by Maggie Mundy
That was weird. Her back arched as if she was being watched. She hadn’t felt like this since Brandon had been around. Gemma glanced around the parking lot but couldn’t see anyone suspicious. Then she saw someone over by the trees by the gate and her blood ran cold. It looked like Brandon.
“Hey, do you need makeup for the next scene?”
Bec had come up behind her and Gemma jumped.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. You’re as white as a sheet. You okay?”
“Yep. I thought I saw Brandon over by the gate.” Gemma peered across the lot, but there was no sign of anyone. It was hot and the heat rippled off the asphalt. She must have imagined it.
“He wouldn’t dare come back here. He might be accepted in Hollywood, but Colin won’t have him on set. You’re making them money. They’re not going to risk upsetting you. Anyway, I thought he was still in Florida.”
“You’re probably right. It’s probably a bit of heat stroke. Let’s go and do this change.”
Gemma tried to not let her fear take away from the excitement of the new home. This was a new start and Brandon was the past and could stay that way. She would call Mitch and tell him the good news when she had a moment. He was putting the final touches to his book and would be pitching it to publishers soon. She was so excited for him.
She finished work and called Mitch. “I’m on the way to the house. I can meet you there.”
“I can’t come. One of the girls in the art room took a message. She said it was from my sister, and that Lili is worried about a stalker at the house. I’m heading to there now. I tried to call her, but she’s not replying.”
“Oh, my God, Mitch. Let me know if she’s okay.”
“Look, we had some strange guys there before. It’s probably nothing.”
“I think she should come live with us.”
“I’ll mention it when I see her.”
****
Gemma pulled up at her old place. It was strange being there again. It was her first time here since the break-in. She unlocked the front door and strolled inside. Going around each room, she checked to pick up the few objects she wanted. Most of her items were in storage, but Mitch’s photograph was still on the wall. She unhooked it and placed it on the floor. It was weird being in the place and not living here. She wished Mitch was here. She thought about calling but didn’t want to bother him. He would let her know what was happening with his sister when he could.
Gemma glanced at her watch. Cara was late, but she was always late. Gemma’s cell pinged with a message. Cara was going to be delayed. At least another thirty minutes. Surprise, surprise. Gemma texted back to say it would be okay. She had the lines for the next episode and could study them while she waited.
There was a knock at the front door. That was weird. She thought Cara had a key. She was going to give her the spare one tonight. Maybe she had misplaced it.
Gemma peered through the glass at the side of the door. It was Brandon. Her stomach turned as cold wafted over her, making her shiver. He kept banging on the door and was gritting his teeth like someone who wanted to attack food like a wild animal. It made her jump back. Gemma grabbed her phone. She needed to let Mitch know what was happening and then she would call the police. She didn’t get very far. The front door pushed in and she found herself flat on her back on the floor.
Brandon towered over her with a maniacal grin on his face and started to laugh. Gemma had to get out of here and fast. She was powerless on the floor. She rolled to the side and tried to get up on her knees. Brandon slapped the side of her head and she found herself propelled across the room. Fear coursed through her veins as her hands shook and her heart thumped.
Her face stung from the slap, but she had to keep moving. She scrambled across the floor, but Brandon’s foot connected with her abdomen and she was flung like a rag doll against the couch. The room spun as vomit rose in her throat. She saw her purse out of the corner of her eye. If she could grab her cell, then she could call 911. She reached across the couch.
Brandon grabbed her hair, yanked her back, and threw her sideways. Gemma put out her hands but could not stop her head hitting the vase on the coffee table. As she lay on the floor with the world dissolving around her, she saw something of hers. Her cell phone had landed under her couch.
Gemma put up her hand and could feel the blood beneath her fingers on her scalp. She fell sideways beside the couch and reached to grab her phone. It slipped from her hand as Brandon pulled her upright. She wanted to fight, but her arms wouldn’t respond. Brandon’s face was in front of hers. She could smell alcohol on his breath.
“You should’ve trusted me. I knew what was right for us. We’re going to be perfect together.”
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and rubbed her lips so her red lipstick came off. It looked like a sash of blood against the white material.
“I’m sorry, this is going to hurt, Gemma, but it’s the only way.”
Gemma had no strength left but tried to move her head away so his fist wouldn’t make contact. It didn’t work. Her brain felt as if it would explode and she wasn’t sure her chin was where it used to be anymore. She was on the floor and could taste blood in her mouth. As she looked up at Brandon, he moved toward her. She wanted to stop him from touching her again, but her vision became red as blood flowed from her forehead. She reached out to fend him off but instead grabbed the broken vase. She wanted to crack him over the head with it, but fell to the ground.
The world became hazy as if a mist was flowing before her eyes. Then everything went black.
****
Gemma jumped. It caused her pain. Pain started in her head and reached out to every part of her body. She was laying on a hard surface and her face was squashed with drool on it. She wanted to listen before she opened her eyes, but all she could think about was pain. Think, Gemma.
She lay on the floor, took in a deep breath, and opened her eyes. There was a table lamp beside the bed opposite that lit up the room. Everything looked different in shades of gray. She breathed in and out slowly to calm herself. It didn’t work. Her heart beat loud enough to attract the local police. Wherever this was, she was alone, apart from Brandon.
She thought him a pest in the past, but now she remembered the look on his face when he had pushed the door in of her old house. If she didn’t get out of here, she would be dead. Gemma pulled herself up so her back was against the end of the bed.
She stared around the room. It reminded her of something, but it was at the corner of her mind and she couldn’t grab it. The room was small, maybe twelve-foot-square. There was a bed, a rocker, and a cabinet full of dolls. Her blood ran cold and she pulled her knees to her chest as she shivered.
No, this can’t be happening. Gemma kept telling herself those words, but her mind showed her what was in the room. The old single bed with a dated coverlet with ivy leaves on. The cabinet with dolls loomed like a dark edifice. Each doll had been beheaded and carried its head on its lap.
Gemma could hear movements from outside and wrapped her arms around her body. She remembered the other characters in the show this room was from. What scared her was which one Brandon would be playing.
Chapter Twenty-Four
It was getting dark when Mitch got to his sister’s house. There was no sign of her car. What the fuck was happening? The lights were on so he assumed her new housemate was there. He knocked on the door and Katy answered.
“Hi, Mitch. Come on in. What’s up? Lili is still at work. I wasn’t expecting her until about ten tonight.”
“One of the girls at the studio said she took a message from Lili. Said she thought you had a stalker at the house.”
Katy shook her head. “If we have, she hasn’t mentioned it to me. Mr. Carivali and his sons across the road would scare anyone off if they came after us. Last time we went to a bar-b-cue, the boys fought over us.”
Mitch needed answers. “I’ll try calling her again.” This time Lili answered.
/>
“I got your message, Mitch. I’ve been in surgery all day and didn’t phone anyone. Seems like someone’s playing a prank on you. A sick one at that.”
“Thanks. Look, I’ll check up on Gemma and get back to you later if I find out anything.”
Mitch got in his car and set the GPS for Gemma’s old place. He tried phoning her to say he was on the way, but there was no answer.
His phone went off on hands free and he breathed a sigh of relief. It didn’t last long. It wasn’t Gemma. He didn’t know the number.
“Hi.” Was it going to be the stupid prank caller again?
“Hi, Mitch. It’s Cara, from Hills’ Real Estate. I was expecting to see Gemma at her old house. I was running late, and when I got here, the door was open but Gemma’s not here. I was wondering if she was with you.”
A shiver ran through his body. He didn’t want to believe that anything had happened to Gemma. Mitch had lived on the streets enough as a young man to know his gut instinct was the one he should go with.
“I’m on my way to the house now.” Mitch put his foot to the floor and didn’t care if he got a ticket. Fuck, he wanted a police escort.
Cara was standing on the front porch, chatting on her phone. She put her phone away and opened the front door so he could follow her inside. His back stiffened. He’d been around enough shit to know this wasn’t good. Where was Gemma?
Mitch gazed around the room and everything seemed okay to start with. His noticed his framed photograph was on the floor. Gemma said she wanted to pick it up. He hadn’t been in the house for months, but something didn’t seem right. He went from room to room and found nothing that seemed particularly out of place.
Mitch sat on the sofa and put his head in his hands. When he looked back up, Cara looked at her watch as if she needed to be somewhere else. He was about to try to call Gemma again when his foot hit something beneath the couch. He reached down and pulled out a broken vase. His finger slipped on the blood smeared down one side. Mitch kneeled down and looked under the couch. He could see a cell phone and had a feeling it would be Gemma’s phone. He grabbed it out and put in her password. She had been trying to send a text to him.
Help. B
That was all there was. He could guess who the B was. He dialed 911.
“I’m calling the cops. I think Gemma’s been kidnapped.” If he ever got his hands on Brandon, he would wring his fucking neck. He had an awful feeling the bastard was back.
Mitch stood in the kitchen as the cops went over the house. Cara had gone after answering a few questions, and he knew a crowd was already building outside. His old paparazzi friends would be on the prowl, and if he got desperate enough, he would use them. All he wanted was to find Gemma. Mitch tried to hold in his anger. It seemed the cops were more interested in the fact he had a record. What the hell? Did they think he had hurt Gemma? It was an easy answer for them.
The cops said they’d gone to Brandon’s condo and he was there. He said he had been on his own all evening. Mitch wanted to go over there and beat the facts out of him. He needed to leave and would have to cope with the cameras. As he went to his car, the cameras flashed and he knew most of the faces.
“Where’s Gemma? Is it true she’s been abducted?”
“Is it true the two of you were having problems with your marriage?”
Mitch didn’t bother to answer and shook his head.
Back at Declan and Cassi’s house, he sat at the counter. He had so much pent-up anger he wanted to hit something or someone, but that wouldn’t solve anything. He wanted a drink too, but it wouldn’t help. He needed a clear head if he was going to save her.
Declan patted him on the back. “We have to work out how we can find her. The cops will do a good job, but I’m with you and believe it’s Brandon. We may have to do this the underhand way.”
Mitch nodded. “I like your way of thinking, but I don’t we have much chance of it when we have all the press out at the front gates of the community.”
Cassi came over and put her hand on his shoulder. “People know her face and someone will say something. Are you still convinced it’s Brandon?”
“Gemma was so scared.” Mitch’s phone went and for a second he hoped it might be Gemma. It was Bec.
“Hi, Mitch. I heard on the news the police think Gemma has been kidnapped. When she was in the parking lot today she got freaked. She thought it was the sun making her dizzy. The fact was, she thought she saw Brandon. I spoke to security and they didn’t find anything, but she was convinced he was there.”
“Have you talked to the police?”
“Not yet. I wanted to speak to you first. I’m willing to do anything to help.”
“I already told them of my suspicions about him. I hoped they would keep an eye on him, but I doubt it. Call them anyway. It might make them go back and interview him again.”
The evening wore on and there was still no news. Gemma’s father had called, but there was little he could tell them. He could hear the fear in her dad’s voice as it trembled when he talked of his little girl. Her mother, Rosa, had always hated that Gemma left New York. Now she would be vindicated and want to make Gemma move back when they found her.
Mitch could not accept he would not find Gemma. It wasn’t an option. The others were in bed, but he couldn’t sleep so he went on the Internet. He would discover everything he could about Brandon. Mitch was angry with himself for not taking the threat more seriously in the past and listening to Gemma.
The basic information about Brandon’s job didn’t tell him anything he didn’t already know. His family life showed he had never been married. There was the odd female mentioned, but nothing serious. He had lived in Chicago for a while and then came to L.A. There didn’t seem much in the way of information on his parents, and he didn’t have any siblings.
Brandon came from money and from the look of it had never had to go without. It explained a lot that he was the sort of man used to getting his own way. Brandon didn’t like someone saying no to him and Gemma had said no, publicly. Mitch reckoned Brandon wouldn’t accept it and had probably bared a grudge all these months. There had to be a clue here somewhere. Mitch needed to look harder. Eventually, he fell asleep on the couch with his laptop on his legs.
He awoke when he heard someone moving about in the kitchen. He felt guilty that he had slept when Gemma was in trouble.
Sasha was mixing up batter for pancakes and making coffee. He should keep his strength up, but the thought of food made his stomach turn over. How could he eat when he didn’t know if Gemma had eaten or was safe? The phone on the kitchen wall rang. It had a connection to the main gate. Sasha talked while Mitch helped himself to coffee.
Cassi came down with Tommy who ran over to Duke and let him outside. Cassi shook her head when she looked at Mitch.
“Did you sleep on the couch? Because you look awful? Gemma needs you fighting fit and looking for her. You need to eat and sleep.”
“I’ll go and shower and be fine. I think I may have found a lead last night. It seems Brandon and Kurt were friends in years gone by. Why does it not surprise me that one rat would know another. I think I’ll be paying Kurt a visit. I have something of Gemma’s I can use for leverage.”
“You’re not going anywhere until you eat something,” Sasha said as she placed a plate with pancakes in front of him. He could tell from the stern expression she wasn’t going to let him go anywhere without eating.
****
Mitch pulled up outside of Kurt’s apartment block. Thank goodness he’d managed to lose the press who were following him. He thought back all those months ago when he’d been here before. He’d fallen out of the tree getting the photo of Kurt with Gemma. Mitch couldn’t have imagined in his wildest dreams what the months ahead would bring. He had married her and traveled to the far side of the world.
When the two of them had come back that morning long ago, Gemma had sat in his car across the street. She’d been scared, but would fight. He c
ould only hope her strength of will would keep her going now.
There was one thing he hadn’t considered back then. He would have never have believed he would fall for her. He loved her and would hold her in his arms and tell her when he found her. He would tell her and cope with the rejection if it came. The two of them had been fools not to discuss if they wanted each other permanently. He hoped he had another chance. At the beginning, he’d been a randy guy who wanted sex with a famous pretty girl, but it had changed the moment he kissed her.
He rang Kurt’s bell.
“Yes, who is it?”
“It’s Mitch Lopez. I need to talk to you about Gemma Cassini.”
“I’ll be down.” He didn’t sound angry like the last time the two of them had met. Kurt opened the door.
“I’d a feeling I might hear from you.”
He followed him upstairs. Mitch had only seen this room from the tree outside, but now he sat down on the couch where Gemma had all those months ago. This whole crap shoot seemed surreal.
“So, why did you think I would be paying you a visit?” Mitch asked.
“Your wife is missing and I messed her around. I thought it might make me a likely suspect. Plus, I know a certain person you think involved. The last time I spoke to Gemma was the night you took pictures of us. The cops would know more than I would,” Kurt said.
Mitch was going to be careful what he said, but he needed help from wherever he could get it.
“The cops say they’re following up leads and the press is on the prowl. I think Brandon is responsible. Since last night he’s gone missing. I read the two of you used to hang out.”
Kurt put their coffees down on the table and smirked.
“I’m not sure what you’d call it. We took drugs and had women come over. I like fun, but he was getting crazy, making the girls dress up and acting out scenes from his favorite movies. I’m no angel, but I just like to fuck.”
