Chapter Five
Ally watched as West drove away and prayed nothing was too wrong.
“So what shall we do with our evening, Ms. Pearson?” Matt Edwards was handsome, but he had absolutely nothing on West. He was charming, but she was good at figuring out who was authentic and who was trying to play her.
West wouldn’t know how to play her. It wouldn’t even occur to him to try. He hadn’t even tried to hide his feelings. When he was annoyed with her, he told her. When he was happy, she knew that, too.
Is it because you’re into me?
She’d expected him to hedge, to shrug off the question like it was no big deal because he wasn’t going to admit he might have feelings for her. That would give her the edge in the game of flirtation.
Maybe.
That was when she’d known beyond all doubt, it wasn’t a game to him.
“I need to get up to the room. I have work to do.” She didn’t. She’d planned on asking West if he wanted to watch a movie while they ate their forbidden pizza. She was supposed to be eschewing carbs, but he was right. They’d burned a lot of calories today.
It had been an awful day that she would likely forever remember as one of her favorites. Hiking with West had been peaceful, and she’d never felt so safe.
What if something had happened and she didn’t get to see him again? What if he got pulled off the case for some reason, and no one ever told her why?
“I was hoping we could have dinner.” Matt followed her to the elevators.
“Sure. You can order whatever you like. I think food is part of the contract.” She wasn’t about to not feed the guy.
But she would wait to see if West came back. Any hunger she’d had was morphed into anxiety about West. She touched the button to call the elevator as her cell rang.
She glanced down. It was her sister. “Hey, Brynn.”
“Hey, what’s going on with that hunky guy?” There was a wealth of amusement in Brynn’s tone. “He’s gorgeous, and you look… I’m not joking, you look amazing. Where were you?”
And just like that, she knew why West had been called in. Someone had taken pictures of them. She hadn’t seen a photographer following them, but those fuckers could work miracles with telephoto lenses. “Damn it. Someone followed us? That was fast. I literally got back from the hike a few minutes ago. Which site is it?”
“StarCall.com,” her sister said as the doors opened. “Gavin is freaking out. I’m out to lunch with Mom and the whole restaurant could hear him yelling over her phone.”
“You look amazing, darling,” her mother said in the background. “And honestly, you haven’t been seen with anyone in a long time. Your lack of a dating life has been remarked upon. I think the blue-collar lover thing will play so well. Can we get him on the show?”
She covered the phone and looked to Matt. “Can you pull up a website called StarCall.com?”
He nodded and started working on it as she pressed the number for the floor of her suite.
“No. Absolutely not. And no one is going to suggest it to him. This was all a huge mistake.” She wasn’t putting West on her mother’s radar. How bad were the photos? She should have known the day had been too good to be true. “West and I are just friends. He’s a nice guy, and I had a rough day. He took me hiking because I had to listen to Channing Lloyd talk about how it’s beneath her to work with me and everyone chimed in.”
“That bitch.” Her mother seemed to have taken her sister’s phone. “Does she think no one knows why her ass is suddenly so flat? It’s because all that fat’s in her face now. How dare she.”
Ally sighed. “Mom, you know why she doesn’t want to work with me. I have to prove myself. It’s fine. I didn’t make a scene, but West figured out I was upset and he took me hiking, that’s all. It was completely innocent.”
“You haven’t seen the pictures, have you, darling?” her mother asked.
Matt cleared his throat and turned the screen of his phone her way.
Oh, wow. Nope. She wasn’t getting out of this one. Someone had captured the moment when West had wrapped his arms around her and tried to close out the world. There were several photos. The two above the fold were of West leading her down the trail and of him with his big hands framing her face as he kissed her.
They looked hot together. Superhot, and not merely in a sexy way. They looked so into each other. She had an expression on her face she’d never seen before. Trust. Peace. Joy.
She didn’t look like the brat princess when she was in West Rycroft’s arms. She looked like a woman who was precious to someone.
He was going to be so upset by those pictures.
“Tell Gavin if he tries to get West fired, I’ll never speak to him again.” That might not be the worst threat. “Forget that. Tell him I’ll move back in and never leave. He’ll die with me in a room down the hall.”
Her mother chuckled. “Don’t worry. I think Mr. Taggart can handle your stepfather. Now tell me what’s going on. Are you okay, darling?”
She wasn’t sure. She was used to having intimate moments plastered on tabloid pages, but it would bother West. She knew she should be more upset, but in her mind, all it did was show the world she liked a guy. She didn’t care if they knew. It was part of her life. It wasn’t part of his. He was used to his privacy, and he wouldn’t get that if he was involved with her even for the short term.
Her heart clenched because this had to be a deal breaker for him.
Even though she’d decided to take it slow, to be careful with him, now the possibility that he would walk away tonight made her infinitely sad.
How much did she have to give up to follow her dreams?
“I’m fine.” She had to suck it up. “It was a moment. Now it’s over. I’m going to concentrate on the movie. I think the read went well.”
“Allyson,” her mother began.
“I can’t.” She couldn’t break down in front of this new guy.
“All right, my love.” Her mother had always been good about giving her space when she needed it. “I was joking about the show, you know. I hope you can talk to him and work this out. Do you want me to try to get the photos taken down?”
For West’s sake she would. “Yes, please. It probably won’t work, but it might make him feel better if we try.”
“I’m on it. Call me later,” her mother said. “And Brynn says good-bye but wants to talk when you’re ready. I could come out there if you want company.”
Her mom meant well, but she would bring her own problems with her. “I’m fine. It will die down if we don’t feed it.”
“All right. And I sent you a little care package,” her mom said. “It’s got the blender you wanted, and the protein shake packs. I love you, Ally.”
“You, too, Mom.” She hung up as the elevator doors opened.
“So you and West are a thing?” Matt asked as Ally used her key card to open the door to the suite. “No wonder Big Tag was pissed. He’s got this famous clause in all of his contracts.”
She didn’t like the idea that West was going to get in trouble with his boss. “What clause?”
“It’s the famous ‘no fucking the fucking client,’” Matt explained. “That’s the actual name of the clause. It’s usually cool, though. I’ve heard everyone breaks it.”
She set her bag down on one of the couches in the sitting area.
“We’re not sleeping together.” She hadn’t even thought about how it would affect West’s job. All she’d known was what she wanted in that moment, and it had been him.
Was she as selfish as everyone made her out to be?
“Could I talk to West’s boss? The Taggart guy?” She had to make sure the man understood it was her fault.
“I don’t know if that’s a great idea.” Matt grimaced. “The big boss is someone I try to avoid most of the time. Wade’s cool. He handles the bodyguard unit. I stay in my lane. I think you should, too. Like I said, everyone breaks that clause. I wouldn’t be surprised if Big Tag yells at him, throws him a box of condoms, and sends him back out in the wild. Or he could fire him and then I’ll get to spend more time with you.”
He said it in that charming way that let her know he would like that, and not merely in a professional way.
“No.” She had to play games with Jay. He was directing the film that could break her out. There was a certain level of polite game playing she had to do with him. She didn’t with this man. “Just so we’re clear, I’m not going to fall into your arms and play out some bodyguard fantasy with you. If you get skeevy with me, I’ll have you replaced.”
He stopped, his expression going cold. “Well, you didn’t seem to have that problem with West.”
“You’re not West, and I’m not some experience for you to have and brag about with your friends. If I’ve misinterpreted your actions, then I apologize, and I hope we can have a perfectly professional relationship.” It was best to set things on the right footing. She wasn’t going to spend days placating this dude’s ego.
The slight stain on his cheeks let her know how pissed he was. “You think a lot of yourself, Ms. Pearson. I assure you you’re not my type. How about I go and stand outside the door like the good employee you seem to want. Couldn’t have you being friendly with the staff, huh?”
He didn’t wait for an answer, merely turned and walked out the door.
Proving he was a shitty bodyguard. She could enrage West and he wouldn’t have left her. She went back to the foyer of the suite and checked the peephole. Sure enough, he was standing by the door.
Lot of good that would do her if there was someone in the suite.
West always checked the suite when they came back. He checked the closets and under the beds. She stood in the foyer until he gave her the all-clear.
She might have to get used to life without that kind of protection because West could leave on his own. If he didn’t get fired. He might realize how hard it would be to be close to her and not want the trouble.
She sighed and moved away. She needed to find the number for McKay-Taggart. The least she could do was try to save his job. She could tell Ian Taggart that it was all her fault and she came on to West. The pictures didn’t tell the real story.
The man would believe her. Everyone always believed the worst of her. This might be the first time it worked in her favor.
She found the number, dialed it, and was told Mr. Taggart was busy and would have to call her back.
Was he yelling at West? Or being yelled at by her stepdad?
She paced, anxiety threatening to eat her up.
And she was perfectly pleasant with staff, thank you very much. Despite her reputation, the crew of the reality show adored her. She’d had far friendlier relationships with hair and makeup people than she’d ever had with other actors.
There were two boxes on the small dining table. The staff at the hotel must have brought them up for her. Her mom had said something about a care package. She’d missed her little blender and the organic protein shakes she loved. They didn’t have them out here. She’d promised West she’d let him try one.
Hey, I know I just forced you into the public spotlight, but here’s the best blueberry acai protein smoothie you’ve ever had.
That would make up for it, right?
She picked the larger of the two boxes and started to peel off the packing tape. If West left, she would probably go into a shame/loss spiral and then all she would be able to stomach were these shakes. She would drop ten pounds of pure sadness weight and someone would tell her she looked great.
Fuckers.
She pulled one side of the box open and then pure horror swept over her as something cold and sticky exploded across her face.
Blood. She was covered in blood.
Ally screamed and jumped back, and all she could remember thinking was how much she wished West was here.
* * * *
West ran up the hallway, his heart threatening to pound out of his chest.
The minute he’d seen the red and blue lights, he’d known something had gone terribly wrong. As he’d pulled into the hotel’s roundabout minutes before, he’d been surrounded by police cars and an ambulance.
He’d known it was about Ally, and he was going to kill Matt if something had happened to her.
“Sir, I’m going to need you to get back to your room.” An officer in uniform stood outside the door. “This is an active police investigation.”
“This is my room,” he insisted. He wasn’t about to be pushed aside by the police, and in this case, his boss’s name would actually open doors for him. “I’m with McKay-Taggart. We’re handling Ms. Pearson’s security. I need to see my client.”
The officer opened the door and disappeared for a moment, obviously conferring with whoever was inside. It took mere seconds before he was allowing West into the big suite. “You should talk to Lieutenant Ramos. She’s taking the lead.”
The first person he saw was Matt, who had a cup of coffee in his hand, talking with a pretty dark-haired officer. Matt was chuckling. The lieutenant looked like she was about to punch the asshole.
“What the hell happened?” West practically growled the question. “Where is Ally?”
Matt put the coffee down. “Hey, man, it was nothing more than a practical joke. Lighten up. She’s fine. If you ask me, this is a little overkill, but I followed procedure. I’ve got a call into Wade, but he didn’t answer his phone.”
Probably because he was dealing with the GPS locator they’d found on his car.
It was a lot to happen in one day.
He looked to the cop. “Is it overkill, Lieutenant?”
The police officer shook her head. “Absolutely not. I came out because I run a special unit that handles stalking cases. That woman’s being stalked. That was some straight-up Carrie bullshit, and she has every right to file a police report. I know the men in this room will shrug it off as some kind of prank, but she was scared. I listen when women are scared.”
“It wasn’t even real blood,” Matt argued.
“You’re off her protection,” West announced. Had Ally had to deal with Matt telling her she was overreacting? He might not be able to fire the fucker, but his brother would get a loud report about his behavior tomorrow. “Go home.”
Matt’s eyes rolled. “Yeah, it’s clear you’re going to be able to be professional around her. I’ll see what Big Tag has to say. You can’t fire me, and I’m not going to let your brother fire me for something that wasn’t my fault. She’s the one who opened the package.”
“The package was spring loaded,” the lieutenant explained. “Like those packages that send glitter everywhere. Except instead of glitter, it was a substance intended to mimic blood. I’ve already had the package taken into evidence. Ms. Pearson was checked by EMTs because some of it got in her eyes. She’s showering now. I’ve got a basic statement, but it’s clear that she’s shaken up. I’d like to give her some time to calm down before I ask her more questions. Are you watching her tonight? Given what she said about her situation, she should never have been left alone in this room.”
“She didn’t want me in the room with her,” Matt complained. “She told me to stand outside. Otherwise I would never have allowed her to open the package.”
He was done with Matt. If she’d asked him to stay outside, it was likely because he’d annoyed her, and they would deal with that later. “Officer, can I take her out of here?”
The officer in charge nodded. “Yes. I think a change of scenery might help her. Is MT looking into this? Or are you strictly protection?”
“Ian Taggart is handling the case himself, so he’s going to want an update. I’ll call him in a few minutes and let him know what’s going on and that you’re the one to contact.”
The officer whistled. “Damn, I’m about to hit the big time. Well, best get to work then. Tell your boss I’ll have an update in the morning, and I hope he’ll share information with me. This feels like way more than a prank. There was real malice behind that.”
He’d done his job, and now he got to do what he’d wanted to do since the moment he’d driven away from her. He got to find her again. “Ally?”
He moved into the living area.
“West?” Ally’s voice floated through the suite.
He made his way to the big bedroom. He’d slept on the couch the nights they’d stayed here. There was a smaller bedroom, but it was too far from the main room. The couch had placed him squarely between her and whatever was coming her way.
Ally’s hair was wet and her skin a pale white. She stood there in clean sweats and a T-shirt, her feet bare, and she looked so fucking vulnerable it threatened to break his heart. “Hey, I’m sorry. Someone sent me a package, and I thought it was from my mom, and we should also talk about these pictures that some asshole took.”
Why the fuck wasn’t she asking for what she needed?
Because she so rarely got it. Because she was always the afterthought.
“My mom is trying to get them off the website,” Ally explained, not really looking his way. “I’ll put out a press release explaining that we’re not seeing each other. Hopefully…”
He didn’t let her get the rest of the sentence out. He scooped her up and into his arms. “I’m taking you somewhere safe, baby.”
She gasped as he settled her against his chest and started walking out. “But…”
He shook his head. “I’ll have Tessa bring you your things. I’m in charge now, Ally. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
When she laid her head against his chest and allowed him to walk her out the door, he felt more worthy than he’d ever felt before.