Page 9 of Daddy's Oath
“You know, if you look into this guy, I’m guessing you’ll find some shady stuff,” Ace said. “And I’m guessing he’ll go to jail for a while.”
“We’ll handle it,” Cooper said.
“Of course,” Ace replied, holding up his hands in surrender. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m no vigilante.”
The cops didn’t look so convinced.
Ace just smirked.
Chapter Five
Lana’s place was in Whitley Heights, just off Hollywood Boulevard.
The building was a six-story Spanish Colonial revival built in 1927 and oozed historic charm. Her apartment was small, and she paid a couple of grand a month to live there. But it was all the space she needed, and she didn’t mind the price. She was right in the center of the Hollywood action, though you couldn’t tell it on Whitley Avenue, where the building actually stood. Walk a few blocks back to Hollywood Boulevard, though, and you had nonstop busyness. But her street was quiet.
It was the best of both worlds.
For some reason, all the people on the Boulevard made her feel safe. Some probably wouldn’t understand that. There were places along the strip that looked a little shady. Like trashy lingerie shops, tattoo parlors, and the derelict Pacific Theater. The old movie palace had taken a lot of damage in the 1994 Northridge Earthquake and had been closed on and off again since. Now, it was an eyesore. But due to its historic nature, it couldn’t be torn down. Yet no one wanted to spend the truckloads of cash it would cost to refurbish the old building.
To Lana, though, it was just one more puzzle piece that fit perfectly into Hollywood Boulevard and made it the grand spectacle it was.
For whatever reason, Lana loved the Boulevard. The chaos and throngs of tourists were easy to blend in with. And while she didn’t necessarily want to talk to a lot of people, she liked being in the midst of them.
Sometimes.
Being alone was nice, too.
That’s why her apartment was perfect. Nice and quiet on her street, but close to the action if she wanted it.
Or needed it.
You know why you like Hollywood Boulevard so much, Lana. If you have to run, it’s your escape route. It would be so easy just to blend in with everyone. Day or night, there are people there. You’d be just one more face in the crowd.
Shrugging off such thoughts, Lana parked, used her key to open her apartment building’s front door, and walked into the lobby.
There were white columns, archways, a red tile floor, and black wrought iron in various places. Going through there was like stepping back in time. The individual units themselves had been modernized. But the lobby was a throwback.
She eschewed the elevator—not liking the feeling of being trapped—instead taking the stairs to the third floor. Her apartment was just one door away from the staircase, a fact she loved, just in case…
Once she was inside, she locked the three locks on the door and breathed a sigh of relief.
Whew. What a day she’d had!
Runaway trams. Meeting Harison Trent. Finding out the famous actor was a Little just like her.
And the attempted TV interview.
She felt emotionally drained. Walking to the special closet in her bedroom, she opened it and glanced in at her Little gear. It wasn’t a huge collection, but she had two packs of diapers, some plastic panties, and a couple of outfits. And of course her pacifier, but that was in the nightstand drawer beside her bed.
Two stuffies were always stationed on her bed, too—a girl dog and a boy one—waiting for her.
Right now, she sure needed Little Space after the day she’d had. It wasn’t that it was all bad. Some of it, like that meeting with Harrison, had been awesome! But again, everything had just sort of added up to a lot.
There was also that problem of the pesky TV interview.
She told herself it wasn’t a big deal. One-word, evasive answers seemed to shut it down pretty quickly. The network probably wouldn’t even use the footage. Besides, it was just a runaway tram. That was one of those entertainment shows that dealt in juicy celebrity rumors with the occasional interview thrown in while stars were promoting their films. Some studio-tour vehicle taking folks on a little ride wasn’t that big a story in the grand scheme of things.
Not that most of their pieces were.
