Double Exposure (7 page)
“I know who killed Malik. The police caught his killer.” Correction, they found his killer after he’d been beaten within an inch of his life. She suspected Andre, who took their friend’s death particularly hard,
had something to do with it. After Malik’s death, Billie’s visits to California became more frequent.
“Correction. You know who pulled the trigger. I suspect they still don’t know who really ordered the hit. Dig deeper, my dear, something’s been gnawing at you for the longest time that it wasn’t some gang-related payback on your star. Even Marvin suspected as much and had been looking into
it.”
“He did?” Kate stammered.
“Yes. We discussed it here a few times in between more pressing business.” The older man went to his desk and scribbled something on a note pad, then handed it to Kate. “This is a list of our best guesses. Do with it what you will.”
Kate’s eyes widened when she opened the note. Some of the names were familiar. A few of them she’d never expected.
If what he’d written were true, it would change everything.
“OK. I’m in.”
“One more thing. Being involved with us requires a more discreet lifestyle than is dictated in this industry. You and Chris are photographed and reported on all the time. Do your best to stay out of that spotlight. It’s imperative that you keep a low profile.”
“You won’t have to worry about that. I’m not
a big fan of the twenty-four hour glaring spotlight.”
Mr. Monroe poured brandy into a glass and handed it to her. “Welcome to the Council.”
CHAPTER FOUR
It had been two days since her meeting with the Council and still Kate hadn’t been able to get a decent night’s sleep. The last thing she’d expected when she’d practically been abducted off the street was to learn that the moves people made in the shadows when far more terrifying than the everyday self-indulgent things that
happened in Tinseltown. Muscles tight, she went to her studio do some yoga. She needed to clear her mind of recent events and gain some perspective. She was midway through her routine when the doorbell rang and she opened her eyes.
“Kate, can you come in here?” Chris said over the intercom.
She got to her feet, curious about the visitor. They weren’t expecting anyone today. Scar had
a key but she was out of town. Clara was still in Laurel Canyon.
Zoe ran to her as she entered the room. “Kate!”
“Hey half-pint! So happy to see you! Where’s daddy?” Kate reached down and scooped her up. “Hi, Esmeralda. Where’s Jack?”
Esmeralda, Zoe's nanny, handed a letter to Kate. “Mr. Pierce asked me to give this to you.”
Kate glanced at Chris, who had a puzzled look
on his face. He moved his head to the side, signaling that he needed to speak with her privately.
“Zoe, are you hungry?”
The little girl nodded.
“Esmeralda, would you mind taking Zoe into the kitchen. Both of you can have anything you want in the fridge. You remember where it is, right?”
“Yes, of course.” Esmeralda’s eyes were glued to the letter as she took the little
girl’s hand and led her to the kitchen.
Chris rubbed the back of his neck. “Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”
“I do too. Let’s go outside,” Kate said as she headed for the deck.
Chris closed the sliding door behind him. “OK, let it rip.”
Kate looked at the embossed initials J.P. on the envelope one more time before she opened it and saw the matching stationery. There
were handwritten pages from Jack and one typed that looked like a legal document.
Dear Kate,
I need you to take care of Zoe. I couldn’t ask you in person because I was afraid you would say no if I did. Please do this for me.
Love, Jack
“What are we going to do?” Kate whispered.
“We’re going to take care of our god daughter.”
Chris put his hands on her shoulders.
“Why is Jack leaving Zoe in our care? We don’t live the kind of lifestyle that’s good for a child.”
Chris laughed. “We’re not straightlaced, but we’re not deviants either.”
Kate bit her lip. “We’ve barely discussed having our own.”
“Jack sounds like he’s going bonkers, but he knew Zoe would be safe with us.” Chris took the letter out
of her hand. “We’re the best two people to take care of her.”
Kate looked into Chris’s eyes and saw a glimmer of hope. She knew from that night he’d talked about children, he was serious about having a family. He loved spending time with Zoe. She loved watching Zoe and Chris together. She took comfort in knowing that one day he would make a great father. “Don’t you think I should call Jack
and at least threaten to kick his ass?”
“In a few days. I think he’s somewhere beating himself up at the moment.”
Kate looked at the legal documents in the envelope. Jack had left detailed instructions with his attorney, who Kate intended to call in the morning. She would give Jack a few days to get his thoughts together before she ripped him a new one for abandoning his daughter.
“Let’s get Zoe settled.” Chris caressed her cheek. “We can sort out the rest later.”
* * *
Kate watched from the deck as Chris, Zoe, and Scar made sand castles on the beach. The sun would be setting soon, and the breeze was getting cooler, but she didn’t have the heart to tell them to come back to the house. It was the first time she’d smiled since she’d been there.
It had been a month since Jack left to shoot the trilogy, and she’d yet to get in touch with him. The papers he left were all in order, and she and Chris assumed custody of the little girl. They’d talked for hours about how their lives were going to change, but they both agreed that Zoe had had enough stress in her life with one parent dead and another one missing. It was up to them to infuse
some normalcy into her life. It was funny how life worked out. She and Chris had been talking about having kids and now they had one.
Billie stepped onto the deck. “What time are we eating? I’m starved.”
“As soon as Athena’s back from her run, we’ll eat. Chris should be starting dinner soon.”
Billie leaned against the railing. “Zoe looks like she’s having fun.”
“She loves
Chris.” Kate ran a hand through her hair.
“Have you heard from Jack?”
“No, he’s not answering his cell phone.”
“Do you want me to pay him a visit in New Zealand?”
“Don’t tempt me.” She laughed. “I’m going to give him some time to process it all. If I force him to come back, I don’t know if it would be good for Zoe. Being here the past month is the closest thing she’s had
to normal in a long time. She misses Brianna.”
“Athena’s been doing some digging around. Before she died, Brianna was making some rather large deposits into her bank account. They weren’t from Jack. She’d been meeting with a real estate agent as well. She’d been looking to buy a mansion and she’d been vetting some pretty exclusive schools for Zoe. That doesn’t sound like someone who was
on the brink of suicide.”
“No, it doesn’t. I made a new friend on the police force. The rumblings are the investigating detectives don’t believe it was suicide either.”
“There’ve been some pretty strange things happening lately. I think someone paid her very well to start up that rivalry with you in the media again. Then that Harding guy pops up out of nowhere trying to buy your Pinnacle
shares from you. Someone is orchestrating your downfall, and I’d like to know why before they up the ante on the game.”
“I’d love to say it was Raymond, but the Council squashed the notion that he’s the super villain behind all of my life tragedies. Which is a shame. He makes an awfully good villain.” Kate smiled.
“Raymond’s essentially more bark than bite. I know he wasn’t too happy
about the things Henry told me.”
“How is Henry?”
“He’s still detoxing in Wyoming.”
“I’ve been wondering why you…why you let him live.” She didn’t want to say it, but the thought had crossed her mind.
“You have Dominic to thank for that. He got involved.” Billie rolled her eyes.
“Thank goodness for Dominic.”
“The bigger picture was you looking Clara in the eye
and knowing how her son had died. You wouldn’t have been able to live with the guilt.”
“You wouldn’t have told me what you did with him.”
“Perhaps.” Billie looked out to the ocean. “I know things are kind of quiet, but it’s worth continuing the investigation into Brianna’s death. I think Scar should continue to look after Chris. Athena and I will be around.”
Kate reached into
the pocket of her cover up and handed her the note Mr. Monroe had given her that day. “A gift from the Council. I would like to say it was a contrived list to appease me so I would join their round table of Hollywood supremacy, but I think there are viable names on it.”
Billie scanned the list. “Wow. Didn’t see that coming.”
“Think you can find some answers for me?”
“I promise
I will.” Billie put her arm around Kate.
Kate put her head on her cousin’s shoulder. “When’s Dominic coming for a visit? I miss him.”
“Dominic and I are taking a break.” Billie took a deep breath and turned Kate to face her.
“A break?” Kate’s mouth gaped open. “As in separation or getting divorced?”
“As in we need some space to figure some things out.” Billie shrugged.
Kate searched her cousin’s face. “You love him. I know you do.”
“Right now I’m more concerned about watching your back. It’s time I put down some proper roots here in California. Scar, Athena, and I are starting a private investigation firm in L.A. I’d like you to be our first client.”
“Do you promise to sort things out with Dominic while you’re starting this new business venture?”
“OK. I will talk to him. So what are you going to do in the meantime? In addition to your businesses you now have secret council meetings and a child to take care of.”
“Business as usual.” She shrugged. “The Council knows to call in the future when they want to meet. So there will be no more abductions. And Chris and I will work out a schedule for Zoe. I’ll handle Jack when he returns.”
“You know, Jack finally got what he wanted. He always wanted you to be the mother of his child.”
Kate bit her lip. “Find out who was responsible for Brianna’s death. Some day I’m going to have to explain all of this Zoe and I want to be able to say I found her mother’s killer.”
“You’ll get your answers. I will not stop until I neutralize the threat against you.”
“Thanks
Billie. So what’s the name of this new enterprise?”
“I was thinking about Vendetta, Inc.” Billie winked at her.
As Chris made his way back to the house, Kate plastered on a smile. She hoped that Chris would understand all of this. Their lives were going to get even more complicated. They were parents now, something they talked about for the future, but now thanks to Jack it was an
automatic reality. Billie went down the stairs and headed toward Zoe and Scar. Athena was jogging back toward the house with Merlot in tow. It was sheer calamity in the beach house these days, but it strangely felt like a family.
“Hey.” Chris kissed her when he reached the top step. “What do you want for dinner?”
“Something light. I know you have to read through the pile of scripts
before Stan comes over here and sits on you.”
“They’ll be there in the morning.”
“I know but time waits for no man. You could do a short project while waiting for Jack’s film to start shooting.”
“I’ve been thinking. Maybe I could take some time off and take care of Zoe.”
Kate shook her head. “You don’t want to lose your hot commodity momentum. Besides, we agreed to share
responsibilities. I am revamping my work schedules as we speak.”
“I think it would be good practice for when we have our own little one. And I could help Billie get the agency open. Maybe put the word out about their services.”
Kate raised an eyebrow. “You really did get a jolt from that rescue of Darwin.”
“I can’t lie.” Chris laughed. “There was a twinge, and we saved his life.”
“OK. Take your break, but you have to promise me that if you’re helping out Scar you will be careful. I’ve seen things go horribly wrong just stopping to get gas with her.”
“There’s never a dull moment with her.”
“You be careful. I mean it. I think someone’s out to ruin me and I think they’re willing to hurt you to do it.”
“I will. You know I love you, right?” He caressed
her cheek.
“I know. I love you too.” She smiled.
“Nothing is more important to me than you and our crazy family.” He pointed out to the gang constructing a massive sand castle.
Kate grabbed ahold of Chris and squeezed tight. She knew he meant what he said about taking time off to care for Zoe. That’s just the kind of guy he was. She loved his optimism, kindness, and his big heart.
The person who was trying to wreck her life was on that list she’d shared with Billie. There was one name she’d been surprised to see and if it were true, there would be a war coming. Marvin’s death was the reason he’d become bold enough to step up his assault on her and if he turned out to be culprit, she’d strike back to keep her family safe. But for now she’d enjoy dinner with her unconventional
family. She liked that Billie had opened up to her and although she seemed OK, the detective agency was a way of keeping her mind off Dominic. She’d had such a hard life, Kate had hoped her marriage to a great guy was a turning point for her cousin to forget all that pain. She was a wounded bird, just like Scar and Athena. They were all mysterious women who were strong, but there was a lot
of heartache there. Maybe this was her chance to get better acquainted with her guardians.
“I’ll help with dinner.” She smiled and kissed him.
“I’d like that.”
Kate and Chris headed into the house. No matter what happened in the land of make believe, it was nice to know what they had was real.
~ About the Author ~
Rhonda Laurel is a contemporary interracial/multicultural romance writer whose two great loves are writing and landscape photography. She uses both as a vehicle to convey the complexity of the human spirit and the beauty of the world around her.
Ebb Tide
,
For the Love of the Game
and
Masquerade
were released in 2012.
Shutter,
Memories of You, Star Crossed, MVP, California Bored and Tourism
and
The Blake Legacy
in 2013. The print anthology,
The Rhonda Laurel Collection
, featuring
Ebb Tide, For the Love of the Game and Shutter
released June 2013.
Texas Heat, Love Notes & Football
and
The Perfect Storm
, books 4, 5 and 6 in
The Blake Boys Series
released in 2014.
Slow Burn, Hollywood Heat,
Cowboy’s Heart, Tempting Fate
,
Executive Desires,
Meet the Blakes
, and
The Final Play
released in 2015.
Stranded in Paradise
and
Slap Shot
released in 2016.
The author is happily building her backlist.
Discover more about Rhonda Laurel here
http://www.facebook.com/authorrhondalaurel
http://www.twitter.com/rhondalaurel