Page 23 of Hollywood

I snatched the phone off the table and found that Winston had the message queued up as if he was actually expecting me. “Fuck,” I grumbled when I read the message and the accompanying picture of a woman tied up, screaming with a tear-streaked face.

“Swipe it,” he demanded.

I did and my jaw clenched so tight I thought I might crack a tooth. “That’s an old photo,” I assured him as I tappedthe screen. “She’s been wearing denim, pants and skirts, since she’s been with me. Nothing flowery that I can remember.” And I remembered it all, the skintight jeans, the teeny-tiny miniskirts. I sure as shit would have remembered if she was dressed up like a sexy schoolteacher. “And other than now, she hasn’t left my side.”

His brows dipped. “Where is she now?”

“At the clubhouse with my brothers, under strict orders to stay there. They’ll make sure she does and if she tries to leave, one of them will go with her.”

“Thanks, Hollywood. You’ve saved my ass. Again.” He managed an unamused laugh and shook his head. “I appreciate it, more than I can say.”

“I know and I don’t need your appreciation. I just want you and Winter safe.” The threats to her pissed me off and if I ever got my hands on those assholes, I would make them pay. “Is this the only communication you’ve had with them?”

“No, they’ve shown up at my office. The parking garage at work. Pretty much everywhere I go even semi-regularly.”

“Yeah, you ought to change up your schedule until further notice.” I didn’t want him to have to live his life like a caged bird, but Winter would crumble if she lost him.

“I’m not exactly trained in evasive maneuvers, Hollywood.”

“Yeah, I know Win, but this is important. Winter needs you around, which means you need to pick a new favorite restaurant this week and another one next week. Visit a gym on the other side of the city or even the next city over if youhave to. Make it impossible for them to know where you are outside of work hours.”

He blew out a long breath. “Okay. Fine.” He studied me for a long moment, reminding me so much of Winter that my guilt, temporarily forgotten, returned. “How is Winter? Driving you crazy yet?”

“No. She’s worried as hell about you so it’s not hard to get her to take her own safety seriously. I’ve been going to classes with her and she’s at the clubhouse working on a paper now.”

“Good. Yeah, that’s good. I hate that she has to upend her life like this. Does she hate me?”

“No,” I answered honestly. “But she is pissed off that your efforts to make up for not being there for her before means you might not be here now. She just wants her dorky dad.” We shared a smile at that, but Winston’s expression cleared.

“She really said that?” He looked so hopeful that I couldn’t say anything that would wipe that look off his face, but I had to tell him the truth.

Didn’t I? I nodded and leaned back against the sofa. “Yeah, she said that. Almost word for word.”

His shoulders sank in relief. “Okay. Yeah. That’s good. Mad I can handle. As long as she doesn’t hate me, I can deal with it.”

“But not on your own, right?” The last thing I needed was to have my best friend go off half-cocked and get himself hurt. “Right?”

“Yes. Right.” He nodded energetically to get his point across but still I didn’t believe him.

“Winston.”

He held his hands up. “Not on my own, I swear.” He covered his face with both hands and groaned. “Have you found anything new?”

I nodded. “Nothing you’ll want to hear. Just stay the fuck away from them Winston. They’re scammers first and foremost but they are survivors and if they even feel like you’re getting too close, they’ll do whatever it takes to keep them ahead of the law.” It was my worst fear, that they would kill Winston just to keep him quiet.

“I get what you’re saying but I just don’t have the money.”

I frowned. “Oh hey, hang on, I’m not suggesting that you pay these assholes another fucking dime. I’m just saying do your best to avoid them altogether. Don’t let them get you alone and don’t meet them anywhere. Period.”

“I get it, but why me? Surely there are other investors with access to more money, right?”

That was my suspicion too. “Who says they’re not shaking them down too? This isn’t the type of crew who works in six-figure increments. The goal is to maximize their profits. Period.”

“That makes sense. What else?”

“Just lay low and watch your back. Always. If you need help, give me a call. Okay?”

“Yeah, I will. I promise.” He nodded absently, his gaze fixed on a spot near the ceiling. “I just want this to be over.”

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