Chapter 26
Ismeralda
Kat or Lillith could be the ones behind the threatening emails? Could Lillith even be the stalker who tossed me in the closet? Kat sure acted nice when I met her, but that was before I gave the poor review of her cosmetics. Despite how it turned my life upside down, I don’t feel bad about that review, because the claims she makes about those products simply aren’t true. I couldn’t ignore that.
A wave of exhaustion hit after Luke and I arrived in New York. Considering the long flight and the attack, plus the sleepless night filming a new makeup video, I put the Von Steenburg sisters out of my mind and try to take a nap. The minute my head hits the pillow, I drift off.
I sleep the entire night and wake up feeling surprisingly refreshed and rejuvenated for the book signing this morning. A high-profile person like Kat or Lillith isn’t going to attack me at a book signing, are they? That’s ridiculous! Gabe must be wrong. If my attacker at the hotel in Denver was associated with Glam Products, maybe they’ve already achieved their goal to crater my business. But then why the latest email?
A niggle of doubt sets in based on the ominous sounding tone of the new email.
SILENCED IN THE MILE HIGH CITY!
WILL SOMETHING WORSE HAPPEN IN THE BIG APPLE?
Just as a precaution, maybe I should find out what Lillith Von Steenburg looks like? I snap open my laptop and try to find a photo of her. She must be a recluse because there’s not one photo of Lillith on the internet. Anywhere. That seems odd.
I scan the Glam Products website, thinking that since she’s a Vice President there would be one of those smiling headshots on the About Us page, but there isn’t. But as I’m searching, a statement about one of Glam’s latest products leaps off the screen. “Our newest fragrance, Mediterranean Breeze, combines the unique notes of lemon, basil, and jasmine and will instantly transport you to Italy’s Amalfi Coast.”
My heart rate skyrockets. That’s the perfume my stalker was wearing! I’m sure of it. But why did I think I had smelled it before if this is a new product? Fear and dread wash over me. Wish I could find a photo of Lillith.
~*~
To Luke’s credit, he amped up the security detail for this morning’s book signing. When we arrive at the bookstore by 7:30 for the nine o’clock signing, there’s at least twenty security guys milling around. Luke and two other massive guys hustle me through the back door and into the store. The owner, Mr. Parchment—yes, I also did a double take over his name—greets me inside.
“Miss Harrington, lovely to meet you,” he says as he shakes my hand.
“Thank you for having me, Mr. Parchment,” I say, keeping a straight face. If Gabe were here, he’d be suppressing laughter, but Luke doesn’t even blink an eyelash.
“We’re expecting a huge turnout! When the story about your attack in Denver broke, we sold out of all our copies of your book! The Denver bookstore even posted a retraction of their earlier comments and apologized for suggesting you blew them off.” He rubs his hands together and grins like a gleeful hyena.
This is the same man that Barbara had to bribe with a visit by that flake, Scooter Davis, to get him to keep me on the schedule?
Covering up my true feelings, and wishing that Gabe were here, I say, “How exciting! I just want to make sure you feel we can keep security tight. The person who attacked me in Denver may make another appearance here.”
Luke pipes up. “Miss Harrington, we’ve doubled the size of the security force. You will be in a room where we can check everyone entering, and they’ll have to leave their bags outside, just like at the other signings.”
Mr. Parchment must agree, as he nods affably.
I blow out a fortifying breath. “Very well. Shall we get set up?”
Within minutes I’m sitting in a back room, waiting for the staff to open up the store. A huge line has formed outside; I see it snaking around the corner from my perch beside a window with a view of the street. My spirits lift. Maybe my career isn’t over. Yet.
A small commotion at the door makes me look up and my heart suddenly pumps in panicked overdrive. The extra security guys are in a heated discussion with a tall man. What?!
My heart, soul, and every fiber of my body swoons at the sight. Dressed in his gray suit and red tie, Gabriel finally gets Luke’s attention. The replacement bodyguard strides over, vouches for Gabe, and lets him enter.
“I’ll stand right behind Miss Harrington,” Gabe says to Luke in a stern voice. “You cover the door.”
“Yes, sir,” Luke says, without a peep of argument.
I open my mouth to protest, just because I’m still mad at him, but Gabe hauls me from my chair, then kisses me like there’s no tomorrow. Within seconds, I’m kissing him back. It feels like the temperature in the room climbs ten degrees with his big body cradling mine. Or maybe it’s just the heated passion of our kisses. I’m so happy he’s here, but what made him change his mind? He pulls away a few seconds later. I sway on my feet, but he holds me up.
“No one’s going to harm a hair on your beautiful head, Izzie,” he says gently caressing my cheeks with his fingertips. “I shouldn’t have walked away, but I’m here to stay.” He then helps me back into my seat. I plaster a professional expression on my face and pick up one of the pens I laid out, ready to sign books.
I believe every word he says. Maybe we have a future together after all.
~*~
I’ve been signing for over an hour and my fingers are starting to cramp, but I keep the smile glued on my face as I greet admirer after admirer.
“What a shame about your attack in Denver! Were you hurt?” an older lady asks.
“Thankfully I wasn’t hurt. I appreciate you asking,” I say as I sign her book.
Is the huge turnout out of curiosity about my attack or enthusiasm over my book? I guess Mr. Parchment doesn’t care either way.
“You hit the nail on the head about those Glam products,” a twenty-something wearing a nose ring says a few minutes later. She vaguely reminds me of Mindy. “None of their claims are true. I got caught in a downpour and their waterproof mascara ran down all over my face, making me look like a drenched raccoon.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Gabe’s lip twitch over that visual.
Fifteen minutes later, I crane my neck to see that the line is still stretching around the corner. At this rate, I’m going to be signing books until noon. But I shoulder on despite the fact that I need to relieve myself of the coffee I drank earlier...
A woman from Milwaukee raves over how easy my smokey eye look is to create, and I compliment her on how she looks because she truly has mastered the technique.
A man from Nashville gives me a demo disc of a country song he recorded, then asks me to listen to it and post a review on my YouTube channel. I politely decline and wish him well in his singing career. He then asks if he can return my book, so I direct him to Mr. Parchment. Gabe rolls his eyes.
A couple from Possum Trot, Texas, gift me with a recipe book from their church. I’m touched at their kindness and promise to try her mama’s sweet potato pie recipe.
The list of the personalities who’ve come to this event goes on and on. I am truly overwhelmed at the outpouring of kindness everyone is showing. The vitriol of the stalker’s emails and attack fades away, and I almost forget about the danger.
At the two-hour mark, I need a break. My fingers ache, and I need to relieve my bladder as soon as possible. Luke informs Mr. Parchment that we’re halting the signing for a few minutes and Gabe accompanies me to the ladies’ restroom.
“Please wait outside, I’ll be fine!” I say, squeezing his arm. Surely no one is lying in wait inside the employee restroom on the off chance I’ll use it.
He looks uncertain, but then shrugs. “If I hear anything that sounds ominous or you don’t come out in two minutes, I’m coming in.” Before I enter, he adds, “Call me honey if you’re under duress and need my help.”
Rolling my eyes at his superspy suggestion, I open the door and waltz inside. The room is tiny and must be an employee restroom, not a public one. There’s a sink and one stall, but at least it looks clean. When I swing open the door to the stall, a woman lunges at me, slapping her hand firmly over my mouth. “Don’t say a word,” she hisses.
My eyes go wide as recognition hits. It’s the woman who berated me at the coffee bar in the hotel in San Diego. Her flaming red hair flies around her head as she glares at me. I’d forgotten about that incident, but I hadn’t forgotten that she was a redhead.
I struggle to get out of her grasp, but she’s strong and holds me tight. When her perfume wafts into my nostrils, it’s the same perfume as my attacker was wearing.
“Lillith?” I ask, her hand muffling my words, but her grip over my mouth loosens and her expression tells me she heard me.
“What do you want from me?” I whisper.
“I want to ruin you!” she hisses back. “Your horrible review is tanking Glam Products, and you need to pay for that.”
My heart plummets. What does she mean by pay for that?
“You shouldn’t tout results that simply aren’t true,” I say quietly.
“We’re going to quietly go out that back door,” she says, nodding towards a door I didn’t notice tucked into the back of the restroom. “When you don’t return, you’ll be another no-show, and this time your career will be in shambles.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I say, grabbing the edge of the stall so she can’t drag me out. I guess she plans to overpower me because I don’t see a weapon, although she may have that hidden in her clothes.
“Everything okay in there?” Gabe yells.
Lillith motions for me to reply. “Tell him you’re fine.”
“Yes, honey! I’m fine,” I shout.
The door bursts open, surprising Lillith. I scramble away from her as Gabe grabs her arms so she can’t move. He slams the door shut, trapping all of us inside.
“You’re the lady from the coffee bar in San Diego,” he says, his eyes wide with recognition.
She grunts.
“Gabe, meet Lillith Von Steenburg,” I say.
A commotion outside the door makes Gabe shove me behind him while still holding tightly to Lillith. It’s an impressive James Bond move, if I’ve ever seen one.
“Lillith, are you in there?” a female voice I recognize shouts through the door. Kat Von Steenburg has joined the party.
“Kat?” Lillith says weakly.
“Yes! Please let me speak to my sister,” she says.
“She’s unarmed, Mr. Martin,” Luke shouts.
Gabe hesitates as if she’s going to attack us with her mascara wand. “Let her in. I know you’ll protect me,” I say, and he opens the door.
Kat Von Steenburg rushes in looking like a CEO in her thousand-dollar suit and heels. She turns a shocked expression on her sister.
“Oh my gosh, Lillith! I didn’t think you’d go this far!” Kat shrieks while she flails her hands about as if fighting off a pack of gnats, her agitation visible with every move. But mere seconds later, the energy appears to leak from her body—her hands dropping to her side and her shoulders sagging. “We just wanted to frighten Miss Harrington into cancelling the book tour so she’d disappoint all her fans,” she says in a hushed tone.
Lillith wrings her hands. “Wish I would have set fire to that Phoenix bookstore!” she wails.
“It wouldn’t have done much damage with all those fire trucks surrounding the store,” Kat scoffs. “Plus do you really want to become a felon over this? I’m glad I was there to stop you. I should have known you wouldn’t let things go.”
My eyes widen. How does she know about the fire trucks? Were Kat and Lillith, both stalking me?
“She ruined our company with that review,” Lillith hisses.
Kat turns sad eyes on her sister. “No, Lillith, you ruined our company with your false claims about our products.” Her lips tremble, but she draws in a fortifying breath, then continues. “I did some digging, and the product team admitted that you falsified the test results. The eyeshadow flakes off within a couple hours, just like Miss Harrington said. And the mascara is clumpy and isn’t waterproof.”
Lillith stares at her feet. “It was going to cost too much to fix the formula,” she says.
Kat comes over and takes her sister’s hand. “I don’t care about the cost. But we can’t lie about our products, Lillith” she says.
Lillith nods and sniffles, apparently now contrite over her actions.
“You’re still my sister and I love you,” Kat says.
Gabe and I step off to the side while the sisters hug, both shedding tears.
Mr. Parchment comes flying into the room and says, “The crowd is getting impatient. Can you return to signing?” His brows draw together when he sees Kat and Lillith.
“Yes, I’ll return to signing books,” I say. “Kat and Lillith need some privacy.” I duck into the stall and quickly relieve my bladder, then hastily wash my hands at the sink.
Kat puts her hand on my shoulder and stops me before I exit the room. “Miss Harrington, I apologize for my sister’s actions. Her misplaced sense of loyalty to me clouded her judgement. I hope you won’t press charges.”
This is exactly what Gabe asked me about after the Denver attack. Should we report this incident to the police?
Fortunately, Gabe takes charge, addressing Kat’s plea. “Let’s give Miss Harrington a little time to decide whether we should involve the police. I assume you’ll ensure that your sister doesn’t stalk Miss Harrington any further?”
Kat nods. “I will, Mr. Martin. Let’s put this incident behind us.”
After we exit the restroom, I turn to Gabe and say, “Now that the threat has been neutralized,”—not in a million years did I expect to utter those words, but apparently I’m living in a James Bond movie—"can we loosen the security a bit? Let people bring in their bags, and they can come in more than one at a time?”
He arches an eyebrow, then grins. “I supposed so. If we don’t do that, we’ll be here until midnight.” Jutting his chin towards the crowd, I see that the throng has grown dramatically in the last few minutes.
“Wow! When did so many more people arrive?” I ask.
Luke pipes up. “The Celebrity Detection Network just posted that Kat Von Steenburg was seen entering Miss Harrington’s book signing. The news is blowing up online.”
I giggle, suspecting that this was all due to a tip by Bernie and Bernice. My book signing is a smashing success after all! I guess that darn network is useful every now and then.