Wicked Bad Boys (81 page)

C
harles stopped the car
. We had arrived at the bar. “We’re here.”

I opened the door and stepped out, offering her a hand, which she took. She hopped out, and we walked into the bar. The place was practically empty, which is exactly why I liked it. We found a booth near the bar. She slid in on one side and I sat across from her.

“Evening,” a middle-aged woman greeted us from across the room. “I’ll be right with you!”

I nodded and turned back to Amanda. Her eyes moved from the entrance to the tiny hallway to the restrooms, then she turned to look behind her.

“Keeping an eye out for the stalker?” I asked when she faced me again.

“This place would be a whole lot safer if there was another exit behind us.”

“Why?”

“If and when trouble walks in one door, the idea is to have another door to go out.”

“And what if trouble walks in the back way?” I teased.

“You’ve got eyes too, right? We can watch each other’s back. Hold on. I’m going to check for an exit.”

“Don’t bother. I already know where it is. The kitchen has an exit to the alleyway out back.”

“Ahhh. Okay I feel better already.”

The woman who greeted us came over. I ordered a pint of beer, and Amanda asked for water. She insisted on not being under the influence tonight. Once the woman left, I noticed Amanda’s gaze fixed on the TV above the bar. I turned and noticed it was a men’s MMA fight playing.

“Are they any good?”

She shrugged. “I’ve heard of them, but I don’t know their records. I don’t follow much of it anymore.”

The server came back with our drinks. Amanda grabbed her water off the tray and took a big gulp before the server got the coaster set on the table. I held back a smile as I caught the woman’s eyebrows shoot up.

“A little thirsty?”

“Yes. I’m used to hydrating more, but it’s hard remembering to keep on top of eating well and getting in my fluids these days.”

I nodded. “I can help remind you.”

“All right.”

“And I think it’s time I get my own personal assistant. I’m tired of Kevin treating you like his very own lapdog when his assistant isn’t around.”

“I like the sounds of that,” she said with a laugh. “Seriously though, I don’t mind too much. It’s just, he’s so demanding and ungrateful toward me. I don’t see him treat anyone else that way. It’s pretty demoralizing, to be honest. I don’t know what I’ve ever done to him…”

She looked past me again, her eyes back on the fight playing out on the big screen.

I put a hand over one of hers. “You haven’t done anything. Try not to take it personally. He’s over-protective of me. He was this way with my first set of band members. Anyone who appears to detract from his master plan is a threat in his eyes.”

She took another long sip of her water, draining the glass this time. Her hand gripped the glass after she put it down. I was afraid if she tightened her fist any further, she would crush it until it broke.

“Amanda, what’s going on?”

“Nothing, I’m good.”

“No, you’re not. Tell me what’s going on,” I demanded.

Her eyes snapped to mine, lit with a strange new look I could not identify. I waited for her to unload on me.

“I’m fine. Just leave it alone, okay?”

Her gaze roamed around the bar again. I grabbed her hand. “Amanda, you’re not fine. Just talk to me. We can leave if you’re not feeling well.”

She stared at me, her eyes boring into mine. I didn’t back down. After what seemed like a few minutes, she broke the intense gaze, and looked down at the tabletop. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what my problem is right now. I’ll be fine.”

“You can talk to me. You know that, right?”

She nodded, still staring at the table. “I do.” Silence fell. She straightened up and took a deep breath. “Do you want to know why I became a fighter?” Her voice was low and unsteady. I leaned in closer to hear her. “It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got time. Go on.”

“All right. My parents divorced when I was young, and at first mom had custody. She rarely let me see him. She had one boyfriend after another, and most of them were not very nice to her. None of them paid any attention to me. It was like I was invisible. She would leave me alone, a lot, to go on dates. Or lock me in my room, if she brought them back to our place.

“Anyway, one night, when I was fifteen, she had this guy over. They started arguing, and he beat her up pretty bad. I heard the noise, and when I came out and saw him hitting her, I got really angry…almost blind with rage. I rushed in the room to help her. I don’t know how, but I pinned the guy on the floor and punched him so hard in the face, it broke his nose.

With all the commotion, one of the neighbors had called the cops. By the time they got there, the guy was long gone. My mom refused to press charges against him, so the cops left. But you know what did me in? She screamed at me for breaking the guy’s nose and chasing her man away. Can you believe that? The guy gave her a black eye and two bruised ribs, and she was mad at me…

“That was when the rift between my mom and me opened right up. I went to my grandmother’s house after school the next day, and begged her for my dad’s number. He had moved to two towns away, and when I told him what happened, he came and got me. He was just as enraged as I was, and threatened to find the guy and whoop his ass. Those were his exact words.” She smiled briefly. “Anyway, he enrolled me in a new high school when I moved in with him, and signed me up for the wrestling team. I was the only girl, but I didn’t care. And it turned out I was great at it. I could beat every boy on the team. None of them dared to make fun of me.”

She lifted her eyes from the table and stared at the game on the TV. The waitress came by, refreshed Amanda’s water, and left again. When she reached out for her glass, I noticed her hand was shaking.

“I don’t hate my mother. Really, I don’t, because Dad made up for it in spades. He was amazing. Years later, I realized she had probably acted that way because she was afraid. Afraid of being alone. I made two promises to myself after that happened. First, that I was not going to let myself get so desperate to have a man in my life that he could dare lay a hand on me and get away with it. Second, that when I had kids, I would never put anyone ahead of them.” She looked at her glass again. “Well, I can’t do anything about the kids part. I wanted to be a mom, you know? A good one. It was just as important to me as being in the MMA. And both were taken away from me on the same night. I thought I still had time…”

I saw a tear roll down her face, and she brushed it away quickly.

“I’m so sorry, Amanda.”

She blinked a few times and waved me off with her free hand. “It was a long time ago.”

“I can’t even imagine…any of that.”

“I’m fine. I’m stronger because of it. My dad would say that all the time before he passed.”

I searched for the right words. All I could come up with was, “That isn’t something that goes away.”

“It fades.” Her walls were back up, possibly higher than before. Her body language closed her off—her arms crossed, she turned her body slightly, and her eyes were transfixed on the TV screen. All of it told me she was emotionally off limits again. I clung to her hand. She didn’t try to pull away. It was a small comfort.

“Thanks for sharing that with me. I wish I knew the right thing to say.”

She nodded and took a sip of her water. Her eyes floated back to the TV. “It’s weird now, watching these fights. That was my whole life once. And really, it wasn’t even that long ago. I would keep up with every fight, I knew every fighter, memorized all their stats…both men and women. Maybe it will be good to get back to that place.”

“What do you mean?”

She shifted her gaze back to me. “When this job is done, I have an interview to be a commentator on the MMA circuit for a cable network.”

I reared back in my seat. I knew nothing about her plans after the tour. There were five more events, and then she would be released from her contract and could walk away. She had no reason to stay once it was done, but I had imagined I could convince her to stay. For us.

“Well…that’s…great,” I finally replied. Each word was tougher to get out than the last.

“I think so.”

“Amanda, what is it that you really want?”

“How do you mean?”

“I mean, what do you want to do? I thought you wanted to start your own security firm. Now you’re talking about this TV gig. I guess I’m asking where your heart is.”

She hesitated, taking her time to sip some more water before answering. “My heart was in that cage, Johnny. That’s where it got left behind.”

There was nothing I could say to that.

“We should be getting back, don’t you think?” She made a production out of checking the time on her phone, avoiding my eyes.

“Sure, we can go. I’ll go settle the tab.”

I slid from the booth and she walked to the door as I paid at the bar. I sent a text to Charles and he replied that he was waiting outside—he had gone to grab a bite and figured he would stay close for when we were ready. I sauntered to Amanda, standing at the door. There was an anxious pit in my stomach from her news. I offered my hand and she ignored it, putting an arm around my back and bringing my offered hand over her shoulder.

She tucked herself into my side and looked up at me, smiling. “Ready?”

I nodded after a beat. She felt so good next to me, I set aside her news and took my own advice—I was going to be with her. In the moment, for the moment. We could figure out the rest.

We stepped out into the night air. Charles was double-parked, so we went right to him. I helped her into the back of the limo before sitting beside her. She came in close again, and I put my arms around her.

She looked up at me. “You want to know something?”

“Yes.”

“I feel I can talk to you about everything.”

I nodded. “Me too.” Although I was lying, unable to tell her how disappointing her news was, that she already had plans in place to leave me in a few weeks. Of course, I had not quite told her she was my one obsession for the past three years. I resolved to stop at nothing to make her want to stay in LA with me. I was not sure exactly how to pull it off, but with three weeks left, there was plenty of time to make it happen. And somehow, coming clean about the three-year fixation had to take place soon…really soon.

The hypocrisy ate at me. She had shared what I felt was the saddest story I had ever heard, yet I was holding out about following her MMA career and setting the stage for her to work on this tour. I needed to tell her, and all of a sudden it could not wait. There was a possibility she would take it badly, but I had to take the chance now. Waiting any longer…it would be so much worse. She would never trust me again if she found out later.

“Amanda,” I started.

“Yes?”

“There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“Okay. What’s up?”

Her phone went off in her purse, and mine vibrated in my back pocket right afterward. Shit. The timing of these calls sucked. She found hers quickly and answered. I looked at my phone screen. It was Larry’s number. I had programmed it in so I could accept their calls whenever they tried to reach me.

She pulled the phone from her ear and pressed her other hand hard on my thigh.

“Don’t bother answering that,” she said. “Fred’s on this phone. He says there’s been an attack.”

“What?” I shouted. “An attack on who?”

“Kevin.”

W
e had
no time to waste. I instructed Charles, the driver to take us to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where Kevin was being treated. At my announcement, Johnny leaned back against his seat with eyes closed.

“I can’t believe this…did Fred say what happened?” he asked.

“No. He said he would update us at the hospital. How far away is it?”

“Maybe ten minutes.” He ran an anxious hand through his hair. “How could this have happened?”

I took his other hand and squeezed it. “I don’t know. I’m sorry he was hurt, Johnny.”

He nodded. His hand clenched mine tightly. I wished I could do more to comfort him. He seemed so fearful, looking out the window all the way to the front of the emergency room.

When we arrived, Larry was in the waiting area.

“Where is he?” Johnny demanded as soon as we were within earshot.

“He is being treated. Fred and Jenny are in with him. It’s pretty crowded in there already. Jenny had to see what evidence she could collect before the doctor began his work. We can go in after he’s finished putting in the sutures.”

“Did someone call Lady? Is she okay?”

“Yes. His wife is in there with him. She was not harmed.”

“Thank God. So what happened?”

“Kevin was out to dinner last night with Lady Dame,” Larry began. “Lady Dame was in the restroom while Kevin waited outside for the valet to bring their car around. It appears that when he got in, a woman emerged from the back seat. She had probably found her way in at some point earlier on, and hid in the back. The assailant held a knife to Kevin’s throat and demanded that he drive her to your house.”

“Christ,” Johnny said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Kevin refused, and honked the car horn to get attention. The valet was not far away, so when he approached, the woman hopped out of the vehicle and escaped on foot.”

“Shit. So how badly was he hurt?” Johnny asked.

“He was cut on the throat, but it’s nothing serious. It will be a few stitches at most.”

“Did anyone go after her?” I asked. “When she ran from the car.”

“No. The valet was busy helping Kevin when he saw the wound on his neck. By the time he called his co-workers, the woman was long gone.”

“That’s too bad. And did he get a good look at her?”

“From the rear view mirror, and a bit when she ran off. After the hospital releases him, we’ll drive him down to the local police station so he can sit with a sketch artist for a working description and picture.”

“Why the local police?”

“It’s because we don’t know if this attack is related to our investigation. He has to file a report locally, just in case we’re dealing with someone else.”

“Geez. How many crazy fans can one rock performer have?” Johnny asked rhetorically, clearly frustrated.

Larry directed us to a few available seats so we could wait. I sat on one side of Johnny, and Larry took the other side. My mind was reeling. I looked over at Johnny. He seemed stunned. He locked his hand into mine and gave me a weak smile while we waited.

It wasn’t my job to guard Kevin. My job was to protect Johnny, and I had been with him. Logically, there wasn’t anything I could have done. As I sat there, I couldn’t help wondering whether there was more we could have done to anticipate something like this. We could have warned him about the stalker having a presence at the recording studio. In all likelihood, she may have followed him from there—if it was her at all.

One thing was for sure—I was beginning to let imposter syndrome creep into my psyche. It seemed like as the days wore on for this assignment, I was more and more out of my depth, like my skill set would eventually get to the point where it just was not enough. It was becoming more dangerous for everyone, not just Johnny, and although the FBI were involved and providing significant leadership, they could not be everywhere for everyone.

Things were slowly spinning out of control. I had no idea how to stop it from getting worse. I began to entertain the thought that another, more experienced set of security professionals could do more to stop this threat. I cut myself some slack as I sat there. After all, the FBI was involved and this had still happened. No one was blaming me or suggesting I could have made a difference where Kevin was concerned.

Fred came out to get us a few minutes later. We followed him to a large room separated by drawn curtains on each side, presumably with several emergency room patients behind each one. Kevin was sitting in a hospital bed at the end of the row. I almost cringed at the sight of the horizontal stitches across the middle of his neck. Sitting in the only two chairs beside his bed were Jenny from the FBI, and the woman I instantly recognized as Lady Dame. I had to contain my star struck rush at seeing her. I had listened to her music since my teen years, so seeing her in person was surreal. Given the circumstances of our meeting however, I contained my glee—it was not the time to gush.

“Lorne!” Lady Dame stood up and rushed into Johnny’s arms.

She and Johnny stayed wrapped in a tight embrace for a long minute, until she peeled herself away and motioned for him to go to Kevin. Johnny walked to his bedside and slowly bent over him. They shared a genuinely warm man-hug—it was a comfort to know they could both look past their day-to-day bickering and be there for each other when it mattered.

“How are you feeling?” Johnny asked him.

“Fine, fine. It’s only a flesh wound. The doctor signed my release right after he stitched me up.”

While the two of them spoke, Lady Dame nodded politely at me. I approached her and she stood up to shake my hand.

“You must be Amanda. I’m Lady Dame.”

“It’s great to meet you, ma’am.”

She chuckled. “Oh, call me Lady, Amanda. I feel old enough as it is.”

“No problem, Lady.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Kevin.”

I cringed inside. It was probably all bad. “Okay.”

“And how is the assignment going?”

“Good so far, I think. Johnny’s still in one piece.”

“That’s what matters, dear. And for that, I’m grateful. Oh, and please don’t mind my husband too much. He can be intense sometimes.”

“Thank you, Lady.”

She gave me the warmest smile, one that almost brought a tear to my eyes. I had been under Kevin’s wrath for so long, I half-expected her to join in on his tyranny.

Kevin spoke up to everyone. “Let’s get going. It’s been a long day as it is. Fred, can this sketch artist thing wait until morning?”

“It’s best we get it done tonight, while her face is fresh in your memory. Tomorrow is also packed. We have to be at the awards show at three in the afternoon for the run-through, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right. Wait a minute. Johnny, didn’t that technician install a dual car camera in our cars sometime last year?”

“He did.” Johnny turned to Fred. “Kevin’s car has cameras that point at the street ahead and inside the passenger area. They should have captured the woman. Depending on whether Kevin had it switched on.”

“Yes. I’m pretty sure it was on. The technician set it to run anyone turns the ignition. It had to be on when the valet brought the car around. Let’s go. Fred, remind me to take the camera from my car. The cops may not need a sketch artist at all.”

“Perfect. Jenny will get a copy of whatever is on it when we share it with local police. If it’s clear enough, we can compare any images on it to the footage we have from the Greek Islands concert, as well as what’s available from the building staff at the recording studio. Larry and Jenny will ride with you and Mrs. Dame.” Fred turned to Johnny. “You and Amanda can meet us at your house. We’ll come by after we’re wrapped up.”

Johnny shook his head. “No. We’re going with you…we want to be there for Kevin.”

“Not a problem. Actually, if that’s the case, I’ll try to get us a conference room to use. We need a short debrief, and to revisit the plan for the rest of the tour.”

Revisiting the plan. The idea made me nervous. Several scenarios began to race through my mind as we all left together and exited to the hospital parking lot. I shoved down the uncertainty. There was no point worrying—he would let us in on everything soon enough. We got to Kevin’s vehicle first. He, Lady, Larry and Jenny piled inside and left. Fred walked us to the limo and waited for us to get in. Johnny tried to let me in the car first, but I reminded him he was the client, and motioned for him to get in. He glanced back at me, his eyes full of confusion. I nodded and pointed to the open door to reassert the instruction, and he got in. I slid in after him, and Fred went to his unmarked FBI vehicle.

Johnny held my hand again inside. Neither of us had much to say. We rode in silence for the entire drive. Charles soon pulled up to the LAPD precinct. Larry was already waiting outside. Once inside, he led us through the wide hallways of the station to an available interrogation room. Kevin and Lady were inside with Fred, waiting to give their statements to a plain clothes detective. Jenny was walking away with a uniformed officer, holding the camera from Kevin’s car. The rest of us waited in a row of seating just outside. After what seemed like forever, the detective left the room. Fred asked us to come in and have a seat. A quick glance at the clock told me it had been over three hours since Johnny and I left the sports bar earlier. Everyone displayed distraught, tired faces around the table.

“Kevin and Mrs. Dame, Larry has brought Johnny and Amanda up to speed on what occurred earlier. Obviously, this incident ups the stakes of the investigation. It’s too early to tell if it was a random event or the work of our stalker. Either way, I have to raise the question of whether you want to continue the tour, in light of tonight.”

“Not an option,” Kevin fired back, fists balled up tightly on the tabletop in front of him. “We’re not cancelling the next five events because of this. This is minor.”

Fred shook his head pensively. “I beg to differ. The injury may be minor, but the physical assault is tantamount to attempted murder.” He cleared his throat when Kevin did not answer. “I have to say, I expected this would be your stance. Please understand that I have to raise it as a strong recommendation. I doubt there’s any need to point out that we are not just talking about Johnny’s safety. If this is the work of the stalker, it means she’s escalating. Also, based on the threats on Johnny’s website that Amanda uncovered, we know she is planning something for an upcoming show, possibly as soon as tomorrow. We have to assume she can and will follow through on a public attack. And remember, this location will have potentially over four thousand people in attendance.”

“True,” Kevin said, “but think about it, Fred. The Disk Spinner Awards is probably going to be the safest place to be tomorrow. There will be local police doing crowd control outside, and one of LA’s most recognized security firms leading the event security. Plus, you and your very capable team will be there.” His voice was terse and matched his body language. Lady Dame reached over and set her free hand on his shoulder. “We knew from the beginning that we weren’t dealing with an enthusiastic fan. I wouldn’t have bothered involving the FBI if it wasn’t serious.”

“And that is why we agreed to take the case, rather than pushing it back to a local police force. This threat is too big, and could affect too many lives in whatever state the stalker decides to attack. That is why I’m suggesting you reconsider postponing Johnny’s attendance until we can locate this woman and shut her down.”

“Do you think Johnny will be the only celebrity there who’s been subjected to threats by raving fans? Trust me, he will be safe. And we’re not cancelling his performance.”

I could relate to both sides.

“Can the event be cancelled?”

“It can’t. It’s not that kind of event. These annual awards shows are planned up to a year in advance…sometimes even longer than a year. It’s not in my hands. This is out of my control.”

Fred conceded. “All right. I see your point. I know we do not have a direct threat, but I needed to raise the option.”

I was unable to hold back anymore. “What about the website message? Could that be considered a direct threat?”

“It’s circumstantial at best. No one has outright said they will attack at the show, and even if they had, the organizing committee still won’t acquiesce.”

“Can you override them somehow? It’s a matter of public safety, isn’t it?”

He shook his head. “The threat is a public safety issue, but it’s unsubstantiated. That being said, we’re basing our recommendation to cancel on the unsub’s profile. It’s a private event, so the FBI will not force their hand unless we have confirmation of a significant threat.

Kevin spoke up. “Otherwise, all major events could be shut down at the whim of online comments. Look, the best I can agree to is ramping up Johnny’s security.”

“Kevin’s right,” Johnny said, his eyes deeply serious and intense. “It’s not an option. I have to do the show.”

My heart sank, but I could not blame him. This is how the entertainment industry worked.

Agent Carlson pressed his hands together and was about to continue speaking when Jenny returned to the room. She spoke quietly with Fred, and handed him a file folder before leaving just as quickly as she had entered. We all watched as he opened the envelope.

“Kevin, is this the woman who was in the car?” He asked, holding out a letter-sized glossy, black and white photo.

Kevin stretched out his arm and took it to look more closely. “Yes. That’s her.”

“You’re sure?”

He handed it back to Fred. “Positive.”

“Okay. With this high-resolution shot, we have lots to work with.” Fred held up the image so Johnny and I could see it. “By the way, Amanda or Johnny, do either of you recognize her?”

“No,” I answered.

I had not seen her before. Johnny studied the picture. He crinkled his brow, and for a moment, I thought he might say yes and reveal the identity of this horrible woman who had been overshadowing his life.

“No, I’m sorry,” he finally said.

Fred was about to slide the picture back into the envelope when I stopped him. “Wait. I’d like to keep this picture handy so I can study it. If this is the stalker, I want to be able to make out this face in a crowd if she shows up again. Can Jenny text the image file to me? ” I took out my phone and snapped a close-up shot of the picture in any case.