3. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
Parker
H ours after Madison left, my blood still pounded in my ears, a result of her surprise visit and her refusal to disappear once and for all. When Ryan texted, asking me to head to The Sapphire, our most secluded villa, currently occupied by a certain world-famous rock star, it only got worse. The need for my presence meant one thing: trouble.
As I entered the villa, I followed the voices toward the living room.
“The good news is, it wasn’t transmitting live,” I heard Ryan’s calm voice.
So, we had another security breach.
“And how the fuck do you know?” our guest shouted. “My dick is probably all over the internet by now.” He caught sight of me and pointed in my direction. “I’ll sue you.”
I ignored the threat and turned to Ryan. “What happened ?
“A drone circled The Sapphire. No one knows how long it was up there. It landed in the pool. That’s when our guests here noticed it.”
I glanced at the two young women curled up on the couch. Wrapped in robes with The Gemstone logo, they looked shaken, and the raging middle-aged man did nothing to sooth them.
“They filmed my dick! My wife will see my dick entering another pussy!” He spat out the words, a spray of saliva punctuating his anger. “You probably work with those scumbags,” he pointed towards the ceiling. “How much did they pay you?”
I ignored his rant for the moment and focused on the girls.
“Are they of age?” I asked Ryan.
“Barely,” he muttered.
At least we didn’t have to worry about underage guests having sex on the property. We required everyone to show IDs when they checked in, though once, a girl with a fake one had fooled the receptionist.
One of the girls stood up from the couch and approached me, her nose red and eyes puffy. “Can we go? We want to leave.”
“No!” our guest shouted.
“Of course,” I nodded, ignoring him. “I’ll arrange a car to wait for you at the entrance.”
I took my phone from my pocket and texted the receptionist on duty.
Me: Melany, the two girls at The Sapphire are leaving. Arrange a car for them.
Melany: On it.
Me: Text me when it’s done.
Melany: Of course. Anything else, Mr. Wilson?
Me: No. Thank you, Melany.
Melany: My shift is almost over. I could come over to The Sapphire to help .
Me: Just make sure the girls get in the car. Then you’re free to go.
Melany: Let me know if you change your mind.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket. “The car will be ready soon,” I told the girls, who hurried to the bedroom. Turning to our guest, I kept my tone calm. “Look, I understand you are angry. Someone violated your privacy. Let’s focus on dealing with the problem.”
“I’ll tell you how I’ll deal with it. I’m going to take every dime you have.”
You’ll need it after your wife drags you through a pricey divorce.
His threats meant nothing to me. Working with some of the richest, most famous people in the entertainment industry meant dealing with their strange demands and inflated egos. Entitlement was practically a given. Ryan, however, wasn’t so patient.
“Look, man,” he cut in, unfazed. “The Sapphire has three bedrooms with king-sized beds. No one asked you to cheat on your wife outside in broad daylight. You could’ve had your fun inside, and none of us would be here right now.”
I gave Ryan a grateful nod. “Maybe we should focus on finding out who flew that drone over The Sapphire.”
“Why don’t you go ask your staff, Wilson?” He was trying to get a rise out of me.
“Can we track where that drone came from?” I asked Ryan instead.
“Already on it,” he said with a nod. “We’re reviewing footage from the security cameras to spot any suspicious activity.”
Running a secluded, luxurious retreat for celebrities came with its share of invasions: paparazzi, stalkers, and unwanted intrusions. Occasionally, someone slipped into the lobby or gardens, though we usually caught them before they got too far .
“If I find out it was one of your staff, or even you, who orchestrated this, you’ll regret ever messing with me. You and everyone connected to this place will be broke by the time I’m done with you.” If the asshole had stopped there, I might have ignored it. But he didn’t. “Then I’ll demolish this fucking place and piss all over it.”
In an instant, I was in his face.
“If I were you, I’d stop talking right this second.”
“Parker.” Ryan grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. “Get some air,” he said, giving me a push toward the door. “I’ll handle this.”
I took a step back, fists clenched at my sides. My best friend was right, though. Losing my temper wouldn’t solve anything. I couldn’t shake off the rage pulsing with every heartbeat as I stalked down the path from The Sapphire.
The Gemstone was everything to me. I’d devoted my life to it, and hearing that piece of shit threatening to ruin it was too much for me to ignore.
I headed toward the main building to check with Melany and see if any other guests had complained about security issues.
“No, sir,” she said. “I don’t think the other guests even noticed anything happened.”
“Good. And the car I asked for?”
“It’s ready, sir. I texted you a few minutes ago.”
“Great. Thank you, Melany. Please inform Mr. Montgomery that the car is waiting.”
“I will. Can I do anything else for you, Mr. Wilson? You look tense.”
I shook my head. “Just keep an eye out for anything unusual.”
“Now that you mention it, sir…there was something suspicious earlier.”
“What happened? ”
“That woman that came for the meeting with Annie Foster? She lingered in the lobby for a while. I asked her to leave, and she refused, so I had to call Mr. Montgomery.”
“I doubt she had anything to do with this, Melany. But next time she causes trouble, call me directly, okay?”
“Yes, Mr. Wilson.”
I stepped back out into the gardens and headed toward my villa, The Blue Diamond. Small compared to the other villas on the property, it had just one bedroom. Still, it was every bit as luxurious, though it was the only villa that shared its pool area with its twin, The Pink Diamond. Built right across from each other and closer to the main building, I used one and had kept the other empty for the past few years. I didn’t just protect my guests’ privacy. I enjoyed mine too. And sharing a space with any of the clients seemed like a terrible idea.
I pushed open the door to The Blue Diamond, seeking solace in the familiar surroundings. Decorated in shades of blue and white, the villa had floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedroom, offering a view of the pool area.
Stepping outside, I sank into a lounge chair and pulled my phone from my pocket, scrolling through my contacts until I found Jessica Montgomery’s name.
She answered on the second ring. “Parker?”
“Jess. Hi. Sorry to bother you.” I said, my voice laced with a twinge of guilt. She was like a mother to me. And even though we’d agreed not to seek each other out for a while, I hadn’t called her in over three months. It felt like forever.
“Is everything okay?” She sounded worried. “Did something happen to Ryan?”
“No. Your son is just as healthy and annoying as always.”
She didn’t laugh. Not a good sign .
“What is it, then?”
I took a deep breath. “Can I see you?”
Silence. Then a hint of accusation. “I thought you said you needed space.”
“Honestly? I have no idea what I need.”
Another beat of silence before she spoke. “Will you come over, or should I?”
“Whatever you prefer,” I replied, relief coursing through me. I hadn’t even been sure she’d pick up, let alone agree to see me.
“I’d rather not come to The Gem. There are too many people there. And you know how the staff talks - always something about the management.”
“Of course. I understand.”
Not that I would tell her, but I preferred she didn’t come here, too.
“I have dinner plans tonight, but I can be home by nine. Does that work for you?”
“Yes. And Jess,” I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “I’m sorry about the way I left last time.”
The last time I left her house, I’d accused her of holding me back from having a life. But three months without her made me realize I didn’t need her help to keep myself isolated. I did that all on my own.
“Let’s talk about it tonight, okay?”
“Okay. See you later.”
I lay on the lounger, replaying different ways I could make it up to Jess for cutting her out of my life three months ago, when my phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen.
Tyler: Drinks tonight?
Shit .
The text was in a group chat Ryan had set up for the three of us. I considered pretending I hadn’t seen it, but with Ryan still on-site, he’d just come to find me if I ignored it.
I hoped he already had plans for the night. If not, I’d have to explain that I was busy, and that was something I didn’t want to do. I wasn’t about to call Jess and reschedule, either.
The three dots showing Ryan was typing danced on the screen.
Ryan: Sure. What time?
Damn it.
Me: Have you dealt with the issue at The Sapphire?
Ryan: No.
Me: Then you shouldn’t be on your phone texting.
Ryan: Yes, boss.
I closed the chat and dialed Tyler.
“Are you coming tonight?” Tyler asked as soon as he picked up.
“Shouldn’t you stay home with your pregnant fiancée?”
“I should, but I still have to run the bar.”
“Hire someone to do it for you.”
“You could hire someone to run The Gem for you, but you’re not doing that.”
“I don’t have a family to spend time with.”
The pain that usually came with that statement had dulled somehow, without me noticing.
“You’re right. I’ll have to come up with something.”
Tyler and I got to know each other after he moved back here from Boston a few months ago. He’d reached out more times than I could count, and one night, after leaving Jess’s house feeling like hell, I went to his bar. One drink turned into half a bottle, and somewhere in the alcohol-fueled haze, I realized Tyler was a decent guy.
Unlike his older sister, Madison .
“So? Are we drinking tonight or not?” I asked, hoping he’d say no.
“Not after you dad-shamed me.”
I laughed. Tyler didn’t know the meaning of the word shame. He also was so involved in his baby niece’s life that I was sure there was no way he’d ditch his pregnant fiancée to spend the night with me and Ryan, just like that.
“Hannah’s busy tonight, isn’t she?”
“She is.”
“You’re pathetic, Hartley.”
“Hey, no one’s immune to this shit.”
“What shit?” I asked.
“Love, man. Love.”
“I’m doing a great job avoiding it,” I said, brushing off his comment with a laugh, even though he was right. But I knew that love could break you like nothing else, and I wasn’t about to sign up for that.