“Erica!” Trevor dashed toward her. His first instinct to free her.
She lifted her head a fraction and shook it. “Run.”
Her voice was so quiet he almost didn’t hear her. Run. Not on her life. And not without her. He knelt at her side to free her hands and arms of the duct tape that bound her.
“Leave it, Mr. Cole.”
Trevor’s whole body froze. He looked at the man now standing between him and the door. When Trevor looked the man over, he had to admit he was surprised. The man was still a kid. Twenty at most. The pudgy little guy couldn’t have been more than five feet tall. And that would’ve been on a good day. Judging by the bruise forming on his eye and his red, swollen nose, Trevor could tell today wasn’t exactly that. He gave Erica’s shoulder a proud squeeze.
“Edward Worthingham, I presume.”
Edward glared at Trevor and slammed the door. He smoothed the brown peach fuzz on his chin and said, “You know who I am.”
Trevor shook his head and shrugged. “Just hazarding a guess.” Determining that the man couldn’t be a real threat, Trevor reached to free Erica again. All of a sudden, he was shaking uncontrollably and dropped to the floor. A little drool slid from Trevor’s mouth, but otherwise he couldn’t move. Edward stood over him.
“I told you to leave it.” Trevor’s world went black.
Next thing he knew, Trevor was sitting, more or less, in an armchair. He could see Erica’s worried expression from across the room and tried to give her a reassuring smile. The left side of his face wasn’t working at the moment. Trevor tried to stand, but realized that his feet had been duct taped to the legs of the chair while his hands were bound in his lap.
“Mr. Cole. I’m so glad to see you’re awake.” Edward looked at the gunlike contraption he held. “I was beginning to think I hit you with too much juice.”
“What’d you …” Trevor tried to ask, but his tongue was too thick.
“You’ll be all right. For now.” Edward put the Taser on the coffee table and sat on the sofa facing Trevor. The man casually crossed his legs like they were having a civilized visit.
“Wha d’you … What do you want?” Trevor had to concentrate on enunciating each word. Not the easiest thing to do. He could still feel tiny jolts of electricity sparking around in his body. Not the kind he got from being near Erica, either.
Edward smiled. “I’m so glad you asked. It’s simple. I just want my money.”
Trevor frowned. “Your … I don’t have your money. I don’t even know you.”
“Not knowing me didn’t stop you from stealing from me, did it?” Spittle flew from Edward’s mouth like his rage got the best of him for a moment. He caught himself, relaxed and sat back again. “I’ve tried to be reasonable. I’ve asked you time and again to pay what you owe, but you wouldn’t even take a meeting. Mr. High and Mighty. But I’ve got your attention now, don’t I?”
“You crazy lunatic! I don’t owe you a meeting and certainly don’t owe you any cash.” Trevor was fed up with this little game. From behind Edward, he could see Erica shaking her head, trying to get him to back off. The sight of her bound just made him that much angrier. “You’re going to release us and turn yourself in to the police. You have a lot to answer for.”
“As do you.” Edward snatched the Taser from the table and swung it around to take aim at Erica. “I’ll make you talk to me one way or another. Even if I have to torture your stupid girlfriend to do it.”
“No!” Trevor yelled when he saw Edward’s finger tightening on the trigger.
Edward cocked his head to the side. “What? You don’t want to find out what happens when someone who’s bound gets Tasered? I bet it’ll be fun. She’d probably just snap a couple bones from the muscle twitches. No big deal.”
“Look. Whatever you think I owe, I’ll pay it. Just don’t hurt her.”
After a moment, Edward relaxed. He replaced the Taser on the coffee table and gave Trevor his full attention.
“I’m not trying to be unfair. Or even unreasonable. I just want what’s mine.”
“I understand. Just spell it out for me.”
Edward crossed his legs and held up a finger. “First, I want ninety percent of all the income you received from albums sales of Nitetime. Next, I want seventy percent of your take from all royalties received from Nitetime. You can keep your tour revenue. Mostly. I want a twenty-five percent cut of every venue where you’ve performed Nitetime.”
Trevor noticed Erica working on her bonds. He dragged his attention away and nodded. “I haven’t been paid for the album sales or any royalties, yet, but as soon as I do …”
“Not good enough. I want it upfront. I’m sure you have an accountant who can project my cut.”
“Yes, I do.”
“In addition, I’m to be paid a monthly usage fee going forward for as long as the album remains in release.” Edward leaned toward Trevor. “To be paid six months in advance. Do we understand each other?”
Trevor nodded. “I just have to call my accountant.” Trevor held up his bound hands and smiled his rock star smile. “I kinda need these to put this in motion.”
Edward glared at him. “No you don’t. I’ll hold the phone for you.” He crossed to Trevor. “What’s the number?”
Trevor looked at Erica. Edward was so close. If he could just … Erica was shaking her head like she’d read his mind. Edward nudged him. “The number?”
“Uh … I don’t know … it’s saved in my phone.”
Edward’s breath quickened when his anger resurfaced. “You wouldn’t be trying to jerk me around would you?” His fingers tangled painfully in Trevor’s hair and yanked his head back. “I don’t want to kill an income source, but I will.”
“I’m not jerking, I’m not!”
“I know the number!” Erica interjected. Trevor rolled his eyes down to see her. How would she? Edward abruptly let go of Trevor’s hair and approached Erica.
“Nice try, sweetheart. A man doesn’t trust his finances to a piece of ass.”
Erica affected a ditzy tone. “No, but when I sees the writing on the wall that he’s tired of me, I makes sure I have a nice parting gift.”
Edward smiled. Looked back at Trevor. “Looks like you bedded the wrong chick.” He turned his attention back to Erica. “What’s the number, doll?”
While Erica rattled off a number that Trevor had never even heard of before he realized what she was doing. She was calling in the cavalry. God, he wanted to kiss her. He opted instead for working his hands loose. He was still sweating so much from that Taser blast that he should be able to slip free.
Erica recited instructions to Edward who figured she was giving him account numbers, but Trevor knew she was giving specifics about the situation. While Edward blindly aided in his own downfall, Trevor thought about how much he loved Erica. Now that rescue was on the way, Trevor was eager to get to their happy ever after.
Edward pulled the phone abruptly from his ear. “They want a passcode.”
“Try fishes have fingers,” Erica suggested.
Edward repeated the ridiculous phrase into the phone and waited. He covered the phone again and glared at Trevor. “You! You changed it!” Edward stalked back over to Trevor and shoved the phone in his face. “He says he needs the correct code in your voice so get to it!”
Trevor searched his suddenly blank mind. He didn’t know any code. He looked to Erica. She mouthed, “Anything.”
“Uh … the sparrows are walking.”
Edward returned the phone to his ear and listened a bit longer. With each passing moment, his smile got larger and larger. He hung up the phone. “The sparrows are walking indeed. They’ll call back in fifteen minutes to confirm the transfer and then I’m out of here.”
“Why Nitetime? Is it your favorite or something?” Trevor couldn’t resist asking.
“Well, I wrote it. Of course it’s my favorite. It’s far superior to your usual drivel.”
Trevor frowned. �
��You are delusional. I wrote Nitetime last summer in Paris.”
“Stop lying!” Edward screamed at Trevor and smacked him in the head.
“Trevor!” Erica tried scooting closer. “Just leave it alone.”
“No way. I’m paying this guy a usage fee. I just wanna know what I get out of the deal.” Trevor glared up at Edward. “Let me get this straight, I’m now paying you a fee to use my own work. That’s rich.”
“It’s not your work and you know it! Or have you just gotten so caught up in the lie that even you don’t remember the truth?”
“What is the truth? Tell me.”
“I submitted that song to you personally right after I’d finished it. You stole it!”
“Neither me nor my people accept unsolicited work. I write my own music. End of story.”
“But you … you took it! All you had to do was say no. Every time I called your office to ask for it back, they’d say they didn’t know what I was talking about. Then you released the album. My track was the title track. You’d changed the name from One in a Tree, but I recognized it. An artist knows his own work.”
“One in a Tree? What the … you actually think I’d even look at a song with that title?” Trevor laughed. “Seriously. One what in a tree? Why is it in a tree to begin with?”
“Enough, Trevor!”
“You’re darn skippy. It is enough. This man has turned my life upside down. He’s costing me money, right this second because I’m supposed to be on tour, but instead I’m tied to a chair and listening to him babble about me stealing his song about a tree!” Trevor’s chest heaved with every angry breath he sucked in.
“You brought this on yourself. If you’d just given the napkin back … but no. You had to go record it. If you didn’t want to pay me, you should’ve just let me sell it to someone else!” Edward leaned down to get in Trevor’s face. “That song was my chance to show Mummy and Daddy I’m gainfully employed so they’d release my trust fund. And you Mr. High and Mighty Rock Star stole it from me while I have to make due with a paltry allowance! Who can live on a hundred grand a week anyway?”
“So let me piece this together. You wrote a song. On a napkin, no less, and expected to sell it? What was on the napkin? Lyrics? Music? What?”
“You know good and well it was the lyrics.”
“So you’re expecting a ninety percent cut of all the profits for a whole lot less than fifty percent of the work involved in getting the track produced?”
“Without my lyrics, that song is no good.”
“Newsflash, bucko, no one even knows the lyrics. So even if you did write them, which you did not, they’re not the reason the track sold. Even the music by itself ain’t all that. It was the production that sent if off the charts. And I can assure you, my producer was paid quite well for his work.” All his patience had run out with this nutjob. “And you actually believed you were going to break into the music industry with some song lyrics written on a napkin when there are tons of guys who are producing kick ass albums in the trunks of their cars who can’t get their work into the hands of an A&R exec? I bet you can’t even play an instrument.”
Edward reared up. “I can too! I learned the recorder in fifth grade.”
“What’s the fifth flat in an E flat scale?”
“None of that matters now. Once I earn my first dollar, Daddy’ll release the trust fund and I can retire.”
“Retire? You’re like twelve. You have nothing to retire from.” Trevor nailed the kid with a hostile glare. “I almost wish I had stolen your pathetic little ditty. A loser like you wouldn’t know what to do with it anyway.”
With that, Edward’s temper snapped. He dove at Trevor all flailing fists and battle cries. Erica could just sit there and watch.
“My God. Trevor! Get off of him!” she demanded and tried to hop her way into the fray.
Trevor’s chair tumbled backward and Edward slapped him repeatedly. Trevor used his bound hands to ward off the blows the best he could, but he still took a couple slaps. At last, Edward tired himself out. He stood and straightened his jacket. He pressed a hand to his chest like he needed to steady his heart, then sat Trevor upright again and fixed his clothing.
“Guess you got nothing to say now.”
Edward was just standing there, smirking at Trevor when his hand finally slid free of the tape. Trevor couldn’t say who was more surprised. Him or Edward. Not waiting around, Trevor sprang from the chair to tackle the man. With his feet still taped to the chair’s legs he couldn’t get very far, but it was far enough. He felled their assailant like a sack of bricks.
Edward screamed like a banshee and tried to get to the Taser. Trevor held on to the man for all he was worth. The chair hindered Trevor’s movement allowing Edward to get a grip on the weapon. The man fumbled, but got it under control. He aimed at Trevor and pulled the trigger.
Trevor tensed for the spasm he expected, but it never happened. He looked at Edward who was frowning at the thing. He shook it and pulled the trigger again. Trevor eased toward him.
“Stop!” Erica cried. “He didn’t reload, but he can still Tase you once he figures it out.”
Trevor nodded and worked at freeing his feet. He’d gotten one free when Edward’s face lit up. “Aha!” He gripped the Taser and headed toward Trevor again. “Now let’s see who the tough guy is.”
“It won’t be you. You had the advantage the whole time and you still haven’t won.” Trevor worked feverishly to free his other foot.
“Don’t let him touch you with it,” Erica warned while Edward approached Trevor. He spun on her and waved the Taser at her.
“Maybe I should shut you up first.” Edward took one step toward her when Trevor got himself totally free. He launched himself through the air and tackled Edward from behind. The man smacked his head on the hardwood floor and lost his grip on the weapon. It slid out of his reach. Three punches had him dazed enough for Trevor to step back. Edward rolled into a fetal position and cried. Trevor picked up the Taser and went to free Erica.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. You?” She checked him all over for injuries. She rubbed the mark the Taser left on his shoulder. “That’ll probably scar.”
He gave her a crooked smile. “Just make me that much sexier, right? Not that I need any help, though.”
Erica shrugged and bent to untape her feet. Trevor’d expected a joke or something from her, but she was all business. Trevor didn’t have time to ponder her standoffishness for much longer because Edward screamed and ran at them both again. Trevor picked up the Taser and held it so Edward ran into the prongs. The man dropped to the floor and convulsed with violent muscle spasms. Trevor watched dispassionately for a moment then continued to free Erica. Before he could check her injuries, the door burst open and cops swarmed the room.
They trained their guns on Trevor. “Drop the weapon!”
Erica held up her hands. “He’s the hostage!” She pointed to Edward. “That’s your kidnapper.”
Jason stepped in with his own weapon drawn. He took in the situation. “She’s one of us. He’s her client.”
The policemen lowered their rifles and handguns then proceeded to clean up the situation. The rest of the night and most of the early morning passed in a blur of giving statements and Edward crying about how he was robbed. When the excitement died down, Trevor realized he was alone. Erica was gone.
He rushed out of the house sure she was waiting for him outside. At the very least, she was his ride. Waiting at the curb instead was the guy who’d vouched for Erica when he’d first arrived. He was leaning casually against the hood of a black Mercedes with arms folded across his broad chest. Big mirrored sunglasses concealed most of his face, but his chiseled jaw was very much prominent. Especially while he chomped on a piece of gum. Erica worked with this dude every day? Trevor couldn’t help straightening to his full height. Nothing, but the man’s mouth moved when he said, “I’m your ride.”
The two men cli
mbed into the car. Once Trevor fastened his seatbelt, he ventured to ask, “Where’s Erica?”
The other man gritted his teeth. Trevor would hate to be that poor gum. “She resigned.”
His terse response had Trevor spinning to look at him. “What? Why?”
“She thinks she botched this case. Worthingham got to you.”
“That’s silly. He got in because I left. That was out of her control.”
The irritated look the man gave Trevor left him no doubts how he felt on the subject. “All of us know that.”
Trevor wisely let go of the conversation.
Erica couldn’t believe she was here. Hidden behind her very large sunglasses and humongous floppy hat, she scoped out the entire stadium. God it brought back memories. A smile creased her lips when she noted teams huddled in corners land drilling their routines. Some were near enough that she could hear them counting in unison.
Coaches surrounded the pool giving their soloists last minute instructions and running them through pool patterns. She cringed when she saw a couple swimmers almost collide in the pool while they worked their separate routines. Erica relaxed when she saw them each smile and apologize before continuing about their business. How many times had that happened to her? How many friends had she made at meets like this?
Her smile faded. Apparently not many or she wouldn’t be an outsider looking in right now. She took another look around the stadium. There weren’t many faces she recognized. Maybe that was a good thing. The fewer people she recognized meant the fewer people who would recognize her.
Then she saw her. Dani. Her old duet partner and her little entourage entered the stadium like they were royalty. Perhaps Dani was. After all, she was the sole Olympian Erica recognized. Judging by what she’d seen at practice, most of the people there competed more for fun than serious competition. In fact, she hadn’t seen any real competition for Dani since she’d arrived that morning.
Erica watched Dani stroll around the pool like she was a queen surveying her peasant subjects. How pathetic was that? The way other swimmers deferred to her even going as far as to give up their seats on the bleachers annoyed Erica to no end. When it came right down to it, Dani had never been the most technically sound swimmer. If Erica was honest, the girl had coasted on her coattails. But somehow between the entourages and awed deference, it was obvious the woman had forgotten that fact. Too bad Erica hadn’t brought a suit.
Secret Bodyguard Page 18
