“I’m going to take a look.” Red left Kate and Carter and walked to the steps of the trailer, where he stopped and sniffed the air.
“I already poked my head inside, there’s nothing out of place as far as I can tell.” Carter glanced at Kate. “I wanted to check that it hadn’t been ransacked.”
“Didn’t the security guard check it out?” Kate asked.
“Yes, Billy did. But we didn’t go inside since the police will need to dust it for prints.”
“Where’s Billy now?” Red asked, looking around.
“He went to deal with an issue with one of the ovens in the dining area.” Carter looked over his shoulder. “I said I’d keep watch here until the police came. It’s been a busy night.”
“It has.” Kate could not escape the feeling something was off. “I’m going to take a look.” She walked forward, but a sound from the other side of the lot made her stop dead in her tracks.
“That came from the set.” Carter ran toward the large warehouse with Kate and Carter right behind him.
“Can you smell that?” Red asked. “Smells like something burning.”
As they reached the warehouse, Kate’s cell phone rang. Reaching into her purse, she pulled it out and checked the number. It was her mom. Marylin probably wanted an update on what happened with Wayne Reeves. Now was not the best time to have that conversation and so Kate let it go to voicemail. However, as soon as her phone stopped ringing and the call went to voicemail, it rang again.
“Who is it?” Red asked as they reached the door to the building, which was locked.
“My mom.” Kate let the call go to voicemail again. It did. Then immediately began to ring once more. “Damn it, Mom.”
Kate tapped the screen. “Mom, this isn’t a good time.”
“Kate. Kate, is that you?” Marylin’s panicked filled voice burst out her phone.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Kate asked.
“I’m stuck in the building. I think it’s on fire.” She whimpered softly. “Kate, are you there?”
“I’m here, Mom. Why were you in the building?” She looked at Red, imploring him to help. “We’re outside, Mom. We’re coming in.” She didn’t know how, but they would get in there and rescue her mom.
“No, Kate. No. That’s what they want,” Marylin stated. “They want you to come get me.”
“Who is they?” Kate asked, her heart beating so fast she thought it might explode.
“I don’t know. I didn’t get a good look at them.” A small whimper, followed by coughing, came down the phone.
“Mom, we are not going to leave you in there.” Kate covered the mouthpiece of the phone as she switched her attention to Carter and Red who were attempting to open one of the fire doors. “My mom is stuck in there.”
Carter shook his head. “Keep her talking, I’m calling the emergency services. Whatever is going on here, we need back up.”
“We don’t have the luxury of waiting for emergency backup. Staying out here is not an option. Not for me,” Kate told them.
“I’m still going to call them. What if your mom needs emergency medical treatment?” Carter tapped the screen of his phone and walked a couple of steps away as he spoke into the mouthpiece.
“I’ll get us inside.” Red ran along the side of the building, trying all the entrances.
Kate stayed with him, while she also kept her mom talking. “Do you see anyone in there with you, Mom?”
“No.” There was the sound of a door rattling. “I’m locked in a small room. It’s dark and I can’t see anything. The smoke is coming in through a vent. I’m looking for a window.”
“Do you have any clue as to who might have done this?” Kate watched as Red tried the last door on the north side.
“It’s open.” Red looked over his shoulder at her. “I suspect whoever is behind this wants you to go in through this door.” He pulled it open and the smell of smoke grew stronger. Taking a flashlight from his pocket, he shone it inside. “Stay close.”
Relieved Red hadn’t told her to stay put outside, Kate followed. He already knew her well enough to realize she was not a stay outside kind of a girl. Not when her mom was in danger.
“We’re coming, Mom,” Kate said into the phone, but the line was dead. Fear gripped Kate, and her fingers trembled as she tried to reconnect the call. Nothing. “We need to hurry.”
Red nodded, his face serious. She was so glad he was here with her. As he entered the building and hugged the wall, his calm demeanor gave her hope. Red was a professional, he knew what to do and so Kate followed, keeping close to him, while also staying on high alert for any sound or movement that might signal an ambush. None came. They followed the narrow corridor until it opened out onto the main set where she had been filming this morning. It was deserted. Unless someone was hiding behind the props.
There was something eerie about the empty set that gave her the shivers. “Where to now?” Kate asked.
There were three exits from this set, two of which were only used by the technicians to get between sets with their specialist equipment. The other led to the main heart of the building, where the crews stored the gear for easy access when they needed it.
Usually, the whole building was on lockdown at night, with only security guards allowed in and out. Fans were often known to try to sneak onto sets at night and take selfies with the props and provide spoilers if possible. To Kate, it confirmed this was an inside job. Someone working on the movie set had done this.
Which posed the next question—where were the security guards? They should be here, dealing with this, not leaving it to an ex-soldier and an actress. Even if the ex-soldier was more than capable of taking care of himself.
Red stood still, his nose in the air as he took in the scent of smoke. Kate bit back her need to surge forward and find her mom. If Red needed time to ensure they went the right way, then he should have it.
Her phone vibrated in her hand. A quick glance told her it was her mom calling again. With a hushed whisper, she answered it. “Mom, are you okay? I lost you.”
“The signal keeps fluctuating.” Marylin’s voice was hushed, scared. “There’s more smoke coming under the door.”
“We’re coming, but we need to know where you are, do you remember how you got there? Which way you walked along the corridors?”
“I didn’t walk.” She stifled a sob. “I came here to meet you after I received a text to say you wanted to talk to me.”
“I never sent a…” Had someone gotten hold of her phone and sent the text pretending to be her? “Let me check.” She scrolled through to messages and there, sure enough, was a text to her mom. “It was while we were getting dressed.” She left her purse in her trailer while they went to hair and makeup. Someone had gotten in while they were out. Or they had been in there the whole time.
“This way.” Red stepped forward confidently.
“Mom, we’re coming.” The line was dead.
“Okay?” Red whispered as she joined him at the door leading to the central area of the warehouse. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Her mom would be okay. She had to be okay. Those were the words she repeated over and over again as she focused on the task ahead.
Red pushed the door open. The corridor behind it was dark and the smell of smoke stronger. Something brushed against her hand and she jumped, startled. However, her skin tingled, and warmth flooded her body. Red. With a brief smile, despite the seriousness of the situation, she took hold of Red’s hand briefly, before he took a step forward and the contact was broken.
Keeping close, she followed him along the corridor. Despite the flashlight in his hand, he didn’t use it. Of course, it would be like a beacon to anyone who might be waiting for them. Just like her stupid heels were. Pausing briefly, she slipped off her shoes and carried them in her right hand, sure they would make a great weapon if she needed to fend off an attacker.
Inching their way slowly along the narrow corridor, the smell of smoke
tickled her throat and she had to stifle a cough. What if her mom was being smothered by a blanket of smoke? Who would want to kill her? Or was this aimed directly at Kate? Someone wanted to inflict maximum damage on her.
Her blood ran like ice through her veins. Why would anyone want to hurt her so cruelly?
Red stopped, and Kate nearly walked into the back of him. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she could just make out his hand as he pointed to their right. She nodded, unsure if he could see, but since he was the one with the enhanced senses, she put her trust in him.
Covering her mouth with her hand to stop herself from breathing in the worst of the smoke, she walked on tiptoes toward the right-hand side of the room. In the darkness she became attuned to Red’s movements, stopping when he stopped and walking when he walked. She shadowed him around the equipment until they were across from the corridor they had entered through.
“She’s through there.” Red pointed toward a doorway outside of which smoke billowed, thick and acrid.
“There’s no red glow.” Kate saw him nod in agreement.
“There is no fire, only smoke.” The meaning was obvious, they had been lured here. But why? No one had attacked them. In fact, if she had to guess, she’d say they were alone in here.
“Where is security?” Kate asked. “Shouldn’t they be here by now?”
Red nodded. “Let’s get your mom out and deal with that afterward.”
Cautiously, Red moved forward toward the door. Each step he took was carefully measured. She followed, leaving enough room between them so that if he had to move fast she wouldn’t be in his way.
The smoke became almost unbearable, and the muted sound of her mom coughing told her they had to act quickly. The fire had been positioned in such a way that it filtered through the vent in the wall, no doubt filling the room beyond with deadly smoke. Kate shut her brain down when she tried to recall the data on deaths due to smoke inhalation.
None of that mattered. They were here, Marylin was alive and they would get her out.
Red tore off his jacket and covered his mouth with it as he said, “Stay back. Let me deal with the smoke.”
Unable to stop herself, Kate erupted into a series of hoarse coughs. Covering her mouth, she backed away to where the air was a little clearer. A noise behind her made her spin around, but in the darkness, she couldn’t make anything out, only shadows of dormant equipment, waiting to capture movie scenes. It was surreal that Kate’s life had suddenly become more like a movie than real life.
Turning back toward Red, she realized the smoke was less dense. Moving toward him, she looked down to see damp paper and wood strewn across the floor. Red stamped on the smoking remains until only small tendrils of smoke curled up into the air.
“Let’s get your mom out.” Swinging around, Red grabbed hold of the door handle, but it wouldn’t budge. “It’s locked.”
“Can you kick it in? Or knock the lock off?” Kate asked.
Red looked up. “Someone’s coming.”
Fearful that whoever had set this up was about to make their move, she swung around and stood next to Red, stiletto shoe raised and ready to skewer whoever it might be.
“Hey, it’s me.” Carter’s voice came to them from across the room. “Can we get some lights on in here?”
More voices and then the whole room lit up, blinding Kate. As she shielded her eyes, she heard footsteps coming their way. Then the welcome jingle of keys as a security guard raced to the locked door.
“What the hell happened?” the guard asked as he turned the key and yanked the handle down.
“Mom?” Kate ran forward into the room, despite a shout of warning from Red. Of course, the room might be booby-trapped or something. She froze, scanning the room for her mom.
“Kate, is that you?” A volley of coughs gave away her mom’s location and Kate ran to her, pulling her to her feet from her slumped position on the floor.
“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” The lights in the room came on and Kate examined her mom for cuts and bruises. “Your head.”
“I bumped it in the dark.” She put her hand up and touched the sticky blood on her forehead. “Oh my.” Marylin’s knees went to Jell-O and only Red’s quick action stopped her from falling to the floor.
“I’ve got you,” he said and lifted Marylin into his arms. “Let’s get you outside in the fresh air.”
“Is there anything I can do?” Carter asked as Kate followed Red out of the room.
“We need to know who is behind this.” She shook her head. “I don’t have a clue.”
“Whoever it was, they knew what they were doing. Security got called to an incident in the mess hall. There was a break-in. As they dealt with that someone knocked out the security guard on the main gate.”
“This was all set up. But why?” Kate couldn’t understand what anyone had to gain from this unless their plan was thwarted.
“I don’t know. But until we do, you and your mom need to be under constant protection.” Carter frowned and fell silent, before he said, “You need to come to Bear Creek.”
“And why will we be safer there?” Kate asked.
“Because it’s home territory,” Red said over his shoulder as they left the building. “Whoever did this was hunting on their own territory. In Bear Creek, well, they’ll be in bear country.”
As Kate stroked her mom’s tear-stained cheeks, she knew Carter and Red were right. But would the person doing this follow them to Bear Creek, or would she live forever in fear of who, or what tried to hurt her?
Chapter Fourteen – Red
As a soldier, he’d learned to control his mood and temper, no matter what was thrown at him. However, Red was struggling to keep his cool when faced with a threat to his mate. If only he could get his hands on the person responsible. Perhaps it was a good thing he couldn’t, since the part he’d like to get his hands on was the person’s neck, and then he’d like to wring it.
“Are you okay?” Kate asked sleepily as she leaned on his shoulder. They were in the waiting room at the local hospital where Marylin had been rushed after they had released her from the locked room. It seemed her breathing was okay with no permanent damage to her lungs, but they wanted to keep her for a couple more hours for observation.
“Yes.” He nodded. “I’d just like to know who was doing this.”
“Me, too.” Kate sat up straight as the door opened and someone walked toward them along the corridor.
“It’s Jamie.” Red stood up and went to meet his friend, who had agreed to come to the hospital and watch over Marylin while he took Kate back to the hotel. His mate needed to rest.
“Hi, are you both okay?” Jamie’s concern showed on his face and in his voice. “Do you have any more news on what happened?”
“No, none. The police are going through the CCTV footage, but this was planned and executed with some precision…” He glanced at Kate who pushed herself up wearily from the hard hospital chair and came to stand next to him.
“They would make sure they were not caught on camera.” Her tired eyes narrowed as she digested this new piece of information.
“Yes. It makes sense. The whole thing remains a mystery since security said there was no record of anyone going in or out for hours.”
“It either is an inside job, or whoever did it is trying to make it look that way.” Kate ran her hand through her tangled hair. “There was someone in the room with us. When you were putting out the fire, there was someone else in there. I just can’t figure out why. If they wanted to hurt me or my mom, why didn’t they?”
“Perhaps this whole thing was just to scare you off.” Jamie put his hands on his hips. “Have you ever thought this might be the work of someone who doesn’t want you on the set?”
Kate took a step backward and rocked on her heel. “What?”
“You know, a jealous actor. A deranged fan who thinks you are wrong for the part. It’s just a suggestion.” Jamie’s face clouded over as he watc
hed Kate’s reaction. “You know something?”
“Something similar happened before. When I was first starting out.” Kate turned away from them and walked back along the corridor, before turning on her heel and walking back. “Mike Greville. He was the assistant director on the first movie I made. His girlfriend auditioned for the part, too. When I got chosen over her, he tried to get me replaced.”
“Wow. This could be related,” Red said incredulously. As a soldier, he’d witnessed people doing unspeakable things for what they saw as a just cause. But hurting someone over a part in a movie?
“We spoke to him today. Do you think he was planning this all along?” Horror spread across her face.
“We can update the police about a possible connection. But right now, you need to go back to the hotel and get some sleep.” Red slid his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. If Mike Greville was responsible, Red would rip his throat out.
Kate sighed and turned toward the door leading to her mom’s room. Marylin was sedated and sleeping off her traumatic experience. The nurses had asked them to wait in the corridor so as not to disturb her. Marylin would sleep until morning. “Will you watch over her, please, Jamie?”
“Of course.” Jamie rested his hand on Kate’s shoulder. “Go get some sleep and then tomorrow we can formulate a plan. Whoever did this, we can flush them out.”
Kate nodded and turned around, gave Jamie a brief hug and then walked away. Red followed, and they walked in silence out of the hospital and across the parking lot to his truck. Wordlessly, he unlocked the truck and got in.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Red asked.
“Not tonight.” She rested her chin on her hand and stared out of the window as he drove them back to the hotel. Once there, he parked the truck and got out, he needed to get himself a room. But he hated the thought of leaving Kate alone.
Opening the back door of the truck, he took out his backpack before locking the vehicle, then walked around to the passenger side. “I’ll walk you inside.”
Bodyguard Bear (Bear Creek Protectors Book 1) Page 11
