Stolen Desire (The Lust List: Kaidan Stone #3) (3 page)

I want to tell him about the drug dealers… but I don't. The moment has passed, and what's Kaidan going to do? Take me to the cops? I'm starting to doubt my decision to go to them. No doubt Luis
does
have friends there… and what will happen to my brother now that he's involved? It sounds like he has some shady connections that could get us all in more trouble than we're already in. I need to try to talk to him again, make him back off until I can solve my diamond problem.

We head back out to the front of the office, and Charles is already there, just inside the doors. He's waiting for me, stoic, hands crossed in front of him.

Kaidan grabs the pain meds from the nurse for me, and I drop them into my purse.

“I'll call to check in on you. Do what the doctor told you.”

“I will. Thanks.”

He searches my face, as if he's memorizing it. “I found out an hour ago that I have to go out of town on business for a few days. But I'll be back Friday. I'd planned to have some people over that night—a small party—will you come?”

“Of course.”

I smile up at him, and he kisses me one more time, gently, sweetly. I don't want him to let me go, but he does. And then he's gone, and my new personal guard ushers me outside and into the Jag so he can drive me home.

I don't feel like going back to my penthouse with all the paps waiting outside, so I finally respond to Char's dozens of texts and ask if she's home.

She responds quickly in the affirmative, and I tell her I'm headed over there. After all the shit with my brother, I'm kind of nostalgic for the old days—the fun sleepovers and weeks at Char's—before I was shipped away in shame.

Diane Lamb's mansion is legendary, even among the legends. The security guard lets us through the massive gate, and we wind up the driveway to the top of a little hill. The stucco mansion sprawls back into the property. Char is standing out in front of the 10 car garage wearing a tank and shorts, and her eyes widen when she sees me in the backseat of the Jag. Char's driver emerges from the garage to show Charles where to park.

I jump out, and she rushes me, smothering me in a hug. “Oh my God, I'm so sorry.”

I hug her and sniff. “It's so much worse than you know.”

She pulls back and searches my face. “I'm talking about the awards. Did something else happen? Who’s that guy driving you?”

“Kaidan's personal bodyguard…”

Her eyes widen, and she takes another look at the Jag as it pulls into the garage. “Where's your car?”

“I got in a little accident.”

“Are you okay?”

“I'm fine… but my car's trashed. Kaidan's getting it fixed.”

She nods and grabs my hand. “Come on. I have just what you need.”

She leads me through her marble foyer with high ceilings that let tons of light in. Past the winding dark wood staircase and the series of double doors off the main hallway that lead to a formal living room, formal dining room, library, and game room. When we reach the end of the hall and hit the massive casual dining room, Char leads me to the breakfast nook in the corner. “Sit. I'll be right back.”

She hurries through double doors that lead into her kitchen, and I take in the view.

Windows sprawl across the entire back of the house here, showing off several acres of trees. The pool's right outside, and I'm mesmerized by the waterfall cascading over natural rocks into the water below. I can see the corner of the horse barn in the distance.

“Hayley Wade!”

I turn and find Diane Lamb standing before me. For a woman in her seventies, she looks pristine, all plump smooth skin and enormous lips. She's got on a black silk nightgown, and her unnaturally black hair is in rollers. Giant gemstones inset in different colors of metal bedeck hands that cradle a tiny black dog against breasts perkier than mine. I stand up, and she and I exchange kisses on each cheek.

“I'm
so
sorry about your father,” she says. “Tragic!”

“Thanks.”

Char comes out of the kitchen, two pints of ice cream in her hands. “Oh, Ma. You're up early.”

“Sweetie, I have a
big
day planned! I'm going to walk the property with Honorable Judge today.”

I shoot Char a quizzical look.

“The dog,” she mouths.

“Isn't that right?” Diane asks the dog in a baby voice. She holds it up high, and it wiggles in her hands and yelps. “Maybe we'll even take a little swim! I have a new doggy inner tube. It's the perfect ride for someone as distinguished as you.”

I smile and nod, and Diane offers me a breezy wave as she heads toward the kitchen and throws open the doors.

“Geraldine!” Diane sings as she passes through the doors. “I'm ready for breakfast. I want that thing, that omelet you made me in the south of France last year, what was it?”

“I'll have to send Jonathan out for the cheese,” a female voice responds. “We don't have it.”

“Please get on that. Honorable Judge and I are famished.”

Char shakes her head. “Inside or outside?”

I look out at the sunny back patio and decide it doesn't fit my mood. “Movie room?”

She smiles and hands me a pint of mint chocolate chip. “I still keep this here for you.”

“Thanks.” I smile gratefully and take the pint from her. Then we head up her staircase to the top floor.

The theater room is half the size of my penthouse, and it's painted a deep red. A golden chandelier with fake candles hangs from the high ceiling. Deep, plush red seats fill up the space, and a massive screen covers one wall.

Char and I sink down in two random seats near the back and dig into our ice cream. This is the spot we'd go to tell secrets, watch movies we were too young to watch, and get away from whatever chaos was going on in our lives. Or
my
life, usually.

Framed movie posters line the walls, and I try to avoid looking at the one near the screen that features my mother when she starred in a romantic comedy… one of Diane's last films.

But I look anyway, and I expect the old pain, but it barely surfaces. My mother is smiling at the camera, posing with her leading man. Their names are emblazoned across the top of the poster: Mia Foster and Jonathan Montgomery. She went by her original stage name until she died.

I look like her, except she's almost 30 here, and her eyes were blue. Maybe my life's a mess, but at least I'm not addicted to drugs like my mom was, right? If I can ever get my life together, I can choose a different path. I don't have to be a train wreck like my parents were. Rowan on the other hand… Rowan seems to be headed down a worse path. Does he really own a gun? What did he do in all the years I was gone?

I set the ice cream in my lap and let out a sigh.

“Ready to dish?” Char asks.

I groan. “I don't even know where to start.”

“At the beginning. What the hell happened last night with Peyton? What happened with Kaidan? Did you guys…” Char waggles her eyebrows in the most obnoxious way possible.

I spill what happened last night with Peyton first, the awful, and very public, humiliation of the girl pouring her alcohol over my head and ruining my dress and my night.

Char's face flies through every emotion in record speed. “That stupid cunt! She'll get hers. You'll see.” She pauses. “Sooo. Did Kaidan take you home?”

A little smile buds on my lips, chasing away all my embarrassment. “Nope.”

Her excitement fades. “Well, where'd you go?”

“His penthouse.”

She sucks in a breath and jams a huge spoonful of ice cream in her mouth, eyes wide, waiting for the rest.

“It was amazing.”

“Is he… Does he have a V.I.P? Was Levi right?” Her voice rises to a squeak as she nudges me. “Did you finally get your deep Stone dickin'?”

I let out an abrupt laugh. “Wow, Char. Yes. He's definitely got a V.I.P.”

She lets out a satisfied sigh, like she's the one who got the deep dickin’, and sinks back in the plush seat. “What happened between then and now? How did you get in an accident?”

“The paps were chasing me this morning.”

“Assholes. You sure you're okay?”

“I'm fine. Kaidan showed up and took me to his doctor… He was having his bodyguard, Charles,
follow
me, Char. That was kind of…”

“Adorable? He was worried about you. That's sweet.” There's a look of longing on Char's face that makes my heart ache for her. I can't remember the last time she had a real boyfriend, and the last guy she dated was an aspiring actor who cheated on her.

“Yeah,” I say lamely.

“So you said he's getting your car fixed. Maybe he can help you financially while you wait for your inheritance.”

“Yeah, no. I'm getting a job. I am.” I remember the address that Jade gave me at Rowan's apartment. I think I'll be checking that job out after all, even if Kaidan's driver has to take me. “Actually, I got invited to audition for some kind of modeling job.”

Char's face lights up, and she sets her ice cream on a tray and pulls out her phone. “Ooh. Awesome! Let me know if they need any extra girls.”

“I'll let you know how it goes. So tell me about the HIT afterparty. What'd I miss?”

“Oh, it was
phenom
. I met someone… Well, a few someones. Oh, and I saw Nolan Aries at the party, looking smokin' as usual. Too bad he had a model hanging off his arm.”

I try to be a good friend and look interested as she tells me all about the amazing goodie bags filled with boutique skin creams and gold jewelry, about the gossip and the two fights that broke out, and about the sexy musicians she met last night.

She keeps glancing down at her phone, though, and she interrupts her own story with a squeal. “Ha!”

She shoves the phone at me, and I see it's a
ScandalLust
article.

Catfight! Peyton Attacks Hayley

I skim the article, annoyed, but then I see the subheadline.

Is Peyton Getting Kicked Off
Werewolf Chronicles
?

A little birdie has told us the
Werewolf
producers are getting sick of Peyton's diva antics and increasingly erratic behavior on set. Could this latest scandal be the nail in her coffin? Will we see Peyton's character, Fern, killed off next season?

I suppress a smile and hand the phone back.

“It'd serve her right,” Char says. “Now what should we watch? I'm kind of in the mood for that indie flick… Seventy Days.”

“Why, because Nolan Aries is in it?”

“Hell yeah. But… Really I'm mostly watching it for Matt Lin.”

“I don't know who that is.”

“He's kind of new. Stays off the radar a lot, which is
so
mysterious,” she gushes. “Hardly ever goes to any Hollywood events. Doesn't do many interviews. He's gonna be big someday, I'm tellin' ya. And when he's starring in blockbusters, at least I'll get to say I knew about him first.”

I shake my head at her and settle back in my chair as she goes to set up the movie. I need this day—and I need time to decide what to do. And what if my brother is right? I hadn't actually considered that before. What if those drug dealers are actually low level scum who will leave us alone once they know we're not easy targets? Or what if they really do have friends in the police? I have no idea what we should actually do.

My phone rings, and I'm shocked to see it's Rowan.

I step out of the theater room.

“Row?”

“What happened? Are you okay? This chick at work just told me you were in an accident?”

Clearly the paps sent their pics straight to the tabloids. Of course. “The paps happened. But I'm fine. Really.”

“I told you to just go home.” The worry in his voice warms me. Maybe he cares about me after all.

I take a deep breath and glance back at the theater door, but Char's still getting the movie ready. “Look. I almost went to the cops—but I didn't.” I say, my voice low.

“Good. Don’t.”

“But please… can you give me a few days to sort out the inheritance stuff? And then—then you can go after those guys if I don't find a better solution. What if we could give them a little money, and they'll go away? Without anyone getting hurt?”

“You're not gonna get that diamond back, and you know it.”

“My lawyer is working to remove the condition. He’ll have it straightened out in a few days,” I lie.

Rowan is silent on the other end.

“Please. Kaidan's driver will be with me for the next few days… Those guys won't dare come near me.” My voice is desperate, and I feel like crying again.

“Fine. Okay.”

“Promise?”

“Sure. Just stay low, and you tell me if you see them again. But if they come after me again…”

Relief floods me. “I'll stay low. I promise. And I'll call you if I see them.”

Char pops her head out the door quizzically, and I hang up with Rowan.

As we settle in to watch the movie, I try to let it take my mind off my issues. I have to stop
needing
to control everything. The only thing I can control right now is getting a job and keeping on my lawyer to try to remove that stupid condition from Dad’s will. So that's what I'm going to do.