Page 86 of Fighting For You
A knock on the front door, then the doorbell itself, cut me off. Our gazes connected and we moved in tandem. I opened it and we found Cookie standing in full kit with black tactical gear, a radio in hand.
“Got ’em. They’re both here. Over.”
A garbled response came through, but Cookie jumped in.
“We’ve got a lead. It’s a strong one. Clock’s ticking. We need you.”
And that was all it took to interrupt the most important conversation of my life. In seconds, we were out the door and on the move.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Jess
Minutes later, Jude and I were pounding up the stairs to the Saint Security building, ready for a full briefing. Cookie’s rushed explanation—that they had reason to believe the producer Jenna mentioned was preying on the young women of Silverton under the guise of casting a new movie and something bad was going down tonight—hadn’t connected many of the dots other than we needed to move asap.
I let myself get swept up in the moment because my mind needed the distraction from… everything.EverythingJude had just laid at my feet.
In effect, he’d laid himself out and said, “I wanted you to take me,” and here I was, focusing on work because my bone-marrow-deep fear was that I couldn’t do it. I wanted to, I’d talked myself into it, almost, before I’d gotten there,but then he’d said so many beautiful, heartfelt,realthings, and I’d…
I kept hearing the past tense. He’d said, “I felt, I felt, I felt…” and though he’d said those insane things about my name on his lips when he died, it was all enclosed in a past tense parenthesis. A bone deep fear had hit when he’d said we’d changed. Wehadchanged… but what if he’d changedforme? What if he didn’t want this, not really, and I was doing it again? What if it was happening again and I was forcing an idea of the future on someone new? He’d said he wanted what I wanted, that it was a yes to everythingIwanted. And I couldn’t have this. Not again.
So I’d gone back to what I always did. I got mad at him for… what? For not telling me he was in love with me? Like he could’ve done that without me thinking he was a liar or rejecting him? What could I possibly have expected, and yet I hadn’t said it back. I couldn’t have summoned those words in that moment, even though my heart felt like it was bleeding love for him even now, as scared as I was.
And then Cookie had interrupted, and for now… for now, that had to be it. Because this was one place I didn’t doubt myself, and I needed my feet on this solid ground. I needed to clear my head, and I knew of nothing better than a boots-on-the-ground work crisis to bring me the clarity my mind so very much lacked and craved.
We didn’t know details yet, and we needed them. Had they alerted the local PD? Sometimes, we got information we could act on and then nudge their way, but sometimes we dove in headfirst and dealt with the fallout. Since Bruce schmoozed with the Chief as often as he could and we’d only ever helped with cases they had, they tended to appreciate us.
In my gut, I knew Kurt was involved. He’d been on theproducer’s security team, so he had to know something was up. But… how much? And was he a part of it, or only on the periphery?
In the briefing room, Tristan was stone-faced, and Kenny was pacing.
“Finally! Damn, were y’all naked or something?” Kenny said, no real heat in his voice.
“Glad you made it,” Tristan said, completely ignoring Kenny’s nonsense and diving right in. “Cara Darling is in the conference room and she’s with Wilder and her stepdad. Between her statements and what Jenna has mentioned to Cookie, we’re fairly certain we need to intervene tonight. Can’t wait on the locals.”
So they wouldn’t wait for the police. Good in some ways, bad in others.
Just then, Julian Grenier ushered his stepdaughter into the room. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her oversized sweatshirt was pulled down over her hands like it could shield her from the outside world.
Wilder nodded at me and Jude, then said in the gentlest voice he possessed, “Can you tell the team what you told me?”
Cara nodded and tucked her long hair behind her ears. “I was with some friends who wanted to go to a party at a house up the canyon. There was a rumor Jack McKean and some other celebrities were going to go, so everyone was freaking out.” She rolled her eyes, then shook her head like she hated the memory. “But then we got there, and it was actually some kind of audition or something? And we got in the house and I saw some people I recognized.”
Her eyes flicked up to mine, then over to Jude’s, then down to her hands. “I saw someone come out of a room and she looked so upset, so I went to check on her and she justfreaked out. Wouldn’t talk to me, and just kept saying, ‘he said he’ll make it worth it,’ or something.” Her gaze found Julian’s. “That’s when I called you. I just had this sick feeling, and then I saw the same security guard that’d been with the producer and—” She crushed her lips together, eyes glassy.
Julian pulled her into his arms and hugged her. She clung to him as he said, “You did the right thing. I’m sorry this happened.” Then his silvery eyes rose to find Wilder’s, and with a voice hard as steel, he said, “We’ll take care of it.”
“I’m so sorry.”
The whispered words came from the doorway where Jenna Halter now stood, a hand pressed over her mouth and eyes full of pain. Cookie moved to her, and she let him tuck an arm around her and usher her inside. But Jenna’s eyes didn’t waver from Cara, who turned to face her.
“I’m so sorry. I should’ve spoken up sooner. I should’ve told someone.” Jenna reached for Cara’s hand. “I’m so sorry.”
Cara launched herself at Jenna and hugged her, talking rapidly as she squeezed her. “I’m sorry you ever had to deal with him. I hate him.”
They separated and Jenna turned to the rest of us. “Anthony Pollusk is most likely sexually harassing these girls, or setting up opportunities to do so. I know this because he harassed me a few years ago right before I got my break and he said he’d ruin me if I told anyone. At the time, I believed him, but obviously, the fear of anything happening has stuck around—even to the point where I have still interacted with him.” She exhaled and looked ill, like the memory of her interactions brought on nausea.
“You’re speaking up now, and this gives us more thanenough to know we need to get there,” Wilder said, then turned to Luc. “Let’s get there.”
