Spring Into Love

by Chantel Rhondeau

  Chapter 15

  Ryan

  Another night of tossing and turning left me on edge. I sat on the side of my bed and rested my head in my hands, rubbing my eyes with the heels of my palms. It was going to be a long day, and Marie was not going to be happy that I had bags under my eyes.

  After a quick shower, I made my way downstairs. I knew Jackie was already there because her bedroom door was slightly ajar and I peeked in to find the bed made and the smell of her light perfume filling the air.

  I heard voices in the kitchen and recognized they belonged to Troy and Jackie. When she asked for a list of the women I had been involved with, I felt self-conscious. How many women would end up on that list? The answer was too many, way too many.

  After she left for the set, Troy turned to me. “If you want her to figure this out, you’re going to have to tell her about all of them.”

  “There aren’t that many,” I lied.

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Like hell there aren’t! You’re like a sailor, a lady in every port.”

  I ground my teeth, because in a way it was true, but I still felt I needed to deny it. “I was with Kayla for a while.”

  “Speaking of Kayla, I got two phone calls from her last night. She is pissed, man. Pissed.”

  Crap, I forgot about telling her what was going on. Of course, I wouldn’t have told her the truth, but I should have told her about Jackie before she saw it in the press. “Sorry, I forgot to tell her.”

  “Yeah, thanks for that. I had to deal with her screaming in my ear on one phone call and then calling me back up sobbing on my proverbial big strong shoulder for the second one.” He stood up and patted me on the back. “You can thank me later.”

  I groaned. I knew I could avoid her for a little while, but we were set to shoot a scene early next week. She was a co-star in the film, and while she had a much smaller part than mine, hers was an important one.

  “Do you think she might be behind all these threats?” Troy asked as he leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms.

  “The thought has crossed my mind, but why would she do that?” I rested my chin on my palm and leaned on it over the counter, wondering if Kayla could be the one behind all this.

  He shrugged his wide shoulders. “It could be her. She did get really jealous when you were trying to find out who Jackie was after the airport incident.” He cocked his head to the side. “Wasn’t it right after that when you told her she wasn’t moving in here?”

  “Yeah, it was. Having a guy hold a gun on me made me realize a few things about life, and I didn’t want to waste any more time with her. I’m going to be thirty-two soon, I’m almost ready to settle down. You know, start a family.”

  The laughter burst from Troy and snapped me back to reality and out of the little fantasy I was indulging in, the one of Jackie standing on the back patio with a baby in her arms. Was I ready for that and was she the one I wanted to share it with?

  “What’s so funny?” I asked as I sat up straight.

  “You!” He stepped forward and put his hands on the other side of the kitchen island from where I was sitting. “Man, I never thought I would see the day when you didn’t want your bachelor status and were talking about kids and a wife. You sure you didn’t get some brain damage in that car accident a few months ago?”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “I’m not saying I’m ready to do that right now, but it started me thinking, and I knew Kayla wasn’t the woman I wanted to do that with.”

  He lowered his voice, saying, “But Jackie is?”

  Was she? Who the hell knew? “I don’t know. I’m crazy about her, more than crazy about her, but I have no idea how she feels.” I thought for a moment. “Yeah, maybe.”

  I sat staring at my hands, lost in thought. Could Jackie and I really have a relationship? Would she even be interested in something like that with me? The bad part about it was I knew she didn’t like the glitz and glamour of my lifestyle; she hated the attention. Was there any middle ground where we could build a foundation for a future?

  Once again, Troy broke me out of my thoughts. “You about ready to head out? There’s an early meeting with the producer and director this morning. Plus, I want to make sure Jackie is all set up.”

  I downed the rest of my coffee, wincing as the hot liquid burned the back of my throat, and got off the stool.

  “Do you think this is going to work? I mean, Jackie figuring out who is making these threats? It could be Kayla. I guess I should talk to Jackie about that.” I left my cup sitting on the counter and followed him out of the room.

  “I think if anyone can, it’s her. However, you have to be honest with her, man. And, yeah, I’d tell her about Kayla.”

  “I will. I just wish the truth wasn’t so damn long and messy.”

  Troy turned to look at me when we got to the front door. “You really like this girl, don’t you?” I stared at him not sure how to reply. He pulled the door open, and we walked out to the waiting limo.

  “I’ve never seen you worried about what a woman thinks.” He climbed in and I slid in beside him. “Hell, I’ve never seen you get so damn possessive either.”

  The door closed. “I’m not possessive!”

  Troy turned to stare at me. “Get real man. If I even touch her, you have daggers in your eyes.”

  “No, I don’t.” I looked out the window. Was I really possessive?

  “Yeah, and Rose told me about the little display outside last night. She said you guys were getting hot and heavy out on the patio.” He let that sink in before he continued. “You have never been one to stake a claim, but I sure think you were driving one last night.”

  Was he right? Was I staking a claim on her? That wasn’t what I meant to do. Oh hell, that was exactly what I meant to do last night when I crushed her to me after her phone call with her “so called” boyfriend.

  I didn’t want another man in the picture. I wanted her to be mine and only mine. Why, I don’t know; but ever since I first saw her, I have been looking at my life in a different way. For the first time, someone else mattered to me.

  I didn’t know how she felt, not really. I knew she was attracted to me, I could see that in her eyes and feel it in her kiss. Nevertheless, I had no idea what she really thought. And why the hell did it bother me so much?

  Troy took a few phone calls while we rode to the set, and I dwelled on my feelings and wondered what hers were. The limo dropped us off at my trailer, and I scanned the parking lot as we got out, automatically searching for her in the throngs of people moving around. When I didn’t see her, anxiety rippled through me.

  Troy slapped me on the back as we moved to the trailer door. “I’ll find her, relax.” Damn, he knew me too well.

  Troy walked in my trailer, put his headset on and started calling out for Roseanne right away. I could tell by the one-sided conversation that she was set up and headed back here. The tension I felt lessened while I was in the bathroom.

  Marie was going to have fun with me today. I shook my head as I examined the reflection in the mirror over the black marble sink. I had dark circles under my eyes that were going to need some serious magic to get rid of them.

  I felt, more then heard, the trailer door close, and finished washing my hands. I stepped out and turned to see Jackie examining the trailer. When she looked at me, her eyes didn’t make it to my face, but caressed every inch of visible skin on my chest. Her face flushed as I leaned against the wall. The way she checked me out made me feel lightheaded.

  I finally cleared my throat and explored every inch of her face as it grew pink with embarrassment. I moved slowly toward her, feeling like a panther stalking its prey.

  She didn’t move as I grew closer and never broke the intense gaze we were locked in. I touched her cheek and gently stroked her lips with a kiss. How easy it would be to pull her into my arms and push her down on the ten-foot couch to our side. The image of us making love right here, with the bright lights and mir
ror over us, tempted me to reach over and lock the door.

  But, here and now was not the right time. Yeah, I wanted her, and right this second. I saw in her eyes that she wanted me, too. When it finally happened, it wouldn’t be a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am; it was going to be a long night of passion. I was going to enjoy every single inch of her beautiful body and make her cry out my name over and over again.

  Right now, we both had work to do. Speaking of which, I told Jackie, “Troy has the letters you wanted to see in the back room. They are in the drawer next to the bed on the left side. You can look at them later when you get a chance.”

  “Okay, thank you.” Her voice was soft, husky and I lowered my head for another sweet kiss.

  The door yanking open broke the intense connection we were sharing. Without thinking, I pulled Jackie to my side and stepped back. She didn’t fight it and even melted against me just the slightest bit. Did she feel anything for me other than lust, I absently wondered as I faced the giddy green eyes of my agent.

  “Well, well, well…” I watched Beth look Jackie over carefully. “You’re cuter than I remembered.”

  Chapter 16

  Jacquelyn

  They issued me a parking pass when we arrived that gave me the right to basically park wherever I wanted. It was kind of like being in a police car; we didn’t really care what signs said, we parked where we had to, when we needed to. Roseanne gave me a quick tour of the trailers, and I met some of the other people who worked security for both Ryan and a few other actors.

  A lot of people stared at us as we walked around, and I heard people whispering more than once. I knew they weren’t talking about Roseanne and I being there, or being there together. I was the topic of conversation, and I cringed internally each time I noticed. I wish I could put blinders on everyone like they do on horses to make them see straight ahead so they don’t notice anything else. I could use that right now. The rumors had obviously spread quickly here on the set. Man, the things we did for undercover work. I wanted to sigh and hang my head, but instead, as Roseanne showed me around, I smiled as if I was happy, almost giddily, while my nerves zinged through me.

  Many of the people we passed appeared to be talking to themselves, and I wondered if everyone in the business was just crazy. Shortly after, I realized they all had headsets on. I took in the excited hustle and bustle that surrounded us, and found myself sucked into it. Roseanne said that the first week and the last few days were the most exciting.

  We meandered over to a trailer that I was told, was Ryan’s, when Bill and Brady walked around the corner.

  “Morning, ladies,” Bill called out brightly, a huge grin splitting his face. It was hard not to return the smile, ever since I first met him, he had been in a good mood.

  “Morning, Bill. It’s Brady, isn’t it?” I said to the guy standing next to him. I knew who he was, but I was still trying to gauge him up.

  He nodded but said nothing. This guy was the complete opposite of Bill. I mentally noted the fact that he didn’t even attempt to look me in the face.

  “Roseanne, Markus wants you to bring Jacquelyn over to the tech trailer to get set up with her gear as soon as you can.”

  “Thanks, Bill, we’ll head over there now,” Roseanne replied and took my elbow to pull me along. Bill grinned again as we left and walked into the trailer. Brady watched me for a moment before he followed Bill. He is either very shy, or I make him extremely nervous.

  Roseanne chatted about what was going on around the area as we walked. She pointed out other trailers and people of importance. I was glad I was detail oriented and had a good memory because there was a lot going on that I needed to remember.

  Just as we were about to enter another trailer, we heard someone yell for Roseanne. She smiled and waved at the woman and told me to head in and find Markus while she went to chat with her.

  I wasn’t sure if I should knock or not before I entered. Figuring that people probably came and went from here all the time, I decided to just let myself in. I opened the door quietly and stepped up the two steps into the trailer.

  There were counters and cabinets around most of the room. Music played from a radio on the counter, and it masked the sound of my entrance. On the far side sat a table with several chairs around it. Markus sat with his back to me. His dark hair was cut just above his collar with a thick wave to it. He was reading a message on his cell phone. I moved up behind him quietly.

  I watched him as he typed, “She should be here soon” and hit the Send button. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. It wasn’t what he wrote, I knew he was expecting me, it was the text program he was using on his phone that caused my skin to prickle. As the seconds ticked by to five, my suspicion was confirmed. I watched the screen change from words to little tiger paws.

  He was using an application called TigerTalk—an encrypted text software that can’t be traced. It’s the kind of software generally used by drug dealers and cheating spouses to hide the text messages they send between parties. The words sent by text would appear on the other person’s phone when connected and would immediately disappear after a predetermined time. It could be a few seconds or an hour, depending on how the person programmed their settings. There was no way to trace these text messages.

  Why would Markus need to use such software? I heard a soft ping come from his phone, and a message popped up from someone named LaLa. “Is everything set for her?”

  I watched as he typed out, “Yes, all set” and hit the Send button again. The original message had already turned into little paw prints on the screen. I took a step back from him, realizing that if he found out I was directly behind him, then he would know I saw what he typed. My steps were unheard as the music and computers running drowned out any sound my feet made on the floor.

  I reached behind me and slowly turned the doorknob, pushing the door open slightly then pulling it closed with a nice hefty click. Markus spun around in his seat. He was obviously surprised to see me already standing inside the room.

  I smiled. “Morning, Markus. I believe I was supposed to come here for my gear?”

  He considered me closely for a moment and put his phone down on the table just as a small ping came through his speaker. He looked at his phone and then flipped it over so the screen faced down.

  “Yeah, I have several things for you.” He walked over to the counter and opened a box. Inside was a radio, headset, cell phone, and charger.

  “Set the radio to channel five. That’s the channel our security team uses. I assume you know how to use a radio, so I won’t explain, but if you have any questions, just ask.” He put the radio down and picked up a cell phone. “This has been programmed with everyone’s numbers so all you have to do is scroll through the contacts.” He handed all of it to me, and I clipped the radio to my belt while slipping the cell phone into a pocket of my cargo pants. I had no intention of using the phone, but I would keep it, just in case. The headset I would situate later when I could thread it through the back of my shirt.

  “You bring the radio back at the end of the day so they can charge here.” He pointed to a shelf behind me where a bank of about fifty charges sat. Some had radios in them, some were empty or charging extra batteries.

  “Thanks, Markus. Anything else?” I asked politely as I put the headset and phone charger into one of my other cargo pockets.

  “Nope, that’s it. If you find you need something else, or something doesn’t work correctly, let me know.”

  As I inspected him and took in his dark brown eyes, I realized that they alarmed me. His eyes had no depth. They were flat and cold, almost lifeless. I almost shivered, but I controlled the urge and moved away from him.

  “Okay, thanks,” I said quietly and stepped back from him. This person was not someone I would put my back to. I continued to step backward until I absolutely had to turn to get out the door. The entire time I moved I kept my eye on him as he did on me.

  When I closed the door behind me,
shutting out the lifeless look in his eyes, I finally shivered. That man bothered me, there was no doubt about it. Knowing that he was using encrypted software on his cell phone and talking about me only brought more suspicions to mind. Normal people didn’t use that software for everyday conversations. He was up to something, and right now, he was at the top of my list of suspects, right in front of Brian. But why did he bother me so much?

  Roseanne was still talking to the woman from earlier and they stood closely together laughing and sharing personal glances. Troy’s words echoed in my head from earlier that morning, and it appeared I was looking at the proof of that.As I approached, Roseanne took notice of me and called out, “Did Markus hook you up?”

  “Yeah, he did.” I tried to smile, but it was forced. Markus’s dark, malicious eyes flashed through my mind.

  “This is Mandy,” Roseanne said introducing me to her friend.

  I shook her hand as a bright, beautiful smile radiated off her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mandy.”

  She was a gorgeous woman from head to toe, and I wondered why she wasn’t in front of the cameras instead of working behind the scenes. “The pleasure is all mine.” Her sweet, tinkling laughter made Roseanne smile and bite her lip.

  “Jackie, where is your headset? Didn’t Markus give you one?” Roseanne turned her attention back to me.

  I reached into my pocket and pulled it out. “No, he gave me one, but I wasn’t going to sit there and drop it down my shirt in front of him.”

  “Does he give you the creeps, too? He’s got the strangest eyes!” Roseanne said as she reached out for the headset. Obviously, I wasn’t the only person who picked up on him. Good to know.

  Roseanne pulled the collar of my polo shirt away and dropped the cord down the back, tickling my skin as it snaked down my spine. She didn’t give me a chance to pull the shirt tails out myself, quickly tugging at the back of my shirt and reaching up to grab the cord. I chuckled as I normally never let someone touch me quite so personally, but it didn’t even seem to faze her.