“Levi, where is she?”
“At the station cabin. They’ve been there for a few days. She didn’t know what else to do when that news report dropped, but apparently they have a guy arrested in LA so she’s planning on heading back in the morning.”
“He was released,” Eddie said. “Wrong guy—they dropped the charges.”
Shit. Levi took a deep breath. It was fine. Leslie was still in Alaska and she was monitoring the situation in LA. She wouldn’t head back if it was unsafe. “Well, she’s still there, so we have time to warn her.”
“I think the guy might be headed here.”
He frowned. “What? How would he know where they are?”
“Leslie’s car was towed into the shop on Main Street. I noticed it sitting outside earlier today.”
That, Levi knew—he’d called for the tow. “Yeah, she was planning on picking it up this morning before heading back.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Eddie said.
“Why not?”
“I found a tracking device on it.”
Shit.
* * *
“ARE YOU PLANNING on saying goodbye to your family before leaving?” Selena asked as they drove through town the next morning to the shop where Levi said her car would be ready and waiting for the trip back to LA.
Leslie had gone back and forth about it over and over again, but she’d ultimately decided against it. They’d be pissed that she’d been avoiding them, not filling them in on her whereabouts and everything that was going on, so the only way to avoid a whole shit ton of arguments was to keep avoiding them for now. And she’d already started putting her walls back up...no need to compromise them again. “We should hit the road.” Fifty-seven hours of driving awaited them and she needed to call the agency to update them. Selena also needed to call all of her people to let them know she was okay and headed back.
As soon as Leslie’s phone charged.
She’d forgotten to charge it the night before and it was dead. She’d plug it in at the shop while Selena ate breakfast at the diner next door, then they’d be good to go.
She ignored the tug at her chest that said otherwise.
The familiar scenery of her hometown wouldn’t get to her. Her guilt about not saying goodbye to her family wouldn’t derail her plans. This trip hadn’t been a vacation. She had a job to finish and she needed to focus on getting Selena back to LA safely and quickly.
Her phone being dead, she hadn’t had a chance to find out if Levi had tried to call or text her from Florida. She hoped he was safe. She missed him already. Which made leaving that day already difficult. Maybe the way they’d said goodbye was for the best—hurried, short and bittersweet. A long, drawn-out farewell would have been harder and she’d have had time to question her choices and what came next.
Pulling into the shop parking lot, she parked Levi’s truck next to her car and gathered her things. “Okay, we have an hour. Go eat, I’ll charge my cell phone inside, pay for the services and then we are good to go.” She’d also make a very quick stop at the tech shop to grab a new mobile charger.
“Do you want anything?” Selena asked.
“No, I’m good.” She didn’t have an appetite that morning. Heading back to face the music was only half as hard as leaving all her unfinished business here and her stomach was a mess about all of it.
Leslie headed into the noisy shop that smelled like gas and other car fluids and scanned the wall for an outlet. Locating one near the old woodstove in the corner, she bent to plug her phone in and the sound of a familiar voice behind her made her jump.
“Could you have picked a farther place to hide out?”
Eoghan’s teasing tone, thick with his Australian accent, seemed to hide an eerie urgency. “Eoghan? You’re here... In Wild River.” How? Why? What the hell? And why was her first reaction guilt about what was going on with Levi when there were a million other issues with Eoghan being there, like how he’d found them.
“Hey, Leslie. You here to pick up your car?” Doug, the shop owner, asked from behind the counter.
She blinked and nodded to him. “Yeah, Doug...just, uh, give me a sec?”
“Sure thing. Ring the bell when you’re ready,” he said, setting a dirty, oil-covered bell on the counter and heading into the back.
Leslie turned back to Eoghan. He was dressed in jeans, hiking boots and a winter coat that was obviously new. The North Mountain Sports Company logo suggested he’d been in town long enough to go shopping. Just how long had he been here? “What’s going on?”
He didn’t answer as he hugged her, his strong cologne making her hold her breath. “It’s good to see you. I’m glad you’re okay.”
Why wouldn’t she be? She pulled back abruptly and frowned. “What’s going on? When did you get here?”
“This morning. I took a red-eye flight last night when I couldn’t reach you.”
“How did you even know where to find us?” She looked around. She shouldn’t have left Selena alone.
“From these.” Eoghan handed her his phone, his expression now serious.
Instagram pictures with Selena tagged appeared. Pictures dated three days before. Leslie scanned the photos of the star that looked like they were taken on Main Street. But she could be anywhere. All small towns looked similar. But still, these photos were not good. Not good at all... How the hell had they gotten posted? Had Selena hijacked her phone at some point? Damn, the star really hadn’t listened to her about the danger she was in at all.
But Leslie frowned. “I still don’t know how...”
Eoghan stood behind her and zoomed in on the image. “Behind her. That street sign in the distance.”
Leslie squinted. Even zoomed all the way in, the street sign was unreadable. Too small and not at all in focus. She took a breath. “This is unreadable.”
Eoghan took the phone and opened an app. “Not if you upload the photos to this app.” He showed her the new image—crisper, clearer...readable. Wild River Resort. Oh no... But...
“But someone would have to use the app...or one like it.”
“Someone motivated enough—like me—could have,” he said. His mood turned deadly serious as he touched her shoulders. “The man they had in custody was released. His alibi checked out. He wasn’t the guy.”
Her entire body froze. Selena was still in danger. “They let him go?”
“No other choice, but don’t worry, the company is surveilling him.”
The company, right. Her boss. People who actually had believed that she was in on it, that she may have abducted the star herself. She shook her head. “I’m still confused though. Why did you come here?”
He looked slightly sheepish and his tone was affectionately embarrassed as he said, “I came here when I couldn’t reach you on your cell phone last night—you frightened me. I thought maybe the real stalker had found you and Selena.”
An awkwardness fell between them but telling him that whatever was happening between them was officially over had to wait as her guilt subsided quickly to panic. The real stalker was still loose and might know where they were. Selena should have known better than to take those selfies. And then post them to social media? What the hell had she been thinking?
Leslie started to pace. “Okay, but...we’re assuming the stalker is tech savvy...or still very motivated. Even if he did know where she was, he wouldn’t actually come all the way to Alaska, right?” In most cases, stalkers lost interest when the target was removed from sight or availability. They moved on, became obsessed with a new one.
“I wouldn’t be so sure. There’s more,” Eoghan said. “You should sit.”
She didn’t want to sit. She wanted to grab Selena and get the hell out of there. But she also needed to know all the details and think with a clear head this time, so she lowered herself down into the plus
h chair near the woodstove. “What’s going on?”
“There have been more letters, messages... Actual death threats now. Her management team are freaking out,” Eoghan said, taking one of her hands in his.
She tensed at the touch. Now wasn’t the time to call off their casual relationship, but she added it to the list of messes she needed to deal with once Selena was safe. Death threats. Things had escalated even more. Whoever the stalker was wasn’t messing around anymore. And they might know where they were.
She had to get to Selena. She stood quickly. “We should leave. Right away.” Hiding out was one thing, but if the guy actually found them, it was better on home turf, with more security detail. Being on the road was safer.
Eoghan nodded. “Yeah, I agree. Let’s get your car and head back to LA. We can drive back together. That way, we’re on the road for the next few days and whether the guy is in LA or Alaska, he won’t be able to get to her. And if he does travel here, we may have a better case to prove it’s the right guy.”
Leslie was nodding. That all made sense. “Yes, okay.”
Eoghan touched her hand again. “Don’t worry. It’s okay. I’m here. We’ll get Selena back where she belongs...safely.”
She did feel slightly better with backup. Unfortunately, Eoghan’s affectionate touch and concerned, caring expression made her uneasy. Would he have come all this way to help if it had been another agent? Or were his feelings for her motivating this? Damn. She really couldn’t deal with this right now. “Okay. Thank you,” she said.
“Where is she anyway?” He glanced around the shop.
“Eating at the diner. I had to charge my phone,” she said, turning to unplug it.
Eoghan stepped closer. “Let it keep charging for a few extra minutes. I’ll take care of getting your car. Go get Selena and I’ll meet you both outside in five minutes.”
Leslie checked the battery life—still only at thirty percent. She nodded. “Okay. Meet you outside.”
Entering the old fifties-style diner seconds later, Leslie ignored some familiar faces and a few waves in her direction. She didn’t have time for reunions right now. She ignored the rumble of her stomach at the smell of frying bacon and fresh apple pie as she looked for Selena and spotted her in the corner, at a table near the window, sipping an espresso. Leslie hurried over to her. “Hey... We need to go,” she said.
Selena frowned. “My breakfast hasn’t even arrived yet.”
“We will have to grab something on the road,” she said.
The actress must have heard the note of urgency in her voice because for the first time she moved fast, without argument. She stood and drained the contents of the cup. “I have to pay,” she said, heading toward the counter with the cash Leslie had given her.
“Hurry,” Leslie said, scanning the restaurant, in full paranoia mode. She could strangle Selena for posting pics online. Hadn’t she been clear that this was serious? She’d put her career and her own safety on the line and the star couldn’t follow one simple rule.
“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” Selena asked, rejoining her a moment later.
Leslie sighed. “The man they arrested was released. He’s not the stalker.”
“Okay...so shouldn’t we stay in Wild River?” She stopped walking.
“That would be a great idea except the stalker might know where you are. Wild River isn’t a safe option for us anymore,” Leslie said, her annoyance causing her voice to rise.
Diners at nearby tables turned to look their way and she led Selena out of the restaurant. “There were pictures of you on Instagram.”
Selena’s eyes widened. “How?”
Leslie resisted the urge to scream. “Because somehow—and not entirely surprisingly—you posted them.”
“No, I didn’t.”
Was she seriously going to lie about this right now? “I saw them.”
“Leslie, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Damn, if she didn’t sound sincere, but Leslie had seen the photos herself. “Look, the damage is done. We just need to leave.”
“Is he here? The stalker?” Selena looked genuinely worried as she scanned the quiet street. It was just after ten and stores were opening for the day, but there were few people around.
“I don’t know. But Eoghan is here and if he could figure out where we are based on the Instagram photos, so could the stalker. So, we have to leave.”
“Wait. Eoghan’s here?” Selena paused near the front door.
“Yes. Come on, we’re meeting him at the car.” Leslie zipped her jacket higher as the cold air blew through her hair. “Come on.” She gestured for the woman to follow her toward the shop.
Selena shook her head.
Great, the annoying Selena was back. The attitude had returned. It was going to be a really long car ride back to LA.
Her teeth clenched as she walked toward her. “What’s the problem?”
“Why is Eoghan here?”
“To help. To let me know what was going on.”
“He couldn’t have done it by phone?”
Leslie sighed. “Look, I know you’re not a fan, but he’s here to help and right now, I’ll be honest with you, I’m doubting my own ability to keep you safe, so I could use his assistance on this.”
“Bullshit. You don’t need him.”
The vote of confidence was coming a little too late. Leslie had made mistakes...both personally and professionally and she really just wanted to get out of there and put all of this behind her, even if that meant heading back to LA to face the music. “Well, he’s here.” She guided Selena down the street. “And this is kinda your fault,” she mumbled.
Selena looked enraged. “I told you. I didn’t post any pictures online, Leslie!”
Reaching the shop, she saw Eoghan waiting near her car and Leslie extended a hand toward him. “Can I have your phone to show Selena the pictures she claims don’t exist?”
Eoghan hesitated, but then clicked on his Instagram app and handed Leslie his phone. She turned it to face Selena. “Don’t remember somehow stealing my phone and posting these?”
Selena squinted to look at them. “That’s not Wild River...” She looked harder. “Except the Photoshopped parts.”
Leslie frowned. “What are you talking about?” Her head hurt and right now she actually didn’t care about the photos, she just wanted this whole ordeal to be over. It was tempting to let Eoghan take over and walk away from this mess.
Selena pointed to the picture of her on Main Street. “This picture is on set at Universal. The background has been doctored to look like Wild River...but look closely.”
Leslie peered at the photo. It did look off. Where was North Mountain Sports Co.? It should have been in the corner of the picture...but it wasn’t. That space on Main Street looked under construction.
“And look at my clothes. I wasn’t wearing that anytime we were here,” Selena said, pleased that she was in the right.
It was true. These photos weren’t real. She was really slipping not to have noticed those things herself... Why had she let her personal life throw her off her game so hard? Eoghan’s unexpected arrival hadn’t helped. She rubbed her aching temple. “You’re right. But they say they were posted from your Instagram three days ago.”
“Someone must have hacked my account. Happens to celebrities all the time,” she said with a shrug.
“But how would they have known to change the photo to a shot of Wild River?” Leslie asked. This made no sense. She owed the star an apology, but first she wanted to figure out how this happened.
“I don’t know,” Selena said, but her mistrusting gaze was focused on Eoghan.
Leslie turned toward him to ask, but a right hook caught her cheek and she stumbled backward. Eoghan had punched her? Her brain felt rattled as she steadied herself and
prepared to fight back.
“Leslie!” she heard Selena’s voice, but another quick jab had her blinking furiously to maintain focus. She staggered, struggling to comprehend and recover, but a final hard blow had her lights out.
CHAPTER TWENTY
OKAY, SO SELENA’S gut feelings about Eoghan were right.
Her eyes opening slowly, her head throbbing, Leslie forced her brain through the fogginess swirling around her. The events replaying in a haze. Eoghan in Wild River. Eoghan knocking her out, Photoshopped photos...by him? Why? And how the hell had he known where to find them?
What the actual fuck was going on? Had Eoghan been somehow involved with Selena’s stalker this entire time or was he Selena’s stalker? Leslie blinked away a wave of dizziness and swallowed the saliva gathering in her mouth, as she quickly assessed her current situation.
Her hands were tied tightly with a thick rope and fastened to the door handle in the back seat of her own car. Her cheek and left eye felt swollen and she could barely see over the puffiness. Her stomach was queasy—low blood sugar queasy—which meant they must have been on the road a little while.
Outside it was dusk and she couldn’t pinpoint their location. It was just stretches of highway and trees as far as she could see.
Selena sat next to her, her hands in handcuffs behind her back, her mouth covered—she talked too much and had probably tried screaming for help. Eoghan knew that once awake, Leslie wouldn’t jeopardize their safety like that. It would be futile anyway in this secluded section of the Alaska Highway. They could drive for miles and not see another vehicle.
Selena’s eyes were wide and bloodshot when they met hers. She was obviously scared, but looked slightly relieved to see Leslie had regained consciousness. Leslie forced her own expression to be calm as she whispered, “It’s going to be okay.” It had to be okay. She needed to get them out of this.
Leslie took a moment to stare at Eoghan behind the wheel, trying to assess his mental state—and his motive. Why would he be interested in the Hollywood star? The Eoghan she thought she knew wouldn’t be, but the man sitting in the driver’s seat right now was barely recognizable. His shoulder-length wavy hair looked dirty and messy in a low ponytail, not his usual carefully styled man bun. His hands clutched the wheel and he was mumbling to himself. Incoherent babbling that she couldn’t decipher.
Stars Over Alaska Page 23
