10
“Take me through the events of the night after I dropped you off.”
Marc sat across from me at the dining room table, his face impassive. He was back in cop mode or security specialist mode or whatever he wanted to call it. I wasn’t a person anymore. I was a case.
Well, two could play at that game. I recounted my memory of the night calmly, almost clinically. It wasn’t hard to disassociate myself because if I didn’t, it would make the nightmare real.
“You didn’t notice anything unusual when you first entered your bedroom before your shower?” Marc asked when I was done.
“No.”
“What about the bed?”
I hesitated. “It was untouched.”
“Are you certain about that?”
I sighed. “Yes.”
“Then why did you have to think about it?”
I looked out the dining room window. I rarely came into this room. It had tall ceilings and generous proportions and it was too large to eat in here by myself. I only used it when I had dinner parties and I think that had happened twice since I’d moved in.
“Lena?”
“What?” I returned my gaze to him and his lips were pressed into a thin line.
“Why did you have to think about it?”
“Because.”
His dark eyebrows rose, but only slightly. That was Marc for ‘you’re pissing me off’. “Because?” he repeated.
He wasn’t going to give up, was he? “Because if my bed was untouched when I came home it means he was in there while I was having my shower. That he was already in my house waiting for me somewhere.”
We stared at each other, not speaking.
Marc was the first to break the silence. “Was there anything to suggest the intruder’s presence before you got in the shower?”
“No, but I was tired.” And distracted, I wanted to add, but didn’t.
He nodded and lowered his eyes to his oversized smartphone where he kept his notes. The index finger on his right hand tapped the table soundlessly next to the phone but didn’t touch it.
“I’m right, aren’t I?” I asked.
“About?”
I stifled a sigh, well aware his evasion of the question was exactly what I’d done to him a moment ago. It still frustrated me. “That he was in the house when I got home.”
Marc looked up and met my eyes. “It’s possible, but we’re not certain.”
“How come? Why didn’t the gatehouse security feed pick him up?”
Marc looked back down at his notes. “He tampered with the cameras.”
“So they would have known something was wrong then.” Which begged the question why hadn’t they tried to alert me? What use was twenty-four-seven security if this could happen?
“No. He used a fake feed.”
“A what?”
“He fixed it so the cameras showed a looped feed of the house when nothing was happening.”
I let out a tight gasp. “So we don’t have him on camera?”
“No.”
“Nothing at all?”
“No.”
I gripped the edge of the table because it was the only thing preventing me from jumping up and rounding on him. When I spoke, my voice was quiet. “So you’re telling me a man—a sick man—came into my house completely unnoticed? He got over the six-foot walls lined with cameras, he avoided detection by the two staff I have here around the clock, and then he got into my house—also filled with security cameras—and walked into my bedroom, which is the one room I refuse to have cameras in because God knows I deserve at least a small degree of privacy, and he got out his dick and jerked off all over my fucking bed while I was in the next room taking a shower and none of us had any idea whatsoever?”
Marc flinched. I wasn’t sure if it was due to my profane language—something very rare for me—or the accurate description of events.
“Fix it,” I demanded.
“Lena—”
“No.” I stood up and looked down at him. “Make this go away, Marc. You’re the best, aren’t you?”
His eyes darkened. I wasn’t sure with what. Surprise? Doubt? Anger? I didn’t care. I crossed my arms and glared at him. He could accuse me of being a princess all he liked, but I’d had enough. Everyone kept saying he was the best, but how about he prove it?
“Lena,” he started again, his tone unusually gentle.
“No,” I interrupted, not wanting to hear it. I didn’t need gentle right now. Far from it. “Just do it, Marc. Do your job. I won’t stand in your way anymore. Whatever it takes, find him and, and . . .” To my complete embarrassment tears pricked the corners of my eyes. I sniffed and somehow managed to hold it all together. “Can you do that?”
Marc stood slowly, not taking his eyes off me. He didn’t speak for the longest time and his eyes were still very dark. I knew there was something going on underneath the surface, but I had no way of knowing what.
Eventually he cleared his throat. “I’ll find him. I pr—”
I held up a hand. “Promises don’t mean anything to me so don’t even bother. Just give me your assurance you’ll do everything it takes.”
For the first time since I’d joined him in the dining room, his expression became unguarded. Confusion creased the corners of his eyes and furrowed his olive brow. “I will.”
I nodded and left the room.
*
I threw myself into working on the movie. Even when I wasn’t supposed to be on-set, I was on-set. I would have slept there if it were possible. It didn’t matter that my trailer had been the location of the first incident. Violating my home was far, far worse and I felt safer when people were around.
Actually, from that night on, people were around me no matter where I was. During the limited time I was at home, Jay slept upstairs in a nearby guest bedroom and we’d employed a night security guard to man the inside of the house. Alicia, my highly organized personal assistant who mainly worked remotely, seemed to be around a lot more lately, too. She kept dropping by the set or when I was at home with the excuse of needing paperwork signed. If I hadn’t already known I was famous, my entourage now proved it.
The one person who wasn’t around much was Marc. After the big deal he’d made about not letting me out of his sight, I knew it could only mean one thing: he had a lead on my case.
Not that he told me that. He never told me anything until he was ready. I’d learned that was how he worked from our past cases. I wondered if his independent streak was why he’d gone out on his own, but I didn’t bother to question it. I was just glad he might be making progress.
It was two weeks later and Jay was escorting me to my trailer for a break between scenes. We found Marc inside, hammering away on his beaten old laptop. I was amazed it still worked given the intensity of his typing.
The men nodded at each other in that way men did.
“All good?” Marc asked Jay, ignoring me.
“Good,” Jay confirmed.
“I’ll see you next week then.”
Jay nodded again and turned to me. “I’ll see you on Monday.”
“You’re leaving now?” I hadn’t meant for it to sound needy. I knew he was due for some time away. He’d been by my side without a break for almost two weeks and we’d agreed he’d take the next five days off.
Jay tilted his head in Marc’s direction. “He can handle things.”
I bit my lip, mainly to stop from saying something I shouldn’t.
Jay’s mouth quirked. “What? You thought I was going to leave you with one of the new guys?” He touched my elbow, his chocolate eyes stern but full of concern. “I won’t leave you with anyone else.”
And he knew I wasn’t going to stop him from having the time off he deserved.
“Maybe next time you could discuss it with me first,” I suggested.
Jay’s big mouth broke into a wide smile and I couldn’t help but grin back. “Because that would have gone down well.”
“Fine.” I batted his arm gently. “I’ll do as I’m told if it means you’ll go.”
“Good.” He bent down and placed a quick kiss on my forehead. “Stay safe.”
“I will.”
I watched Jay nod at Marc again, then he made his way out the small door of the trailer, twisting sideways as he went so his broad shoulders could make the exit.
I felt Marc’s gaze on me. “What?”
He shook his head and returned his focus to his laptop. I immediately felt sorry for the keyboard.
I went over to the small bar fridge to grab a drink. When I straightened, I paused, unsure of what to do. It was so awkward having Marc in my space. Usually I’d collapse onto the bench seat and waste time reading or catching up on emails, but he’d effectively taken over that area. I leaned on the edge of the counter instead and regarded him.
I know I’d told Ally I’d let Marc do his job—and I had been—but that was before Jay had agreed to Marc babysitting me for five days.
“I suppose this means you’ll be staying at my house the next few nights?” I asked casually, secretly hoping they’d made other arrangements.
“Yep.” He didn’t look up from his laptop.
“Won’t that stop you from getting on with things?”
“It’s fine.”
“I don’t want to hold things up.”
“You won’t.”
Damn. Well, I could accept it, but I didn’t have to like it. I pushed away from the counter and headed toward the door. I wasn’t going to get any space to myself in here so I’d go see what Chloe was up to. Before I could make my way outside, Marc stood up and was right behind me like a shadow. Or perhaps more like a bad smell.
I resisted a sigh. “You’re kidding, right?”
He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “Nope.”
“Wonderful,” I muttered. Was this how it was going to be the next few days? Marc following me everywhere I went?
“I thought you said you’d let me do my job,” he said.
“And I have been. But this is Jay’s job.”
“Jay’s not here.” He hadn’t moved. His arms were still crossed and his expression was the same: deadpan.
“Well then back up and give me some space. You don’t need to be on top of me to do your job.”
Marc smirked, the first real emotion he’d shown since I’d stepped into the trailer. “That’s not how it was the other night. Except that was you on top of me.”
I pressed my lips together so I wouldn’t say something I’d regret. He hadn’t forgotten about our kiss then. If I could take the moment back I would. I swallowed at the memory of it. It may have tasted good—better than good—but it was all an act. I had to remember that.
Marc’s gaze dropped to my mouth. Self-consciously, I licked my lips and his eyes narrowed.
“You don’t mind Jay getting too close.”
My own eyes widened. “What?”
“You heard me. You don’t seem to have a problem with him in your personal space.”
Because I trust him, I thought, but didn’t say it. “We’ve worked together for five years,” I said instead.
“Still seems strange a co-worker would kiss you goodbye.”
I blinked, taken aback at the line of questioning. “What are you implying?”
He shrugged, dropped his arms to his sides and stepped back. “I’m not implying anything. I’m merely interested in the nature of your professional relationship.”
I stared at him in shock, then put my hands to my head because being around this infuriating man hurt. “My professional relationship? Well, let’s see. Jay has been by my side since the beginning. He’s watched my rise to fame, was there when I got married, he’s still here after my marriage breakdown, and he’s protected me from well-meaning fans as well as the crazy ones. I’d say that sort of professional relationship warrants a degree of familiarity, don’t you?” I honestly could not believe Marc had a problem with my trusted security guard giving me a quick, friendly kiss goodbye.
Marc frowned thoughtfully. “Fair enough.”
I took a step toward him. “Is there anything else you’d like to know?” I wasn’t sure why I was challenging him, but it probably had a lot to do with his constant need to interrogate my every action and thought.
“Have you ever done more than kiss him?”
“No!”
“OK.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “OK? Are you sure? Are you sure you wouldn’t like to know if I’ve fantasized about him? If I’ve ever thought of having those big, strong arms wrapped around me? Would you like to know every intimate thought I’ve ever had so you can analyze those, too?”
His face remained a mask. “No. That won’t be necessary.”
“That’s a shame. Because I’ve been fantasizing about you a lot lately.”
To my supreme satisfaction, his mask cracked momentarily and I saw a flicker of surprise.
My lips twisted into an uncharacteristic, cruel smile. “Yes. I’ve been fantasizing regularly about you leaving me alone.”
With that I spun on my heel and exited the trailer, badly in need of some fresh air.