Living Dangerously

Chapter Thirteen



Oh shit. A mini-panic hit Julie and her face got hot. She hadn’t had a chance to figure out how to tell Cal about the movie role and this was the last place and time she wanted to do it.

“She’s okay,” Julie told the cops and they let Cal through.

“Are you two all right?” Cal asked, launching into the room. She hugged Elena gently, then did the same to Julie.

“We’re okay. How’d you know we were here?” Julie asked.

“It’s all over the news,” Cal said. “I figured you’d be here since it’s the closest hospital.”

Julie had occupied way too many hospitals the past couple of months. “You guessed right,” she murmured.

“Are you seriously telling me that your car blew up? And you’re not dead? Do you know what kind of a miracle that is?”

“Uh...yeah?” Julie shot back.

“Now, Julie,” her mother scolded. “No need for that tone.”

Cal’s lips quirked up in a half grin. “It’s okay. She’s pissed. She has a right to be.”

“Thank you,” Julie snapped. She scrunched her face up. “Sorry, Cal. I don’t mean to take this out on you. I just really am pissed. You are so right.”

“Hey, I’d be pissed too if someone blew up my car. The important thing is that you and your mom are okay.” She squeezed Elena’s hand. “So what were you saying about a film?”

Julie closed her eyes and searched for her courage. It had possibly blown up with her car. The silence killed her, and she finally sucked it up and faced Cal head on. “Ari called me. I got the part.” Cal stared at her before her shoulders dropped. It seemed all the air came out of her in a gust. “I’m so sorry, Cal. I guarantee it was because of this incident. It’s going to be that much more press for the film when it comes out.”

Cal’s eyes widened. “What?” she whispered. “This is what tipped Ari into the decision? Did he say that?”

“Well, no, but you know how Ari is. Remember how he used that whole incident with Trace Bradshaw’s brother-in-law during Dangerous Race? He used real-life drama to hype the movie. He’ll do it again with this.”

“Holy f*ck,” Cal whispered. She looked totally beaten down.

“I’m so sorry, Cal. He told me how great your audition was. He thinks you’re terrific. I know he’ll keep you in mind for another project.”

Cal closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. “Can’t win ’em all, I guess.” She gave Elena a watery smile. “What about you? When do you get out of here?”

“Oh, sweetie,” Elena said, squeezing Cal’s hand. “This business just sucks rotten eggs sometimes. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. Let’s not talk about it.” Cal wiped her eyes and turned toward Julie. “What about you? Are you staying the night too?”

“No, they didn’t admit me, but Mom’s staying the night. She’s got a concussion.”

Cal glanced at Elena and winced. “Ouch. That’s not fun.” She faced Julie. “Looks like I’m taking you home then. Should we go now so I can get you into your bed?”

“No need,” Troy said. “I’m taking her.”

Clenching her jaw, Cal moved her gaze to Troy. “I’m sure Julie would rather I take her home, but thanks anyway.”

“It’s okay, Cal. Troy and I talked about it. I was going to call you on the way home. I didn’t expect you to show up. He can take me.”

Cal ran her hand through her short hair. She looked ready to pop a gasket. “Fine. I guess losing a part to my best friend...” she paused and Julie readied herself for the word again, “...also means my best friend doesn’t need me anymore.” She headed to the door. “See ya later.”

“Don’t, Carrie Ann.” Julie called her that only when she wanted her full attention, and it worked. Cal stood in the doorway and watched her. “Don’t blame me because of this. I didn’t plant a car bomb and I didn’t do anything to sway Ari in my direction.”

“Gee, maybe if my car blows up he’ll fire you and hire me.” Cal covered her face with her hands and exhaled a hard sigh. “God! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry.” She dropped her hands and the regret in her eyes made Julie’s heart ache. When her best friend hurt, she hurt. A situation like this only strained their friendship more. “I’m so sorry, Jules. Sorry that you have to go through all of this. Sorry I’m being such a pain.” Cal shook her head. “I just need a little time to process...all of this.” She waved her arms to encompass the room. “I’m sorry. I’ll give you both a call a little later, okay?” Without waiting for an answer she disappeared down the hallway.

* * *

Troy stuffed some clothes into a duffel bag on his bed. “Two weeks,” he murmured to himself. No way would the cops find this a*shole and arrest him in the two weeks they’d be gone. The detectives didn’t have enough evidence. Not even a f*cking fingerprint. They continued to pick through her fan and hate mail and were still trying to track down the online florist company.

So what was the point of even leaving town?

Because if something happened to Julie during this time, he’d never forgive himself. He had to trust the cops to do their job and find this guy. In the meantime, he’d keep Julie safe. He had one place he could go, one place where no one would ever find them. It was also the one place he’d sworn never to return in his life.

His stomach turned just thinking about it. Julie would hate it. It wasn’t new or pretty or even clean. But it was functional and it was hidden, and that’s what he needed right now.

Julie had spent more time with the detectives at the hospital, answering questions about her past, her neighbors, her car, where she’d driven the past week, her fans, her mother’s life and anything and everything under the sun that might give them a lead. Troy cleared the decision with the detectives, who liked the idea of Julie being out of sight. Being gone meant she was one less thing for them to worry about, and they didn’t need to waste manpower watching her house or protecting her at a safe house. They already had Julie’s contact information, and now they had Abbey’s for extra insurance.

Troy came out of his bedroom to find Julie still sitting on his sofa. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d brought someone to his condo. It had the bare minimums required because he hardly spent any time here. Although he called the place home, it acted as more of a shelter. He wouldn’t have considered bringing her here, except that he didn’t plan to let her out of his sight for the foreseeable future.

The scratches on her cheek and chin stood out on her pale face. Her eyes had that bruised quality of exhaustion and stress. He wanted to hold her and make it all go away. He wanted to give her the tender love she deserved and make her forget about everything that had happened today. Getting out of the hospital had been crazy. Dodging paparazzi had taken the spunk out of her. She was tired of the game. Tired of the attention. Anyone who paid any notice this afternoon could see she hadn’t gone into it for the fame.

He should let her sleep tonight. Let her get used to the idea of splitting town for two unplanned weeks, but he wanted to get gone as soon as possible. Wanted to make her disappear as quickly and quietly as he could, and the longer they stayed in town the more the press was bound to hound her anywhere she went, including her house, which now that it had been plastered on the news was under serious scrutiny. The footage from the helicopter had newscasters all over the city talking about which canyon she lived in. By this time, cars were driving by getting a look at the house and hoping for a Julie sighting. Nope, he had to get going before her stalker had time to regroup. Leaving tonight meant he could get a few hours’ sleep in Vegas before attacking the road for real.

Yeah, he liked this plan. He set his duffel by the front door and checked his watch. It was later than he thought. Julie could crash in the backseat of his car and keep her leg up. It all sounded decent. All he had to do now was get her back to her place to pack a bag and it was go time.

“We really have to leave tonight?” She gave him the sad face he’d seen on her show and it felt strange to be looking at it in person. Was she sincere or playing him? He felt like a scumbag for even thinking that question. The lady was as genuine as it got and she didn’t play games in real life. She was in-your-face honest and forthright.

“Yeah.” Troy nodded, crouching in front of her. “I think it’s the smart thing to do. We’ll stop by your place next and pack a bag, then hit the road, spend the night in Vegas, then head out in the morning.”

“Where are we going?”

“As far away as we can.”

She snorted. “That’s the East Coast.”

He nodded again. “Yep.”

Her jaw dropped open and her eyes widened. “You can’t be serious. You don’t plan to drive to the East Coast.”

He checked his watch and took the spot next to her on the sofa. Under the faint aroma of smoke, he still smelled the intoxicating scent of her. “Not only do I plan on it. I plan to get us there in record time.” He calculated the numbers in his head. “I figure eight hundred miles a day, give or take a dozen, should have us in Maryland in four days.”

“Eight hundred miles a day! Are you crazy? That’s like fourteen hours a day.”

“I don’t plan on going sixty. I can cut hours off that time going eighty or ninety.”

“Eighty or ninety?” She threw her hands in the air. “Hell, why not go one-twenty and get those eight hundred miles done in six hours.”

He grinned. Loved her sarcasm. “I might just do that.”

She shot him a look. “If you go a hundred and twenty, I’m getting out at the first opportunity and I’m not getting back in your car. I don’t have a death wish.”

The words seemed to clarify the whole reason for the escape and Julie closed her eyes and sighed. “I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe my mom is in the hospital and I’m running out of town like a wimpy chicken.”

“Your aunt is there. She’ll take care of your mom. Besides, she’ll be out of the hospital tomorrow. She’ll be fine.” Troy stood and reached a hand out to Julie. “C’mon. Let’s get to your place so we can bug out of town before anyone realizes it.” When she placed her hand in his, a sense of partnership washed through him. He didn’t take it lightly that she trusted him and it made him want to protect her that much more.

As Troy suspected, news vans were camped out across the street from Julie’s place and filled the road. Yellow crime tape surrounded the burned-out driveway. F*ck it. He parked in front of her house, a clear no-parking zone, since he couldn’t find anything closer. Still on crutches, Julie couldn’t move too quickly and her pace only made it easier for photographers to snap more pictures. Their flashes lit up the night and put spots in his eyes.

“Julie, can you tell us what happened?” someone yelled.

“Who was hurt?” someone else shouted.

“How serious is your injury?” came another question.

At the door, Julie stopped. She fished out her keys and handed one to Troy. “That’s for the front door,” she said. Then she pasted on her famous smile and turned. “I know you all can understand that this has been a really tough day for me. I’ll send out a statement as soon as I can, but right now, I just want to forget about it, put my leg up and crash. I’d really appreciate the peace and quiet. You guys can all come back tomorrow and bug me then. How’s that sound?”

Troy unlocked the door. He admired Julie and her outright lie. America’s Sweetheart was tired of playing by the rules and he didn’t blame her.

Miraculously, the group dispersed. Maybe they saw the strain in her eyes, the unnatural pale complexion of her skin marked by scratches. She’d had a hell of day and she looked it. More likely, they had the pictures that showed her scraped, battered and bruised and were happy to go broadcast those as quickly as possible.

Once inside, she hobbled toward her bedroom. Troy had never wanted to help someone as badly as he did right then.

“What can I do?” he asked, keeping a slow pace behind her. She wasn’t great on the crutches and Troy stayed close in case she toppled over.

“I called Abbey from your place and she’ll get my signed contract to the producers. I guess you can pull out my suitcases from the garage.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Speaking of the garage... Did you arrange to have the opening boarded up?” She must have heard him on the phone at the hospital. He’d made a few calls while she’d been getting stitched up.

“Yeah. I know a guy who owns a plywood business.” He’d actually located the guy’s father, but he couldn’t spill that bit of news. Bodyguards didn’t locate missing people; private investigators did. “Where are the suitcases? I’ll get them,” he said to avoid more questions.

Julie directed him to the suitcases and he came back five minutes later to find her sitting on her bed. The bed they’d thoroughly wrecked last night making love more times than he ever had before in one night.

The whole day had gone by and neither had mentioned one word about it. True, it had been one hell of a crazy day and they hadn’t had a lot of time to talk. She’d been so quiet in the car, he’d been afraid to broach the subject. What the hell would he have said anyway? He doubted she’d want a repeat performance, at least not now with her stitched-up swollen leg to contend with. Maybe not ever. Wasn’t last night a fluke? He’d be stupid to think otherwise.

But one thing made him think otherwise.

“Do I really have to go?” She looked up with those expressive haunted blue eyes. Without saying more than those few words, he got how badly she didn’t want to leave her home, her mother or her friends.

“Why’d you call me?” he asked. His voice sounded oddly husky.

She shook her head and seemed as if she couldn’t answer the question. Finally, she swallowed and looked up at him. “I knew you’d help me. I trusted you to help me,” she clarified.

“So let me help you.” Gingerly, he sat next to her, took her hand in his. She was ice cold. He wanted to pull her against him and warm her up. Instead he put her hand in between both of his and rubbed her skin. “This guy has had way too many chances at you. I’m not going to let him get another.”

She met his gaze. “For two weeks. But when two weeks is over, I return with a target on my back unless the police have figured out who it is. Let’s be realistic here. This isn’t NCIS where the crime is solved in an hour. We both know the chances of the police finding anything in two weeks, much less the man responsible.”

Hell, she hadn’t said a damn thing he hadn’t already thought himself. “How about we take each day at a time. It’s possible the police will find something when they go through your car.”

Julie’s smile nearly stopped his breath. “I’ll have to remember you’re an optimist.”

“I’m hurt,” he said, holding onto a straight face. “I’m sunshine and light. I thought for sure you saw that about me.”

Now she laughed. “Right. Sunshine and light. Let me write that down. Hey, maybe if I’m lucky you’ll sing ‘The sun’ll come out tomorrow...’”

“Actually,” Troy said. “If you’re lucky...I won’t.”

Her grin broke down every wall he kept trying to erect. He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. “C’mon. Let’s get you packed. Vegas is waiting.”

* * *

Dressed in soft gray sweats, Julie settled in the comfortable backseat of Troy’s black BMW 750 Li—under protest. Just because she had eighteen stitches in her thigh didn’t mean she couldn’t sit in the front seat like an adult. Apparently Troy thought otherwise. As she settled against her pillow—Troy had brought along a few creature comforts including her pillow and favorite blanket, and yes, it softened the blow of this trip to see him bend over backward to make her comfortable—she decided to treat this trip as a twofold vacation. One, she could dig into the stack of scripts that had piled up on her desk, and two, she could use the time to research her roles for the two movies she had lined up back-to-back. She had just enough time to shoot Ari’s movie before starting the as-yet untitled indie film that had caught her attention.

She constantly observed people and this trip would give her an opportunity to watch real people along the way. Hollywood was good for watching the people who wanted to stand out, people who made themselves something they weren’t, in the name of fame. But Julie wanted to be around real people. The ones who cared about the important things in life like family and friends. She pulled the blanket up under her chin. His black leather backseat wasn’t so bad after all, but she didn’t plan on confessing that.

For the first time in hours, she sighed and let her muscles relax. What a day. She was wiped out. She could pull out her reading light and work on some research with one of the psychology books she’d brought along, but moving seemed counterproductive to the exhaustion creeping into her bones. The warm bath she’d taken had been shallow and had lasted just long enough to get the smell of smoke out of her hair without getting her stitches wet.

The car hummed smoothly beneath her and her lids got heavy as she gazed at the dark stubble on Troy’s jaw. It had been a long day for him too. A surreal lifetime had passed in the twenty-four hours since they’d fallen into her bed. No wonder she was tired. She’d hardly slept at all last night. Mmm, last night...kissing him...touching him...

* * *

“Julie.” Troy’s low voice woke her and she blinked open heavy eyes. “We’re here,” he said. He’d opened the door at her feet and leaned in. “I’m going in to register. I didn’t want you to wake up and get scared.”

She sat up. “We can’t be here already?” She looked around at the flashing lights that definitely screamed Las Vegas.

Troy lifted a dark eyebrow. “You passed out before we got to the freeway in L.A.” He shrugged. “And I made good time.”

Julie squinted her eyes and looked at her watch. “Three and half hours? Are you kidding me? I’ve never made it to Vegas in that time.”

“I’ve got a talent.” He grinned and her pulse quickened like it did every time he smiled at her that way. She wouldn’t have minded if he kissed her again, but he backed out of the car. “Stay here. I want to keep you under wraps. I’ll come get you after I check us in.” He closed the door and strode to the lobby of what had to be a one-star hotel. If that. The man definitely planned to keep a low profile. He came back a few minutes later, started the car and drove around to the back row of outside-facing rooms. He parked in front of the room, but a driveway close by led to the street. Had he done that in case they needed to make a quick getaway?

“Um...you know,” she said, keeping her tone neutral as he grabbed his bag and one of hers from the trunk, “I usually stay at the Venetian when I’m here.”

“Yeah? Nice place.” He pointed to the room in front of them. “This is us. Room 113.”

“Have you been there? To the Venetian?” she asked.

“Yep. A couple of times.” He unlocked the door as she gimped her way up the sidewalk.

Of course there was no way he’d allow them to stay at any of the posh hotels in town. She’d be recognized instantly. Realistically, she’d probably be recognized anywhere they went, but she understood his attempt to keep a low profile. Still, it was fun to bust him. “I can pay, you know. I didn’t plan on you footing the bill just because it was your idea to get me out of town.” Thinking about being out of town made her remember something that hadn’t crossed her mind until this second. She stopped. “Oh, my God.”

Troy turned and scanned the parking lot. “What?”

“What about your job? You can’t just leave Ari for two weeks without any notice. He’ll fire you.”

“I already quit.”

Julie’s mouth dropped open and she all but felt the blood drain from her head. “You what? You can’t quit. When did you quit? I won’t let you quit. That’s your job. What were you thinking?”

He moved right in front of her. So close she smelled the last traces of his spicy aftershave. “I was thinking that someone’s trying to kill you...” He ran his hand through her hair, cupped her head. His heat, his strength sent an instant mass of tingles down her back. “...and I’m not going to give them another chance.” He gazed down at her as she licked her lips in anticipation of his kiss. Instead, he jerked his head toward the room. “Chop chop. You’re wasting time.”

She didn’t move a muscle except to narrow her eyes. “Did you just tell me to ‘chop chop’?”

He grinned and she hated that he was having so much fun, except he was so absolutely gorgeous it was worth it.

A car zoomed into the lot and Troy moved in front of her, all traces of humor gone. The new arrival parked right next to them and a couple staggered out.

“C’mon, Irma Jean, get in the room,” Troy said to her.

Irma Jean?

The couple barely glanced at them until Julie lost her balance on a crack in the sidewalk because her crutch landed funny. Troy dropped a bag and caught her, righted her.

The woman waiting for her drunk boyfriend to open the next door got a closer look at Julie. She didn’t have on any of the disguises they’d discussed before the trip started. Not even a baseball cap. “Hey, you know who you look like?”

Troy opened his mouth, but Julie beat him to it. “Yeah. I get that all the time. Reneé Zellweger.” Her old—now new—hair color was just enough to throw people off and if these two had been at the pool or in a casino, they may not have seen the news all day.

“Who?” the woman said, crinkling up her nose. “No, I was thinking of...what’s her name?” She smacked her boyfriend in the back just as he finally got his key card to work. He opened the door and looked at her. “You know...the one in that race car movie,” she said. “She had that TV show for years. You hated that show, remember?”

“You can’t please all the people all the time,” Julie stoically informed Troy under her breath.

Troy was tired of playing games. “Irma Jean, get in the room. I’m not going to tell you again.”

So, he wanted to role play, did he? She was a professional. May as well try out that southern accent she’d been working on. “Okay, Billy Joe Bob, I’m goin’. Quit being such a pain in the ass. G’night, y’all. Have a nice evenin’.” Even though it was nearly three in the morning.

Troy quickly closed the door behind them and flipped on a light. The odor of strong cleanser didn’t quite mask the stale scent of the room. Dark maroon carpeting covered the floor and navy comforters blanketed the beds. Troy tossed his duffel bag on the chair in the corner and her suitcase on the luggage stand next to the dresser. The furniture barely fit in the small space. She hadn’t even considered the possibility of two rooms, but looking at two double beds made her wonder if that’s all they’d had available or if he didn’t want a repeat performance of last night.

“For your own safety, I think you should avoid interacting with people.”

Julie faced him. “So, I’m supposed to cower and hide for the next two weeks even though I’m not anywhere near someone who wants to kill me.”

“I didn’t say cower. Hiding isn’t bad.” He looked stone-cold serious.

Suddenly all the fight drained out of her. She dropped her bag on the dresser, yanked her pillow from his arms and tossed it on the bed closest to the door.

He snagged it up just as quickly. “You’re in this bed.” He lofted the pillow on the bed deeper in the room.

“Because...?” She really wanted to hear this answer.

“Because if someone tries to get in I’m closer to the door.”

“You don’t honestly think someone’s going to come after us, do you? I mean, it’s not as if anyone followed us to Vegas. I’m assuming you would’ve realized if someone had been following you. Especially since you drove here at the speed of light.”

That got her another smile. “Let’s just get in the habit, okay? Make me happy.”

She thought she’d made him happy last night, but maybe not if he seriously expected them to sleep in two different beds tonight. It was like taking a shot to the solar plexus. He got her right where it counted. Her self-esteem.

She took an unsteady step toward the bed and the pressure on her thigh made it scream in pain.

Without missing a beat, Troy snatched her up in his arms and laid her down on her bed. “I’ll get the pain meds the doctor gave you.” He rooted through her pack and came out with the prescription bottle.

Julie hated taking anything, but she swallowed the pill with a few chugs from a bottle of water Troy handed her. The doctor had told her to stay ahead of the pain and since this was still day one, she saw no reason to ignore that order. “You sure thought of everything,” she said to avoid talking about the giant sex elephant in the room. “Water, snacks, my pillow and blanket. You probably have a quartet stuffed in your bag too...you know, for a little ambiance music.”

“No quartets.” He bracketed her with strong arms once she made herself comfortable against the headboard. “Look, I know this place isn’t the Ritz.”

“Or the Venetian,” she deadpanned.

“Or the Venetian,” he repeated. “But you know if you’re spotted, then the word is out and all this is for nothing. I’m not letting this guy get to you.” His words landed with definite promise in the quiet room. He looked so serious, so intent.

She stroked her thumb lightly down his cheek. “Why are you doing this? Going so far out of your way for me.” Maybe she wasn’t the only one who felt the connection between them, but the wall he’d erected still had her wondering if he wanted mental distance. She had offered him a job, so maybe he’d just changed his mind and forgot to tell her. That kind of made sense on a weird, I haven’t exactly hired you level.

“I like you.” He said the words simply. Softly. His gaze roamed from her eyes to her mouth and back to her eyes. “When you called today. When I heard the panic in your voice, I...”

He looked away.

“You what?” she whispered. She had to know.

He met her gaze. “I freaked out. I know I don’t have any rights to you or hold over you after one night, but I still panicked. If I can do something that’s going to keep you alive, then I’m going to do it. If that means keeping you under wraps and going underground then I’m going to do that too.”

She wanted to kiss him so bad. Wanted to feel his arms around her and forget the horror of the day. “Are you really going to sleep in that bed over there?” She saw no reason to skate around the subject anymore.

He looked straight into her eyes. “Where else would I sleep?”

“Seriously?” she asked. “You want an engraved invitation? Because I’m fresh out at the moment. Of course, we are in Vegas and we can probably get anyth—”

He kissed her. Not hard, but just enough to shut her up. His lips moved tenderly over hers and memories from last night lit her up like a Roman candle. Warmth spread from her stomach to her chest and fanned up to her face. He could turn her into a ball of fire with a simple kiss.

Julie snaked her hands around his neck and raked her fingers through his hair. It felt so good to taste his tongue against hers, to feel the heat of his mouth. He tasted salty like the party mix snacks he’d swiped from her pantry. He cupped her face in his hands and pulled away.

“I accept the invitation,” he whispered. “I just need a minute in the bathroom and I’ll be right out.”

Relief seeped through her sore muscles and she relaxed against the headboard. She should probably go to the bathroom too and get ready for bed, but she was so tired and she didn’t want to lose any extra time with Troy. The warm glow of his kiss still lingered on her lips and she snuggled deeper into the bed. She could go take her turn in the bathroom after they had wild monkey sex. She grinned as he disappeared behind the door.