Page 55 of Vain
I grin. If she only knew how exactly I want to distract her?—
“Don’t look at me with your sex face.” She slips away and grabs a wooden spoon, waving it at me. “Out!”
I laugh, but do as she asks, sensing she needs alone time to decompress. “If you need me, call me. And don’t leave the house without me, not even to come find me. I’ll arm the alarm when I leave.”
She salutes me with a wink. “Yes sir, captain.”
“I can’t wait until later when I can put that sassy mouth of yours to good use.”
She chokes a little as I walk out of the kitchen laughing, but it doesn’t take long for my mood to shift. I walk down to the guard shack first to talk to Phil and fill him in on what’s going on.
“About time someone stopped that viper from having access. I know I shouldn’t really say that shit where someone might overhear, but I never liked the way that woman treated Miss Carson. I have no idea how someone so sweet came from someone filled with poison.”
“Can’t say I’m not thinking the same thing. What I want you to know is no matter what that woman says, or Daniel for that matter, they don’t have the power to fire you. Only Matilda does. If they become aggressive, call the police, and then call me.” I hand him one of my business cards with my number on the back.
“You got it. I’ll pass the message on to Davey too.”
I hold out my hand for him to shake before heading back up the hill. My next stop is the security shack, which has been cleared out. I take in the discarded paper cups and fast-food wrappers and sigh. Collecting them, I toss them in the trash before settling in and getting used to the equipment. I check to make sure all the cameras are working, noting that six cameras on a property this size is not nearly enough. There are far too many blind spots, which explains how the stalker is getting on the property without being noticed. I know from walking around that the cameras aren’t hidden, either. I’m sure the guy scoped the place out first to make sure he knew exactly where they all were.
“Looks like I was right about needing an upgrade,” I grumble before pulling out my cell phone and dialing Blake’s number.
It rings for so long I almost hang up before Blake eventually answers. “Hey, Aiden, what’s up?”
“I catch you at a bad time?”
“Nah, it’s all good. Callie had the wiring removed from her jaw yesterday. Today was her first physical therapy session, and it was rough. Thankfully, the painkillers have knocked her out. I fucking hate seeing her in pain.”
“I get it. Give her a hug from me.”
“Fuck off and get your own hugs.”
I chuckle. “Possessive much?”
“How about I come wrap my arms around Miss Carson?”
I scowl. “Fuck you.”
He cracks up laughing, the asshole. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Tell me what’s going on anyway. The guys have been keeping me updated but I feel so fucking out of the loop with everything going on.”
“The business isn’t going to go under because you’ve had to take a step back, boss man. Besides, Callie needs you more than we do right now.”
He grumbles something that I miss but listens intently as I fill him in on everything that’s been happening, only speaking once I’m done. “I’ll send you the info for someone who can get the place wired better than Fort Knox. He’s pricey as fuck, but I’m guessing that won’t be an issue.”
“She wants to feel safe in her own home again. I don’t think you can really put a price on that.”
“True. Gotta say though, it ain’t looking good for this Daniel fucker. From what I’m getting, your girl got hurt on his watch when he was hired by the studio. He’s been unsuccessful in finding or catching a potential threat and sharing personal info with her mother. And let’s not forget, it’s been radio silence fromthe stalker since Matilda canned his ass. I’ll get the guys to dig into his company. What’s it called again?”
“Cox Security.”
He laughs. “Makes sense if they only employ cocks.”
I grin and shake my head.
“If it turns out to be Daniel or another member of his team and nothing else is happening, it might end up being just a sick joke. It’s been what…two months with nothing to report? At some point, you’ll need to think about coming home,” he says gently.
I tense. “It’s too soon. This could be exactly what the stalker wants, us thinking it’s all over, so I’ll leave. And then Matilda will be alone when he makes his move.”
Blake sighs but doesn’t push it. “Alright, just keep on doing what you’re doing, and don’t hesitate to tag one of us in if you need help.”
