Thrill! (58 page)

" goddamn movie. \

He started the engine and roared off. Why hadn't Lara called him? Too upset, of course.

The sooner he was with her the better.

Nobody knew more than he how soul-destroying it was to get setup.

ft ft ft

"I need money desperately, Joey."

So spoke the lovely Adelaide, hts mother, always asking for something.

Adelaide was seventeen when she met Joey's father, Pete Lorenzo

- a small-time wise guy who was sixty when he knocked up the pretty teenager. Two years later he'd finally married her. He was getting on in years, it was time to settle down with a woman who'd look afier him.

Only Adelaide wasn't that woman. Adelaide had no intention °J

looking after anyone except herself. Once she'd hooked Pete she hired a sitter to watch Joey, and proceeded to accompany her husband wherever he went. His hang-outs were the racetrack, the fights, poker aames and pool halls. Adelaide was by his side every step of the way.

One weekend they took three-year-old Joey with them to Vegas. He nearly drowned in the hotel swimming pool while they were busy playing craps. Another time, in Atlantic City, they left him in a hotel room where he nearly got trapped in afire.

It was a hell of a childhood, neither parent had much time for him.

By the time he was ten, his father was seventy and tired; Adelaide was twenty-seven and sleeping with any goodlooking jerk who came her way. When Pete complained, Adelaide laughed in his face. Pete Lorenzo had lost his power - he was too old to control her, and she was too wild to be controlled.

Joey, an introverted kid, watched it all. He adored his pretty mother, but he soon realized she was untrustworthy; therefore, he figured, all women were the same.

When he was eighteen, his dad suffered a massive heart attack at the racetrack and died on the spot. After that Adelaide went through a series of live-in boyfriends - each one worse than the last. She was into hoods and low-lifes. Con men and hustlers. She'd also started drinking and gambling bigtime.

Joey decided he'd better distance himself before he beat up one of her dumb boyfriends, so he moved out, trying a variety of jobs busboy, waiter, car mechanic, limo driver. And a different girl every week. Girls went for him because he was so goodlooking, but he never let them stay around long enough to get close.

After a, while he took the big step and moved to New Tork, where he immediately got the acting bug. One day he walked into Madelaine Francis"

office, and there she was - his big opportunity. An agent with clout.

She'd gotten him a couple of great movie roles, and everything was looking good until the phone call from his mother.

I don't have any money, Ma,"

he explained, feeling guilty anyway.

411 "You don't get it,"

she replied, sounding drunk and none too friendly.

"This time it's different. This time it's life or death."

"What about Danny?"

he asked, mentioning her current boyfriend.

"Get him to help you."

"Danny's a no-guts loser,"

she spat.

"He can't help shit. And I need ten thousand, otherwise they'll kill me, Joey, they'll kill me."

"You're crazy, Ma."

"So help me, it's the truth."

He didn't know what to do. He loved Adelaide, but she was a degenerate gambler who was never going to quit. Now she was coming to him to pay her debts.

Where the fuck was he supposed to come up with ten thousand bucks? He'd tried to distance himself, make a new life. So he was living with a woman almost thirty years older than him. He'd finally gotten smart and found himself someone who could do him some good. Madelaine was OK, she didn't hassle him about making a commitment - unlike his contemporaries who made him extremely nervous with their clinging ways and petty demands. Besides, none of them were ever as pretty as his mother - his gorgeous mother, who was such goddamn trouble.

He called her back the next day.

"Can't get my hands on any money right now,"

he said.

"Then you can kiss your poor mama goodbye."

"Don't snow me with that dramatic crap, Ma."

"I told you,"

she said, her voice hardening.

"Unless you come up with the money, I'm dead."

He wrestled with the problem. Madelaine kept cash in the apartment. Could he ask her for a loan ?

No, she wouldn't buy it.

So what if he just took it? Helped Adelaide out for the last time, then came back and explained everything to Madelaine.

Yeah, that was the way to do it. Madelaine would understand.

As soon as she left for the office the next day, he broke into her safe. He felt bad doing it, but what choice did he have?

He found seven thousand dollars stashed in her safe. It wasn't enough, but he took it all.

412

THRILLJ

Adelaide hud to quit with the jjatnbling nis «, last time he was bailing her out. P°»*vefy the

* # <

A car horn blared, making him jump. He realized he hadn't been concentrating, and quickly swerved the wheel, almost skidding taking no notice as the other driver gave him the finger Lara needed him more than ever. He had to hurry home 413

^^^.Jf^ As SUMMER stood outside Norman Barton's ^^^Pm^M* hotel in the pouring rain, it occurred to her that she had absolutely nowhere to go. Tina, who she'd thought was such a good friend, had dumped on her bigtime. Well, she didn't want to be friends with Tina anyway, not if she was into doing coke. Smoking grass was one thing, but getting into coke could lead to nothing but trouble.

She hovered outside the hotel entrance in her skimpy little dress, shivering.

"Can I get you a cab?"

a young uniformed doorman asked.

"No, thanks,"

she said, shaking her head,

"You one of those girls from the Norman Barton party?"

he asked, edging nearer.

"Excuse me?"

she said, freezing him out with a cold glare.

"I'm staying at the hotel with my parents?

"Sorry, miss,"

he said, backing off.

A limo slid kerbside and Summer watched in awe as Johnny Romano, the famous movie star, got out. Although he was with three girls he threw her a moody look and a slight wink.

"Hi, chickie,"

he said as he slinked on by.

What was it with all these stupid movie stars? One girl didn't do it for them? Apparently not.

She tried to take a peek at the limo driver. If it was Jed she'd be saved. But no, it wasn't Jed, it was some gnarled old black man. And the annoying thing was she couldn't remember Jed's number.

414

She sighed, feeling let down and disappointed - not to men slightly giddy. God knew what was in the pill Tina had forced her to take. Norman had told her to call, he'd insisted he wanted to see her again, causing her to fantasize about them having a future together. Now he'd turned out to be nothing more than a co-edout bum. Well, it was good she'd found out before she'd gotten even more involved.

She shivered again and wrapped her arms across her chest. What was she going to do? She was alone in LA with nowhere to sleep and all her possessions - including her money - at Tina's.

"Where are your folks?"

the young doorman asked, coming over again.

"Do they know you're out here?"

"Have you ever heard of minding your own business?"

she said haughtily.

"Excuse me for talking to the princess,"

he snapped back.

"I could report you,"

she said indignantly.

"Go ahead - like losing this job would ruin my day."

"If you mustknow^ she said,

"I had a fight with my parents."

"You shouldn't wander around this town by yourself,"

he said.

"Not a girl who looks like you. I get off in an hour. If you want to go to the coffee shop and wait, I'll drive you wherever you're going."

"I don't have anywhere to go,"

she admitted.

"You could stay at my place."

"As if!"

she said in disgust.

He laughed.

"Do I look like a crazed rapist?"

She took another look at him. He was not traditionally handsome. He had a torn Cruise look, with a toothy grin and spiky hair. He wasn't Norman Barton, but what choice did she have.

"I suppose you're an out-of-work actor,"

she sighed.

"Wrong,"

he replied.

"I'm an artist, doing this to make my rent."

"What kind of artist?"

she asked, not quite believing him.

"I paint portraits. In fact, I'd quite like to paint you."

"In the nude, I suppose."

"You offering?"

"Get a life!"

she said scornfully.

"You want to camp out at my place tonight or not?"

415 She didn't see any other alternative.

"OK."

He nodded. Til meet you in the coffee shop in an hour."

^r

"Maybe Mick knows something,"

Nikki said, close to tears.

"Where does he live?"

"Calm down,"

Aiden said.

"Knowing Mick, he's left the party and gone clubbing. Leave a message on his machine."

"I can't just sit here doing nothing. She's my child - out there on her own."

"Hey, Nik, with all due respect, you're coming on like the concerned mother a little late, aren't you?"

"Are you saying I haven't been a good mother?"

"What's yowrtake?"

"I know I could have given her more attention. But when she insisted on staying with Sheldon, I guess my feelings were hurt."

"She's a kid - you abandoned her. Have you considered the fact she was angry?"

"Richard didn't give a rat's ass, he can be such a cold sonofabitch."

"Hey - get with the programme, Richard has his own agenda."

"She could have gone to Lara's."

"Call her."

"We're not exactly on good terms right now."

"Call her anyway."

"You're right,"

she said, dialling Lara's house.

Mrs Crenshaw informed her nobody was home.

"Is Sheldon coming here from the airport?"

Aiden asked.

"Yes, then we should call the police."

"He hasn't done that?"

"Apparently you have to wait forty-eight hours before you c report a missing person."

"Summer's a minor - doesn't that make a difference?"

"I don't know, I'll have to talk to Sheldon."

"Hey."

He held open his long, thin arms.

"Come over here, y° need a hug."

1

a.16

"This isn't the time."

"I said a hug, nothing else."

She allowed him to embrace her. He was right - she was in dire need of love and affection.

"How come you're so understanding?"

she sighed.

"Cause I've been everywhere and back,"

he said with a wry laugh.

"If I was you, I'd probably be imbibing every drug known to man. There's no way I could handle this. You're doing great, Nik. Just hang in there, we'll find her."

ft ft ft

"Before I go with you, you'd better tell me your name,"

Summer said, staring at the young doorman who looked even cuter out of uniform. If she hadn't felt so sick and dizzy, she might be enjoying this new adventure.

"Sam,"

he said.

"And you're'

"Summer."

"Summer and Sam. What a team!"

"You're sure I can trust you, Sam?"

He laughed and took her arm.

"What's your choice? Me or the streets, right? Guess you're gonna have to trust me."

And with his words ringing in her ears she left the hotel with a total stranger.

417

^^^.Jf^ ALISON SEWELL often dreamed about what it V^^Mv"<* would be like to be famous. As she turned off the lights on her station wagon and followed Lara's car down the dirt road, she couldn't help reflecting on the excitement that world fame would bring. Charles Manson and his cohorts were as famous as any President; John Hinckley was a name everyone knew because of his attempt to assassinate the President; Robert Bardo had made world headlines by killing Rebecca Schaefer, and Mark Chapman had waited outside die Dakota in New York, and shot John Lennon dead.

Because of their actions, these men would go down in history. They'd become icons themselves - appearing on the covers of Time and Newsweek. They were written about constantly, interviewed from their jail cells, feted and acclaimed. Everyone knew their names. They were as famous as any movie star.

It occurred to Alison that she, too, could be famous. And why not? Was she supposed to be a nobody for ever? Pushed around and treated like dirt? No. She could do something about it.

Uncle Cyril would be so proud of her if she did. And the other

cretins she'd worked alongside all those years - well, they'd be