Wicked Heart

by Leisa Rayven

  There’s a noise behind him, and he looks over his shoulder. “K, I’d better go. I have to get changed and go sign autographs at stage door with Angel. It’s required.” He looks back at me, and smiles. “I’ll talk to you soon, okay? I love you.”

  He reaches forward, and then the screen goes black.

  I lie back on the bed and close my eyes.

  Kent is such a prick for making them do that interview. It’s like rubbing salt into their wounds.

  My need to take him down intensifies.

  Apart from a few incriminating posts about him on a site called Agents Behaving Badly, the Internet has been a bust, so if I want to put this guy in his place, I’m going to need to think creatively.

  I deepen my breathing and concentrate. In order to catch a rat, I need to think like a rat.

  If Kent were me, what would he do?

  I go through several different scenarios until a kernel of an idea hits me.

  Oh. Wow. Could that actually work?

  I think it through some more, and when I’m done, I feel myself smiling. It’s so simple, it’s genius.

  They say you have to fight fire with fire? Fine. That’s what we’re going to do.

  I sit up and yell, “Josh!”

  Within seconds, he’s poking his head around the door. “You bellowed?”

  “I have an idea, but it’s risky. And it’s going to take all of us to pull it off.”

  Josh flops onto my bed with an excited expression on his face. “Sounds pervy. Count me in.”

  TWENTY-ONE

  THE STING

  I put the finishing touches on my lipstick and step back to assess the result.

  Not bad.

  When Marco called and said he wanted me at opening night, I was so happy, I cried. I’d invested so much hard work in this production, it devastated me to think I wouldn’t get to see it come to life. I was also happy because it helped solidify my plan against Kent.

  When Liam found out I was attending, he sent me presents. Lots of them. The first was a vintage midnight-blue Givenchy gown. Corseted bodice. Full skirt. Absolutely beautiful. He also sent a stunning diamond-and-sapphire necklace with matching earrings, a glittery clutch that’s probably worth more than my MacBook, and red-soled shoes that are so pretty I feel bad wearing them; they should be on a shelf somewhere, being admired.

  I’ve never received anything so extravagant. With my hair curled and my makeup completed, I feel like the ‘after’ photo in one of those jaw-dropping makeovers. Even though I know Liam and I won’t get to spend much time together tonight, I have to admit, I can’t wait to see his reaction. I think he’ll be pleased.

  “Lissa! The car’s downstairs. You ready?”

  I throw my lipstick into my clutch and head out to the living room, where Josh is waiting. He looks beyond handsome in his tux, and his wild hair is tamed for once. Very sleek. Angel’s eyes are going to bug out of her head.

  When he hears my footsteps, he turns. I smile when his eyes go wide and his mouth drops. “Oh. Fuck. Me.”

  “I don’t think Liam would agree to that, but thanks for the offer.”

  He looks me up and down several times before speaking again. “Okay. So, yes. Well done. Hotness achieved. Quinn may actually shoot his load in his pants when he sees you. Better take some tissues.”

  I laugh and grab my keys. “Come on. They’re waiting for us.”

  When we get down to the street, a stretch limo is waiting. As we approach, the driver opens the door, and Josh and I climb in. Angel and Liam are already inside, and when Liam sees me, his reaction is similar to Josh’s, but even more extreme. I react to him in the same way. As Josh and I sink into the plush leather seats opposite him and Angel, I can’t help but stare. Although I’ve seen him in a tux dozens of times on the Internet, I’ve never experienced it up close, and let me tell you, the power of him in the flesh is a totally different experience. If the definition of hotness ever took human form and walked the earth, it would look like Liam right now. Add that to having not been this close to him for nearly a week, and I’m not prepared for how violently my body reacts.

  “Hi,” I say as I drink in his appearance. Every ounce of saliva in my mouth has dried up.

  “Hi.” Liam’s voice cracks. He seems to be having the opposite problem. He swallows and tries again. “Sorry. Hi.” His voice cracks again. “Dammit. I feel like a teenager. You look…” He shakes his head, then wipes his mouth. “I’m actually drooling. That’s how good you look.”

  Angel rolls her eyes. “God, Liam. Gross.” She holds out her hands, and I take them. “Hey, my darling friend. I’ve missed the hell out of you. And P.S.—you’re stunning. As disgusting as Liam’s salivation is, I can’t say I blame him.”

  “Thanks, Angel. You look incredible.” She really does. She’s wearing a pale, crystal-covered halter dress that hugs her in all the right ways. It’s crazy how beautiful she is. Inside and out.

  Angel squeezes my hands, and when she lets them go, she turns to Josh. As soon as her eyes settle on him, her smile fades into something more lustful. “Hello, Joshua.”

  Josh clenches his jaw and nods. “Angela.”

  Angel takes in a short breath. “No one but my father calls me Angela.”

  “I’ve decided I’m going to. Get used to it.” Damn. Josh has game with this girl. Air of authority, indeed.

  Angel blinks a couple of times, then licks her lips. “Okay.”

  So, the sexual tension in here has just gone into overdrive. And don’t even get me started on Liam’s expression. He looks like he’s about three seconds away from turning the very expensive dress he bought me into confetti.

  I take a breath and let it out. As distracting as the man-god opposite me is, we don’t have much time, so I smooth my dress and get down to business.

  “Okay, so everyone knows the plan?”

  They all nod.

  “You got my package?” Liam asks Josh.

  Josh winces. “Please rephrase that to be less weird.”

  Liam rolls his eyes. “You got the package I sent you.”

  “Yes. It’s all charged and ready to go. I even know how to use it. I guess all those hours in high school AV club are finally paying off.” He shoots a glance at Angel. “Actually, forget I said that. I was too cool for A.V. club. They wished I spent most of my lunch hours there.”

  Angel tries to stop herself from smiling. “That’s a shame. Geeks are sexy.”

  Josh tilts his head. “Is that right?”

  “It is.”

  After a few more seconds of them staring each other down, I clear my throat. “So, Angel, you sure you’re okay with your part in this?”

  “Absolutely,” she says. “Hell, I’d let Kent go all the way if it meant getting us out of this situation. Besides, I paid a crapload for these boobs. Might as well get my money’s worth.”

  “What if he calls our bluff?” Josh says. “You’d be in the firing line with him.”

  She smiles. “Oh, don’t worry about that. After being saved by Liam in four movies, I’m great at playing the victim. If Kent insists on doing anything but killing Angeliam when my sister interviews us tomorrow, I’ll make sure he regrets it for a very long time.”

  “My offer stands to murder Kent,” Liam says, his face tight with anger. “I have experience pouring concrete, and plenty of contacts in the New York construction scene. His body will never be found.”

  I glance at Angel. “Can we swap seats?”

  “Sure.”

  After a mid-car mess of dresses and limbs, we swap positions, and when I’m seated next to Liam, I take his hand between both of mine.

  “This will all be over soon,” I assure him. “One way or another.”

  He brings my hand up to his mouth and presses warm kisses against it. “I know. I just hope this works.”

  We all go quiet as the limo gets closer to the theater. We’re all thinking the same thing. It has to work.

  There’s no other o
ption.

  * * *

  Because Josh and I can’t be seen fraternizing with the stars of the show, the limo drops him and me off at the back of the theater before driving Angel and Liam around the waiting throng of press and screaming fans. By the time we get to the front, the celebrity arrivals and red carpet are in full swing. It’s not as lavish as a film premiere, but Broadway still knows how to throw a party.

  “Is all your gear inside?” I ask as Josh scans the crowd.

  “Yep. Set up and ready to go. As soon as Liam and Angel finish with the press line, I’ll go get into position.”

  “Make sure he can’t see you.”

  He rolls his eyes. “You act as if I’ve never taken secret blackmail photos before. I got this.”

  We stand to the side and watch as New York’s elite schmooze with one another and pose for the cameras. When waiters appear with trays of champagne, I almost break a heel getting to them in record time.

  “Lissa. Look.” Josh gestures toward Angel, who’s rushing down the red carpet, ignoring all calls for her to stop. She shoots us a wink on her way past.

  “Showtime,” Josh whispers, then follows her into the foyer of the theater.

  I down my champagne in two mouthfuls. “Okay. Let’s do this.” The trap is set. Now we just need to wait for our prey.

  I’m halfway through my second glass of bubbly when Anthony Kent appears beside me.

  Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

  “Miss Holt. I didn’t think you’d be here tonight.”

  “Marco invited me. Is that all right? Should he have asked your permission? I can leave if you like.”

  He gives a slight smile, then looks me up and down with a predatory expression. “On the contrary. I’m glad you’re here. You look ravishing.”

  “Thanks. You look like a snake in a suit.”

  He laughs and moves closer. “I’m pleased to see you heeded my advice about staying away from Liam.”

  “You didn’t give me much choice.”

  A photographer steps in front of us. “Mr. Kent. A photo with your date please.”

  I’m about to spit that I wouldn’t date this man if you put a gun to my head, but Kent blithely puts his arm around my waist and pulls me closer. “Of course. Smile, darling.”

  I think I smile. I’m not sure. Maybe I just bare my teeth in a horrifying way.

  The photographer clicks off a few shots. “Wonderful. Thank you.” He moves on to his next victims.

  When I squirm away from Kent, he chuckles. “I can see what Liam sees in you. Beautiful. Feisty. Intelligent. I like you, Elissa. Current circumstances may be painful, but there’s no need for things to become unpleasant between us.”

  I give him my most condescending smile. “They don’t need to be, but they are. That’s what happens when you ruin my professional reputation, get me fired, blackmail me and my friends, and try to keep me from the man I love.”

  He shrugs. “It’s just business. Nothing personal.”

  I lean into him, and touch his chest. “Well, since business is so important to you, perhaps you’d be interested in a proposal I have to offer.”

  He looks down at my hand before returning to my face. “I’m listening.”

  “Can we meet tomorrow morning? The conference room at the rehearsal venue?”

  He frowns. “What is this about?”

  “You’ll have to show up to find out.” I give him what I hope is a sexy smile. “But I promise, it will be worth your while.”

  “Well, that’s sounds too intriguing to pass up.” He leans down, his face close to mine. “I’m looking forward to finding out more.”

  I hide my disgust as Mary rushes up to him. “Anthony, where the hell is Angel? She ran straight past all the interviewers. We need her.”

  Mary rushes off in a panic, and Kent looks around. Liam is about halfway up the carpet, smiling and doing his duty by answering questions and signing things for fans. When he glances over, a frown passes over his features as Kent mouths, “Where’s Angel?” Liam shrugs and shakes his head.

  “Shit.” Kent pulls out his phone and dials her number. He taps his thigh as he waits for her to answer. “Angel? Where are you?” He frowns and looks back at the theater. “Is it broken?” He looks at me. “Okay, fine. Wait there. I’ll get help.”

  He hangs up. “The strap on her dress has broken. Could you go help?”

  I half shrug. “Sorry, but I don’t work here anymore. Guess you’d better do it yourself.”

  “What the hell do I know about fixing dresses?”

  I reach into my clutch and pull out a safety pin and some double-sided tape. “This will fix pretty much anything short of an eight-cylinder engine. Knock yourself out, MacGyver.”

  “You just happened to have these in your purse?”

  “I carry them everywhere I go. Stage manager, remember? Always prepared. There are bound to be wardrobe malfunctions at these things.”

  He smiles. “You really are remarkable, aren’t you? You know, if you’re ever looking for a replacement for Liam—”

  “Not if you were the last man on earth.”

  He chuckles. “Okay, enjoy the show. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

  As he heads into the theater, I whisper, “Yes, you will,” and muster up what I hope is an evil-mastermind smile.

  Ten minutes later, Angel and Kent emerge from the theater, and he escorts her to her rightful place next to Liam. As Kent walks away, Angel glances over at me and smiles. I raise my glass to her. A few minutes later, Josh slinks out of the theater and stands next to me. His face is bright red.

  “You okay?” I ask.

  “Fine.” His voice is tight, and the muscles in his jaw are working overtime.

  “Josh?”

  He pushes out a short breath. “He had his hands all over her, Lissa. It was disgusting. Mission accomplished, I guess.”

  “Jealous?”

  “Of course not. But I’m starting to think Quinn had the right idea in murdering him. Just give me ten minutes alone in a room with him. They’d have to use dental records to figure out who he used to be.”

  “Sure you’re not jealous?” He shoots me a glare. “Okay. Fine. But you got the money shot, right?”

  “Oh yeah. I got more money shots than a feature-length porn film.”

  I drain the rest of my champagne and smile. “Then stick a fork in Kent. He’s done.”

  TWENTY-TWO

  THE LAST STAND

  Thankfully, opening night goes off without a hitch. Liam and Angel are magnificent, and the audience screams through five curtain calls to show just how much they loved the show. It’s officially a hit.

  At the after-party, all I want to do is throw my arms around Liam and tell him how proud I am, but I feel Kent watching my every move. I settle for giving Liam the most loving smile I can when he glances at me from across the room. After that, Josh and I head home early.

  On Sunday morning I’m as nervous as I’ve ever been. What happens today will either ensure future happiness for me and my friends, or tear our worlds apart.

  I’m gambling everything on it being the first option.

  When Josh and I get to the rehearsal venue, we set up my computer in the conference room, and then I lay out a plate of Danish before brewing fresh coffee.

  “I can’t believe you bought pastries for that douche,” Josh says with a hint of disgust.

  I shrug. “It’s all well and good to destroy an evil, money-hungry dickwad, but we don’t have to be barbaric about it.”

  It’s not long before Liam and Angel arrive, but I don’t even have time to hug Liam before Kent strides into the room. He looks around at the others.

  “Elissa, I’m disappointed. I thought this was a private invitation. I was looking forward to some quality alone time with you.”

  I swear to God, I hear Liam growl.

  “Please,” I say, keeping my eyes on Kent as I put a hand on Liam’s arm. “Take a seat.”

>   When Kent sits, I pour him coffee and offer him a Danish. He munches on the pastry and gives me an inquisitive eyebrow.

  “Okay, so, I’m here. What’s this about? We need to make it quick because I still have to brief Liam and Angel on their interview tonight.” He gives us a smug smile. “Against all odds, the saga of their Epic Love continues.”

  “Actually, that’s what we’re here to discuss.”

  I gesture to Angel, and she steps forward. “Anthony, I know you think you’re acting in our best interests by keeping up this facade, but enough is enough. We want to use the interview tonight to break up. We can say we’ve drifted apart. That working and living together has taken its toll. Let the fans down gently.”

  Kent stops chewing and stares at her. Then, he frowns. “Um … okay. Let me think about this for a second.” He swallows. “No. Next topic of conversation.”

  Liam takes a step toward him, but I grab his arm. He jabs a finger at Kent. “We’re not your puppets, you piece of shit.”

  “Yes you are,” Kent says, infuriatingly calm. “And you’ll dance until I tell you to stop or I’ll make sure you never work again. I made you and Angel stars. Me. You’d both still be doing soda commercials if I hadn’t come along.”

  “And we’re super-grateful, Anthony,” Angel says, matching his snarky tone. “But we made you, too. You’ve gotten very rich by exploiting us, so forgive me if I don’t feel bad for telling you to go fuck yourself. You’re fired.”

  Liam crosses his arms over his chest. “After today, we never want to see you again.”

  Kent laughs. Actually laughs, like he’s having a good time. “I’m not sure how else to say this to get it through your thick heads. No, you’re not firing me. No, you’re not breaking up. No, to all of it. Capital N. Capital O. I’d write it down, but Liam wouldn’t be able to read it.”

  Everyone in the room tenses, and Josh has to physically restrain Liam, who snarls at Kent, “You prick!”

  I stand in front of Liam to calm him down, but really, I’d like nothing more than to watch him smash his fist into Kent’s bastard face.