Protecting Lulu (Global Protection Agency) (22 page)

“We
need to have girl night. I want to know why you didn’t go to high school.”

E.J.’s
eyebrows lifted. “I’m surprised you went to a public high school.”

“Aunt
Julia didn’t want us growing up as snotty, spoiled little bastards. And the
best way she could do that was to send us to public schools. We didn’t even get
into Ivy League colleges. Wilder went to UC Berkley and I went to NYU.”

“Let
me play devil’s advocate here. You still had a little golden cushion. Your
family is worth what twenty billion dollars?”

“I
thought it was more,” Lulu said.

“After
the first two or three billion, does it really matter?” E.J. said with a laugh.

Lulu’s
eyebrows rose. “What does one say after a statement like that?”

“All
of that learning to be a better person was for what?”

“It
means we treat the people who work for us with kindness and respect and value
what they do.”

“You
spend a lot of money. You live lavishly. You don’t apologize for it and you buy
the best of everything.”

“When
I spend money, a lot of people get a paycheck. I buy American when I can. I
make sure my companies uses American products whenever possible. My clothing
line, cosmetics and perfume will be made affordable and in the U.S. I may
purchase a $2000 dress, but I sell luxury on a budget. My clothing line is made
in New York’s garment district. I can walk there and make sure no one is chained
to a sewing machine, working sixteen hours a day. The fabric I buy isn’t being
loomed by a five year old sold into slave labor. I do not make as much money as
I could but I’m proud of being a capitalist. If you work for me, you make a
living wage and have health benefits. So no, I’m not ashamed of how I live.”

“You
do live better than most people.”

Lulu
didn’t have to justify anything she did, but she did feel she owed E.J. some
sort of explanation. “I know we make a lot of money, but we also give a lot of
money away to a number of charities. Trust me I’m on everybody’s list for a
donation.” Lulu settled back against the Corinthian leather to watch the city
blocks fly past. Even though it was January, people flocked along the
sidewalks.

Lulu
glanced at E.J. “Did I pass your test?”

E.J.
gave her a small smile. “You’re good people, Lulu Bennington. Your heart and
your wallet are in the right place.”

Lulu
simply smiled and made a vow to find out this woman’s story. E.J. was an enigma
wrapped around a conundrum and Lulu was curious enough that she was ready to start
her own investigation.

Night
was just being to fall as Noah turned on the street. Jake O’Malley lived in a
historic apartment building in Tribeca. Noah parked in a garage across the
street and then he and E.J. walked across the busy street and into the foyer. A
doorman held the door open as they left the city noise outside. Noah signed in
and the doorman told him they were expected and directed them to the elevator.

“What
did you do to get him to agree to see us?” Noah asked as they ascended in the elevator.

“I
just called and told him I was Lulu’s new personal assistant and I needed to
talk with him. He didn’t even ask what I wanted, but told me he was available
anytime.” E.J. leaned back against the elevator wall.

The
elevator came to a smooth stop, the doors opened to an elegantly carpeted
hallway with three doors—two on either side of the hall and one at the end. Noah
stepped out onto the plush carpeting. He walked to the end and pushed the
buzzer twice. E.J. tapped her foot as they waited.

A
man opened the door, looked them up and down. “May I help you?”

“E.J.
Wexler and Noah Callahan to see Mr. O’Malley.”

 He
gestured them inside. “Mr. O’Malley will be here in a moment.” The man
disappeared down a hallway without saying anything else.

Noah
walked inside and glanced around. The hallway opened to a large living room
with a bank of windows overlooking Central Park. The room was mostly white. White
walls, white carpeting, white leather furniture. The only accent color was a
few vases in black with a large painting completely black with a white dot in
the center. E.J. walked over to the painting, and Noah could feel her
appraising. She walked closer and peered at it, her nose almost against the
canvas.

“Stop
casing the joint, E.J.” Noah ordered.

She
turned and grinned. “This is a fake.”

“How
the hell do you know?”

“I
stole the real one four years ago and I know where it is.” She strolled along
the wall.

“At
your house?”

“Not
my style,” she answered. “But under the terms of our agreement, I told you I would
reveal none of my crimes.”

Noah
liked E.J. except when she was being mysterious. Though he knew enough about
her background, he’d never really questioned her about a lot of the details
she’d left out. She was good at her job and he liked her as though she were his
younger sister. People underestimated her all the time because she was small
and looked delicate, but he knew she was trained in several different forms of
martial arts and had a core of hardened steel.

“What’s
your impression of these people?” Noah asked when she stopped to look at
another painting.

“They
try too hard.” She turned away from the painting to stand in front of a window.

“We’ll
talk about it later,” Noah said.

Jake
O’Malley opened the door. He looked rumpled with his hair a mess and his eyes
only half-opened. “You must be E.J. What can I do for you?” He stuck out his
hand.

E.
J. extended her hand. “Thank you for seeing us on such short notice.” She
hitched a thumb over her shoulder at Noah. “This is Noah Callahan.”

Pretty
boy flashed a million dollar smile as he took her hand. E.J. looked a little
dazed. Noah got the sense he was eager to please. Good, he could work with
that.

He
shook Noah’s hand. “So what can I help you with? Is this about the charity ball
coming up?”

“No.”
Noah shook his head. “We’re investigating some incidents.”

“Incidents?”
Jake looked surprised, but quickly got control of himself.

“A
week ago, Ms. Bennington was almost hit by a car,” Noah said.

“I
heard about that. I thought it was just an accident.”

Noah
watched the other man. He was almost too relaxed, too nonchalant. Noah wasn’t
certain whether to be suspicious or not.

“It
wasn’t an accident,” E.J. said. “It was a deliberate attempt on Ms.
Bennington’s life.”

Jake
tensed. “You’re kidding me. Who would want to hurt Lulu?”

Noah
took a step into O’Malley’s personal space, trying to rattle him. “We were
hoping you could tell us.”

Jake
studied Noah but didn’t move back. “You think it was me?”

“Where
were you last Friday at 7:35 in the evening?”

Jake
sat up straighter, suddenly more alert than he’d been a second before. “Are you
with the police? Do I need my attorney?”

“My
firm has been employed by Ms. Bennington to investigate the matter. If you need
your attorney present, we can wait.”

Jake
thought about that for a moment and then shook his head. “I didn’t try to run
Lulu down with a car. I would never do something like that.”

“Where
were you?” Noah prodded.

Jake
wet his lips, confusion on his face. “Well…I was home.”

Lie
number one, Noah thought. “Anyone who can confirm that?”

“No,
Bethany was on a night shoot.” He glanced down nervously at his hands.

“You
were here alone and no one can confirm that?”

“I’m
sure the doorman can,” Jake said hopefully.

Noah
already knew he’d be talking to the doorman on the way out. Hopefully, he’d
been on duty at the time. “Where were you on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.?”

Jake’s
confusion deepened. “I was home alone again. I had a pile of scripts to read.”

“Anyone
who can confirm that?” E.J. asked.

“The
doorman,” Jake said hopefully. “I don’t know what you’re getting at, but I
swear I would never do anything to hurt Lulu. I love her.”

Noah
knew he didn’t mean to say that. “Really?”

“We’re
friends … we always will--”

“Why
are you with Bethany?” E.J. asked.

“I…um…I…”
He looked away, color in his cheeks. After a second he covered his face with
his hands.

Noah
watched the other man. This guy was falling apart.

“So
you traded in Lulu for a skinnier model,” E.J. said accusingly.

Jake
looked up. He rubbed his temples. “I don’t know what the hell I was thinking. Have
you ever had the perfect life and then screwed it up?”

Noah
shook his head. E.J. simply stared at Jake.

“Do
you know what it’s like being with Lulu?” Jake asked.

“Do
tell.” E.J. crossed her arms over chest.

Noah
could tell she was enjoying putting him on the spot and truth be told, so was
he. Nothing like making an idiot feel stupider than he thought he was.

“I
don’t know,” he said. “Having sex with Lulu was incredible. Just watching Lulu
eat gave me a boner. She’s so soft and smelled so good. And…and…everything
about her was as exciting as it was comfortable.” He looked at Noah. “Have you
ever been comfortable with a woman? Knowing that she’s there just for you? Wanting
to be a better man just for her. I’m a fucking failure.”

E.J.’s
eyebrows rose. “Dude, you’re an idiot.” Her voice rose. “You gave up Lulu for
that…for that…”

“I
wanted the brass ring.”

“You
gave up the platinum one,” E.J. said angrily.

Noah
didn’t know why E.J. was angry, but she stood and towered over Jake, looking like
she wanted to hit him.

Noah
grabbed her arm. “I think we’ve heard enough. Thank you for your time, Mr.
O’Malley.”

As
Noah pulled E.J. toward the door, Jake O’Malley burst into tears.

In
the elevator, E.J. took a deep breath.

“Are
you okay?” Noah asked.

“I
used to think he was a total stud, but he’s just a pecker-head loser. He gave
up Lulu for that overpriced show pony.” She glared at Noah, one finger an inch
from his nose. “You better not mess this up, or I swear to God I’m going to be
mad at you until the next millennia. You ride this train until she kicks you
off.”

“I’m
not dating Lulu,” Noah said, uncertain how he got on the defensive. He started
to open his mouth to say more, but E.J. brought up her finger and waved it at
him.

“Don’t
bother to deny it. I can see the way you look at her and the way she looks at
you. You want her. She wants you. Stop fucking around and get down to
business.” She leaned back against the elevator wall; arms cross over her
chest, glaring at Noah accusingly.

Noah
leaned against the opposite side of the elevator, trying to ignore E.J. and her
reproving stare. “Why are you so angry? I think Jake’s an idiot, too.” A guy
didn’t trade up any further than Lulu Bennington. Getting Lulu was like trading
in a paper airplane and getting a space shuttle.

E.J.
sputtered. “But…but…you don’t understand. Lulu is all about making women
comfortable in their own skin. She’s like a best friend, therapist, and mom
rolled into one. Jake traded in a real woman for an accessory.”

“Huh?”
Noah said. His little tomboy E.J., who only cared about books and guns, was
turning into a girly girl.

She
flung out her arms. “Bethany Forrester is nothing more than a brand name purse
that looks good with your shoes and your outfit. She isn’t the outfit, she just
makes the outfit look better.”

“Are
you saying that Jake thinks of himself as the main attraction and he only has Bethany
with him because she makes him look better?”

“Yeah,
pretty much,” E.J. said, satisfaction on her face.

If
I were to be with Lulu, what am I?
Noah asked himself.
A belt, a scarf, some
earrings?
“Strangely, that makes sense and I’m a little worried that I got
it.”

E.J.
smiled at him. “You have to understand. Lulu spends a lot of time making women
feel good about themselves and Jake hurt her. His choice of Forrester sent her
a message that she wasn’t good enough in her skin for him.”

“Where
do you get all this information?” Noah asked.

“From
Aiden, he’s a talker.”

“You
two are strange friends. You have no business being together.”

“That’s
the point,” E.J. said.

“This
chick talk is confusing me.”

“You
are my co-worker,” E.J. said, “we’re forced to get along. Not that it’s a
hardship because I like you and all the boys. In my life I’ve had co-workers or
co-conspirators forced together for the sake of the job. Aiden and I have
nothing in common, yet we like each other. So yeah, we’re friends. When this
job is over, we’re still going to do lunch, go shopping and probably get
mani-pedis.”