One More Day (5 page)

The fact that he
’
d witnessed his friend pushing her away before they knew he was there helped considerably.

“That’s why I’m calling. I found a group that’s perfect. They’re all gorgeous, well most of them and even better, they’re local.” Leave it to Mac to be more interested in the length of their legs than the quality of their voices.
 

“Can they at least sing? The last time I heard a group you found, only one member could even carry a tune.”
 

Jackson winced at the memory of the pitiful group trying to sing
a capella
. They had all looked like cover models, which was reason enough for Mac to be interested. Jackson couldn’t hold it against him, though. Except for his obsession with beautiful women, Michael MacCrane was the hardest working assistant Jackson had ever had and a good friend.
 

He’d just learned not to trust his instincts when it came to young female singers.

“I’m telling you Jack, these girls have voices like angels. But hey, you don’t have to take my word for it. Girls, sing a few bars for the boss.” There was a ruffling sound as if Mac had put the phone down before he heard someone clear a throat.

It was just a simple rendition of the jazz tune “Cry Me a River” but when they were done, Jackson pumped his fist in the air.
 

This was the break he had been waiting for.

*
 
*
 
*
 
*
 
*

 
RIDLEY ROLLED OVER and yawned. Napping had seemed like a good idea at the time, but she was too anxious to sleep for more than a few minutes here and there, so now she was tired
and
groggy. She reached over to the nightstand where she’d left her cell phone charging.

Still no messages.
 

“Come on, Raina. I really need you to call back.” She blew her hair out of her face and sighed. It was time to consider the possibility that Raina wasn’t going to call her back. They’d never been mad at each other this long before.

Their relationship had been strained ever since she’d decided to look for their father. Their mother had been only too glad to tell them as girls what a good-for-nothing their father was, and how getting herself saddled with two kids was the worst mistake of her life. She
’
d loved their mother but she hadn
’
t been the easiest person to love, even when you were trying. She could understand why Raina didn’t want to meet their other parent when the one they’d grown up with had made them so miserable.
 

But Ridley couldn’t help hoping that maybe their father was different. Maybe he
did
want them. Maybe she’d finally find the family she’d been wishing for her whole life. Not that all her wishing had done her any good.
 

If she had to be locked, out this was a pretty nice place to be, but she still wanted to get to her sister’s house. Imposing on family was one thing, imposing on a perfect stranger was an entirely different matter altogether. Especially when the guy in question was sort of a jerk.

Now that he knew she’d overheard him and that his chances of getting her in bed were nonexistent, he was probably more than ready for her to leave. Having her here was sure to cramp his style when one of his girlfriends came over. Although if his brother was to be believed, he must not have many girlfriends, otherwise he wouldn’t need to hit on the first girl to land in his backyard.

“There has to be something I can do.” The waiting was going to drive her insane. She hated feeling helpless. She sat up and picked up her phone. A few taps later, the contact information for Agent Ian Graham was displayed on her screen. Her thumb hesitated over the number for a moment before she tapped it to initiate the call. It rang three times before she heard his gravelly voice.

“Agent Graham? It’s Ridley Wells.”

“Good to hear from you, Miss Wells. I’ve been trying to get in touch with you. Are you out of town?”

“Just for the weekend. Why?”

“I’m finishing up the accident report.” He cleared his throat. “We’ve been trying to get a clearer picture of what your friend was doing in the days leading up to his death. You said he was a private investigator, right?”

“Yes. I hired him to do a search for my father.”

“How much did he charge?”

Ridley frowned. “He charged by the hour. Usually about a hundred unless it required surveillance. So far, he hadn’t needed to do that. He was mainly looking through paperwork, I think. I know he pulled my mom’s credit history. He was trying to figure out exactly where my mother was living and who she had contact with around the time of my conception.”

“Did he seem to be having money problems?”

“I didn’t think so, but I’m not really sure. Why are you asking all these questions? What does this have to do with his car accident?”

“We’re not sure. We noticed some unusual activity in the past month and thought you might be able to help us put the pieces together.”

“I wouldn’t know anything about his financial situation.”

“You didn’t wire him fifty thousand last week?”

“Fifty thousand? Uh, no. I don’t have that kind of money.” Ridley stated.

“Miss Wells, I don’t want to alarm you but I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that the FBI isn’t usually involved in cases like these.”

“Please tell me what’s going on.”

“Mr. Finemore was spotted with a person of interest in one of my cases. Alberto Moreno. The FBI has been monitoring Mr. Moreno for years. He’s suspected of arms dealing, racketeering, drug trafficking, you name it.”

“Moreno? As in the Moreno crime family?” Ridley squeaked.

“Yes. I’m something of an expert on the Morenos, which is why I was asked to assist with Mr. Finemore’s case. Mr. Finemore was spotted by one of our surveillance teams meeting Moreno the day before his death. Do you have any idea why?”

“Maybe he was doing investigative work for them?”

Agent Graham grunted. “If he was doing work for the Morenos it definitely wasn’t legal. Miss Wells, I know Mr. Finemore was a friend of yours but whatever he got himself into got him killed. You were the last person to see him alive. Somehow, you were also the first person at the scene of the accident.
”

He stopped speaking abruptly. Ridley had the distinct feeling that he hadn
’
t meant to say that last part.

“
What exactly are you implying Agent Graham? You don
’
t think I had anything to do with this, do you?
”

“
I didn
’
t mean that. Miss Wells, we just want to figure out what
’
s going on before anyone else gets hurt. When will you be back in town?”

“I don’t know. I’ll call you back.” Ridley hung up and immediately turned her phone off.

She dragged in a ragged breath, her heart beating so hard she couldn’t hear anything else over the sound. It was tempting to pretend she’d never called Agent Graham. To go on ignoring the signs that had been there since the beginning.
 

Hadn’t she thought it odd that an FBI Agent would be involved in something as simple as a car accident? Now she could no longer ignore the obvious—she was in way over her head. Maybe she should have told Agent Graham that David had come to see her right before the accident. Not that she could see how that would make any difference.

Especially since he already suspected her of killing her friend.

If David had found evidence that Moreno was her father, he would have tried to verify it. But it was doubtful that he would have told Moreno directly of his suspicions. So if she could stay off the grid for a while, there was a good chance that Moreno’s people would never know what he really suspected. If she was lucky, they would never know that he might have a daughter.
Daughters
, she corrected. After all, this wasn’t just about her.
 

It had been big news in Florida when the Moreno’s only son had died. No wonder David had told her to lay low. If he’d suspected her father was a Moreno, then he wasn’t just being paranoid when he’d told her he was on to something dangerous. He’d been trying to protect her.
 

Now he was dead, and if whoever killed him had followed her here, she’d led them right to her sister. If Moreno found her, then it wouldn’t be long before he found Raina, too.

She and her sister might be his only surviving children.

I have to get out of here.

After pulling her cell charger from the wall, she stuffed it in her backpack and made sure it was zipped securely. The thought of someone following her here, possibly hurting her sister or Jackson, made her sick to her stomach. It was a stupid idea to come here. All she’d done was bring trouble to her sister’s doorstep. She was the one who’d wanted to find their father. This was her mess.
 

No one else deserved to be dragged into the maelstrom of her life.
 

The day hadn’t been a total waste because at least she’d been able to rest for a bit and charge her phone. It seemed petty to leave without saying goodbye to Jackson but it was probably easier this way. No explanations. No goodbyes.
 

Business as usual.

“THIS WAY, RAINA! Give us that famous smile, sweetheart!"

"Come on, Legs. Just one shot."

Early Sunday morning, Raina Winters strutted past the horde of paparazzi camped out in front of the Fullerton Hotel, her security team surrounding her like a moving wall of muscle. Her agent had booked her on back to back appearances and photo shoots, so she didn't even have time to enjoy the picturesque hotel with its charming views of the Singapore River. The only thing she would see for the next two weeks unrelated to work was her hotel room, the back of her security chief's tee shirt and the inside of her limo. But it would be worth it to get the first real vacation she'd had since she started modeling.

"Come on, Leggy! Give us a money shot."
 

The paparazzo who yelled out was one of the regulars who followed her from city to city. He was just as annoying as all the others, but at least he sold good shots of her. Unlike the greasy pig who'd deliberately gotten down low to take a crotch shot when she was exiting her limo after a night of partying last year. He'd made her look like she'd been completely wasted and showing her thong on purpose. Anyone would look like they were flashing their underwear if they had someone kneeling in front of them taking a picture!
 

"Just one, Sam," she murmured.
 

Samuel Gannon, her chief of security, turned back to her and nodded. He motioned for the other security guards to flank her, preventing the photographers from getting too close.

She turned to the side, lowered her chin and flashed a wide smile. A blinding flurry of flashbulbs went off as the group scrambled to take shots before she whipped around and ducked into her limo. A second later Sam, and two other security agents, followed. The rest would trail them in a second limo. She only needed this much security when traveling and she couldn
’
t deny that it was weird having so many people following her around.
 

In the beginning she'd tried to keep current on who was guarding her and would chat with them, ask about their families. As time went on and her need for additional security grew, it became too difficult to keep track. Sam had been with her since the beginning and she trusted his judgment.
 

That had to be good enough.

“This morning you have another shoot for,” Sam consulted the clipboard he held, “La Fleur. The skin care company. Then this afternoon, we have the layout for the energy drink.”

“Vitamin supplement.”
 

Sam smirked. “Whatever you want to call it.”

She pulled her cell phone from her purse and turned it on. She'd been so exhausted the night before that she'd shut it off before falling into bed. As it powered up, she looked out the window of the limo as they inched through the crowded streets of Central Singapore. People lined the streets, their garments a kaleidoscope of colors. A bike passed by the limo so closely she wouldn’t be surprised if he’d taken the paint off the door.

It was a controlled chaos and she wished she could stop the limo and go wading in the sea of people. For once, she’d like to actually experience and enjoy a city while she was there. But she was booked solid for the next two days. Then she was off to the Bahamas for her first shoot with Sports Illustrated.
 

It was everything she'd been working toward for the last five years. The only thing she hadn't gotten yet was a major sponsorship deal. Her agent was working on a possible deal with a lingerie company, but she wouldn't agree unless she was going to be treated like a star.
 

If they weren’t going to give her a pair of diamond-studded wings, then it wasn’t worth her time.

The screen of her phone flashed and she swiped her thumb over the face to view her log of missed voicemail messages. Her sister Ridley had called several more times. It was probably time she stopped avoiding her. This was the longest they’d ever gone without speaking since they’d had a crush on the same boy in high school.
 

“Oh crap.”

Sam looked up from the printed schedule he was reviewing. “What? Is everything okay?”

“I’m not sure. My sister came to see me and I forgot to tell her I changed the security code.”

“Oh, you mean the pathetically obvious security code that I made you change a month ago?” His deep laugh sounded more like the growl of an irritable bear. “Who uses their birthday?”