Things Lost In The Fire (31 page)

“Then why lie about it?”

Brody shrugged. “To avoid a scandal. Or maybe she lied on instinct and then got buried too deep to dig herself out. I always felt the cops didn’t do a thorough enough investigation…it’s possible she paid a hefty sum to keep the truth buried.”

“Or my mother did,” Sadie theorized, feeling a heavy weight drop in her gut. “To keep the media attention focused on her. It wouldn’t surprise me.”

“Well that backfired, didn’t it?” he reminded her. “She lost custody because of this. I don’t even think
Valerie
is that much of a media whore to sacrifice motherhood for attention.”

Sadie grimaced. “You don’t know her as well as I do, then. You wouldn’t believe how furious she was at me for stealing her limelight at the show last night.”

“She’ll get over it.”

“I’m not so sure this time,” Sadie predicted, sadness washing over her. “I should’ve never come back here. I just keep hurting her without even trying.”

“She hurts herself, Sadie. There’s nothing you can do about that,” Brody told her. “She’s the one who blabbed about your alias, which led to you performing with Albatross. And she told the world about her cancer, not you. Anything she reaps from this point on is solely from what
she
sowed. It has nothing to do with you.”

“I guess.” Sadie set her beer on the coffee table and rose to her feet. “I should probably go.”

“You sure?” he asked, standing as well. “I can follow you home, make sure that creep doesn’t show up again.”

She smiled tiredly. “No, that’s okay. I appreciate the offer, though.”

“Hey, what’re friends for?” he joked, following her to his front door.

She paused before it, turning her face up to his. She wondered if he would kiss her again, if it was even a good idea. “Is that what we are? Friends?”

“Of course.”

Her heart skipped at the way the brown of his eyes seemed to darken, to intensify. Biting back a smile, she reached up to run her fingertips over his cheekbone and along his jaw line, her eyes tracing the movement. “All of this is such a bad idea.”

“Is it?” he asked as he closed in, backing her up against the door. His hands found her hips as her back hit the cheaply painted wood and brought a flash of awareness to her eyes. The corner of his mouth lifted in a devious grin. “Is this you damning the consequences and letting me in?”

She gave a weak nod the second before he kissed her, the movement fast and desperate and out of control. Her arms encircled his neck as she hung on, her heart stampeding with both joy and fear. Joy at getting what she wanted, and fear of how it could inevitably burst into flames and destroy them both.

The intensity simmered as he savored the taste of her, his mouth trailing to her cheek and then her forehead. Just having her there, feeling those hands of hers on his body was enough to send all kinds of wild thoughts into his brain. She had that effect on him—that enchanting, mind-numbing effect that made everything else seem radically insignificant.

And now he was a doomed man. A seriously, undeniably doomed man.

“I’ll walk you out,” he murmured, nudging her aside so he could open the front door. He lightly grabbed her arm and led her outside, knowing if he kept her there any longer it would lead to something he knew they both weren’t ready for.

Sadie walked with him down the hallway and stairs, unsure what was happening. Unsure what she was letting happen. He said nothing to her until they reached her car.

“Call me when you get home, okay?”

She reached into her purse for her keys, avoiding his eyes. “Okay.”

When she clicked the unlock button on her key ring, he reached over and opened the door for her. “I don’t mean to nag, but are you sure you don’t want me to follow you?”

Sadie climbed into the driver’s seat and faced him with a reassuring smile. “I’m good.”

Brody nodded, then leaned in to give her one last, lingering kiss. He backed away and shut the door, waving to her as he walked backwards across the street.

As he watched her drive away, he mentally kicked himself for letting her get to him the way she did. Then again, from the delirious way she kissed back, it was clear he was getting to her, too.

THOUGH SHE kept an eye on her rearview mirror the entire time, she saw no sign of the black sedan. She took a roundabout route to get back to her father’s home, not using the same street she normally did. By the time she pulled into the driveway and turned off the car, the sun had set and she felt relieved to be home.

She grabbed her cell phone as she locked the front door and did a quick sweep of the house. Satisfied everything was as she left it, she dialed Brody’s number.

“
Everything good?
” he asked, not even waiting for her to speak.

“Yeah. No sign of the black car. It probably was just paparazzi.”

“
Probably. Get some rest, McRae.
”

“I will. Goodnight.”

She hung up the phone and went into the kitchen to pour herself a big glass of wine. Settling onto the sofa, she turned on the television, needing to distract herself before bed. The only thing on was
Family Guy
, so she let the mindless humor drag her out of reality.

Hours later, she’d polished off nearly two-thirds of the bottle of wine and was feeling dizzy and humorous. She giggled as she almost tripped over her own two feet on the way to the bedroom, where she slipped into cotton shorts and a T-shirt. Her eyes drooped as she crawled into bed and turned off the bedside lamp, plunging herself in near darkness. It was enough to send her catapulting into a deep sleep, finally losing the last of her anxiety.

She didn’t know what woke her. It could have been the nightmare of Walker chasing her through the streets of Los Angeles in the black sedan, or perhaps the dull ache of an oncoming headache spawned by too much red wine. Either way, she tossed and turned until she realized she wouldn’t fall back asleep until she got a drink of water and some aspirin.

With a groan, she hauled herself upright and rubbed her eyes. When she opened them, she let her vision adjust to the dark room. Silvery moonlight came in through the window, reminding her that she’d forgotten to close the drapes. She slipped out of bed, only to freeze as a shadow walked across the lawn outside, momentarily blocking the light.

Fear constricted her throat and froze her in place. Her eyes were wide with terror as she stared into the darkness, straining to verify what she saw. Hoping to prove she was just imagining things.

When the silhouette of a man passed right in front of her window and paused, as if staring inside at her, she stumbled backward in panic and fled from the room.

Racing for the kitchen, she snatched her cell phone and frantically dialed 9-1-1. Her body shook with violent tremors as she collapsed onto the kitchen floor, shielding herself from view behind the cabinets.

“
Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?
”

Her mouth moved but words couldn’t seem to form. She smacked herself in the forehead and struggled to breathe. “T-there’s someone walking around outside my house.”

“
What is your location?
”

Sadie gave the address of her father’s home, trying to keep her voice steady.

“
Okay, help is on the way right now. Have they attempted to break in?
”

“I don’t think so,” she replied, pulling her knees up tight against her chest. “Please tell them to hurry. I’m alone.”

“
I need you to stay calm. Are you somewhere safe?
”

“The kitchen, on the floor. I’m too scared to move, they could be right outside. It might be the same person who followed me in my car earlier.”

“
Stay put and be quiet. Tell me if you hear anything. Help should be there any minute.
”

Sadie bit down hard on her lip and hovered in silence, listening for any sound. Within minutes there was a loud knocking on the door, causing her to jump.

The police announced their arrival, so she climbed shakily to her feet, thanked the operator and ended the call. She opened the front door and faced two police officers with their flashlights shining in her face.

“Hi, ma’am. We got a call of a disturbance?” One of the officers said while the other one began to walk around the perimeter of the home, checking for signs of an intruder.

Sadie nodded, her entire body still shaking. “Yes. Come in.”

She showed him the guest bedroom where she saw the shadow and explained how she was followed earlier that day by a black sedan. He took down notes as he listened, then eyed her thoughtfully.

“Ms. McRae, do you think it’s possible you could have a stalker?”

Sadie lowered herself onto the edge of the bed, her head beginning to pound. She rubbed her temple wearily. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

Sympathy crossed his face as he knelt down before her, patting her knee. “Do you have someplace you can stay for the night just in case?”

She thought it over, realizing if she bothered Brody or Tess that they would just freak out. The only other option she had was to go to her mother’s and hope Carla could let her in without bothering Valerie. Though she felt sick at the thought, she nodded.

The other officer walked into the room and said he spotted some footprints outside in the planter, but nothing more. He suggested that she install security lights and possibly even a full alarm system.

“Okay, thank you.” She walked them out, then quickly gathered up an overnight bag and left for her mother’s. The drive felt surreal, as though she were living someone else’s life. This never happened to her. In fact, before tonight, she’d never even called 9-1-1 before. Never needed to. But this was L.A., and it was a world away from the peaceful life she’d led in Tahoe.

When she arrived at her mother’s, she hit the buzzer at the gate and prayed Carla was still around. Instead, Valerie answered and after a moment’s hesitation, let her in. As Sadie parked, her mother came out of the house dressed in a lavender robe with curlers in her hair. Her lips parted in surprise at the sight of her daughter.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, eyes flicking to Sadie’s overnight bag.

Sadie sighed, wishing she was a better liar. “Someone was walking around outside the house. I got spooked so I was hoping I could stay with you for tonight.”

“Oh my God.” Valerie gaped, her hands clutching her chest. “Come in, darling. I knew it was a bad idea for you to stay over there. You belong right here, in your home.”

Sadie kept quiet and let herself be ushered upstairs to her old bedroom, too tired to care. Her mother fluttered about the room to make her comfortable, then at last left her alone to sleep, promising they’d discuss the whole thing in the morning.

Wanting nothing more than to forget it ever happened, Sadie collapsed onto the bed and fell into a troubled, restless sleep.

T
HEY MET at an upscale French restaurant tucked away on Sunset Boulevard. It was one of Tess’s favorite spots, one frequented by celebrities who appreciated the private booths, low-lighting, and award-winning list of fine wine.