Page 81 of Not the Bodyguard's Princess
Andrew closed his eyes and thanked God his actions hadn’t killed Jordan.
29
“I’m fine,Grandma. Really. Just a little smoke and about eight broken fingernails.” Jordan sat in a hospital room that resembled exactly the one she’d been in a month before.
“Paul says they’re closing down and finishing up at the studio here in LA since we can no longer use the mansion. Otherwise I’d be on the first plane out of here, even if Blake forbids it.” Grandma would have hired the plane too.
“I heard the same thing. I’ll be home sometime tomorrow. I’ll take the first plane I can get.”
“I just don’t understand how this could have happened.” Claire’s voice got loud enough that Jordan had to pull the phone away from her ear. “I thought that bodyguard of yours loved you. How did he let you get hurt?”
“Andrew didn’t let me get hurt. Remember, we fired him. He wasn’t even working on my detail. But he still tried to come save me and is in surgery now.” Jordan swallowed the tears that threatened.
“That isn’t what I heard.”
“Grandma, I love you, and I’m not up to arguing with you. It has been a long day. I will be home sometime tomorrow.” Jordan ended the call and set the phone on silent. She didn’t need anyone else calling her asking questions. The police had already taken her statement. Deidre had been allowed to sit in, so Jordan wouldn’t need to repeat the story.
Blaming Deidre was as ridiculous as blaming Andrew. Not for a moment had she suspected Kittie’s involvement. Jordan knew the moment she saw Rod that something was off. If she’d waited for Deidre or Stu it wouldn’t have happened. She trusted Kittie, who had been with the crew for two years, Rod with Hearthfire almost as long. No one had seen it coming. Twins? One of them must have changed names.
Deidre tapped on the door and let herself in. “Andrew is out of surgery. He lost enough blood they had to give him a transfusion. They are going to keep him in ICU tonight. You can see him in the morning.”
“Do you have any more news?”
Deidre sat down in the bedside chair. “A twist none of us saw coming. Kittie was the one who fired the gun as Rod was attacking Andrew. She claims she didn’t mean to hit Andrew. I’m unclear, but something happened when they set the fire. They argued. As you probably guessed, Kittie has a huge crush on Storm, so she didn’t want Rod to turn off the fire sprinklers. One of my guards watched her arrest. She was screaming up a storm, claiming she’d arranged the airport shooting and Rod was too stupid to plan anything.”
“How does that work with Hannah’s story?”
“I’m not sure. We might never know. Rod didn’t make it. But if even if she was the one who arranged it, Rod still could have pulled the trigger.”
“He’s dead?”
Deidre nodded. “As near as I can figure, Storm had asked Rod and Kittie to get you up to the mansion for a romantic rendezvous. Suzi was in on it, trying to keep you on the set late enough that most everyone else would have left. Storm tried to get Kittie to help him weeks ago. Long story short, Kittie found the video on his phone and was the one who released it. Or, rather, got Reggie to, hoping to end your career. Apparently, Reggie tried out for some of the same roles you did for next year.”
“Reggie? I thought we were friends.” Friendship didn’t matter when it came to being cast for the next role.
Deidre took a sip of her water. “Back to today. Storm didn’t know that Rod had his own issues or that Kittie was Rod’s twin sister. He claims he just wanted to talk to you alone. It’s unclear what they had planned for you after Storm left. Rod used a lighter on the wall hanging. It burned faster than he intended and the wallpaper caught on fire. Kittie wasn’t clear on what happened next other than he slapped her. The fire marshal still needs to investigate.”
“Please tell me something that doesn’t sound like my life is being written by a washed-up soap-opera scriptwriter.”
Deidre smiled a half smile. “I hadn’t thought of it like that. Storm sends his apologies. After talking with him, I do think he really does want to date you, even though he is a bit misguided on the termdate. His plan was just to have you up for dinner so the two of you could talk. I think he believes that’s all it would have taken for you to succumb to his charms.”
“Not happening.”
“Get some sleep. I’ll have someone outside all night.”
“Thanks, Deidre. Let me know when I can see Andrew?”
Deidre nodded and left.
Jordan adjusted her hospital gown. She really was trapped in a soap opera.
* * *
Familiar voices woke Andrew. “Mom? Dad?”
“Good morning. How are you feeling?” Mom’s voice broke through the fog in Andrew’s head.
“Mildly drugged, like there should be more pain.” Andrew felt for his side.
