A Case of Extreme Mistaken Identity

by Lieske, Victorine E.

  She opened the door and the man gave her a once-over. “Austin Scott?”

  “He’s in the shower.” She wondered why he had asked for Austin if the balloons were for her, but it didn’t matter that much. They must have gotten things a little mixed up.

  The man handed her the balloons along with a small teddy bear. “Okay. Here you go.”

  She smiled, thrilled with the apology gift. Not that she was quite ready to forgive him yet. He had lied to her for days. And she still had no idea what his motives were for being so nice to her. But the balloons were a sweet thought. “Thank you.”

  After closing the door, she set down the weight that held the balloons and pulled out the card that was tucked into the bear’s shirt. It had flowers on the front. She opened it.

  I warned you.

  Three words written in slanted handwriting. That was all it said. Dani read it over, an uneasy feeling closing her throat. This wasn’t an apology from Austin. This was something else entirely. Why would Austin send her something so creepy and mean? She threw the card down on the desk, her heart thumping.

  Wait. The delivery man had asked for Austin. This was for him.

  The shower turned off and Dani paced the floor, all kinds of terrible things running through her mind. This was so not good. Everything before had started with threatening notes. Of course she couldn’t remember, but she knew the events that had led to her mother’s death. The notes had been first. Then the phone calls. Then the break-in which led to the murder.

  She waited another ten minutes for Austin to open the door. When he did, she approached him, her hands shaking. “You got a threatening note delivered.”

  He squinted at her. “How did you know about that?”

  “Wait, this isn’t the first one?” Actually, that made sense. This one mentioned a warning. Of course he’d gotten one before. He’d just kept it from her. Why was she uncovering so many lies from him? Her heart raced and she held up the card to him. “What did the other one say? What was the warning?”

  Austin rubbed his hair with a towel, dismissing her with a wave of his hand. “It’s just my idiot friend trying to joke around.” He turned to the mirror and wiped away the steam.

  The sick feeling in her gut told her that wasn’t the case. Something was going on. He was being threatened. “It doesn’t feel like a joke, Austin.” Her voice cracked, and she swallowed, trying to get a grip on herself.

  He glanced at her and froze. “My word, you’re really upset, aren’t you?” He hung his towel and took her hands in his. Warmth spread from her hands up her arms. He smelled of soap and masculinity. It made her knees wobble. She scolded herself. Now wasn’t the time to develop a crush on the famous football player. Things were serious right now.

  “I’m sorry he scared you. I’ll call him right now and tell him to knock it off. Okay?”

  His smooth voice calmed her. Maybe she was being silly. At this moment, with Austin standing before her, his hands on hers, she did feel a bit like she over-reacted. Austin was a big guy. She felt safe with him. She looked down at the carpet. “Yes. Please do. Thanks.”

  He let go and moved past her to his phone. He called his friend. After a moment, he said, “Hey, how are you?”

  Dani stared at the balloons while Austin had a conversation, her anxiousness increasing as it sounded more and more like this friend of his knew nothing about the notes.

  “Why do you keep telling me you didn’t send them?” Austin paced the room. “Just fess up. I won’t be mad.”

  She tugged at the hem of her pajamas as Austin finished up with the phone call. He hung up and tossed his phone on the bed, letting out a breath. “He says he didn’t send them.”

  “That’s what I was afraid of.” She hugged her arms to herself. “This is exactly how it started…” She let the rest of it trail off. He would know what she meant.

  Austin clenched his teeth. “It’s not a stalker.”

  “How do you know that?” She picked up the card and thrust it at him. “‘I warned you’. That’s what it says. What did the other one say?”

  “Something about a snake. I don’t really remember.” He took the card from her and scanned it. “I thought it was from Gregg, I swear I did. Who would be sending me threats?”

  “Could be anyone. A crazy psycho fan, probably. My father gets them from time to time, but he takes them very seriously now. You should call the police and get some security here.”

  He shook his head. “No, it’s nothing that bad. Probably just someone messing with me.”

  And that was the attitude that got her mother killed. Dani didn’t want to frighten him, but crazy fans could be dangerous. Austin didn’t understand. He wouldn’t until something bad happened to him. And she didn’t want that to happen.

  “It’s not bad until it gets bad,” she said softly.

  Austin reached out and brushed her hair from the side of her face. “I’m sorry. This must be very upsetting to you.”

  Yes. It was. He had no idea how upsetting it was. He had obviously never delt with a crazy person. She tried to take in a calming breath, but her fingers shook, giving away her anxiety. All she could do was admit it. “Yeah.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  His soft words sliced through her. Standing there next to him, his muscular frame just inches from hers, she could almost believe he meant it. Almost. He was too nice. Too accommodating. And in the past, she’d been too trusting. This is what had gotten her into all kinds of messes. She wanted to trust Austin, but she wasn’t sure how. “Please call the police,” was all she could whisper.

  “I don’t know what they would do. There was no specific threat.” He crumpled the card. “Just stupid things to scare me. And you.”

  She wrung her hands, unable to feel at ease. “Then, let’s go somewhere today. I don’t feel like staying here.”

  “Sure. Get dressed. We can go anywhere you’d like.” He paused. “At least, anywhere a golf cart will take us.” He winked at her.

  Dang, why did he have to look cute like that? Relief passed through her like a cool breeze at the thought of getting out of there. “Okay. I’ll get ready.” She looked up at the now garish-looking balloons. “And get rid of those, please? They’re making me nervous.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  * * *

  Austin stabbed at the foil balloon with the only thing he had in his possession that might pop it…a plastic fork from their last takeout meal that he’d dug out of the trash. A couple of the tines had broken off, but it would have to do. The balloon finally popped and he wadded it up and stuffed it into the trash can.

  Irritation swept through him as he buried the teddy bear under the white Styrofoam box that had held their Moo Goo Gai Pan. Whoever it was sending those notes was really going to get it when he uncovered the truth. Dani had been so freaked, he thought she might hyperventilate. He was sure these notes were bringing back all the memories of what happened to her mother.

  The thought of Dani in distress made him want to punch something, and he found himself tightening his hands into fists. Who would do such a thing? If he found out it was a prank from one of the guys on the team…but even the thought didn’t sit right with him. It wasn’t any of them.

  And that only left the obvious. Someone was actually sending him threats. Which didn’t make any sense. The season was just starting. Sure, he was going to be out for a while, but no one expected it to ruin their games. Players get injured all the time. It happens. It didn’t make sense for a threat.

  Besides, the notes hadn’t been about football. They’d been about watching out for snakes, which made no more sense than someone threatening him because of his injury. He was pretty sure there were no snakes on the beach at the Billionaire Club resort.

  He wanted to just disregard the whole thing, but Dani had been so upset, he knew he couldn’t ignore it. He would be on the lookout for anything else odd, refuse any other deliveries, and make sure no one
was stalking him or following them around. That should take care of it, right?

  Dani came out of the bathroom and grabbed her purse. She wore the short dress he’d purchased for her at SaleMart, and her expensive sandals. They showed off her legs. “I’m ready. Let’s get out of here. This room is giving me the creeps.”

  He forced himself to raise his gaze so he wasn’t gawking. Why had he said that dress looked good? He should have pulled the long one off the rack and insisted it looked better. “Let’s stop at the front desk and talk to Kay. Maybe she can stop any further deliveries.”

  Dani nodded. “Good idea.”

  When they got to the reception area Simon, was working the front desk. Austin leaned on the counter. “Is Kay in her office?”

  “She was. Let me check and see if she’s available.” Simon disappeared behind the desk and a moment later, Kay came out.

  “Hello, Austin. What can I do for you?”

  “I’ve received a couple of strange deliveries the past few days, and the notes have been on the border of threatening.”

  Dani scoffed and folded her arms. “Understatement,” she said quietly.

  He turned back to Kay. “Can you put in a request that all deliveries for my room be refused?”

  Her eyes widened and she nodded while she typed on the keyboard. “Of course. We take these things very seriously.” She finished clicking on the keys. “Done. And I’ll keep an eye out for any suspicious behavior.”

  He tapped the counter. “Thanks, Kay. I appreciate it.”

  They walked through the glass doors to the sidewalk outside. Someone shouted, “There she is!” and a rush of people came at them, camaras flashing.

  At first Austin was so stunned, he didn’t know what to do. Dani covered her face with her arms and ducked her head as reporters and paparazzi fired off questions, microphones stuck in her face.

  “Are you working as a housekeeper?”

  “Did you leave rehab on your own?”

  “Did Rafael really date you to get a part in the next Fast Cars movie?”

  “Were you in love with Rafael? Tell us about his deception.”

  Austin pulled her to him to shield her from the camera flashes. He knew how much she hated being caught on camera. “Let us through, please.”

  “Wait, are you Austin Scott, from the Los Angeles Demons?”

  Suddenly the interest turned to him. Microphones were thrust into his face. “Are you dating Danica Jordan?”

  “What’s your relationship with Danica?”

  “How long have you dated?”

  “Are you aware of her drug problem?”

  Austin shoved through the paparazzi and helped Dani into the golf cart. “We have no comments. Please, leave us alone.”

  He got into the driver’s seat and took off, at the top speed of 20 mph. Several tried to follow them, but he pulled out onto the street and lost them.

  Dani turned to him, her face white. “Thanks for getting us out of there.”

  “I’ll tell Kay they were loitering outside of the establishment, and she can make sure they get cleared out.”

  Dani nodded and glanced away from him, her grip tight on the seat. He knew she was worried about the notes, and the paparazzi probably shook her up. Maybe he could take her mind off of all that with something fun. He just needed to find something she’d like to do that would make her forget about everything else.

  Chapter 19

  Dani breathed in the salty air as the golf cart came to a stop by the docks. Luckily, no reporters were hanging around, and no one had followed them. She breathed out relief. Austin motioned to her. “Stay here. I’ll go down and see if there are any tickets left.”

  She gave him a thumbs up. They’d decided to try one of the boat excursions. They might not have much luck, since it was Labor Day, but maybe someone cancelled. Dani watched as Austin walked to the booth selling tickets.

  Seagulls circled overhead. Now that the paparazzi knew where she was working, they wouldn’t be deterred. She’d be hounded until the next juicy story broke and someone else took the limelight. She could only hope that was soon.

  Austin came back waving two tickets. When he got to the golf cart, he grinned. “The only thing that had any spots left was a day cruise, but it sounded fun, so I bought them. It includes lunch and dinner—”

  “My favorite,” she interrupted.

  He chuckled. “Yes, I know. Your two favorite things in the world. Lunch and dinner.”

  “You know me best.” After she said it, she wanted to take it back. It made them sound close, which she didn’t want. She still didn’t know why he was being so nice to her. But, thankfully, he ignored the comment.

  “Besides the food, we’ll get to sail around the islands and see the sun set before we dock. Come on. We can board right now, even though the boat won’t leave for another thirty minutes.”

  She took his hand and let him help her out of the cart. “Sounds fun.” Before he let go, she had this crazy idea that she should hang onto his hand and walk with him down to the ship. But that was a silly idea. She was trying to distance herself from him, not make him think there was something between them.

  The day cruise ship turned out to be a large yacht with a restaurant on levels three and four of the aft, a theater in the midsection, and a pool on the top deck. There were places all along the deck to sit and look at the ocean. They chose a table on the forward deck.

  Dani spied a server walking with a tray and motioned. “Mind if I order a drink?”

  “Why would I mind?”

  “Because I still haven’t gotten paid.”

  He shrugged and sat back in his chair. “You said you’ll pay me back.”

  “Yes. I will. With interest.”

  He raised his eyebrows, a smile hidden behind his gaze. “I get interest, even?”

  “Of course. I’m not a mooch.”

  “I never said you were.”

  She raised her hand and the server came to her. “Can I get you something?”

  “Can I have a virgin pina colada?”

  “Of course.”

  Austin dug out a credit card and handed it to the man.

  “Anything for you, sir?”

  “Just a Pepsi.”

  The server nodded and left. Dani looked out at the water. A few clouds gathered in the distance. “Is it supposed to rain today?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t check the weather.” He cringed. “I probably should have.”

  “It’s okay. If it rains, we can go inside and sit by a window. I’m not worried.”

  He smiled and then nodded, but something about his expression told her he was distracted. “Okay.” He gazed out at the water.

  After a few moments of silence, she asked, “What are you thinking about?”

  He turned to her, a sudden intense gaze burning through her. “Just wondering something.”

  “What are you wondering?”

  He hesitated a bit before he shifted to lean forward. “What those paparazzi said…about Rafael dating you to get a movie part. Was that true?”

  Oh. He’d heard that. Heat rose to her face. How much more humiliation did she have to suffer because of that stupid video? She couldn’t lie, though. She nodded. “Yeah.”

  “How long did you date him?”

  “Six months.” She let out a bitter chuckle. “I guess he really wanted the part. He dumped me a week into filming. I guess he felt like they wouldn’t drop him then.”

  “How long ago did that happen?”

  She didn’t want to answer that one. But what else could she do? He could find out with a simple Google search. She broke his gaze to hide the shame she felt creep up her neck. “Not long.”

  “So, you’re not really dating anyone right now.”

  It wasn’t a question. He knew, but she answered it anyway. “No.”

  He stared down at the table and slowly nodded. “I see.”

  And this is why she should never lie. She almost cou
ldn’t breathe from the horrible feeling that choked her. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I don’t think I can start anything right now. I guess saying that was just my stupid way of—”

  “You don’t owe me an explanation, Danica.” His gaze was back on her. She wanted to melt under the heat of it.

  “I…uh…”

  The server stepped up to their table with their drinks. He set them down and handed Austin back his card with the slip to sign. Dani was grateful for the distraction. She grabbed her pina colada and took a large drink through the straw. It was cold on her throat and gave her a bit of a brain freeze, but she didn’t care. Feeling anything was better than the awful feeling of being caught in a lie to Austin. A lie that basically told him she wasn’t interested.

  She crossed her legs and stared out at the ocean water. If she were being totally honest, she couldn’t say she wasn’t interested in Austin. She just couldn’t get past the fact that he was being too nice to her. It was too suspicious. And she’d caught him lying already. What else was he lying about? She couldn’t trust him.

  Her foot began bouncing to some unheard music. She needed to change the subject. Austin scribbled his signature on the slip and handed it back to the server. Then he turned his attention back to her. “Are you cold?”

  Relief that he wasn’t going to continue to talk about Rafael or her lie flooded over her and she shook her head. “No. Why do you ask?”

  “Your foot.”

  “Oh.” She forced herself to stop moving.

  Austin gazed out across the deck. Several people walked by their table. Austin squinted, a weird look on his face. “Is that Claire?”

  Dani turned in time to see Claire turn a corner and disappear. Great. They chose the same day cruise? What were the odds of that? Not that she cared if Austin got back together with Claire. She had no right to say anything about that. But still, it was annoying, for some reason.

  “Yeah, looks like it,” Dani said.

  “What’s she doing on here?”

  Dani gave him a flat look. “Taking a day cruise?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay. You got me there. It’s just…never mind.”