Gemma was knocked out of her reflections when Cy caught her eye and gave a slight nod toward a sitting area next to them. Sarah Elizabeth Flannery was draped across a chair and surveying her domain, which currently included Cy. Her two friends, both slightly less attractive and completely doting, were whispering in her ears.
“I’m sorry, I have to get a drink for Mr. Davidson, “ Gemma said to the small crowd trying to hand her cards and headshots. She made her way to the private bar and took a seat to wait after ordering two drinks.
She didn’t have to wait long for Sarah to take a seat next to her at the bar. “Hi. I’m Sarah.”
“Gemma, nice to meet you.”
“Same. So who’s your boss over there? Seems pretty popular.”
“Cy Davidson. He was a stuntman, but now he’s gone into producing.”
“Oh, that’s Cy Davidson. I’ve heard a lot about him. I see the talk is true. Yummy! What’s he producing?”
“A new reality series. He’s trying to find someone young and new to follow around as they audition for major roles. Basically, he wants to document them becoming an A-list actor.” Hook, line, and sinker, Gemma thought as she saw the excitement in Sarah’s eyes.
“Really? What does new mean?”
“Well, they need a little family history in Hollywood so they may actually get their foot in the door, you know?”
“Of course. I completely agree with that. Oh, here,” Sarah said as she winked at the bartender in the VIP section. “Let me get those. You sit here and take a minute to recover from those vultures. I’ll take this to your boss.”
Gemma sighed with relief. “Really? Thank you so much, Sarah.”
Cy saw the second Sarah picked up his drink. Gemma had pulled it off. He turned to the women around him and asked for a couple minutes to relax. His assistant had their numbers and headshots and he’d look over them soon.
“I guess I have good timing,” Sarah purred as she handed him his bourbon.
“I guess you do,” Cy responded as he blatantly checked her out. “For bringing me my drink, I’ll give you five minutes.”
Sarah smiled, thinking she had succeeded. “I’m Sarah Flannery. My mother, Cashmere Flannery is a soap opera star. I’m twenty-one and looking to make it big in the industry. I have almost six million followers on Twitter and have a lot of buzz around me right now after that horrid sex tape was leaked.”
“Horrid. Too bad. If it were a good sex tape, then you’d be interesting.” Cy took a sip of his drink and turned away from Sarah.
“Oh, it’s good. It was just horrible that it was leaked. Someone hacked my phone and stole it.”
“I guess that means they want more of you. My assistant has a list of questions with her that we use during interviews. Why don’t we sit down and go over them. If I’m interested, I’ll get back to you in a couple days and you can come back for an audition.” Cy led Sarah over to their couch and waved for Gemma who came looking very professional with her tablet.
“Miss Flannery has captured my interest. Now let’s see if she can keep it.”
“Oh,” Gemma said, feigning surprise. “Let me pull up our background questions. Okay, here we go. Tell us about your immediate family, including any acting experience, how much money you had growing up, and where that money came from.” Gemma looked up. “You know, old money from Granddad’s oil days, new money from your mother’s technology company, stuff like that. And then what your family does now. Jobs, hobbies, and how close they are to you.”
“Well, my mother is so talented. She’s on Summer Heat, the soap opera. Before that she was a Vegas showgirl in town. She would be perfect for the show. I'm an only child, but I have two super-close girlfriends from prep school that add the sisterly feel. I don’t know my dad, though. Is that a problem?”
“You don’t know him? Surely you know a name,” Gemma asked as she typed all of Sarah’s responses onto her tablet even though it was recording the conversation.
“Nope. Mom said there was some massive party in the Hills one night and she was too drunk to remember what happened. See, her parents, my grandparents, were big in casinos and they passed away leaving a huge fortune to my mother. She said it was too painful to stay in Vegas because it reminded her of her parents. She hasn’t been back once in twenty-two years. Anyway, she picked up and moved to Hollywood. She was celebrating getting her role on Summer Heat when she went to this party and got knocked up. Doesn’t have a clue who my father is.”
“That could be an interesting line for filming . . .” Cy murmured.
“Oh. That would be so cool. We could find my dad and interview a whole bunch of famous actors to see if I’m their daughter. Although, I’m super close to my mom and she wouldn't like it. But if I’m on the show, maybe she’ll help out, too. It would be a real family bonding episode.” Sarah’s hands were gently crossed over her heart as she played up the show.
“Good point. Now, how is this sex tape going to play in? Are your lawyers getting it removed? Can we mention it or is it a no-go?” Cy asked.
“No, you can mention it. I decided to sell my rights to it so I can at least make money off it. As I said, it's very good.”
“We’ll need to talk to the man who starred in it with Sarah. Get his permission to be on the show as a guest a couple of times,” Cy told Gemma.
“You can’t do that,” Sarah said as her voice cracked.
“Why not? This show is about your life and this is a big part of it,” Cy reminded her.
“I know. It’s just that Seth was killed. He was murdered right after the tape came out. They haven’t caught the guy yet. Hey, could that be used on the show? A big shot investigative reporter is going to write a story on it, too, so I bet it would be really interesting to have it featured on the show. Very emotional and all. Hey, she kinda looked a lot like you. Ha! You have a twin out there and you didn’t even know it.”
Cy saw Gemma freeze and knew he needed to get her out of there fast. But he had an idea and he needed Gemma to play along one last time. “Gemma, let’s take a picture of all of us.” Gemma snapped out of it and handed the tablet to a waiter before joining them.
“Thanks for the picture, Sarah. We’ll be in touch with you.” He shook her hand and hurried Gemma from the club.
He opened the door of the limo the hotel provided and ushered Gemma into it before tossing one last glance at the club. Sarah was by the door with her cell phone out, no doubt checking him out. She saw the name of the hotel on the limo and smiled. He had a feeling he’d be hearing from her soon.
Cy closed the door and pulled Gemma close. She was shaking even though the club had been hot. “It’s okay, sweetheart. You did it. We got all the information we needed.”
“Was the picture really necessary? The thought of my sister talking with her just . . . I had this really weird feeling this is what got my sister killed.”
“The picture was definitely necessary. Didn’t you find it weird what she said about her father and her grandparents? And then her sex tape partner being murdered. Too many coincidences for me.”
“That is strange. And strange that her mom got all that money just a couple days before getting pregnant.”
“Yep. I think Mr. X is Sarah’s father. Got a Vegas dancer knocked up, pays her off, and she moves away from Vegas with all this new money to try to become a star.”
“And the picture?”
“I’m going to put the photo on the Internet with a caption about my great talk with Sarah. I’ll have Cade work his magic so he can capture the IP addresses of whoever looks at it. I bet one of those addresses will belong to Mr. X. I also bet it’s going to make him very nervous to see us both with her. So nervous that he’ll make a move he’s not prepared for.”
“Are we heading home then?” Gemma asked.
“Not yet,” he smiled. “I have plans that involve the marble soaking tub. Plans that will take most of the night and morning.”
“Who needs sleep?” she
asked as Cy slid his hand up her legs. “Totally overrated.”
“What’s not overrated? You in that dress. Now take it off.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Dani looked at her husband and gave him a smile. She felt a little useless as the house was in chaos this morning while they were getting ready to take the king’s plane to Rahmi for the birth of her child. Mo was directing what needed to be put on the plane versus what needed to be shipped when Bridget came in.
“I swept the limo and the plane. No explosives, and Marko and I are ready for the flight. Just let me know if you need me to help with anything else,” Bridget said as she gave Marko, her explosive-sniffing Belgian Malinois, a scratch behind his ear.
“Thanks, Bridget. It really means a lot that you’ll take time off to come to Rahmi with us. I feel safer just having you there.”
Dani stood up from the table as Ahmed came in, looking serious as always. “The last of the bags have been sent to the airport. Your parents are waiting outside with the royal family. Nabi and Bridget will escort you while I lock the house down and instruct the remaining staff. My brother has all your security covered for your arrival and I will be in Rahmi as soon as Cy’s back with your plane.”
“Thank you, Ahmed. I don’t know what we’d do without you, my dear friend.” Dani clasped his hand and screamed.
Mo caught her as she fell to the ground and Marko barked as the tension in the room escalated. Dani blinked her eyes and took some deep breaths as her parents and four royal in-laws came running into the room along with most of the security force and staff.
“What is it?” Tony De Luca cried. She tried to give her dad a reassuring smile, but oh my God, she was in pain.
“I’m in labor,” Dani said between clenched teeth.
Her mom pried her hand from Ahmed’s and placed it in hers as Mo gathered her in his arms. “That’s right, dear. Breathe.” Her mom’s confident voice soothed her.
“No!”
Dani’s head shot up as the king loomed over her with a panicked expression on his regal face. “What do you mean, no?” Dani groaned.
“You can’t have the heir to Rahmi in the United States. You must simply cross your legs and wait.” Dani choked and sputtered, but nothing came but another contraction.
“Father.”
“What? I’m giving her an order and she needs to obey, umph.” The king stared in utter shock at his wife. “You hit me? You hit the king?”
“Well, dear. Someone had to knock some sense into you. It’s better me than your son or, heaven forbid, Danielle. Now shut up and support your daughter as she gives you an heir.” Fatima smiled at Dani. “But shouldn’t we be going to the doctor’s?”
“Oh no. The doctor is in Rahmi waiting for you,” her father said.
“Don’t worry, I know what to do,” Ahmed said calmly.
“What? Pass out on me?” Dani snapped as she started to sweat.
“That only happened once. I have sawn off limbs in the battlefield,” Ahmed defended. He shook his head and held up a hand. “I’m getting the limo ready and calling Dr. Francis to meet us at the hospital.”
Dani grabbed her mother’s hands as Mo and Ahmed helped her up. She had a death grip on Mo’s hand as he led her to the limo. She was so worried about the baby coming early that she didn’t care when her parents, in-laws, Bridget, and even Marko got into the limo first. Nabi and seven other security guards came running and leapt into two black SUVs, one in front and one behind the limo.
“Dr. Francis is going to meet us there. She’s in a fitting for her wedding dress but started taking it off as we talked,” Ahmed told her as he opened the driver’s door. “Oh no.”
“What?” Dani and Mo asked as the same time. Ahmed pointed to the large white car pulling into the drive.
“Good Lord, what is going on?” Miss Lily asked as she came out with a basket of baked goods. “Oh, now I see what all the runnin’ about is for. How exciting!”
“Please excuse us, we need to get going,” Mo said as politely as possible.
“Does she have a chocolate chip muffin in there?” the king asked as he leaned out the door.
“Father!”
“What? A king does not eat hospital food and this may take a while. Enough time to fly to Rahmi, I daresay,” he muttered before a delicate, bejeweled hand appeared and thwacked him in the head.
“Here ya go,” Miss Lily handed the basket over to him. “Well, get going. You’ll do wonderfully, Dani.” Miss Lily gave her a kiss on the cheek and Dani suddenly wasn’t as annoyed. In fact, now she felt like crying.
“Okay, Ahmed, get us to the hospital,” Mo called as he gently helped her into the limo.
The first security team was already in front of the hospital along with two nurses when Mo helped her out of the limo. The busy hospital seemed peaceful compared to the limo ride. Marko had whined the whole time. Ameera had been kind, but her silent looks of longing were making Dani feel horrible. Her mother sat on the other side of her calmly stroking her hair as her father and the king debated over going to the hospital versus trying to make the plane trip to Rahmi. She had managed to text Kenna and knew her girls would be there soon to support her. In the meantime, avoiding arrest for killing someone would be a good day.
“Stop right there. You can’t bring that dog in here. And you, you need to get in line and register before you’re admitted,” the nurse shouted. Bridget stood with Marko and three men from her security team ready to do a sweep but an irate nurse stood in their way. Damn. There goes not killing someone today.
“I am King of Rahmi and you will get out of our way or deal with the queen. While you do that, my security detail will sweep this hospital along with your security personnel.” The king pushed past the pissed-off lady and with a quick smile, Bridget followed.
“Well, I guess he is good for some things,” Dani whispered to Mo as a wheelchair approached her. She took some deep breaths as she felt another contraction coming soon.
“I’m so sorry. Nurse Shelton is just getting off a twelve-hour shift, Your Highnesses. I’m Dr. Forge, the head of obstetrics, and will be assisting Dr. Francis. She just arrived and is preparing everything. Please, come this way,” the man in green scrubs said as he offered Dani a wheelchair and led them to the elevator.
Dani felt as if she were leading a carnival procession as the whole royal family, her parents, and a team of security all stepped onto the elevator. Mo and the doctor were squeezed in beside her as they rode to the sixth floor.
“So what do we have in there?” the doctor asked.
“We don’t know,” Mo answered for her.
“It’s against our customs for the royal family to be told anything. We don’t even like ultrasound. But we are trying to embrace technology in our country so I allowed them to have one to determine if my heir is healthy, provided the doctor tell no one the results,” the king explained.
“Yes. See, we don’t want to accidentally say he or she in an interview. There are strict customs for when an heir is born, so it’s best we don’t know a thing,” Mo finished.
“Lots of couples do it that way. It’ll be a nice surprise for us all then. Here we go,” Dr. Forge said as the elevator opened and Dani made her push for fresh air.
“This is the lobby for family. Through those doors are the patient rooms. So if you’d like to say your goodbyes to the group, I’ll take you back along with anyone else you may want.”
“Ahmed, you’ll come with us and guard the delivery room. Nabi, stand guard here at these doors,” Mo directed.
“Guard from whom?” Nabi asked as he took his post in front of the two doors.
“The entire town of Keeneston,” Mo said ominously. Nabi’s face blanched and a look of fear shot through his eyes before he squared his shoulders and nodded his head.
“Mom, can you get me registered?” Dani asked as her brother-in-law and sister-in-law took a seat in the waiting area and two of the security men made their way to the
opposing stairwells to stand guard.
“Sure. You’ll do wonderfully. Just call me if you need me, okay?” Her mother gave her a kiss on the cheek and a quick pat on her head that made her think her mother was remembering when she was born.
“When it’s all over, I’ll make stuffed shells that will make you forget all about pain. You just think about those shells.” Her father kissed her gently, and with tears in his eyes, gave the king a pat on the back. “Let’s go wait to become grandfathers.”
“Wait, I’m going with them.”
“Father.” Mo rolled his eyes and Dani almost laughed.
“What? I need to verify my heir is brought into this world correctly.”
“If he gets to go, I get to go.” Dani's father almost stomped his foot and she felt like crying again.
“That’s it,” Mo said in his scary calm voice. “This is my wife. I will verify anything that needs verification. You will all stay here. As a courtesy to you, Father, we will notify you first of the birth. Until then, stay here.” Dani smiled and squeezed Mo’s hand as he wheeled her around and through the doors into the labor and delivery floor.
“That was really sexy,” Dani said as she beamed up at her husband. He was her hero right now.
“Well, just try to remember that in six weeks,” Mo joked before softening his voice, “How are you doing, my love. Can I get you anything?”
Dani heard a thump and turned to see Nabi plastered against the window of the doors. “It looks like the town got here. I hope Edna didn’t bring her gun.”
Six hours later, Dr. Emma Francis rolled back in her chair and looked up at Dani and Mo. Emma was getting married in two days to Noodle and she’d had a test run on her hair and makeup with her dress today. Her makeup was flawless. Her hair was in a beautiful up-do and the amazing flowered and feathered fascinator was still in her hair. The prettiest doctor around would deliver her child. The pictures would look fantastic.
“Okay, you’re nine centimeters and ready to go. By the way, you should see the waiting room. Here, I had a nurse take a picture. I’ll show it to you after your next contraction,” Emma said as she put on new gloves.
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