Living Dangerously (30 page)

Maybe it didn’t matter. At least now Julie could go home and be safe. Troy found Julie’s number in his cell phone and called. It went straight to voice mail. He didn’t bother leaving a message. Instead he called the landline at the cabin, glad he’d thought to put the number in his cell when they’d arrived. He got a busy signal.

Zach entered the room. “Want to hear something funny,” he said. “My friend Scotty is a state trooper and he just pulled over a car with California plates a little while ago.”

The gears shifted in Troy’s head. “Quick question. Do you have call waiting on the line at the cabin?”

Zach nodded. “Sure. Why?”

All of Troy’s instincts fired up at the same time and he moved to the front door. The only reason the phone would be busy is if it was off the hook or the line was cut. Neither one of those options appealed to him. “I’m going to the cabin. I’ll talk to you later.” He froze at the door and turned back to Zach. “What were you just saying about a car with California plates?”

“My friend Scotty is a state trooper and he just pulled over a red Fiat with California plates. Said she was going about ninety when he stopped her.” Zach looked up sheepishly. “I may have mentioned that I met Julie Fraser and it made him think of this car with L.A. plates.”

“Did he describe the driver?” Troy asked, every instinct telling him to bolt out the door.

“A cute blonde and her boyfriend in the passenger seat.”

Warning lights erupted in Troy’s head. Carrie Ann drove a red Fiat.

So Julie must have called her at some point once they’d hit town, and Carrie Ann had told her brother. But there’s no way Carrie Ann had known exactly where they were before she set out driving if she was already in the area now. So what had her flying like a bat out of hell to reach Julie before she even had an address? Had she wanted to warn Julie about her brother? Why not pick up a phone if that was the case? Or why not call the cops? Unless she wanted to protect her brother. Which led to the question, how much did she want to protect her brother?

“Zach, call back your friend. I need the name of the blonde now. Five minutes ago.” Troy slammed the door behind him, his heart hammering like a stampede of buffalo. He couldn’t be too late. Not now.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Julie heard the crunch of gravel and headed to the front door where all her things waited in a neat row. Her two suitcases, pillow, blanket and stupid crutches. She was happy to be off those idiotic things after six days.

The setting sun made the sky beautiful shades of purple and orange, and it seemed incongruous to have such beauty when she personally felt like such shit. Every time she thought about Troy, she got sick to her stomach. How could the man she met, trusted, screwed, run away with and fallen in love with have been spying on her? God, he’d saved her life, but he hadn’t been honest with her. How could he do that? Now she doubted everything.

She spotted her bag on the kitchen counter and snatched it up. Footsteps sounded on the porch and she swung the door open as Cal attempted to knock.

“You!” Julie said, grabbing her best friend in a bear hug. “You are the most awesome woman in the world and the perfect birthday present.”

“I know. I rock.” Cal returned the squeeze, then stepped back.

Julie didn’t waste time grabbing her bags and setting them on the porch. “If you need to make a pit stop do it now, because we’re not staying.” She’d call Troy on the way out of town to let him know she’d decided to leave. This far from home, no one but Cal knew where she was, so she was still safe, and she planned to keep a low profile on the trip back.

“Hold your horses. I have a surprise for you. But you have to close your eyes.”

The tears that had been building pricked to the surface, but Julie held them back. “What? Why?”

“Because I have to get your surprise out of the car. Two surprises actually. Well, three.” Cal grinned. “Go on, close your eyes. No shut-eye, no surprises.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

Oh, God, she wasn’t in the mood for this. “Fine.” Julie mimicked her move with her arms over her chest. “Eyes closed.” Cal’s footsteps crunched in the gravel. A door opened. “Please tell me you brought chocolate. I could really use some chocolate. Desperately,” she added quietly to herself. More shuffling sounded and it seemed as if there were two sets of footsteps this time.

“Open your eyes,” Cal instructed.

Cal held a cake in her hands, and next to her stood a man. His bushy dark hair ruled his head and overcompensated for his thin frame. His wide eyes took her in with rapt fascination.

“Happy birthday,” they both said.

“I picked this up at a grocery store on the way here,” Cal added.

“Wow. Thanks.” It seemed awkward to stand there with a stranger watching her. “Hello.” It seemed the appropriate thing to say, but the last thing Julie wanted to do was play at being gracious right now. She was feeling as far from gracious as humanly possible. She looked at Cal for a little help.

“Jules, this is Al. He told me he’s your neighbor. Al, meet Julie Fraser.”

“H-hi,” he said.

A neighbor? She definitely did not recognize this guy from her block. If Julie hadn’t been so happy to see Cal, she might’ve strangled her for bringing along a stranger.

“I realized on the trip here that Al is short for
Allen
.” Cal’s tone indicated something more.

Allen
. The notes and bouquets sprang to mind. Was this the
Allen
she’d been running from? The police still hadn’t determined if
A
was
Allen
or if the two were related.

“But I discovered something else on the way here,” Cal continued. She sounded different than her usual snappy self. The conniving tone to her voice set Julie on edge even more. “Hold this, will you.” Cal gave the cake to Allen, who took it blindly as he continued to stare right at her. “You see...I discovered that Allen sent you two beautiful flower arrangements. One in the hospital and one when you got home.”

Julie’s mind spun as Cal glanced at her with a wicked smile. She’d run three thousand miles, and one phone call to Cal had brought the man to her doorstep. She’d done it in record time too. Had Cal really come all this way in such a short amount of time just for her birthday?

“I thought you told me she liked the flowers,” Allen said to Cal. “She doesn’t look too frickin’ happy right now. I thought you said she was going to love meeting me.”

This whole whacked-out scene made no sense to Julie. Why had Cal brought him along? Was he friendly or nuts? What—

“Did I say that?” Cal’s tone was all innocence. “Did I forget to mention that she bought a new house because she was being stalked by someone whose name started with the letter
A
?”

It happened in a second. The cake flew as Allen pounced at Cal. Cal stumbled against the car as Allen’s hands wrapped around her throat, her smile lost in the blink of an eye. Before Julie even made it down the stairs to tackle him and get him off Cal, a shot rang out and Allen staggered back, holding his middle.

Julie recoiled, her hand against her pounding heart as blood seeped through Allen’s fingers. He dropped to his knees, his eyes rounded and glassy.

“One down, one to go,” Cal breathed out. She had a gun in her hand and even as the words were out of her mouth, the nose of the gun pointed in Julie’s direction.

Nothing made sense.

A wash of chills streaked up Julie’s back. “Cal? What the hell?” Julie barely got the words out. “Carrie Ann,” she said louder this time. “What is wrong with you? Drop the gun, it’s me. Drop the gun.”

“What is
wrong
with me?” Cal’s derisive laugh cut through the quiet evening. “You!” she shouted, her eyes narrowing. “You’ve been the problem for a long time, but I was too stupid to see it. This moment has been years in the making, but it took Drew to make me see that things have to change.”

“What are you talking about?” Julie’s pulse hammered wildly. Blood continued to seep over Allen’s fingers as he held his spot on his knees, swaying slightly. “What
things
? Cal, you’re my best friend, put the gun down. You’re scaring the shit out of me.”

Cal grinned. “Really?” The muzzle flashed and a shot rang out as a bullet whizzed past Julie’s right arm. She winced and ducked.

“Cal!” she screamed. It was all too surreal.

“Feeling a little scared, Julie?” Cal asked, the gun still held between both her hands. “Like you’re about to lose everything?” Her chest rose and fell with deep breaths. “That’s how Drew feels all the time. Every day.”

“He needs help!” Julie struggled to find calm. She lowered her voice. “He needs professional help, Cal. Neither one of us can give him what he needs.”

“Bullshit!” Cal yelled. “You could’ve done a lot more, but you neglected him, and you threw me to the curb. He’s adored you for years. He lives for every word, every visit, every fucking phone call with you. And you just ignore him. You make him feel like shit. He can’t function because of
you
!
My
life is brutal. Dealing with Drew, getting work, my whole life has been shaped because of you! We’ll both be better off without you.” Her wide eyes spit venom. “I’m sorry, Jules. Sorry I couldn’t save you when Allen here lost his mind. I tried to rescue you, but he got a shot off before I could do anything.”

Her ranting made no sense, and as Cal lifted the gun higher, Allen threw himself at her. The gun went off and splintered the wood railing next to Julie’s head. She ducked and ran back into the house, even as she heard another shot go off outside.

Oh
,
shit
!
Oh
shit
! Cal? It had been Cal all this time? It couldn’t have been. Cal hadn’t been anywhere near the other shootings. Not that it mattered now.

Help! She needed help! Her phone was in her bag on the front porch, so she ran for the landline. Too freaked out to remember Troy’s number, she pounded 9-1-1 before realizing the phone was dead. A bullet whizzed through the front window, followed by two more that shattered it to pieces. She ran toward the back bedroom. Another gunshot sounded and the front door splintered open. Julie looked around the room. She had two options: the closet or the window? Sweat made her palms slick. The cabin sounded eerily quiet.

“Come out, Julie,” Cal said, her voice razor sharp. “I’d really like to get this over with. I’ve got a long drive back to L.A.”

Telltale creaking marked Cal’s whereabouts down the hall. Getting caught hiding in the closet held zero appeal. Julie lifted the window and popped out the screen. She cringed at the scrape and eased outside. Crouching near the house, she kept to the flowerbed. Maybe if she could get to the front porch and get her bag, her phone, she could still call for help.

The sun was nearly down. Cool summer air hit her heated skin and made it prickle. She went right, toward the side of the house away from the bedrooms, creeping steadily, listening for signs of Cal behind her as she turned the corner.

The back door slammed against the outside wall and Julie moved quickly toward the front stairs, her breathing choppy. Sweat soaked her red cotton top. Red. Stupid color. She was a life-size target.

“Julie?” Cal’s footsteps crunched along the path next to the flowerbed. “C’mon now. Be a pal. We’ll make this real fast and I bet it will hardly even hurt.”

A fresh wave of panic skittered through Julie’s middle. What the hell had happened to Cal? What made her snap? Did Cal really think she’d ruined Drew’s life? The words stuck in Julie’s head.
You
threw
me
to
the
curb
. Another sentence that didn’t make sense.

Julie didn’t have time to reach her bag on the porch. She got on her belly and scrambled under the crawl space of the raised cabin, not happy to be communing with the spiders or vermin or any other of Mother Nature’s creatures that lived in this dark, dank space.

Maybe if Cal took a pass in the woods or another walk through the house, Julie could sneak out and grab her phone.

Julie belly-crawled to the other side of the stairs. She could use them for cover if she got a chance to come out. She caught sight of Allen and the pool of blood that surrounded his right side. Cal had shot and killed him. Without remorse. Without hesitation.

Tires squealed on the road a few seconds before Troy’s BMW roared into sight. Oh, God, he had no idea what he was walking into. Or maybe he did, considering his entrance.

Julie slowly emerged, keeping low. If she lost her cool and ran out screaming, Cal would kill her in the blink of an eye. She had to wait a few more seconds, while her heart stuttered out of control and sweat trickled down her back.

Troy got out of the car and ran to Allen, his gun drawn as he felt for a pulse with his left hand. Julie had never seen him with a gun. He scanned the area, searching for trouble. He’d sure as hell found it.

“Mills!” Cal yelled as she rounded the corner. Julie crouched into a ball, using the stairs to hide. Cal stopped a few feet in front of her to the left. With her gun tucked in the back of her waistband, she motioned to Troy. “He’s dead. But hurry! I need you back here. It’s Julie!”

No
! Oh God, she had to do something!

Troy rose, his gun steady and aimed at Cal, but she moved backward, motioning him to follow. “Put your fucking gun down and come help me.” Cal wouldn’t wait. She was going to shoot him right now as soon as he let his guard down.

“Hurry!” Cal yelled to Troy. She took a sideways step as if she meant to turn around, but reached for the gun.

Now or never. “No! Troy, watch out!” Julie screamed and launched from her hiding spot. Using the stairs as a springboard, she flung herself at Cal. But even those precious seconds hadn’t been fast enough. Terror gripped Julie’s chest as Cal whipped the gun out and fired a shot. Julie slammed into her and they both fell hard to the unforgiving gravel. The gun bounced out of reach.

Julie had never been in a fight in her life. She’d done a few of her own stunts over the years, but she’d never thrown a real punch. She might’ve been a few inches taller, but Cal was solid and strong as hell. Cal rolled and instantly pinned her. When Cal’s fist connected with her face, white hot rage burned up through her middle, and Julie slammed her palm under Cal’s jaw, throwing her back. Julie scrambled to her feet as Cal did the same and they faced off.

Cal’s eyes glowed with rage and hate. Blood stained the side of her blue tank top. Troy’s shot had hit her, but not enough to drop her.

Julie heaved in gulps of air. “Cal, this is crazy. We need help.” Every muscle tensed, waiting for Cal to strike. “You’re bleeding.” She glanced in Troy’s direction and saw him sprawled on the ground. Her heart lurched into her throat.

“Crazy?” Cal mocked her, her hair wild and her gaze murderous. “I’ll tell you what’s crazy. My dad was crazy. And because of you, my brother is crazy. How hard would it have been to talk to him more, see him more often? I fucking see him all the time, but you’re always too busy. Look what you made him do? You made him a fucking lunatic!”

Look
who’s
talking
! But Julie kept the words buried in her head. “I didn’t make him do anything! What are you talking about?”

“The fucking Sporties!” Cal screamed. “He was the one at the Sporties! He was the shooter! And
he
planted the car bomb!” Cal didn’t give her a chance to process the information before she attacked.

“Carrie Ann!” Julie tried to dodge the weight of her, but Cal wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her down. Julie threw a punch to her face, but the contact barely fazed Cal.

Cal wrapped her hands around Julie’s neck with deadly force, her jaw clenched tight as she squeezed. “What the fuck, Julie? You think you can beat me?” she gritted out. “Not in this lifetime. You might get my TV roles, my movie roles, my fame...but you will not win this fight. And you will not make my brother miserable. Not as long as I’m alive. I guarantee it.”

Julie struggled to find a wisp of air, something to feed her desperate lungs. The words of her friend—and stuntwoman—Ellie Reynolds echoed in her head. “Sometimes you have play dirty. When it’s life and death there is no right and wrong.” Julie grabbed a fist full of dirt and heaved it in Cal’s face. Cal reared back and Julie gasped for air as she pushed Cal away and rolled. Cal came at her again, but this time Julie lunged for a nearby rock and fisted it. She flipped over, struck out and connected with Cal’s head once, twice before Cal fell sideways.