Dangerous Kiss (46 page)

He rang the doorbell again, waiting impatiently for a response. Nobody came.

Goddamn Irena! The press could be here any minute, and he wanted to get safely inside before they arrived. He rang a third time. Still no answer. He searched his pockets, finally coming up with the elusive key. He let himself in quickly.

The first thing he noticed as he entered the house was a strange smell - kind of a musky, pungent odour.

'Irena!' he called out. 'Where the hell are you?'

Throwing off his jacket, he started upstairs. Things were turning to shit. He had a son being tried for murder, an ex-wife who was the joke of the century, and his career was going to pot. Plus he had no time to work on new material, and his movie had been put on hold. Fuck! What else could go wrong?

What was it with kids today? Didn't they have any conscience? He'd raised Teddy so carefully, giving him all the guidance he'd never had himself. And even if Teddy hadn't pulled the trigger, he'd been there, watching, while that little Russian witch had blown Mary Lou Berkeley away. And Teddy, the dumb shit, hadn't done a thing to stop her.

Price shook his head. Right now he needed some pleasure. He needed to get high.

One joint. Was that such a terrible thing? One joint and a woman.

Hey - not a bad idea. One joint, one woman, and a good steak dinner. He'd take the fortunate lady to Dan Tana's.

Yes. That's exactly what he needed. One long night of mindless sex.

Naturally Krissie came to mind. He hadn't spoken to her since he'd dumped her at Venus's party, but she was the sort of woman who was always available to a star. And he wouldn't mind burying his head in those huge silicone boobs and forgetting about everything.

He walked into his bedroom and was startled to see that his bed was unmade.

Then he heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. It sounded like someone was in there taking a shower.

'Irena!' he called out again. 'You there?'

No answer.

The smell he'd detected in the hall was even stronger now, a weird mix of scents.

God! he thought. Don't tell me a fan has broken in and is taking a shower in my bathroom. Stranger things had happened.

Tentatively he entered his bathroom. The shower was indeed running, but the cubicle was empty, the etched-glass door swinging open, water starting to spill out on to the marble floor.

Every bottle of aftershave he possessed was open and lying around the black porcelain sink, the contents splashed all over the room. And sitting in the middle of the bathroom floor, tied to a stool, was Consuella - her mouth taped, hands and ankles bound to the chair. She was naked.

He stared at her.

She stared back at him, a hysterical whimper emerging from the back of her throat.

'Jesus!' he yelled. 'What the fuck . . .' Then he called 911.

Lucky was confused, she, who was usually so together. Lunch with Alex and Venus had thrown her. She wasn't an idiot, she was well aware how Alex felt about her, and even though he was still with Pia, she knew he'd drop his girlfriend in a minute if she gave him any encouragement at all. So the fact that even Alex was trying to persuade her to take Lennie back made her think about it very carefully.

On her way home she called Gino from the car. 'How'ya doin', old man?' she asked.

'Who the fuck you callin' old man?' he grumbled, feisty as ever.

'The kids are coming to stay with you again this weekend,' she informed him. 'I'm starting to think they're spending more time with you than with me.'

'And I'm startin' to think you should let 'em see their father,' he responded gruffly.

Why was everyone ganging up on her at the same time? 'Has Lennie been phoning you?' she asked suspiciously. 'You gotta let him see the kids, Lucky,'

Gino said. 'It ain't fair.'

'Why?' she demanded, more than a little irritated.

' 'Cause if you don't, he'll get a fuckin' lawyer to make sure he does. Tell him he can drive to Palm Springs this weekend.'

'You mean you'd have Lennie stay at the house?' she said furiously. 'Maybe he should bring the Bonnatti girl? Would you like that too?'

'Don't get cunty with me, kiddo. He can come an' stay, an' if he wants he can bring the other kid.'

'Fuck you, Gino!' she yelled, and slammed down the phone, almost rear-ending a truck.

What was going on here? Didn't anyone get it? Didn't anyone understand how Lennie had betrayed her?

She was mad as hell. Yet… she knew she wasn't being fair to little Gino and Maria. They should, see their father, she had no right to deprive them of that.

Feeling guilty, she called Gino back. 'Okay,' she said guardedly. 'If you want to see him so much, you call him. He's shacked up at the Chateau Marmont with the Sicilian. Invite him down, I don't care. But you'd better not invite her.'

'Calm down,' Gino said. 'It don't suit you to be hysterical.'

'And it doesn't suit you to be on his side,' she retorted sharply. 'And, for the record - I am not hysterical.'

'Hey, what's right is right.'

'I hear you, Gino. And if you think what Lennie did was right, then your opinion is shit!'

'Well, anyway, kid,' he said, ignoring her outburst, 'I'm lookin' forward to seeing the little ones. An' since it's okay with you, I'll give Lennie a buzz.'

'I repeat. As long as he doesn't drag along that - that woman.'

'Okay, okay, I got the message. Is it all right with you if he brings the kid?'

'Why not?' she drawled sarcastically. 'You can all have a nice time with the little Bonnatti brat. I'm sure it'll be wonderful.'

She slammed down the phone again, immediately regretting she'd told Gino it was okay. How could she allow little Gino and Maria to meet Leonardo, or whatever the stupid boy's name was? They might even like him. This was impossible.

She imagined the situation in reverse. What if she'd got pregnant after her one night with Alex? What if she'd said to Lennie, 'Oh, here's a little Alex Woods junior for you.' Would he have accepted that? No freaking way! He didn't like Alex as it was.

Ha! He should like Alex. Alex was the one trying to persuade her to take him back.

God, she was so furious! And, on top of everything else, she'd had to sit in court all day listening to the lawyers' opening statements, and watching the girl with the thin pointed face and the black boy with his rich fat-cat white Beverly Hills lawyers, who were so sure they were going to get him off just because his daddy was a famous person.

If it was up to her, she would've hauled Mila Kopistani and Teddy Washington outside, and given them both a taste of what they'd given Mary Lou.

She called her service. There were several messages, the most important one from Boogie in Rome. She had no desire to hear more bad news but, then again, she needed to know what was going on with Brigette.

She called him back, even though it was three in the morning in Italy.

'Hey,' Boogie answered, sounding alert. 'Knew it was you.'

'How did you know that?'

'Other people are thoughtful, Lucky. They'd wait until six at least.'

'Don't criticize me, Boog.' She sighed. 'I've had it with criticism today. What have you found out?'

'It's not good, not bad.'

'Tell me.'

'Carlo flew back here with Brigette and took her to live at the family home - some kind of rundown palace just outside Rome. They holed up there for a while, and when I went looking for them, Carlo's mother, who barely speaks English, informed me they'd gone.'

'Gone where?'

'That's what I'm trying to find out.'

'I'm worried about her, Boog. You didn't see her when she was here, it wasn't our Brigette.'

'I've made a solid connection so hang in there. You'll hear from me as soon as I have something.'

'I'd get on the next plane if I could, but I'm in court every day and my movie starts shooting in four weeks.'

'If I need you, I'll call.'

'Yes, and if it's an emergency I can be there immediately.'

'I'll be in touch.'

At least Boogie knew what he was doing. Lucky felt confident that if anything was going on with Brigette, he would find out. She drove home with a lighter heart.

'How do you feel it went today?' Howard asked, driving his maroon Bentley along Wilshire.

Sitting next to Howard in his fancy car, Teddy wondered how Price's stuffy lawyer had become his new guardian. Why couldn't he come and go with his dad every day? What was so terrible about that? ' 'S all right,' he said carefully, although it wasn't all right at all. He'd had a terrible day, listening to the attorneys present their case, painting him as some drunken jerk who'd aided and abetted Mila on her bloodthirsty mission.

'You like Mason, huh? He's a good man?'

He's white. You're white, Teddy thought. What's not to like? Both of them were working for his dad. Both of them were highly overpaid. This whole deal must be costing Price a shitload of money.

'Yes,' he lied, although the truth was he considered Mason Dimaggio to be a bossy asshole. What was with the ridiculous suits and hats he wore? And why were they forcing him, Teddy Washington, to look like such a geek?

'Your mother's something else,' Howard remarked, a derogatory sneer on his smug, pampered face.

'She used t' be beautiful,' Teddy said defensively.

'Price showed me the wedding pictures the other day,' Howard said, checking out his appearance in the rear-view mirror. 'She was a beauty, all right. Shocking how people let themselves go.'

'Do I havta drive to court with you every day?' Teddy asked, fiddling with the radio control.

'It's the way your father wants it,' Howard replied, swatting Teddy's hand away.

Sure, Teddy thought. It's what my dad's paying for. That's the only reason you're doin' it.

As they proceeded down Wilshire, two police cars raced up behind them.

Howard drew into the kerb, allowing the two cars to scream their way past. 'This will not be a pleasant experience for the next few weeks, Teddy, but you'll come through it,' he remarked. 'All the wiser I hope.'

' 'S'pose so,' Teddy mumbled, staring out the window at a girl on a bicycle wearing red shorts and a tight tank. She reminded him of Mila.

'Remember to be yourself,' Howard lectured. 'You're a nice boy, not a wild kid.

You were led astray. That's our case and we're sticking with it. But you have to back us up. Your demeanour in that courtroom means everything.'

Teddy shifted in his seat. Driving to and from court every day with Howard Greenspan was going to be torture. Fortunately, they were almost home.

As they neared the house, Teddy noticed the two police cars that had roared past them a few minutes ago were now parked outside. 'Why're they here?' he asked.

Howard slowed his Bentley, took a look out the window and groaned. 'It's probably something to do with the press,' he said shortly. 'I've told Price to control his temper. Let's hope he hasn't hit anybody.'

'Why'd he do that?'

'Because your dad is angry about all the publicity,' Howard said, pulling up behind the second police car. 'He's angry and frustrated. Have you any idea what this is doing to him?'

What about me? Teddy thought. I'm the one sitting in that courtroom getting accused of all kinds of shit.

They got out of the gleaming Bentley. Howard locked it and hurried over to a uniformed cop standing outside the house. 'I'm Mr Washington's lawyer,' he said officiously. 'What's happening here?'

The cop shrugged. 'You'd better go inside,' he said.

'Was Mr Washington involved in a fight?'

'There's been a robbery,' the cop said. 'And a rape.'

'Christ!' Howard exclaimed heatedly. 'More bad publicity! This is all we need.'

Chapter Seventy-six

The realtor was a petite bottle blonde clad in an expensive Escada suit, diamond-stud earrings, and extremely high heels. In her fifties, she had a permanent smile and an overly friendly manner.

'Mr Golden,' she gushed, as he got out of his car, 'or can I call you Lennie?'

'Sure,' he said, walking up to the front door of the house she was about to show him.

'This is a most delightful house,' she said, inserting a key and letting them in. 'It's up for rent, but the owner has said that because it's you he might be prepared to sell, furnishings and all. The house was once rented by Raquel Welch. And last year a very famous young television star lived here for several months.' The woman lowered her voice. 'She insists we protect her privacy, so I'm not allowed to reveal her name.'

Big deal, Lennie thought, checking out the spacious front hallway.

'Do look around,' the realtor continued. 'I think you'll find this is an excellent house for you, with the added advantage of a panoramic view of the city. And, of course, all the rooms offer a terrific flow for entertaining.'

He followed her around the one-storey house located high up on Loma Vista. It had three bedrooms, all with bathrooms en suite, three entertainment rooms, a large country-style kitchen, a pool, and a tennis court. It was really too big and fancy for what he wanted.

'How much is the owner asking?' he enquired.

'Three million,' she said, as if this was a bargain price. 'However, I'm sure we can get it for less.'

'And the rental is?'

'Twelve thousand per month.'

'I told you over the phone I was looking for something in the six to eight thousand range,' he said, annoyed that she was wasting his time.

'Yes, indeed you did, Mr Golden - Lennie. But when I saw this house, it seemed so perfect. You mentioned wanting three bedrooms and a view, and after all, Suzanne Sommers did live here.'

He threw her a quizzical look. 'I thought you said Raquel Welch.'

'They both lived here,' she said, not batting an eyelash at her obvious lie.

This woman was beginning to irritate him. He'd clearly told her over the phone that eight thousand was his limit, which to his way of thinking was far too much anyway. However, he did not want to spend all his time searching for houses for months on end. His priority was getting Claudia and Leonardo settled and out of his life.