Page 110 of Impulse

“I dropped it in the water by accident.May I?”She took his phone, but he held on to it.“What?”

“What happened over the weekend?Did you talk to Fitzgerald about”—he glanced around and whispered—“your father?”

“Yes, and it didn’t matter.I’ll explain later.”She called Ricky.The phone went unanswered.She tried Cian.No one picked up.Strange.She tried her uncle.

“What?”he snapped.

“Uncle Rowan, it’s Jillian.”

The connection was terminated.Jillian scowled.This was ridiculous.It was one thing for them to tell her not to visit, but to refuse to talk to her was just rude.

She redialed.It went unanswered.“Damn it, Uncle Rowan.I need to talk to someone.”A few people walking past stared.She glared back.Then Chris’ ringtone started, caller unknown.Jillian slowly brought it to her ear.“Yes?”

“We can’t call you because they might be listening,” Uncle Rowan whispered.“I had to borrow a friend’s phone.”

“Really, Uncle Rowan?Whomight be listening?”

“Petrosian’s people,” he said.“You shouldn’t call us.They could trace the call and find you.”

Her uncle could be so melodramatic sometimes.Petrosian’s men were simple thugs, not computer savvy geeks with surveillance gadgets.“So Ricky didn’t drop off the money?”

“No.You see—”

“Why not?”she yelled, frustration bubbling over.“Once Petrosian gets his money, this nightmare will be over.”

“He doesn’t want the money, Jillian,” Uncle Rowan snapped.“He wants you, but we’re not going to let that happen.”

“Let’s call the police.”

“No.No police.They’ll want to interview you, and we don’t want you involved.Stay away until this blows over.Those are your father’s orders.”The line went dead.

That was the strangest conversation she’d ever had.Lex had been right about her father pushing her away to protect her.She studied the people scurrying around the set.Keith waved to her.Chris was discussing the next stunt sequence with one of the assistant directors.She wouldn’t miss this place.Douglas, in the studio security uniform, moved freely around the set, but his eyes stayed on her.He blended until you looked into his eyes.They were sharp, cataloguing everything.He must have been one hell of a spy.

The smile disappeared from Jillian’s face as some the things her uncle had said flitted through her head.Petrosian wanted her.Why?The conversation between Baldie and his partner flashed in her head, and Jillian groaned.Porn star.

“I’m not a porn star,” she snarled.

“Who said you were?”

She looked up at Keith and grimaced.“A thug I’d like to torture for making my life a living hell.What’s going on?”

His expression said he wasn’t sure whether to take her seriously or not.“They just announced we’re heading to Vancouver next week.”

“When?”

“Sunday.Filming starts on Monday.Do you want to work on the next fight scene?I have time, and I plan on leaving early.”

She’d like to leave early too and maybe pay Lex a visit in his office.In the meantime, she wanted to tell him about her conversation with her uncle.

“I need to make one phone call; then I’ll join you,” she said.

“Calling thethugmaking your life difficult?”

“No.My, uh…” What exactly was Lex to her?Her boyfriend?He was too manly to be calledboy.Her lover or the man she was quickly falling in love with?

“Your what?”Keith asked.

“My man.”Jillian grinned.Yes, Lex was her man.Period.No more thinking about when she’d get tired of him.She was never getting tired of that man.In fact, she was looking forward to the year of being his wife.