Page 11 of Catch Me (Townsend Legacy #4)

A ndreas

“It’s too fucking hot,” Scott Stone, an actor and one of my best friends in L.A., complains as we hike up the dirt trail.

“You workout five days a week and you're complaining about a little hike?” I glare at him, but make sure to keep my baseball cap tucked low on my forehead.

Most people who recognize us around the city let it slide, or at least will slyly take a photo with their phone and leave us in peace. But there are often tourists, or those new to the city, who’ll go overboard once they spot any type of celebrity.

Generally, I don’t mind the excitement. Today’s different. Today I’m on a mission to see one person and one person only.

“Yeah, in an air-conditioned gym,” Scott replies. “Not underneath the glaring glint of the sun. This can’t be good for our health. Did you wear your sunscreen? Shit, I think I’ve gotten burned already.” He swipes the back of his neck, testing out his theory.

“Glaring glint of the sun? You’re still thinking about taking on that Shakespeare remake, huh?”

He chuckles. “What do you think? Was it Julius Caesar-ish enough?”

I snort. “I think you need to put in a few more classes with Victor, my friend.” I laugh when he gives me the finger.

“Also, stop fucking complaining. It’s barely seven in the morning. The sun isn’t even at its strongest yet.” We’ve been hiking for ten minutes and neither one of us has even broken out in a sweat.

Scott and I starred in a few commercials together when we were both teens and a few other projects over the years.

Afterward he went on to do a couple of movies that, unfortunately, didn’t perform well. Now, he’s back to starring in a series that’s exclusive on a popular streaming company.

“I don’t know why you wanted to come all the way out here for a damn hike. A twenty-five-minute interval run on the treadmill at the gym we pay a lot of money for would’ve been a more efficient way to get the heartrate up.”

“I told you why I came out here,” I say but keep my gaze straight ahead, scanning the people ahead of us, looking for her.

“Yeah, I know. As soon as you find who you’re looking for, you’re ditching me,” he states. “I came out with you because I’m a great wingman.”

“You came because you missed your workout yesterday and you decided to tag along once I told you about my plans this morning.” I point at him. “Don’t give me any bullshit when your ass is on this trail by yourself.

“Soon as I find Ivy …” I mumble to myself, scanning the few people passing us in the opposite direction.

“Are you going to tell me about this woman who’s become your new obsession ?”

“Nope.”

He sucks his teeth. “Then tell me how the role’s going.”

“Great,” I say, though still not looking his way.

“Yeah, Michael’s cool. I wish it could’ve worked out with my schedule to play the second lead,” he laments. “Hey, my agent has me flying out to Vegas in a couple of months for the Formula 1 race. Isn’t your cousin scheduled to race there this year?”

“His team will be there, so that means he’s racing,” I reply.

My cousin, Travis, is a Formula 1 driver. And a damn good one at that.

“You should come.”

“Have to see if filming is completed by then. It should be.” The filming of Late Nights is expected to go on for at least another month and a half. It’s been two weeks since we started filming.

“We might …” All of a sudden filming schedules and Formula 1 races are all pushed to the wayside when I overhear soft, feminine laughter. My skin crackles from the sound.

She’s here.

A few feet ahead, I spot two women, trudging up the hill, both wearing black leggings, one in a loose-fitting white workout top while the other has on a black and grey crop top.

“I can’t believe you said that,” Ivy’s voice floats to my ear like a siren call.

“Where are you going?” Scott’s voice is suddenly behind me, instead of by my side. That’s the only way I know I’ve now left him in the dust to catch up with Ivy and the woman I presume to be her best friend and roommate.

“Imagine finding you here,” I say, coming up beside her. My arm shoots out, catching Ivy when she stumbles due to surprise.

“Shit, sorry for scaring you,” I apologize, still holding onto her arm.

“Andreas.”

God, I adore hearing her say my name. I bite my tongue to keep from telling her exactly that, but only because there are other people around.

“Andreas Knight?” a foreign voice says, making me look over at her friend.

“The one and only.”

Her friend actually rolls her eyes. “Actors are so full of themselves,” she mutters.

“Mya,” Ivy shushes.

“What? I work with them all day.”

“That’s right. Mya Palmer, entertainment lawyer extraordinaire,” I say, stretching out my free hand because my other one is still holding onto Ivy. “I’ve heard excellent things about your work.”

Her eyebrows come close to meeting the brim of her hat. “You’ve heard of me?”

My smile widens. “Who hasn’t heard of the up-and-coming associate attorney at Wise & Smith Associates?”

I asked around to get some basic information on Ivy’s friend. While I could’ve taken my question to my family’s private security team, I prefer to do the digging on my own.

My obsession will be the one to tell me all I need to know about her. Just like she started to open up to me while we had lunch in my trailer. Which, of course, is the reason I came up to hike this hill on Saturday morning when I didn’t finish filming until eleven p.m. last night.

“And I’m Scott Stone,” Scott says from behind me, putting on his stage voice.

“You hike up here, too?” Ivy asks.

“I do now,” I reply.

Her eyes narrow but she doesn’t say anything in response to that.

“We’ve been looking for a way to switch up our workout routines.”

“We have?” Scott asks, but then grunts when I elbow him in the stomach.

I turn to him. “You should go ahead and finish the hike. You mentioned needing to get back home for an engagement later on.”

“That’s not until ton?—”

“Great hanging out with you, bud,” I cut him off, turning my attention back on Ivy.

He snickers behind me.

“Welp, I know when it’s my time to make myself scarce,” says Mya, and it’s at this moment, I decide that I like her.

“Come on, Scott … can I call you Scott? How about we finish this walk, and I can convince you why Wise & Smith Associates is better than the firm representing you right now.”

“Mya, where are you going?” Ivy calls out.

But Mya ignores Ivy, looking at me instead. “I trust you will get my best friend home in one piece?”

“Mya!” Ivy calls, but her friend looks at me with narrowed eyes.

“Scout’s honor.”

“Were you a Boy Scout?”

“For five years. I had to let it go once I moved out to Hollywood. I’ll make sure she gets home safe and sound. And fed,” I add, recalling that Ivy said they usually go to breakfast after their walk. Which, I’d already planned on.

Today is the one day I have completely free this week. While it was a pain in the ass to get up early after shooting late last night, I have a feeling it’ll be worth it.

“Were you really a Boy Scout?” Ivy eyes me warily.

“You don’t believe me?”

She shrugs.

I hold up the three fingers of my right hand. “On my honor …” I start reciting the Scout Oath that I still have memorized even ten years after leaving the organization.

“Okay, I believe you,” she says with laughter in her voice.

“Good. So you know you’re in safe hands.”

The expression on her face sobers, her gaze dropping, shielding her eyes from me. I don’t like it.

“Were you honestly here by coincidence?” she asks.

“No. I came to see you.” What’s the point of lying? “Let’s finish our hike so I can take you to breakfast.”

“Actually, Mya and I had plans to go to a vintage clothing shop after the hike.”

My grin widens. “Did you just invite me to take you shopping?”

Her eyes widen and she holds up her hands. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant?—”

“Invitation accepted,” I say. “Let’s finish this hike.”