today,” said Roald, as if directing the question to someone else.
“Actually,” chimed in another voice as Bryan Howler made himself known. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. The place was a mess, and I didn’t find shit there. I slipped one of the neighbors a hundy, and he told me there was gunfire there today. From the description of the people he saw, it was the same two who showed up here. Apparently, they chased someone out of the apartment.”
“Charles and that reporter?” Roald asked.
“That’s what it sounded like to me.”
“Well, if there was anything hidden there before, I’m sure they found it by now.”
“There probably wasn’t anything to find,” said Max.
Roald didn’t sound too convinced. “She kept her cell phone. It was one I had issued to her. And she’s been to the lodge, so she knows things.”
“Yeah, but she thinks it’s a fucking vacation like the other girls,” said Bryan.
“Not Cassie. She wanted to get a bit kinky this one time I took her, and she definitely knows there are other girls staying there.”
“She wouldn’t betray you. I’m sure she just wanted to keep the photos or numbers on the phone. There was probably a picture of some guy she liked. Cassie was a good girl. She just got wrapped up in something bad, is all.”
“I hope you’re right. For all of our sakes. If she talked, we’re all in trouble.”
“None of that can come back on you. You worry too much. How about some of this to calm you down?” Max was good at offering things people needed. He was a walking Dr. Feelgood, but Thomas had his number now and knew better than to accept house calls.
“No thanks,” said Roald, not taking what he was offered.
“I’ll just leave it here for later.”
“Suit yourself,” said Roald. “Would you send Lana in on your way out?”
Max must have nodded his response because Thomas couldn’t hear it. Some time went by, long enough for him to leave the room, and Bryan and Roald kept talking.
“I want you to keep looking into that Charles guy,” said Roald. “He’s getting a bit too close for comfort. I don’t want him stumbling onto something he shouldn’t.”
“What about Lana’s new squeeze? Are you sure you can trust Max with that? I don’t mind handling it.”
Thomas was amused they mentioned him. He really hoped the man thought he could take him out of the picture. He liked a challenge, and this was going to make things a hell of a lot more interesting.
“Don’t bother with Lana. She’ll get bored with him soon eno
ugh. I think it’s best we don’t rock that boat just yet.”
“You wanted to see me?” came Lana’s voice not a second later. She must have interrupted the two, and Thomas wondered if she had listened before announcing herself.
“I’m going to run,” said Bryan, interrupting. “Can I get my cut early this week?”
Thomas wondered what kind of deal the two had been involved with, but he didn’t elaborate. The two were probably so neck deep in dirty dealings they could hardly keep their heads above it. Whatever it was, he didn’t bother being discreet about it in front of Lana.
“Sure, I’ll cut you a check first thing in the morning.”
“Thanks. Goodnight. Goodnight, Lana.”
When the door shut, things went quiet again. “Come here,” said Roald, calling Lana to him.
“I was just going to head to bed.”
“I’d like it if you stayed with me tonight,” he said. “It’s been a while.”
“Sure,” she said as if she had forgotten Thomas’s name. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, but I just feel like it’s been too long, and I guess I need some reassurance that you’re still my girl.”
“Always,” she said, her voice getting louder. Thomas wondered if she was approaching the desk, and soon the sound of talking turned to soft moans and the sound of lips smacking as they kissed.
“What has you bothered?” she said. “Surely it isn’t Thomas.”
“No. I’m just afraid that it might be time to move the girls.”
“Move them? That’s too dangerous, isn’t it?”
“I could talk to Finn and see if he can arrange something local.”
“It took a lot of money to secure the lodge. I think it’s just a bit too early to start freaking out.” Thomas could tell by her tone that whatever they were considering was a big move. The idea of it had her frightened.
“I just want to get a plan in case. Or else I’m going to have to shut it down, and you know what that means.” The doom in the man’s tone didn’t sit well with Thomas. He couldn’t let him change anything at the lodge until he was able to figure out where it was.
“I think you should have a plan, but don’t do anything in haste. You’ll regret it later. Trust me, Roald. And I say this knowing that you know I only have the best interest for us when I tell you not to worry.”
“I just want to make sure there is something left for you.”
“You’re too good to me,” she said before going quiet again. Thomas didn’t want to think about what was going on, but it really didn’t make any difference to him.
He listened to them ramble on some more about things he didn’t care about and finally decided to head back into town.
On his way, he turned down Carlotta Canyon Road to detour and saw a crowd of young people gathered out front of one of the houses. He could see the scuffle in the front yard and figured he’d call it in and keep driving. It wasn’t like he was on duty, and what did he care if a bunch of rich punks beat the hell out of each other? But as he passed the house, one person caught his eye. “Son of a bitch,” he said, knowing he had no choice but to get involved.
He whipped the car over and killed the engine. When he got out, the sound of the fight and cheering got louder, and he could see that the familiar face was not enjoying the show.
“Stop it,” screamed Alice as he approached. “Cash, stop! You have to stop this now!”
The young man reached out and grabbed Alice’s neck before he pushed her off of him.
Thomas stepped in just in time and put Alice at his back as he faced off with the younger kid. “You watch yourself,” he warned, knowing if he hurt the boy, he would have his parents to deal with. “I don’t think you want to do that. And maybe you should do what she says. Break this shit up and get out of here before I have to lock you up for promoting violence for monetary gain.”
The young prick’s face twisted with emotion. “Dude, it’s my house.”
“So maybe I should call your parents? Because I’m pretty sure they don’t know this is what you’re doing tonight. Let me guess. Are they out of town? I doubt they’ll like their night ruined when I force them to come back and bail out your sorry ass.”
“Fine. I’ll end it. I’ve got enough footage anyway.” He turned and faced his friends. “That’s enough. Stop!” yelled Cash. “Time out.”
As he went to deal with his crowd, Thomas didn’t wait to see what he did and took Alice by the arm.
“Thomas, wait! I can explain everything.” She tried to plant her heels, but he didn’t care if he had to drag her or pick her up and tuck her under his arm. She was leaving.
“Come on, Alice,” he said. “I’m taking you home.”
“Please don’t tell my sister.”
“You can tell your sister.”
“She’ll kill me.”
Thomas opened the passenger side of his car and helped her in the front seat. “It didn’t look like you were worried about your safety five seconds ago.”
“Those two guys fighting are really friends. They only do this for exhibitions.”
“Let me guess. Your little-pricked boyfriend puts it online for everyone to watch?”
“Yeah. He gets a lot of views that way.”
“Right. And I guess when he starts knocking you around, that’s going to get him views too.”
“He wouldn’t hit me.” Alice seemed so sure.
“No, he would just grab you by the neck and push you. Same thing. It will only get worse.”
“No, you don’t know him. He’s not like that.”
“Nah, I do know him. That’s what you don’t get. Besides, you can do better.”
Alice went quiet for a minute as he turned onto another road.
“I actually wanted to talk to you,” she said. “But with everything that went on with our sisters, I guess I just didn’t want to bother you.”
“You are not a bother,” he said, meeting her eye. “And you can always talk to me. You know that?” It was then he realized how much she had grown since the last time he saw her. She looked so much like her sister. It made him think about days gone by and how much he used to wish he was a part of their family.
“Well, it probably doesn’t matter now. Cash is never going to speak to me again.”
“You are better off without him, trust me. What was it about anyway?” He needed to know if she was okay.
“Well, I saw this video the other day, and I gave it to Sarah.”
He had forgotten about that. Of course, she had seen it. Sarah said as much when she showed up at the station with it. He had been so sidetracked over everything else he had going on. He hadn’t considered the effect it would have on her. “You don’t need to think about that anymore. It’s being investigated. The FBI will handle it.”
“I know. My sister has had him over a couple of times already to talk about it. Cash and I took some of the notes she took for her article and were going to post about it online. Cash thought he could make a killing with that one subject, but when she found out, she warned him not to use it, and now she won’t even help us.”
“Alice, don’t make me take her side. You know you shouldn’t be doing that shit. You don’t need money.”
“Yeah, right.”
“What do you mean? Sarah doesn’t let you have any?”
“What money? Mom and Dad didn’t leave us anything. And Sarah is only selling enough of her work to pay the bills and put food on the table. If you can call it that. Her cooking hasn’t improved. You really dodged a bullet there.”
Thomas realized that Sarah hadn’t told her about the trust her parents had for her and wondered if there was a reason. “You’ve got a birthday coming up, don’t you?” He didn’t want to spoil anything, so he decided not to mention it. That was just like her. Or what he remembered anyway. Before she turned sour on him.
“Yeah. I’ll be eighteen.”
“Yeah? God, that doesn’t seem right.”
&n
bsp; “I’ve already graduated,” she said.
“I know. I watched you walk across the stage and give that thumbs-up to Sarah.”
She sat up and angled in her seat. “You were there?”
“Of course.”
“Why didn’t you come and say hello?”
“Because you were with Sarah. Congratulations, by the way.”
“Thanks. She still treats me like I’m a kid.”
“You are a kid. Turning eighteen doesn’t make you suddenly mature overnight, and from what I just saw back there, you’ve got a lot of growing up to do.”
“I guess you’re mad at me too,” she said, sinking back down in her seat.
“No, just disappointed. I’d never been mad at you.”
“You’re mad at Sarah, and you loved her.”
The ache in his chest was like someone had just stabbed him through the heart. He wasn’t sure how to respond.
“You hate her, don’t you? For the stuff she wrote?”
“I don’t think we should talk about that.” He was livid just thinking about it.
“Fine. But she says that she didn’t do it.”
“What do you mean?” He knew she had. He had read it with his own eyes. It even had her name proudly displayed at the top of the article.
“She says the editors did it. I don’t know. She feels bad about it.”
“Mhm. I’m sure she does.” He turned down the access street and wished Alice would change the subject. Sarah had done what she did out of spite.
Thankfully, they were almost to her house.
“Do you think that there is hope for couples getting back together once they’ve broken up?”
“There’s no hope for Sarah and me if that’s what you’re asking.” She wouldn’t have him even if he did want her back, which he didn’t.
“I’m not. I meant Cash and me.”
Thomas sighed, wishing he could forbid her from seeing the guy, but he knew the more he pushed the point, the more she would want to be with him.
When they pulled up to the house, he got out and walked her to the door.
He wanted to make sure Sarah at least knew what Alice had been up to.
“Do you think this is a good idea?” asked Alice as Thomas opened the door for her.
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
