Page 77 of Vain

I stare at her in shock. “I haven’t seen or heard from him in months. I’m having a hard time understanding why he’d try to run us off the road today. He has to know there is no way I’d ever take him and his team back, even with Aiden out of the picture. And also, what happened between him fucking with my trailer and the car crash?”

“What do you mean?” Aiden frowns.

“The car chase and shootout was pure hostile rage, but my trailer was neat and tidy. Nothing was knocked over or out of place. Even the stupid flowers were arranged nicely. It’s as if he came in, did what he had to, and left. If he’s mad enough to kill me today, why was he so calm before that? What changed?”

Reese and Aiden look at each other. I can practically hear the cogs turning in their brains as they try to figure it out.

“You didn’t leave when you were supposed to,” Aiden says eventually.

“What?”

“After the trailer incident, he must have thought you’d run back home and hide. You didn’t. You carried on as if nothing happened.”

“Not giving him the reaction he wanted, pissed him off. Hell, he might have even been lying in wait. And if you were hours later than planned, that’s hours he had waiting for you, stewing on his temper. What I want to know is, how the fuck did he get onto the set undetected?”

I groan at Reese’s question. I look at Aiden as I answer. “What are the odds the studio has Cox Security on retainer? I knew they called guards in. I never questioned which guards they were.”

“Motherfucker.”

I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Chapter Thirty-One

AIDEN

I hated leaving Tilly, but I know she’s safe in Reese’s hands.

The first place I head is back to the house. I stop at the guard shack and fill in a worried Davey.

“Mr. Marley came down to tell me what was happening. I couldn’t believe it. I’m so glad you and Miss Carson are both okay.”

“Thanks, man. Me too. The hospital is keeping her overnight for observation, but she’ll be home tomorrow.”

“Thank you for letting me know.”

“No problem. I wanted to ask if you’ve noticed anything odd lately. Any suspicious vehicles or strange behavior for the other residents around here?”

He thinks about it for a moment, and I respect that. Too often, people answer with a knee-jerk reaction.

“Not that I can recall. I don’t have much to do with the other residents as Miss Carson’s property is the last one on this row. None of the neighbors come down this far.”

“Fair point. Anyone else stick out? Someone who has been through these gates? Even if they were permitted to be here? I know that sounds vague, but with the odd things happening around the property, the stalker may be someone Matilda knows.” I don’t want to say Daniel’s name. I’m not about to plant seeds. I want unbiased opinions.

He looks around momentarily to make sure nobody else is around to hear us. “I’ve not been here as long as Phil. We have a new guy starting next week. It is supposed to ease the pressure on Phil and me, but I worry all the same. I have a wife and daughter. I don’t want to lose my job.”

“Nothing you say will come back on you.”

He sighs but nods. “Honestly, everyone here acts strange at times. I live a simple life. Rich people are all odd to me.”

I grin at that. “You’re talking to a small-town boy. I get it.”

He smiles back, and there is relief in it. It is as if he finds me more relatable. I push just a little. “You should have seen Daniel when I rocked up on my first day. He looked at my dirty truck, Mexican heritage, and casual outfit of T-shirt and shorts and clearly found me lacking.”

He shakes his head. “He does the same kind of job as I do, but you would think he was a celebrity himself. He wasn’t…how do I say this…mean. But he is very cold. That man does not make small talk, ever. At first, I thought his men were the same way, but I have seen them laughing and joking with each other when Daniel was not around.”

“Have you ever seen any of them—Daniel, or his team—do or say anything that made you feel uncomfortable?”

He chews his lip before leaning closer. “They were very descriptive about what they would like to do to Miss Carson.” He looks uncomfortable, so I bite back a snarl.