Page 51 of Deadly Target
“He’s already there. I dropped him off earlier.”
She didn’t have a key, or she’d pick up food and get to Victor’s early. “I can head over now and hang out with him until you’re done. I’ll just swing by for your key, then go feed him, and maybe take him for a walk. He’s earned it and I need to clear my head.”
“He’ll be okay. Look, I got to go. See you in a while.”
That was definitely a blow-off and she stared at the phone for a second after he hung up. So, he didn’t want her to swing by and pick up his key. Okay, no problem. Message received.
Her stomach growled, and she realized she hadn’t eaten since that morning. She tapped the avatar for her browser to look for a nearby restaurant that had a drive-thru.
Except the first thing that popped up on her screen was the picture from theRed Star Reportof Victor and Tracee Tyson. She hadn’t cleared her browsing history.
Her stomach lurched. Why? She was acting like a silly teenager instead of a grown woman. Victor had assured her there was nothing going on between them, but Olivia couldn’t help but compare herself to the starlet. What normal woman wouldn’t? Tracee was model tall, thin, perfect hair, natural beauty, and had a charisma the camera loved.
Yet, she told herself,Victor is with me.
But for how long?
She scanned the picture of the two of them together one more time, trying to see Victor’s face. But she couldn’t see his features well enough to tell if he still had feelings for the beautiful woman in front of him.
Reprimanding herself once more for acting like a lovesick teenager, she went to clear the browser when her gaze caught on something that made her pause.
Using her fingers, she zoomed in, bringing Tracee’s lower legs and feet in view. Her breath caught in her throat, and she quickly left the browser and went to her photos.
“Well, I’ll be damned. This is not good. Not good at all.”
She closed out the photos and, with her elbow on the door, dropped her head in her hand for a moment. Then she dialed Victor’s number.
He needed to know what his ex was up to.
The call went to voicemail and Olivia swore under her breath. She sent him a text, asking him to call her immediately, but before she was done, someone tapped on her window, making her jump.
When she saw who, all the air left her lungs.
She dropped the phone.
The man on the other side smiled and gave her an innocent wave. He wore a ball cap, pulled low over his brow, and sunglasses, but there was no mistaking who he was.
Frozen in place, Olivia didn’t know what to do. Her heart felt like it was beating in her throat, her mind suddenly blank.
The man motioned for her to roll down the window. Trepidation swam through her. Should she? Or put the car in gear and get the hell away from him?
Shoving down the shock, she cracked the window a couple of inches.
The man’s smile grew wider. He removed the sunglasses, his eyes slowly scanning her face before coming back to meet her gaze. “Hello, baby girl.”
She swallowed hard. The hair visible under the cap had grayed since the last time she’d seen him and the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes had grown deeper.
It took three tries for her to find her voice. “Hello, daddy.”
* * *
The rain camedown in sheets, drenching Victor’s windshield. The wipers could barely keep up, even though he was idling at the curb outside the high-end wine bar Tracee loved. He’d tried to get her to meet him here, but she claimed she had a migraine and couldn’t leave her penthouse.
Roman slid into the passenger seat, swearing and dripping. “You could’ve picked a better night for this.”
The storm had come up quickly, turning the streets to fast flowing streams. Few people were out, and those that insisted on braving the storm wrestled with their umbrellas as the wind tried to invert them. “I appreciate your help with this.”
“You think the stalker might be one of the Kings?”
