The TROUBLE with BILLIONAIRES: Book 3

by Kristina Blake

  Madison shot me a look, even as Logan inclined his head in surrender. “I suppose I can understand that.”

  “Conrad called this morning. I guess he has something he wants to talk to everyone about, so we’ll be meeting here about lunch time.” Madison backed away, her eyes moving over my face for a long minute. I again got that feeling she wanted to tell me something, but she just turned away. “I’ll see you then. If you need anything, text.”

  She was gone without another word.

  “That was clandestine,” I said, brushing past Logan to grab the orange juice from the refrigerator.

  “We were just discussing the PR mess Conrad was dealing with last night.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “Really, it was just—”

  “You don’t have to explain to me.” I poured the juice into a glass and offered it to him, but he waved it away. I took a small sip. “Madison and I are best friends. If something’s going on she thinks I need to know, she’ll tell me.”

  Logan inclined his head slightly. “I’m sure that’s true,” he said softly.

  I glanced at him, a little confused by the dark bent to his tone, but he had already turned away, headed back to the bedroom. “I guess I should get dressed if everyone’s going to descend on us in a few hours.”

  I just nodded, not sure what else there was to say. It seemed the easy companionship we’d achieved the night before was gone.

  What was going on between him and Madison?

  ***

  Conrad and Mellissa were the first to arrive—they sure seemed connected at the hip these days—with bags full of delicious smelling food from a local Mexican place that served the best empanadas. I stole one before Mellissa was done pulling all the food out of the bags, prompting her to slap the back of my hand a little playfully.

  “How’s it going?” she asked.

  I glanced over to where Logan and Conrad were talking by the windows. “I don’t know. He’s cold and cranky one minute, funny and charming the next.”

  “Maybe he’s still reeling a little from what happened yesterday morning.”

  “Maybe. I can’t imagine it’s much fun having a seizure. And there’s no telling what was in that water bottle and how it affected him.”

  “You still think he was drugged?”

  I shrugged. “Why would he lie?”

  Mellissa shrugged. “It just…some of it doesn’t make sense. I mean, if someone’s going after Cepheus, why drug the actor? Why not drug the president of product development? Or his assistant?”

  “Maybe that was the plan, but Logan just happened to get the wrong bottle. Or the first.”

  Mellissa’s eyebrows rose. “That’s possible, I suppose. I hadn’t thought of that.”

  I sat back on the stool where I was sitting and glanced over at Logan again. “I remember the woman with the waters and sodas was pushing them on everyone, but especially Rawn. At one point he even had to ask her to get out of the way while he was trying to discuss what he wanted with the photographer.”

  “Really?”

  I nodded. “Maybe Logan wasn’t supposed to seize. Maybe we were just all supposed to get high.”

  “What would that have accomplished?”

  “I don’t know.” I picked at the crust of my empanada. “Maybe they were hoping Rawn would do something that would embarrass the company.”

  I took a bite, sighing at the savory flavors of the meat encased inside. There was once a time when heaven was a hot empanada and a good horror movie on the television. And Madison curled up on the couch beside me. But that was before Rawn, before Cepheus, before her kidnapping and all the intrigue that followed. Back when we supported each other in our endeavors.

  Madison and Rawn walked through the door as that thought ran through my mind. Was it just a coincidence that her eyes darted to Logan’s before she seemed to notice anyone else in the room?

  “Hey.”

  She came over and squeezed my shoulder lightly, a soft smile on her lips that didn’t quite touch her eyes. She was worried. I’d known her for nearly four years. I knew when she was worried.

  “Hey,” Mellissa said, coming around the counter and offering Madison a big hug. “How you doing, sweetie?”

  Madison shrugged. “The CEO’s pissed at Rawn, so he’s pissed at the world.”

  “Why? What’s going on now?” I asked.

  “Some reporter wrote a story about Cepheus that mentioned trouble at the photoshoot for the Alessa yesterday. It didn’t really give any specifics, but the CEO thinks that it won’t be long before the truth comes out. And then…Cepheus is on rocky ground as it is. If the stocks start to plummet…”

  “Wow.”

  Mellissa nodded. “I can’t imagine the bad press surrounding our ordeals last month helped any.”

  “There’s been a lot of bad press circling Cepheus these past few weeks,” Madison said. “If someone gets wind of even a little of the truth of what happened to Logan, it could cause a lot of trouble for stock holders. And if customers start backing out, or inventors stop bringing their stuff to Cepheus because of it…”

  Silence fell heavy between Mellissa and Madison. They both worked at Cepheus; they both had something to lose if it went under. I didn’t. All I cared about was what this bad press could do to Logan.

  “They didn’t use his name, did they?”

  Madison glanced at me, but she didn’t have a chance to answer. The men came over to join us, reaching for plates as they discussed how amazing the food smelled.

  I slipped off of my stool and stepped out of the way, feeling a little like a fifth wheel as I watched Conrad slide his hand over Mellissa’s hip before he reached for a spoonful of beans, and Rawn’s not very pissed looking smile as he brushed past Madison on his mission to get to the enchiladas.

  “It’s like a bad rom-com in here,” Logan said, coming up to stand beside her.

  “Am I the only one who feels like a voyeur or something?”

  “No, you’re not.”

  I smiled and he winked, a gesture that felt as sexy as it looked. I wanted to move into him and whisper some very inappropriate suggestions in his ear. I wanted to remind him of the long, lingering stares we shared at the launch party, then again last night. I wanted to fulfill all the fantasies I had ever had about him, and a few I hadn’t had yet. Mellissa and Madison had found their dream guy. Wasn’t I allowed that chance, too?

  But then Madison was shoving a plate into my hand and suggesting I grab a couple of empanadas before they were all gone.

  Madison. Again.

  In a few minutes, we were all settled around the living room. I was on the floor, tucking into my food with relish by the coffee table, just a few feet from Logan’s…well, his feet. He was on the couch next to Madison who was tucked in beside Rawn. Mellissa was on the stool I had abandoned, Conrad eating on his feet so that he could stay close to her.

  “So, Conrad, you called us here,” Rawn said—after a few deliciously indulgent minutes. “What’s going on?”

  Conrad pressed a napkin to his lips, waiting to swallow his last bite. “Well,” he said, clearing his throat, “I spent most of yesterday afternoon and evening talking to a dozen reporters. Each one had slightly differing information, as they are wont to do. But most of them knew Logan suffered a seizure; they knew he was taken to the hospital; and they knew it all began at the photoshoot—a photoshoot meant to augment the Alessa 3D X100 ad campaign—which is why they called me. They also knew exactly who was there, when it happened, who called 911, and which hospital he was taken to.”

  Rawn shrugged. “A half decent investigator could have figured most of that out.”

  “Yes, but most reporters will get a tip, and they’ll check it out first by making a few fishing phone calls to see if the information is genuine. When I get calls like these, the reporters usually all have a few details, but very few of them have specific details and even fewer have this many correct details.”

  �
�You’re saying whoever tipped them off was the same person.”

  “And that person had to have been at the photoshoot—or had someone at the photoshoot to report back—to have so many of the details down perfectly.”

  Rawn glanced at Madison. “But the only other people at the shoot were the photographer and his assistant. I’ve worked with him before. He wouldn’t go to the press.”

  “What about the water lady?” I asked.

  Rawn looked hard at me, but he didn’t say anything. I could see the wheels running, playing the whole scenario over in his head. Then, his eyes jumped back to Conrad.

  “Tell me everything they said to you.”

  Conrad took another bite of enchilada slowly and swallowed before he answered. “They say that Logan Mitchell was on Stage 5 of Star Studios doing a photoshoot for Cepheus when he had a sudden seizure. They say that Madison administered to him while Annie called 911 and you waited for the ambulance in the parking lot. Then, they say he was taken to Portland General where he was treated for anoxycodone overdose.”

  “How would they know it was oxycodone?” Logan asked. “We don’t even know for sure what set it off.”

  “And I wasn’t in the parking lot until…”

  Rawn’s voice trailed off. He leaned forward and dropped his plate on the table, cursing under his breath.

  “What?” Madison asked.

  He glanced at her. “The photographer’s assistant was in the parking lot talking to someone on her phone when I heard the ambulance pull up. I ran out there and saw her, but I didn’t think anything about it at the time.”

  “The photographer’s assistant?”

  He nodded before looking at me. “Did you see where that lady with the waters went?”

  I glanced at Logan. I had been so focused on him that I wasn’t sure I would have noticed the Dali Lama walking in during those few minutes. But I tried to remember.

  “She was gone by the time the ambulance came. The photographer was pulling his equipment out of the way, cursing under his breath about something…lost time, or something. I don’t really remember. But I don’t remember anyone else, just the paramedics and Madison.”

  Rawn started to say something, but stopped.

  “What are you thinking?” Conrad asked.

  “I’m thinking I need to get back to the office.” He stood and held his hand out to Madison. “And I think you should head over to the photographer’s studio and see if you can talk to his assistant.”

  Conrad nodded, immediately pushing his plate away and holding out his hand to Mellissa. She took it gracefully, slipping off of the stool without complaint. But, again, she had barely touched the food on her plate.

  “What about me?” Logan asked.

  “I want you to stay here,” Rawn said. “Until we know what’s going on…”

  “But I’m supposed to be in Los Angeles this evening to begin shooting a new movie.”

  Rawn began to object, but Madison interrupted whatever it was to answer for him.

  “We’ll call your manager, have him make an excuse.”

  Logan shook his head. “If I don’t show up, rumors will start to spread.”

  “He’s right,” Conrad agreed. “The innuendos in the story that came out this morning will be used as fuel to build the fire against him.”

  “And I can’t imagine that will help Cepheus’ reputation,” Logan said.

  Rawn looked torn and more than a little annoyed. He wasn’t the kind of guy who liked to be second-guessed. He studied Conrad for a moment, then inclined his head. “Then Logan goes to Los Angeles. But I’d prefer that he does not go alone.”

  “I’ll go,” I said.

  Madison immediately shook her head, her mouth opening to object. I stood up, gesturing between Rawn and Conrad.

  “You guys have work to do. I’m just sitting here with all this time on my hand. I can do it.”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Madison persisted. “Mellissa can go—”

  “No. I need Mellissa here,” Conrad said over whatever she might have said next, causing Mellissa to give him a long, searching look. He shrugged. “I work better when you’re around.”

  “Annie should go,” Rawn said. “It would be less curious to public than if someone associated with Cepheus was with him.”

  “No,” Madison said. “We could hire a bodyguard, or someone else to go with him. It shouldn’t be Annie.”

  “Why not?” I asked.

  Madison looked at me, but then her eyes moved to Logan. He was still on the couch, silent despite the plea I could clearly see in Madison’s eyes.

  “It’s just not a good idea.” She came toward me and took my arms in her grip. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “How am I going to get hurt?”

  Anger began to boil in my belly, as I wondered if there was something more going on here than just my best friend looking out for me.

  All the whispers, the stolen looks.

  Him asking for her after his seizure.

  “Rawn’s right,” Logan suddenly said, standing behind me. “Annie’s the best choice. It’ll look less suspicious to whoever’s behind all this.”

  Madison shook her head, but she must have realized she was outnumbered because she didn’t say anything else. She just squeezed my arms, a long, sad look passing between us before she finally stepped back and returned to Rawn’s side.

  “I’ll have the jet fly you down this afternoon,” Rawn said. “Try to be careful and stay away from any suspicious food or beverages.”

  Logan nodded.

  They headed for the door, Madison the last to step through. I followed, ready to close the door on her foot if I had to. I didn’t understand what was going on, and Madison’s parting words didn’t help.

  “Don’t make the mistake of thinking you know everything about him.”

  ***

  Madison

  Rawn pulled me out of the apartment, as Annie’s expression tightened into what I used to call her ‘pissed as a cat’ look. I’d seen that expression dozens of times before, usually aimed at some guy who’d done her, or me, wrong. I’d never seen it directed at me.

  She didn’t understand what was at stake here. I was so afraid she was walking into a nightmare she would never forgive me for not stopping.

  “What the hell is going on with you?” Rawn asked, pulling me down the hall and pressing me against the door of our apartment—of the apartment that held the secret room—as the elevator door closed on Conrad and Mellissa.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean you’re acting like a jealous woman. Why would you tell Annie she can’t go to LA with Logan?”

  “Did I seem jealous?”

  “You did.” He ran his hand up over my shoulder to cup my throat in his hand. “If I didn’t know better, I’d go back in that apartment and beat the shit out of Logan.”

  “There’s nothing going on.”

  “There better not be.”

  “I’m with you, Rawn,” I said, touching his face gently. “Nothing’s going to change that, not even some movie star.”

  “Then, what the hell’s going on?”

  I dropped my hand and glanced back toward the door that hid whatever was going on between Annie and Logan in that moment. I hated this, hated having a secret. I didn’t want to keep this from Rawn any more than I wanted to keep it from Annie. But I’d promised.

  “I just don’t want to see Annie hurt.”

  “Isn’t that the chance anyone takes with a new relationship?”

  “This is different.” I looked up into Rawn’s warm eyes and wished I could just live there in the comfort of his gaze. “He has secrets.”

  “Everyone has secrets.”

  “But his could hurt Annie.”

  “Is this about his drug addiction?” Rawn cocked his head slightly, referencing rumors that Logan was treated at a drug rehab center last year. “He doesn’t seem to be struggling now.”

  I
shook my head, wishing it was as simple as that.

  “Then what? Did he tell you something yesterday at the hospital?”

  I nodded, convinced I wasn’t revealing anything that I shouldn’t.

  “But you promised you wouldn’t tell anyone.”

  I nodded again.

  Rawn groaned as he leaned in closer to me. “Annie’s a big girl, Madison. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

  I wanted to agree, but I knew Annie better than I had known my own sister. She seemed tough on the outside, but she was like a child on the inside. She wasn’t equipped to face what her future might hold for her if she got involved with Logan. She swore her interest was purely physical, but I knew that wasn’t true either. For all her horror-loving, junk-food eating nonchalance, she was a romantic at heart. She wanted what they all wanted: a man to love her more than anyone else.

  “I know you care about your friends, Madison. But sometimes you have to let them make their own mistakes.” Rawn brushed his lips against the side of my face. “Everyone has to learn in their own way.”

  “She won’t forgive me—”

  “Forgive you for what? For being a friend to a guy who looks like he could use a few?” He sighed, his breath washing over me like the warmth of the sun after a long winter. “I think you should be more worried about us than what Annie might or might not do at some future point.”

  “Us?”

  “Yeah. Do you know how long it’s been since we’ve had any significant time alone together? Since the last time we walked into this building for a reason other than hiding or protecting one of your friends?” He kissed my cheek again, his lips sliding slowly down over the curve of my jaw. “If all this bullshit wasn’t going on right now, I’d drag you in there and…”

  But he didn’t finish what he had been about to say. He stiffened, pulling back just slightly. I knew why, and it made tears come to my eyes. He had been about to say he wanted to tie me up. He wanted to tie me up and put a blindfold over my eyes…just like my kidnappers had done. It was a game we played before, before everything had changed. And we played it again in the aftermath, just so I could prove to myself that my ordeal hadn’t changed anything. But it had. It changed everything. And the more time passed, the more difficult it was for me to submit to something that had once been as easy as breathing. And Rawn knew it.