A jolt of electricity ran through Riley. 175. Perfect. That’s exactly what she needed. She closed her book and stood. Time for part two of her plan. A small thrill ran through her as she crossed the lobby and walked past the mass of security guards. If she was able to succeed and find out who Shadow Walker really was, it could mean her father wouldn’t lose the home he’d been in since her childhood. The home where all her memories of her mother were. And maybe his depression would finally get better.
* * *
Jalen glanced at the teen he’d paid twenty bucks to dress up in Shadow Walker’s outfit and cringed. This was the worst one, yet. Hadn’t this kid ever seen Shadow Walker? He just stood there, like a dead fish. Not that fish stood. They had no feet. Jalen was so flustered he couldn’t even think of a good simile. Next time he was going to make sure his double would at least wave at people. This was an embarrassment.
Jalen glanced at the woman behind the desk, taking the key card. “Thank you.”
The red headed woman gave him a once over and her smile widened. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
What did that mean? Jalen just gave her a cursory nod and turned, unsure of how to answer her. He wasn’t looking for anything. He was there to do a gig. But if course, she didn’t know that. To the world, he was just Shadow Walker’s manager. No one of consequence.
He set down Sir Barks-a-Lot, letting him pull on the leash as he led the security team to their group of rooms. He gave the bellboy a tip, then followed Shadow Walker into his suite. The one adjoining his own. He turned to the teen. “Change and then knock on the door that joins our rooms. You can leave from my suite.”
The kid nodded and grinned. “Yeah. Sure thing.”
Jalen started to leave but the kid reached out and caught his arm. “Wait. Is Shadow Walker coming later, then? Do you need another double to sneak him into the building?”
“He’s coming tomorrow. We don’t need another double. Thanks.” He tugged on the leash, telling his dog it was time to go.
The kid didn’t let go of his arm. “So, do you know who he is?”
Jalen grit his teeth, so tired of the same thing every time. “Yes. I’m the only one who knows.”
A hungry look came into the teen’s eyes. “What’s his name? Will you tell me? I won’t tell a soul. I promise.”
Jalen wanted to sock the kid, but held it back. He leaned close to him and the kid fell for it, leaning in, his grin widening. Jalen waited a moment, until the kid held his breath. “Not a chance,” he whispered.
Before he could get trapped again with more questions, Jalen slipped out of the room and unlocked his own suite. The kid left a few minutes later, and Jalen breathed a sigh of relief. He really couldn’t stand it when people tried to get him to tell them who Shadow Walker was. The public didn’t deserve to know. They rejected him. Repeatedly. And for what? Because he was ugly. People were shallow and rude. For all he cared, they could live and die without finding out he was the one behind the mask.
Sir Barks whined, and he dug out the dog bowls from his suitcase, filling them with food and water. It didn’t take much to make the little guy happy. He wagged his tail as he munched on his supper.
Jalen opened his briefcase and pulled out his notebook with the latest lyrics he’d been working on. His obligations at the resort didn’t start until tomorrow, so tonight he could relax and get some work done. That is, after he gave instructions to the part timer he’d hired. He checked his phone. He still had thirty minutes before the temp agency said they’d send him over. He texted the woman in charge to let them know what room to send the errand boy. He always hired a temp when he had week-long gigs like this. He needed help with food delivery to his room, and other minor things. And if the kid was tall enough, he might be able to use him as his double on the way out.
He relaxed into the chair by the patio door. The view of the ocean was nice. Too bad he wouldn’t be spending much time out there. Even though he was used to hiding in his room, he did wonder if the sand would feel as powdery under his toes as it looked. He pushed away the thought. He didn’t like it when children screamed at the sight of his face. It was best to stay behind the scenes. He reached up and pulled the blinds closed.
The song he’d been working on had stalled, and he needed to focus so he could get the lyrics right. He subconsciously chewed the end of his pen. My heart is cold as ice. Got no feeling left. Not since she took it all away.
He tried to get back into the headspace he needed to be to finish the lyrics. Scorned by love. Left alone. Again. He could relate. Not that he’d ever had a long-term relationship. No, those didn’t come his way. He wasn’t what women were looking for.
He’d tried dating in the past, before he’d become disillusioned. He just wasn’t in the mood to see the look of shock on another woman’s face. The one where they couldn’t imagine what might have happened to him to leave his skin in such a state.
His dog barked, a knock sounded on his door, and he jumped up. Had he been working that long? Was the errand boy there already? He closed his notebook and took a quick glance around to make sure none of his Shadow Walker things were lying about. After making sure it was safe, he opened his door.
A woman stood before him, her dark hair pulled back in a severe bun, a pair of large glasses on her nose making her look owlish. She was wearing a grey skirt and blazer, and looked at him expectantly. “Jalen Carter?”
“You’re not a boy.” The stupidity of his words smacked him in the face, and his neck heated. Duh. Of course she wasn’t a boy.
She blinked. “No, I’m not.”
“Are you from the temp agency?”
The woman stared at him, and he waited for her gaze to land on his scars. For her to flinch. But she didn’t. She just held a blank look. Behind him, Sir-Barks-a-Lot was doing his best to pay tribute to his name. “Hush,” he said to him.
Who was this woman? If she wasn’t from the temp agency, then how did she know his name? He tried again. “Are you the one they sent to be Shadow Walker’s assistant?”
The woman hesitated for a split second, but then she nodded and smiled. “Yes. That’s me.”
Jalen motioned for her to enter his suite. “All right. Come in.” He wasn’t very happy they’d messed up his instructions and sent a woman instead of an errand boy, but he wasn’t about to send her away. He was against gender discrimination. Plus, he’d look like a real jerk. He glanced around his suite, just now realizing the only chair in the room was the one he’d been sitting in.
“You can have the chair. Let me get the instructions for you.” He rummaged through his suitcase looking for the paper schedule he’d typed up. Unfortunately, it wasn’t there. “Sorry, usually I’m not this disorganized,” he mumbled as he tried to find it.
The woman scratched behind Sir Bark’s ears. “That’s okay.”
Jalen’s face heated as he continued to search for the paper that obviously wasn’t there. Maybe he’d left it in his printer at home. Great. He gave up and turned to the woman, sticking out his hand. “As you already know I’m Jalen.”
“Riley,” she said as she took his hand. Her skin was soft, and he wasn’t expecting the electric feeling that skittered up his arm from touching her. He pulled his hand back.
“I’m sorry, I can’t find my sheet. But what I need you to do is simple. Shadow Walker is set to make appearances and do shows here all week. I’m his manager but I’ll be busy and I can’t take care of the small details, so that’s what you’re here for. He’ll need meals brought to him. Laundry picked up. Make sure his fridge is filled with bottled water. Things like that. You’ll basically be at my beck and call, for whatever he needs.”
Riley nodded, and then her eyebrows knit together. “So, he’s going to be doing shows? Is he a magician?”
Jalen stared at the woman. “You don’t know who Shadow Walker is?”
Riley shrugged. “I don’t. Sorry.”
Mildly annoyed at this woman’s
ignorance, he cleared his throat. “He’s a singer.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Ooh,” she said, dragging the word out. “Sorry. I don’t listen to that rap stuff.”
Jalen bit the inside of his cheek to stop from laughing. “He’s a pop singer.”
“I don’t listen to that either,” she said, pressing her red lips together.
Wow. Either this woman lived under a rock somewhere, or she was playing him. He shoved his hands in his pockets and assessed her. She didn’t look like she was joking. She looked like a middle school librarian, with those large glasses. Maybe she didn’t watch television. He supposed there were people out there like that. “I’m surprised you’ve never heard of him.”
She dropped her gaze. “I prefer classical or jazz.”
“Miles Davis?”
A smile popped onto her face, showing her perfect, white teeth. “Yes. Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington. The old greats.”
He had to admit, it thrilled him to talk to someone young who knew something about classic jazz music. Not that he was that much older than her. Maybe five years. But his conversations with women her age usually ended around the time they would ask, “Do you know Justin Bieber?”
Jalen leaned against the dresser. “What got you interested in jazz?”
“My father. He would play his old vinyl records on Saturdays when he was tinkering out in the garage. It’s where I learned to love music. And fix cars…” Her words trailed off, as if she had begun to ramble and just realized it. Her cheeks turned pink.
He raised one eyebrow. “You fix cars?”
She squirmed and smiled. “Well, I know some basics. How to change the fuel pump. Stuff like that.” She pushed her glasses up with one finger. “But that’s not why I’m here. Tell me about Shadow Stalker. What kind of meals does he like?”
Jalen laughed. “Shadow Walker. And he doesn’t like hotel food, so you’ll probably be asked to run to several places nearby. Not fast food. Something local would be good. He likes seafood.” Jalen’s mouth watered thinking of the kind of local seafood he could get on the island.
“Got it. When will I meet him?”
The way she asked made Jalen freeze. Something was off, but he wasn’t sure what it was. Was she too eager? Maybe her eyes were a bit too wide. Was she conning him? He slowly shook his head. “You won’t be meeting him.”
She brightened. “That’s fine. Do I bring his meals here, then?”
The strange feeling left and Jalen mentally scolded himself for being too on edge. He’d just had some crazy fans go way out of their way to get close to Shadow Walker. He must be paranoid. Riley was about as innocent as you could get. She didn’t even know who he was.
Jalen shook his head. “No. You’ll drop everything he needs off next door at room 177. I’ll give you the key card so you can stock his fridge, and drop off his laundry.” He handed her the plastic card, then pulled out his phone. “I’ll text you when he needs something. What’s your phone number?”
Riley rattled off her number and he added it in, the feeling of unease creeping back into his chest. Why was he apprehensive of this young woman? She was clearly harmless. Right?
Thank you for reading this sneak peek. You can order your copy of this book here: A Deception of Massive Proportion.
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About the Author
Victorine and her husband live in Nebraska with their four children and two cats. She loves all things romance, and is currently addicted to Korean Dramas, which are super swoony and romantic. When she’s not writing, she’s designing book covers for authors or making something with her extensive yarn collection.
A Case of Extreme Mistaken Identity Page 17
