Page 80 of Obsession

“You can’t be this stupid,” I tell him. “Lunch with her?”

He just scowls at me, walking over with a coffee and sprawling into his seat.

“Maybe she’s had a change of heart.”

“The devil doesn’t have a heart,” I remind him lightly.

Our conversation is interrupted when there’s a knock on the door. “Mr. Middleton, there’s a Mr. Nick who is here to see you.”

Vaughn and I exchange a look before we get up.

Mr. Nick always has a fidgety look about him, and no one would ever suspect that he runs one of the most successful Hollywood studios in the country. Normally, somebody like him would never have come under my radar, but three years ago it was he who approached me to help him out with a problem, and once you associate yourself professionally with me, you can never get rid of that link.

“How can I help you, Mr. Middleton?” Nick leans forward in his seat, cautiously eager to hear why he’s been summoned.

“I’m looking for a girl,” I study him. “Ashy blonde hair and an old scar on her right inner wrist.”

“Ah, may I ask why?”

I give him a pleasant smile. “No, you may not.”

He looks both puzzled and a little nervous as he glances toward Vaughn, then back to me. “How am I supposed to find a girl like that? Have you tried a private detective?“

“If I needed suggestions, I wouldn’t turn to you,” I say coldly. “Approach your casting crew and tell them you’re finding a girl with that description. Make something up about why. The girl should be eighteen.”

Nick rubs his hands on his thighs, looking agitated. “You know I don’t like getting involved in these sorts of things.”

“That’s interesting,” I smile lightly. “From what I remember, you have a thing for young girls.”

“Not like that.”

“You were also the one who approached me to handle your business partner. You didn’t seem to have a problem with my help back then. Now, I’m asking you to return the favor.”

I can see the sweat beading on Nick’s forehead. “I know, but I’m a changed man. If you just tell me what you want her for so that I don’t feel guilty for putting her in harm’s way.”

I give him a long look, not knowing whether to feel impressed by the man’s courage or disappointed in his stupidity.

“Mr. Nick,” I steeple my fingers together on my lap, leaning back in my seat. “I told you back then how things work. If you ask for my help, then you are to make your resources available to me whenever I require it, as long as I don’t harm your place of business or your profits. Your morals are your problem, not mine. You knew exactly what you were doing when you agreed to my help.”

The man’s face is turning white as a sheet and I wait for a response. “If–“ his voice is unsteady. “If you can, just give me an assurance that you won’t harm the girl.”

“You’re forgetting your place,” I say icily. “I don’t have to make assurances of any kind. If you refuse to help me, it’s very easy for me to crush your little studio and all of your business investments. I have enough dirt on you to put you right back where I found you.”

The defeat in his eyes is satisfying. “Okay. Fine. I’ll help.”

He stands up, his shoulders slumped. “It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack, and it’ll take a few weeks, but I’ll keep you updated if I find anything.”

After he leaves, Vaughn asks, “You think he’s going to flake out?”

“No, that studio is precious to him. If he was willing to bend his so-called morals to ask me to dispose of his biggest competitor, he’s not going to have a problem now.”

I turn to look at Vaughn. “Did the security footage from across the road capture anything?”

He shakes his head. “I was reviewing it this morning. People are leaving, but nobody who catches my attention in particular.”

“Conduct deep background checks on all the staff,” I tell him grimly.

Vaughn sits up, his expression alert. “You want me to do it?”

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