All The Pretty Lights (The "A" List #1) (14 page)

Watching her sleep peacefully is all I can seem to do, even though this ordeal has wiped me out as well. I can’t risk closing my eyes, afraid that when they open, something will have changed and she will have taken a turn for the worse.

No. I won’t risk that.

“Mr. Webb?” Marcus steps into the room carefully. “When you have a moment, I’d like to share with you what we’ve discovered.”

I take a deep breath, torn between not wanting to leave her side, and wanting to find out how this could have possibly happened.

I’ve had enough time waiting while the doctors tended to Daphne after we’d first arrived to go over the situation again and again in my head.

It’s playing out like one of the convoluted and twisted movies I act in, with a sinister plot and dire consequences. Someone had set Daphne up, had trapped her in the sauna, and gone to the trouble of covering up their tracks by impersonating her to trick the spa technicians and then have the sauna deemed out of service so that no one would detect her until it was too late.

Who would do such an evil thing? Who’s capable of such a heartless act against such an innocent person?

I’ve been racking my brain over and over trying to solve this, to make sure that Daphne isn’t still in danger. Sure, stalkers and infatuated fans are commonplace in this business, but they don’t usually go after significant others.

“What have you got?” I ask Marcus, knowing that he’s been thoroughly investigating this.

His eyes dart between my own and Daphne sleeping in the hospital bed. “Perhaps we should discuss this somewhere else?”

I shake my head. “No. I’m not leaving.”

He looks unsure whether to proceed or not, but eventually decides it’s his only option. Taking the seat next to mine, he leans over to maintain a low whisper so that the patient won’t overhear.

“Hotel security was able to go into archived security footage and they discovered a woman exiting the spa around the same time as Daphne was supposed to have left, and who matches the description the receptionist had given.”

I listen.

“Rather than head in the direction of the elevators, she slipped out of an emergency exit to the rear parking lot where a taxicab was waiting.” He continues with his report.

I reach for Daphne’s hand and hold it gently, rubbing my thumb into her palm as I listen to the details of how the sick son-of-a-bitch hurt her.

“And?” I need to know. “Have the police tracked down the cab?”

Marcus pauses. “They have.”

“And?” I’m becoming impatient.

He sighs. “And the taxi released the rider at the Moumont Hotel. He gave a description. Blonde hair. Light skin. Sunglasses.”

My eyes close and my head hangs low. Of course the possibility had crossed my mind, but there was no way Audrey was capable of something like this. I had told that to myself. No matter how vindictive and jealous I know she’s capable of being, she wouldn’t stoop to such a dangerous level as this.

Would she?

Hearing the evidence being told to me, the description that matches hers, the same hotel that I know her team is staying in, it’s too much to ignore.

How could I have been so stupid?

The moment she sent those roses in New York I should have sounded the alarm. Instead, I had given her the benefit of the doubt and thought that she’d eventually get over it.

This is my fault.
All of it
.

If I had taken the threat more seriously, I could have put a stop to it before any of this happened. Daphne’s here, in this bed, in this hospital, in this condition, because of me.

“Where’s Albert?” I ask my head of security. “Tell him I need him.”

Marcus takes my instruction and leaves quietly.

I raise Daphne’s hand to my lips. “This is all because of me, baby. This is all my fault. If I hadn’t tricked you into coming on tour with me, if I hadn’t put you right in the middle of all this, if I hadn’t let her get close enough to hurt you, then you wouldn’t be in this bed hanging on by a thread.”

A lone teardrop falls from my eye onto her skin. “I’m so, so, sorry, baby. I can’t ask you to forgive me. I won’t ever forgive
myself.
But I’ve learned a lesson, Daphne. I swear I have. I’ll never take you for granted again. I’ll make sure I spend every single moment making this up to you, making up for
everything
I’ve done to you.”

“Colt? You wanted to see me?” Albert hangs back by the door, almost afraid to enter. He and Daph have formed a special relationship these last few weeks. They banter, they bicker, but they have a special little place in each other’s heart.

“I need you to stay with Daphne. Keep an eye on her. The second
anything
changes, you call me. I’ve got to go take care of something.”

Albert looks confused at what I’m asking of him. “Colt. You should know how crazy it is out there. It’s hit the news, what’s happened to Daphne. The news crew that interviewed you this afternoon even got footage of you finding her in the sauna. People are going crazy! There’s an outpouring of grief. Everyone’s sending flowers here, to the hotel.… There’re even people gathering around the building, holding vigil for her.”

Shit!

I know some of the film crew had gone with me looking for Daphne back at the hotel, but I though they were doing it to help in the search, to do the right thing,
not
to get it all on camera!

Have they no shame? Have they no decency?

Albert’s not done. “They even held the premiere tonight in her honor, and had a moment of silence to pray for her.”

“You hear that Daph?” I ask her, hoping that somewhere deep down, she’s listening. “They all love you. We all love you.
I
love you.”

Albert reaches for a tissue and dabs at his eyes.

Standing, I kiss Daphne’s unresponsive lips. “I’ll be back soon. I promise.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

COLT

I can’t tell you how many action movies I’ve starred in. I also can’t tell you how much all that experience is coming in handy tonight.

Leaving the hospital undetected was no easy feat. Thanks to a little charm, a little bribery and a couple of ambulance drivers that were up for an adventure, I’d been able to sneak out by riding in the back of a medical van.

That was the easy part.

Getting into the premiere without being noticed by the hundreds of fans and reporters gathered outside? That was a whole
other
story.

There aren’t many people I can trust in this business. I trust my team, of course. Marcus, Albert, Teddy, Shauna and Tracy. I trust Andrea. And I trust Justin, my co-star in TIME COP, who’s too new, too decent to have become jaded by this business. At least not yet anyway.

I hope it never happens to him, I hope he can stay true to himself. Lord knows
I
wasn’t able to, even though I’m sure someone must have had similar hopes when I’d first started out.

I’d texted Justin while we were driving to the theater, letting him know of my plan. He’d been sorry to hear about Daphne, and willing to help if it meant getting to the bottom of whoever was behind hurting her.

TIME COP is his very first feature film. He was amazed at the scope of the set and the level of production while we were away shooting on location in Canada. I’d taken him under my wing and shown him the ropes, kind of like an honorary kid brother. Countless hours were spent in our trailers playing cards waiting for our scenes to be called. Almost every night was spent in the local tavern having a beer after a long day’s shooting.

We’d even taken up a workout schedule together, with my trainer, Gunnar, helping to take Justin’s scrawny little farm boy muscles to the next level.

All that time together, all that bonding, it does something to you, creating a loyalty. Lord knows he never developed that kind of loyalty with Audrey even though she was on set every single day with us.

Where I’d taken the kid under my wing, had helped to guide him through all the craziness associated with a big budget movie like ours, Audrey had left him to fall on his ass.

There’s a kind of dog eat dog mentality in this business. Even though Audrey and Justin were certainly not competing for the same kind of attention from the fans, it was obvious early on that Justin’s got something special. He could be the next big thing if he makes the right choices in his career after the momentum that TIME COP is giving him.

Audrey couldn’t stand the possibility that someone else could be stealing her spotlight, even if it was just a smidgen of it.

With Audrey Camden it’s all about
The Audrey Show
.

It’s exhausting to work with her. It was even more exhausting to date her.

When I had called Justin to tell him that I needed to sneak in to the premier to confront Audrey about Daphne, he had been more than happy to help.

With the film under way, most of the excitement and action of the night is on hold. The red carpet and the after party are where everything happens. When the film is actually playing, it’s almost like a break, an opportunity to rest before the chaos begins again.

Justin was able to sneak away to have security open up one of the back staff entrances for me. I’m the star of the damn movie- when I showed up in the back of an ambulance, avoided the red carpet out front, just hours after my girlfriend had been admitted to the hospital, you could say it must have appeared odd to the two security guards that assisted Justin.

A couple hundred dollars, an autograph, and a promise to have my agent contact them about some stunt work or work as extras in a film was all it took to secure their silence.

Everyone wants to be a movie star, to have their fifteen minutes of fame,
including
those two guys.

I’m not here to be seen, to make a spectacle. I’m here to do
one
thing… to confront Audrey. It’s the only way I could be sure to get her alone.

So here I am, waiting in the private little room that’s been set aside for her while she’s here. It’s customary to offer a dressing room for last minute wardrobe changes or hair and makeup. Even though I never use these types of rooms, I know Audrey well enough to know she will.

It gives her the privacy she likes, so she doesn’t have to mingle with
commoners,
as she likes to call them, in the restroom.

Now all I have to do is wait. Justin is delivering a message to my ex that should bring her to me in no time at all. It’s one she won’t be able to resist.

I check my cell, as I have been every few minutes, waiting on news of Daphne. Nothing yet. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. The doctors
had
said she needs plenty of rest, but I know I’ll feel a hell of a lot better when those gorgeous sapphire eyes of hers open again.

Until then, there will always be a gnawing feeling under the surface that it just might not happen, that it could all slip away….

“Colt?” My stomach turns as I hear her voice for the first time in months. “Baby?”

I cringe. It’s remarkable how different I feel when hearing her call me that. I remember a time when I would have given
anything
to hear her address me as her baby. Little did I know, it wasn’t so hard to earn it… apparently, all you needed was a hit movie, some money, a nice car and your name in the paper.

Too bad those things aren’t really that hard to come by in our circle. I found out much too late that anyone she knew, as long as they fit that criteria, could earn the moniker from her- as well as a place in her bed.

She’s outdone herself tonight, really dressed to kill. I nearly choke after that last thought. How ironic? Dressed to kill after she’d actually
attempted
to kill.

“Colt, I’m so glad you’re here. I—I’ve been trying to--”

I cut her off. “Yeah. I know what you’ve been
trying
to do.” I stand from where I’ve been sitting while waiting for her. “Tell me, what
exactly
didn’t you understand? Every message, every text, every email… I never answered. But you didn’t stop, did you?”

She’s taken aback. “Colt. I know you’re upset with me.”

“Upset?” I nearly scream. “Audrey, I was
upset
with you when you would lie to me. I was
fucking livid
with you when I found out who you were screwing behind my back. I was
annoyed as hell
at you when you didn’t have the decency to just leave me alone instead of barraging me with messages begging me to take you back. But now? Now I’m beyond all those things.
Upset
isn’t even on the radar any more.”

Proving she hasn’t changed at all, she bats her eyes and pouts her lip, using whatever feminine ammunition she can to her advantage. It won’t work, not this time. I’ve fallen for that shit too many times.

“Colt, I know what I did was wrong, but you have to understand where I was coming from.” She begins.

Is she serious right now?
Understand where she was coming from?

How about if she understands what it’s like for Daphne, lying unconscious in a hotel bed right now? But of course, as per usual, it’s only about
her
. It’s The Audrey Show.

I hold up my hand to stop her as she tries to approach. “Don’t. What you did is incomprehensible, Audrey. You could have killed her! You evil, sadistic bitch!”

Not many people have ever had the guts, or the occasion, to speak to her the way I am now, and she’s clearly not used to it.

“Don’t you think you’re overreacting? Just a little bit, Colt? I mean Miss Perfect over there isn’t that fragile.” She has the nerve to minimize the result of her actions.

I’m dangerously close to forgetting what my dad told me about hitting a woman. “No. I don’t think I’m
overreacting
, Audrey. I warned you. I told you what would happen if you didn’t back off. You didn’t take me seriously, and now you’re gonna find out exactly what I meant by it.”

Audrey looks at me with fresh eyes, like I’m someone she’s never met before, someone she doesn’t know. She
doesn’t
know this part of me, the part that ferociously protects what I love. She’s never seen it before because I’ve never felt about anyone, her included, the way I feel about Daphne.

I’ve never had the urge to guard someone or something and shield them the way I need to for Daphne.

“Look, Colt. I know you have a
thing
for her, but she’s not like us.” She doesn’t know when to give up.

“Thank God for that!” I spit out. “She’s
nothing
like you, Audrey. She’s
nothing
like me. She’s so much better than us that it can’t even be measured.”

She’s getting mad now, taking it as an insult. “Enough. You want your pretty little Miss Perfect? You can have her. I’m done. I’m Audrey
fucking
Camden! I don’t have to chase after a man.”

I can’t help but laugh. “No. You don’t. There’ll always be some sorry sucker who doesn’t know better. But in the end, they’ll see you for what you are, just like I did. And then, they’ll leave. And you’ll be alone, with nothing but your mirrors, and your movies and your memories of what you were once upon a time. Because it will all fade, Audrey. It’s already starting to. You see it, I know you do.”

“Fuck you, Colt! You know what? I’m
glad
I sent her those flowers. I’m
glad
I scared her a little bit. Maybe she’ll wise up and take off because she’s not cut out for this kind of life. You think you’re so much better than me? You’re not. You’re just as shallow, and manipulative, and cunning as I am.”

I need to turn my back from her, to walk away, otherwise I can’t be held responsible for my actions.

“I’m not the only one that’s going to be alone one day, Colt. She’ll see you for what you are. And then, she’ll leave. And you’ll be all alone right along with me.”

No matter how hard I try to contain it, I can’t. My fist clenches, my arm pulls back and then I punch the wall closest to me, needing to hit something. Hard.

Audrey yelps behind me, eyes wide as I turn to see. Her mouth closes and her stare drops to my knuckles as the blood begins to spill on the beautiful white carpet. She swallows hard and steps back. I’ve never hit her, never hit a woman in my life. I came dangerously close to it just then, having to take out my anger on the sheetrock instead.

What am I doing?

Why am I even here?

She’ll
never
change, and you know what it doesn’t matter. She’s done. She’s finished. And I’m finished with
her
.

“You might want to freshen up your makeup,” I offer her some advice. “You know, make your mug shot a pretty one since it’ll be plastered all over the front pages tomorrow.”

There’s a nearby towel folded atop a pile of linens for Audrey’s use. I take it and wrap my shredded knuckles.

“What are you talking about, Colt? Sending flowers to your ex’s new piece isn’t a crime.” She’s smug.

I’m going to enjoy this. “No. But attempting to murder someone by trapping them in a sauna
is
a crime. I believe it’s called attempted murder.”

Stepping aside, I move to leave her here alone.

“What are you talking about, Colt? I didn’t have anything to do with that!”

I don’t need to hear anymore. “Tell it to the judge.”

There’s only one last thing that I need to do. I quickly dial Marcus’ cell phone form my own. He answers almost immediately, having been warned earlier to expect my call.

I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. I’m not cruel. If she would have only confessed, shown just a hint of remorse, then this could have been handled differently. Sure, she’s going to jail regardless. But I could have spared her just a bit of the humiliation and publicity. Now she can forget that.

“Release it,” I tell him. And then I end the call so that he can do what needs to be done. It’s only a matter of minutes before all of the dirt that I’ve got on Audrey Camden will be hitting the web.

~*~

DAPHNE

My head hurts.

I try to move, only to find that my
body
hurts, too.

I struggle to speak, but my throat is the next thing to rage in pain.

“Colt?” I’m shocked at how coarse and weak my voice sounds. It takes more effort than it should to open my eyes as they seem to be swollen.

“Shh,” I hear him. The room is dark and I can’t see him although I strain my eyes to try. “I’m here baby. I’m right here.”

I can feel his hands tucking under me, scooting me over before his body lies down next to me.