Page 79 of Nothing to Beat

Good point.“Borrowing other men’s cellphones.Borrowing,” Roxie insisted.“I can’t believe my Casanova chose now to be all about discretion.We talked like ten minutes ago; he didn’t tell me you’d be showing up.”

“Surprise!”he sold it deadpan.“But I’m not here to see you, RoRo.”

“Why are you here?”she asked because the fundamental reason was important.“How did you know where we were?”

“Well, for starters, everyone knows where RoRo is because she’s a fricking media tornado wherever she goes.”

With the comb back in her hair, Roxie checked Porter’s reflection in the mirror.“Jealous?I could be a congressperson right now, if it wasn’t for the whole politics thing… I have presence.Appeal.I’m a popular woman.”

“So popular your ex couldn’t keep away.”

“It’s an excellent reason for him to be here in LA,” Roxie said.“This will play so well.It’s exactly the hype we need before the wedding.To remind everyone, you know, how glamorous and torrid our lives are.”

“My life’s just fine without torrid and glamorous, thanks,” Porter said.“I’m so damn happy you’re on another man’s plate, I’ll happily walk you down the aisle with your father and pay Zairn to take you off our hands.”

“Ha-ha,” Roxie drolled and tossed the comb to the counter.“Ah!”An apparent epiphany.“Tripp’s phone is in my bed.”

With purpose, Roxie marched between both of them to return to the bedroom and search the covers for a phone.

“Why is his phone in your bed?”

“How else was I going to talk to Zairn?”

“Yeah, shocking anyone might consider you have your own means of communication.”

“I do have my own, though I don’t know where it is.I have a lot of them.Astrid has the original… I think, maybe.”

“And Astrid is…?”

“In New York,” Roxie said, dialing the phone.“Now, shh, I need to have a private conversation.You two should figure this out.”

Roxie went back into the closet and closed the door.A few seconds later, the shower went on in the bathroom beyond.Maybe Tripp would be minus his own phone soon.Minus as in the thing would get waterlogged, when it came to ownership, he’d already lost that.For now anyway.

In the ensuing calm, she reoriented herself to focus on the Chicago ADA.

“You got a call?”she asked.“At four a.m.?”It didn’t make sense.“Who called you at four in the morning?”

What could be so urgent that they couldn’t wait for business hours?Or even semi-respectable hours?

“My boss.”

“The State’s Attorney?Why would a Chicago—”

“Because there’s a case here.Something hot that needs to be nailed down.Orders from the top.”

She didn’t follow.“The top?”

“Ackley,” Breck said, flipping her around on the spot.Where had he come from?Her guy was more interested in the ADA beyond than her.“He wants you in this meeting.”

“Porter Clement, meet—”

“Rankin Breckenridge,” the prosecutor interrupted and was already striding on by her, hand outstretched to Breck.“I know who you are, sir.”He got a sir?“Was that your mother I saw—”

“Yes, and she knows nothing about the situation.”Breck’s stern air wasn’t one to be messed with.See when he did that, and with the tie… Yum.He wasn’t playing fair.“Sequoia trusted you and you almost compromised her.”

“It wasn’t my intention.I believed Sequoia knew what was going on.”

“What is going on?”