Deadly Obsession (41 page)

Nic stood by the window and eased the curtain aside to watch Lauren leave. As if sensing his presence, she turned and looked up. He let the curtain drop back into place. After waiting a few seconds, he edged the curtain out of the way again. He didn’t want to miss seeing her for what might be the last time.

Inch by agonizing inch, he leaned over until she came into view. The sight below iced his blood, freezing him in place. Lauren lurched and fell against the car, gripping her stomach. Was she hurt?
Jesus Christ!
Had the stalker shot her?

Shaking off the paralysis, he whirled and started running for the door. Kaden stepped in front of him, blocking his path. “Let her go, man.”

Nic glared at his bodyguard. “She’s hurt! I have to help her.” He tried to shove his way past, but Kaden refused to budge. What the fuck was his problem? Anger roared through him. “If you don’t get out of my fucking way right fucking now, this is going to get fucking ugly.”

“It’ll only make things worse if you go down there.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? I can’t leave her to bleed to death in the street like a dog. I love her!” He was shouting now, but he didn’t give a shit. If Kaden wouldn’t let him get to the door, he’d jump out the goddamn window.

Kaden gripped his shoulders. “Listen, man. Lauren’s not hurt. At least not the way you think.”

“But I saw her fall.”

“Out of grief.” Kaden patted his arms and released him. Nic reeled as understanding hit. He stumbled to the couch. How were they going to make it through this? Seeing her fall like that had nearly killed him. He shouldn’t have pushed her to leave. But… she’d decided to leave even before he’d brought it up. So, why was leaving him hurting her so much? Why was it hurting her as much as it hurt him?

Because she hadn’t
wanted
to leave.

He had to make this right. He had to get the stalker out of their lives. One way or another, by Sunday he’d end it.

Fired up, he raced to his bedroom, Kaden close on his heels. He considered the angle of the photo the bitch stalker had sent of Lauren and him. Eyes up, he examined the ceiling.

“What are you looking for?”

“The stalker hid a camera here.”

Shock colored Kaden’s features. “Really? How do you know?”

“The bitch sent me a photo. It was taken here.”

“Can I see it?”

Nic’s head flew around and he practically growled. “No fucking way.”

Kaden held up his hands. “Okay, man. Just asking.”

Christ
. He was the world’s biggest shithead. Of
course
Kaden would ask to see the photo. He had no way of knowing Nic would have to kill him if he ever saw Lauren that way. Nic shook his head and purposely softened his expression. “It’s personal.”

“Enough said.”

“The camera should be positioned high on the wall or on the ceiling.” Their eyes locked. Nic grinned, though it probably looked more like a grimace. “Let’s tear this place apart.”

“Wait,” Kaden said. “Do you have a flashlight?”

Nic grabbed one from the nightstand drawer and handed it to Kaden.

“Perfect.” Kaden hit the lights. “Get the blinds, will you?”

Nic lowered the blinds, plunging the room into darkness. “What now?”

Kaden aimed the beam at the ceiling light fixture. “We look for hiding spots. The camera lens will reflect the light.”

Nic ran to his office and grabbed the extra flashlight he kept in his desk. When he returned, Kaden had finished with the ceiling light and was working his way along one wall. Nic started searching the opposite side of the room. He pulled down every picture and painting, examining every inch. Then he ran the light along the edge of the ceiling. That’s when he spied a tiny glimmer, no more than a speck of light, at the junction of the wall and the crown molding. “I’ve got something!” He climbed onto the dresser to get a closer look.

Kaden pushed a nightstand against the wall and joined him. He leaned in with his flashlight. “Aye, thar she be,” he said in an overblown pirate voice. Nic laughed. Kaden was going to get rich off him, but it wouldn’t be for his acting skills.

After a moment, Nic’s laughter died, and the truth of the discovery hit him. The stalker wasn’t just sending him messages and tracking him through his phone. She was spying on him, in his home. This bitch, whoever she was, had watched him in the most private of places, doing the most private of things with Lauren. Nic barely held himself back from punching a hole in the wall to rip the fucking camera out.

Wordlessly, he signaled to Kaden to move into the hall and closed the door behind them. “You have no idea how much I want to destroy that thing, but after the comment Becker made about leaving the detecting to the detectives….”

“I feel you, man. But it’s better this way. The LAPD has camera detectors. If there are more hidden around the loft, they’ll find them.”

“More? Christ, I hadn’t even thought of that. The bitch has probably been getting her jollies watching me shower.” Nic’s cheeks heated, from anger or embarrassment, he wasn’t sure. Kaden rubbed his mouth, trying to smother a smile.

Under other circumstances, Nic might have gotten a kick out of the situation, too. But Lauren had been in that fucking shower. And there was nothing funny about that. The stalker had video footage. What if she posted everything on the Internet? His hands itched with the desire to tear the place apart, until not a single wall remained untouched, until he’d located and destroyed every last camera.

Nic pulled out his cell phone and called Detective Anderson. “This is Nic Lamoureux. The stalker planted cameras in my loft.”

“Did you touch anything?”

“No.”

“We’ll be right over with the tech crew.”

Nic hung up. “They’re on their way.”

Kaden arched a brow. “And once they’re done, then what? The safety and security of the loft has been compromised.”

Nic nodded. He couldn’t stay here and didn’t want to. Lauren had stayed here with him only one short week, but he felt her presence in every room. Even worse, he now felt the stalker’s presence in every dark corner, every shadow. A shudder flashed up his spine. He never wanted to set foot in this place again.

He had to get up to Montréal and make sure the ranch was still secure, that it hadn’t also been violated by the stalker. And he had to talk to Rachel, let her know he might not be able to pay the blackmail, that their secret might be made public. She’d already suffered so much because of him, and now she might have to share in his humiliation. If she kicked him out of the house, he’d deserve it.

Rubbing his neck, he breathed out a long sigh. His whole fucking life was crumbling—Lauren gone, his career threatened, the sanctity of his home annihilated. The stalker had invaded every aspect of his world and destroyed it.

When Lauren left, she’d taken every hope of happiness with her. Maybe after spending some time on the ranch, the pain of losing Lauren would ease. It was the only place on earth he could breathe, where he could relax and be himself.

Nic’s shoulders sagged. Who was he kidding? He’d never get over losing Lauren.

“What now?” Kaden asked again.

Nic met his bodyguard’s solid, reassuring gaze. He might have lost the woman he would love for the rest of his life, but he would make sure she was safe, wherever she was.

A plan formed in his mind.

He squared his shoulders and thumped Kaden on the back. “Now, we go home.”

Anxiety coiled in the pit of Nic’s stomach as he wheeled the rented SUV onto the narrow country road. He took the next curve, passed a copse of trees, and halted under the large wooden arch engraved with the scripted letters R and H, proclaiming the ranch Rachel’s Haven.

After keying in the security code to open the gates, Nic mentally kicked himself. Turning to Kaden, he grimaced. “If I’d been even half as smart as the stalker and installed a security camera here, we’d at least know who delivered the damn blackmail note.”

Kaden peered over at the mailbox, then up at the arch and nodded. “Yep, but we’ll catch her, anyways.”

Nic drove through the gates and filled his lungs with a breath of clean ranch air, hoping to calm his nerves before facing Rachel. Since the mere mention of the accident brought to mind their father’s rages and hate-filled words, they’d never really discussed what had happened that night thirteen years ago.

The few times the subject had been broached, Rachel had been quick to discount his part in it and changed the subject. If glossing over the truth helped her move on, so be it. Who was he to judge? Clearly, it was something she didn’t want to talk about. But they had to discuss it. He had to tell her he didn’t have the money to pay the blackmail.

After all these years, he was going to hear how she really felt about him, about his role in her injuries. His stomach cramped and bile rose in his throat. Everything he’d done since that day, he’d done for her. If he lost Rachel too, it would kill him. With slightly unsteady hands, he stopped the car in front of the main house and turned off the motor.

Before opening the door, he turned to observe Kaden’s reaction. The house was small, tiny even, compared to Hollywood standards, but it suited them perfectly. Rachel and their mother had instantly fallen in love with the two-story house with its wrap-around veranda, while he’d been captivated by the acres of land surrounding it. Even though he didn’t visit the ranch nearly as much as he’d like to, unlike anywhere else in the world, this was home. “So, what do you think?”

Kaden watched the ranch hands lead the horses out of the stable to frolic in the fields before the kids arrived for their therapy sessions. As the horses’ whinnies reached them, his expression grew wistful, and Nic realized he didn’t know much about his bodyguard beyond his exemplary military record and spotless reputation in the small world of personal security. Kaden glanced at him, then returned his attention to the horses. “I don’t know how you do it.”

“Do what?” Rachel had been running the ranch since she turned eighteen. He didn’t do anything, except send money.

“Live in L.A., and put up with all the shit that goes on there. If I had a place like this”—Kaden indicated the ranch with a sweep of his hand—“I’d never leave.”

Nic let his gaze wander, taking in the house, the land, the animals, and sighed. “I do it because I have to.” He’d been planning to cut back on the number of movies he did, but now, that wouldn’t be possible.

“Not that I want to stick my nose in your business, but I have heard the rumors. You earned millions from
Bad Days
alone. With that kind of money, you could quit Hollywood today and still live comfortably for the rest of your life.”

Holding up his empty hands, Nic shook his head. “I’m broke.”

Kaden’s brows shot up. “What?”

“Apparently, before he died, David invested my money in several bad ventures. Then Vivian
borrowed
most of what was left.” He made quotes in the air with his fingers. “It’s pretty much all gone.”

Fucking bitch
. Kaden didn’t say the words out loud, but Nic read them clearly in his expression. “What’re you going to do?”

Nic gave a half shrug, trying to look casual as he opened the door. “The only thing I can do: keep working.”

“Nic!” He heard Rachel calling him from the house’s large front porch. A brilliant smile lit her face when he turned to her. Slightly in front of her, his stance protective, stood a large man, who by the resemblance to Rémi, had to be his cousin, Tommy. Nic slammed the door shut and raced up the wheelchair ramp. After briefly greeting the man, he bent down to give Rachel a hug. “It’s so good to have you home again,” she said against his shoulder.

He tightened his hold on her, then released her and crouched on his haunches. “How are you, Rachel?”

“I’m doing great.” The optimism in her voice warmed him. “The doctor said the fracture is healing more quickly than he’d anticipated. If things keep going this way, I can start some light physical therapy on that leg too in a couple months.”

Nic gripped her hands and bent to kiss her knuckles, hiding his face. He swallowed hard to push down the lump in his throat. “Thank God,” he managed to murmur. He heard heavy footsteps on the ramp and stood up as Kaden joined them. “Rachel, Tommy, this is Kaden Christiansen, my bodyguard.”

Kaden took Rachel’s hand. “Pleased to meet you, Ms. Lamoureux.”

“Please, call me Rachel.”

Kaden nodded, then shook hands with Tommy. Nic placed his hand on Rachel’s shoulder as he pinned Kaden with a sharp stare. “Rachel is your new number one priority.”

“If I’m Kaden’s
new
number one priority, who was his last?”

Nic absorbed the words like a punch in the gut—hard. He glanced at Kaden, but the fucker just shrugged.
Shit
. Nic really didn’t want to talk about Lauren right now.

Kaden gave him a slight reprieve when he picked up the luggage and asked, “Why don’t I take these inside?”

“Thanks, man,” Nic said, barely suppressing his sarcasm. “Pick a room on the second floor for yourself. Mine’s on the top floor.” When they’d moved into the house, he’d had the attic converted into a suite for himself, and the first floor extended to include a suite for Rachel. Between her rooms on the ground floor and the three bedrooms on the second, there’d be plenty of room for Rachel’s family, if she married someday. It pleased him to imagine the sound of her kids running up the stairs to his attic room to wake up their lazy uncle.