Chapter 26
TWENTY-SIX
E ddie paced in front of Macon’s desk as Carter, of all people, sat in his chief’s chair.
Officer Olivia Tazwell stared down at Carter, who’d arrived at the firehouse before Eddie after Bianca hadn’t shown up to their dinner with Leo.
Carter pressed his head back against Macon’s chair. “Leo said that Grace needed to schedule a meeting between him and the new producer. I set things up with Nathan.”
Eddie pivoted. “You’re telling me Bianca’s with her ex—the one who might have had someone attack you?”
Macon had filled in Eddie’s spot on the crew’s recent callout, but maybe that hadn’t been a good idea. Because right now, all Eddie wanted to do was find Bianca and punch Carter out of Macon’s chair.
Olivia gave Eddie a raised brow, as if she knew his thoughts. “What else can you tell us?”
Carter hung his head. “That Nathan’s a better actor than me.” He met Eddie’s eyes. “Except with him, there’s no camera. There’s only his poker face.”
Olivia crossed her arms. “I think you’d better unpack that metaphor.”
“He pretends to be your friend.” Carter plunged his fingers through his usually sculpted hair. “Gets you into the top clubs. He even got me my first headliner contract. Except then you owe him. But really, you owe the Duke.”
Olivia leaned forward. “Nathan Kensington is the Duke?”
Carter looked away. “No, he works for him. Sort of. By the time I realized that, I was in too deep. Owed too much. That’s when he brought me into the gambling ring. At first, I was only there to help catch the bigger money. But then…the game got to me. To Nathan’s credit, he did warn me not to start playing him.”
Eddie stood and gripped Carter’s shirt. “Nathan took Bianca because you owe money?”
Carter shook his head. “Bianca has nothing to do with that. We were all supposed to meet and talk over our movie contract. Nathan always has a plan. But he won’t hurt her. Not if he needs her for something else…”
Olivia put her hand on Eddie, and Eddie released Carter. “What did Nathan need from Bianca?”
Carter’s gaze darted around the room. “She’s stubborn. She’ll probably say no again.”
Eddie grunted.
Stubborn. Beautiful. Kind.
And he’d let her go.
Carter rubbed his hands. “Not sure what Nathan will do if she refuses his plans.”
Olivia tilted her head at the yellowing bruise on Carter’s face. “Is that who hurt you?”
Eddie jumped to his feet. No way would he allow Bianca to get hurt.
He turned for the door.
Olivia held her palm out to Eddie and then asked Carter, “What plan would she refuse?”
Eddie crossed his arms. Too much talking. Not enough finding the woman he never should’ve pushed away.
Carter swirled the chair he didn’t belong in to the side. “He needs her alibi. Nathan can’t get caught with his hands dirty again. The first time cost him too much to get out of. Pretty sure that’s why he owes the Duke.”
Olivia’s eyes wrinkled around their edges. “But he’s already been tried.”
“It’s for another supposed crime. However the DA still needs more proof, which it looks like they’re about to find.”
“Just like you have no proof that Nathan took Bianca.”
“I never said he took her.” It was Carter’s turn to hold up his palms. “Look. I’m not the one who should be getting an interrogation right now. I called Grace when they didn’t show, because I figured Bia would’ve texted her with any delays. All I know is Nathan was supposed to meet me and Bia at the restaurant with Leo. He needed to speak to her and knew she wouldn’t if she realized he was going to be there. I helped make that happen. That’s all.”
Eddie narrowed his eyes. “And you’re helping out of the goodness of your heart?”
Carter pushed to his feet. “Neither one of them showed up. I care about my costar. It’s not like the movie can go on without her. I need her to keep her end of the contract.”
There it was. The movie. He didn’t care about Bianca.
Eddie’s chest still tightened. He took a step back. “Perhaps the reason Bianca’s not answering her texts is because she turned her phone off and went to bed.”
Olivia’s radio buzzed, and she turned it down. “Why don’t you two go to the movie set and look for her there, and I’ll make my way to the restaurant in case Nathan and Bianca arrived late. Officer Ramble is finishing up a call, and he’ll meet you at the set. We’ll put a BOLO out on the limo. There’s not that many limos in Last Chance County. We’ll find her.”
Soon. They had to.
Eddie made it out the door first and nearly ran into Kianna, who had her arm around a sniffling Grace.
Grace stepped forward and hiccupped a cry. “You found her?”
Carter brushed past Eddie. “We’re going to check her trailer again. The police think she could have just fallen asleep after long hours of filming.”
Eddie clenched his jaw. That wasn’t exactly what Olivia had said.
Grace kept pace with Carter. “I already checked before I came here, but I’ve got her extra trailer key. It’s better than just sitting here.”
Kianna jogged up behind Eddie. “Grace probably doesn’t need to be driving. She’s still really shaken up.”
Eddie fisted his own shaky fingers. “I’ll take care of it.” He picked up his pace and darted around Carter and Grace. He held open the exit. “Grace, why don’t you ride with me?”
Her eyes were glossy in the dusk-to-dawn lights posted by the entry. “I can’t leave my car here. I need it in the morning.”
Eddie opened and closed his mouth. How to handle this? “Want me to drive your car? That way you can be free to keep calling Bianca.”
Another tear rolled down her cheek. “Yeah. Okay. That makes sense. Here.”
He took her outstretched keys and hit the unlock button.
Headlights on a red car parked over the parking lines flashed.
He’d have to get Zack or someone to pick him up after they found Bianca.
Please, Lord, let this all be a misunderstanding.
Eddie started Grace’s car and took off before Carter had even gotten into his truck.
Grace dialed Bianca’s number. Once. Twice. Probably twenty times before he parked at the set.
Before they reached the path toward the makeup trailer, Leo stood. “I need details.”
Eddie ran past Grace and Leo. At the moment, details weren’t important. Only finding Bianca. He didn’t know exactly what he’d say when he opened the door and hopefully found Bianca there.
That he was glad she was safe? He missed her? He’d been wrong? Sorry? That he really felt things for her that scared him. How she was worth surviving the hard things for.
He needed to tell her the truth. Wasn’t that what he’d said he stood for?
When he rounded the corner, Bianca’s trailer door opened.
This was it. And no matter how it went, she was okay. Nathan hadn’t actually taken her.
Eddie jogged closer. Only it wasn’t Bianca standing on the steps.
It was Riley.
Eddie pointed to the door. “Please tell me Bianca’s in there.”
She stared at Eddie. “Bianca…Why? Wh-what’s wrong?”
“Carter said that she and Nathan were supposed to meet, but they never showed. No one can get hold of her. She rode in the limo instead of her car.”
Riley twisted a ring around her thumb. “Oh my goodness.” She shook her head. “No, she’s fine. Yes, she and Nathan had a disagreement, but she’s gotten away from him.”
She held up her phone. “I’m actually on my way to go pick her up. Her phone quit working, but she found a way to call. She told me to hurry.”
She’d called Riley? Not him?
Will hadn’t called him either.
Because Eddie hadn’t been the person they’d needed.
Riley took off walking.
He marched beside her. “I’ll follow you.”
Except he didn’t have his truck.
Riley sent him a side-eye. “Not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Listen, Riley. I really need to make sure she’s okay. Please, can I ride over with you? I don’t have my truck here.”
Riley inspected his face. “Y-you actually fell for her?”
Eddie didn’t hesitate. “Yes.” He picked up his pace to match Riley’s increased speed. “And I’ve already wasted too much time not telling her.”
Riley darted through the taped-off construction zone. “You’re right. You probably have lots to talk about. I’ve parked right over here.”
Riley didn’t go to the main parking lot but hopped into a white construction truck parked by a pile of lumber.
Riley started the vehicle, and the radio blared. The tires spat up dirt as she peeled out. After they exited the set gate and turned left, she finally spoke over the country song blaring on the radio.
“I’m actually a little surprised Bianca got her hooks into you. Carter, sure. But you…”
Eddie crossed his arms. It didn’t matter who believed what about their relationship. He only needed to know how Bianca felt. To tell her that he had been wrong. The real her was worth the mess of the paparazzi. “I don’t think Bianca’s and my relationship is anyone’s business but ours.”
Riley adjusted the visor above her head. “I think you’ve forgotten who the Bia Pearl is.”
The song about broken hearts ended, and he hoped the lyrics weren’t foreshadowing what was ahead.
The mayor’s voice came over the radio. “Last Chance County needs you…”
Riley pushed the number two button, and a classic rock song erased the rest of Gregory’s vote-for-me commercial.
“I’m not a fan of political commercials either. They only tell part of the story.”
Riley tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “People like him will never tell the whole story. He’s wasting everyone’s money. He’s going to lose the reelection. Then things will finally turn around.”
Eddie turned toward her. “Wish the locals cared as much about the direction of Last Chance County as you do.”
Riley pressed her lips together. “I don’t have to be from here to understand that some people never get the punishment they deserve. Roger needs to become mayor.”
Roger? “You know Roger Pointe?”
“Something like that.” She veered down a rocky drive with no trees lining the path. Eddie spotted another gravel road toward the right, but she kept going straight. The truck bumped along the drive until a cabin with a lone light on the porch welcomed them.
Riley shut off the truck.
“Did Bianca say how she ended up here?”
Riley narrowed her eyes on the cabin and then pushed open the truck door. “I was just told I needed to get out here right away.”
Eddie exited the truck as a man walked onto the porch. So Nathan was still here too? At least the police would have more witnesses to whatever came out of his mouth.
“This isn’t the reinforcement I was expecting.”
Not Nathan.
Roger Pointe’s chuckle didn’t make Eddie smile. “It’s even better.”
Another woman came out of the cabin. Her stern expression looked the same as the last time Eddie had seen her. Only her outfit had changed. Conroy had been right. The mayor’s assistant, Janice, stood next to Roger Pointe.
Riley stomped toward the porch. “Where is she?”
Roger stepped forward, and the porch light hit his face. “I guess tonight would be an excellent time to talk about your youth center after all.”
He held Eddie’s gaze before resting back on Riley. But he didn’t get a chance to speak before a stocky man barreled out of the open cabin door and struck Roger on the back of the head with a shovel.
Janice screamed.
Beside Eddie, Riley didn’t gasp. Instead, she raced forward. “Finally.”
Finally?
Something cool slipped into his hand. Eddie spun to find Bianca’s hand in his. All Eddie’s firefighter training that would usually urge him to step toward Roger, who now lay motionless on the porch, vanished.
She pressed the rest of her body into the shadows of the truck as she tried to pull him toward her.
Her face was pale. Eyes wide. Blood stained her dress, and she mouthed one word.
Run .