“Why are you so frustrated?”
“It’s just a parent I’m meeting tonight that I’m not looking forward to. I don’t even want to get into it.”
“Okay, well I have one more stop after this. I’ll see if I can convince them to let me out from under house arrest more often.”
Lexi grinned and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ve missed seeing you. I guess I was getting spoiled having you back in town. I started taking our Thursday night get-togethers for granted.”
“Me too.” Calista hugged her tight as she held back tears.
****
The slut obviously wasn’t taking him seriously enough. Ever since she’d become aware of his presence, she had been living in fear, afraid to leave her place. Everything had been exactly like he wanted. Until now.
He watched from a safe distance as she strutted from store to store with her bodyguard. It would be easier to get closer if it wasn’t for that Neanderthal constantly hovering over her. She needed to understand his brilliance. Today might prove interesting after all. He hadn’t planned to make a move. But when he saw where she was headed, he changed his mind. This could be the break he’d been waiting for.
****
“This is the last stop, I promise.” Calista grinned up at Dane.
All her earlier anger and frustration with him had all but dissipated. This was exactly the sort of day she’d needed. Getting a pedicure and massage was the perfect way to end it.
“How long do you think we’ll be here?” Dane asked, looking around.
He appeared to be casual, but she knew he was already scoping out the place and checking each exit. He was like a machine.
“A few hours, so make yourself comfortable. I would tell you to go and grab a bite to eat but I know you won’t listen.”
“Did Connor ever tell you about the time we were stranded in the mountains of Afghanistan?”
Calista’s heart lurched and her mouth dropped. “He’s never even mentioned being in that part of the world.” She narrowed her eyes partly to cover her confusion. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“I’m trying to put things in perspective for you. I’ll survive the waiting room of a salon. Enjoy yourself and ignore me.”
“No problem.” Calista willingly allowed herself to be led to the massage chairs.
She closed her eyes as the technician started massaging her feet. The gentle repetition of the massage chair was heaven. She was just about to drift off when she heard the last voice she wanted to hear.
“Calista?” Lena’s annoyingly bubbly voice cut through the relative silence of the salon.
For a moment she thought about pretending to be asleep, but knew it wouldn’t work. She opened her eyes and managed a half smile. “Hey, Lena, what are you doing here?”
“I heard through the grapevine that you might be here.”
Who was this stupid grapevine? “How’s the filming going?”
“Ugh, horrible. It’s cold and since most of my scenes require much less clothing, I’m constantly freezing. I’m having a hard time remembering why I decided to do this in the first place.”
Keep her talking about herself. “So, how’s the new boy toy? His name was Billy right?”
“Wonderfully intense. He doesn’t talk much, which suits me fine. And he’s hung like a horse.” Lena giggled in that annoying way of hers and Calista wanted to vomit.
The last thing she wanted to hear about was Lena’s sex life. For the next hour Lena rambled from one subject to another, and Calista was almost able to tune her out. Almost. Just as Lena was about to embark on another tirade, the masseuse interrupted them for Calista’s massage.
“I’ll see you around, Lena,” she said and slipped out of the chair.
Before Lucy, the petite Korean woman who owned the high-end salon, ushered her into the private room, she asked for a favor.
“There’s a man out in the waiting area. Probably the only one. Dark hair and serious-looking. I’d like to get a massage for him also.”
“Oh, we do couples massages if you’re interested.” Lucy beamed up at her.
The thought of being in the same room with Dane, and half naked at that, brought an unwanted rush of heat to her cheeks
She cleared her throat. “No, that won’t be necessary. He’ll probably object at first. Work your magic and be insistent.”
The woman grabbed her arm and winked. “I know how to handle men, it’s my specialty.”
Before Calista could utter another word, she’d been pushed into the private room. She knew the routine. Strip and get on the table. Soft candles played shadows off the walls, and sounds of nature flooded the small room. She placed her face in the small opening and let herself relax. Why hadn’t she thought to do this sooner?
Chapter 12
William watched from across the street as Calista entered the salon. Blood rushed to his ears. His pants tightened in anticipation. This was it. She was finally going to be his.
It was difficult to see through the windows without being noticed, but he guessed her brainless bodyguard wouldn’t be accompanying her to the back. Having been in the salon before, he was familiar with the layout. Security was non-existent. Why would a spa with such elite clientele want to bother their customers with the sight of an overweight security guard?
He strolled around the corner, keeping his pace steady. When he was sure he was alone, he slipped into the alley behind the salon. It was too much to hope the door was unlocked, but luckily it wasn’t dead bolted and the cheap Kwikset was easy enough to pick. He glanced at his watch. He’d wait twenty minutes in the alley. Less time inside meant less chance of getting caught.
He crouched behind a dumpster and set the timer on his watch. It wasn’t quite five o’clock so the streets were still quiet, and the cold was keeping the transients inside. Scenarios played out in his head. William had no doubt Calista would prove enjoyable. He closed his eyes and memories of his mother flooded his mind.
“Now you do exactly as I say, baby. Your brother is gone now so I need you to help me.” She stroked his cheek and spoke in soothing tones. That meant only one thing. She’d picked out another man to blackmail and needed his help.
“Stay put. It should only be an hour until I come back. When I do, you know what to do. Turn on the video camera.” She brushed her perfect blonde hair away from her face and glanced at herself one last time in the mirror. She blew him a kiss before sauntering out the door.
True to her word, she returned barely an hour later, drunk and stumbling if the sounds from the other room were any indication. William listened through the adjoining door of the cheap motel they were staying in. His fists clenched so tightly, he bled from his palm. He jumped up and flipped off the television program he’d been blindly watching.
His mother had a deal with the motel owner. She brought married men back to a room and filmed their extracurricular activities. The motel owner required a credit card, even if they paid in cash, so tracking them down was easy enough. Then, they split the profits of their extortion scheme.
The only problem was the owner didn’t want to get his hands dirty. That required another set of hands to turn on the video equipment. Dear old mom didn’t want to chance that something went wrong with the taping. She told him that if she was going to screw these fat morons then she was damn sure going to get paid for it.
The first few times she’d done it, he’d avoided looking at the screen. After a while the curiosity won over and he’d soon become addicted. It was almost always the same. She always bent over the bed and smiled at the hidden camera. He knew she was imagining the money she was making.
He shook his head and stood up. Nowadays, with modern technology, she wouldn’t have even needed him. It was a miracle she’d never gotten herself killed. Then again, she had never been exceptionally greedy. That was something she’d tried to instill in him. Until she met the man who was now his step-father.
That poor bastard never saw her coming. Poor would probably be an inadequate term because that was one thing Alejandro wasn’t. He had more money than he could spend in ten lifetimes. Ironically his mother had picked out one of his acquaintances as a target. Fortunately she never got the chance to use him. Alejandro took one look at her and had to have her. In a way it was lucky for her that she never tried to blackmail his friend, because she would later come to discover they were both lucrative arms dealers.
It was also lucky for William that his step-father didn’t hate him. He didn’t exactly like him, but he gave him money whenever he needed it. Like a good son he followed his mother’s advice and never asked for too much.
“One more thing to do,” he muttered to himself.
He pulled out his cell phone and placed two calls. He needed to make sure Calista was exactly where he wanted her. His heartbeat was erratic, but he forced himself to be calm. This was no time for screw-ups. The back door of the salon opened quietly. He stepped into the storage room. He controlled his breathing and pressed his ear to the other door. Receding footsteps told him the coast was clear.
The door creaked as he stepped into the hallway. His soft soled boots didn’t make a sound against the tile. The storage room connected directly to the massage rooms, and he knew exactly which room Calista was in. He pulled his mask down tighter and slowly turned the knob.
“I see that you’re ready for me.” The words were barely out of his mouth when she looked up in horror. He took in the terror on her face and memorized it. It was after all, what he had come for.
****
“I insist. You must come with me now.”
The tiny woman in front of Dane grabbed his arm and forced him out of his chair. Three female customers all stared at him in barely concealed amusement.
“You’ll pay for this, Calista,” he muttered under his breath.
“What was that?” The woman named Lucy turned around, eyes narrowed.
“Nothing, ma’am.” He followed her like an obedient child.