Chapter 32 #2
“Your world.” Cash’s jaw tightens. “But what about mine? If word gets out that you and Livianna were together, there’s no saying what damage could be caused.”
“Which is why no one else can know.” I stand and march to the window, putting distance between us. “You have nothing to worry about, Cash. Just take care of Livianna while I’m trying to contain this threat against her.”
“I need to know how many people know about your past with her.”
“As far as I know, Natalie and Andrew are the only ones. Livianna and I were extremely careful. No one else knows.”
“Are you sure?” He steps right to my side. “You never went out where someone could see you two together?”
“No…” The night I took her to the French bistro races to the forefront of my mind. “Wait. There’s one other person, but I can’t remember her name.”
“Come on, Jaxon. This is Livianna’s mental health we’re talking about.”
I face him. “Is that really what this is about?”
“Yes.” He lowers his head, tension rolling off his shoulders. “After we got home, she had a splitting headache. Her brain isn’t ready to remember, but all your work together and seeing all these people she doesn’t know is pushing her. It isn’t good for her well-being.”
“And you’re afraid someone will tell her something she’s not prepared to face.”
“Yes.” He lifts his wary eyes to mine. “So if you could please tell me who else I should be aware of, that would be helpful.”
“I’ve never met the woman, but I know I’ve seen her before. It was strange. I couldn’t place the girl for the life of me. That’s not like me. I took notice of it, but then Livianna was upset, so it got lost under a million other things I was trying to smooth over that night.”
“Why was Livianna upset?”
“She and the woman had words in the bathroom.” I think back to that night. “She was one of Livianna’s old co-stars. They didn’t get along.”
“Zara Blackthorn?” Cash’s face pales. “Was it Zara Blackthorn?”
“Yes, that was her name.” I hesitate for a beat. “By the look you’re giving me, I take it Zara could be a problem.”
“Not could be. She is a problem!” He rakes his fingers through his hair. “Fucking hell. That woman needs to die.”
My back goes rigid. “Would she hurt Livianna?”
“In a heartbeat.” Cash glances at the door toward her office. “Zara… Shit. I think Lily needs to work from home today.”
“Cash, tell me what I need to know about Zara.”
“She hates Livianna.” His chest heaves. “She’s the reason Livianna and I broke up.”
Since I seem to have nothing better to do at night when I should be sleeping, I’ve reviewed some online theories about what happened between them, but the media has only reported speculation.
Most people thought Livianna cheated on Cash because she was seen with a guy walking on the beach in Malibu. I saw the picture of the kid. If anything, he looked like her drug dealer.
I toss that thought to the side and dive into what I really want to know. “Did you cheat on Livianna with Zara?”
“No!” Cash glares streams of fire my way as he shakes. “Zara is evil.”
Somehow, I’ve triggered him. This is the same scared boy who begged me for help in Paris. All my intuition screams Zara is a huge issue we need to deal with.
I gesture to the couch in an effort to defuse him. “Why don’t we sit down? You can tell me all there is to know about Zara.”
“There’s nothing to say other than she needs to be taken care of.”
I sit near the right arm of the sofa. “Your reaction reminds me of how you were in Paris. Is Zara the reason you needed an undetectable recording device?”
“No.” He runs his palm over his neck. “I was with her before Livianna. She didn’t even go by that name when I was with her.”
“She changed her name?”
He nods and sits on the edge of the other side of the couch. “She went by Faith Thorne back then.”
“Faith Thorne?” That name is familiar, but I don’t let Cash know that. Not when I can’t explain it myself. “What else?”
“What else would your people need?” He points toward the door. “That’s why you’re asking? To let the people who are keeping Livianna safe know, right?”
“Correct.” I rest back. “Do you know where Zara lives? Where she works?”
“I don’t give a fuck about her, so I tune her out.”
“Then I’ll give my team her name and they can sort out the rest.”
“Thanks.” He peers over at me. “Look, I’ve got a lot of shit to do today, but…”
“But?”
“Would you mind keeping an eye on her? Not your team. It needs to be you.”
“Why?”
He stares at the ground. “Because you love her and won’t let anyone touch her.”
I remain silent because if that were true, we wouldn’t be here. We sit, dread filling the space between us, both seemingly spinning helplessly in the situation.
After a moment, he releases a heavy sigh. “I think Livianna is in more danger than we thought.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because not only are the people who want to hurt you after her, but so is Zara. And if she can get to Livianna to take her down, she will.” He stands. “She threatened us the night before the accident. I forgot about it until just now.”
I rise to his level. “What happened?”
“We went dancing and ran into Zara and a friend of hers. Zara alluded she knew who Livianna was dating. Turns out she did. Makes sense now since she saw you two together.” He shrugs. “Long story short, we all got into a fight. On her way out of the club, Zara vowed to come after Livianna.”
“Interesting.”
“What?”
“If Zara knew we were dating, why wouldn’t she tell you when she ran into you?”
He stiffens. “She enjoys holding things over my head.”
“Then the better question is, what’s she got on you, Cash?”