Protecting Lulu (Global Protection Agency) (25 page)

“Terry
might not lie to you, but what makes you think Jake tells Terry the truth?”
Mark’s fingers practically danced over his iPad.

“Personal
assistants have to keep track of their people. We make their appointments and
make sure they are where they need to be, dressed properly, and on time. It’s
our job to know where our people are twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.”

“That
sounds like way more work than I ever want to do.”

“Most
PAs are worth every penny they make and in some cases don’t make. Lulu treats
me with respect and dignity. She pays me in a year more than most PAs make in a
decade. Why don’t I give Terry a call and see what he can tell us?”

“No,”
Mark said, “I don’t want O’Malley knowing we’re investigating him anymore. I’ll
do it my way.”

“You’re
not going to be able to get into his phone records, because people in his
position surround themselves with layers of security. Especially after the ScarJo
incident. Everybody is super paranoid.”

Mark
just grinned. “You don’t understand. I accepted fifteen contracts to work on
security after the ScarJo incident. Trust me, I can break into anything because
I wrote the software.”

 Aiden
felt a thrill. He and Mark made a good team. Mark did his high-tech and Aiden
found his information the old school way.

Lulu
left her trailer. She had changed her coat for a black evening gown and a
matching shawl. While she waited for the photographer to set up for the next
set of shots, she chatted with the crowd pushing against the barricades and
signed autographs. Aiden gazed at her fondly.

Noah
stood on the sidewalk, his gaze flicking back and forth from her to the
building beyond. He kept away from the lights that would blind him. Aiden knew
Noah had guards everywhere.

“Bingo,”
Mark suddenly said.

Aiden
brought his attention back. “What’s a bingo?”

Mark
showed Aiden the iPad pointing to an entry. “Jake O’Malley appears to have
spent the weekend at the Waldorf.”

“That
doesn’t mean anything. He would come and go, though staying at the Waldorf
isn’t particularly suspicious.”

“It
is when the accident happened less than two blocks from the Waldorf,” Mark
added. He read down the entries, his eyes scanning quickly. “He also charged $30,000
to a company called LBD Entertainment. I need to find out what that is.”

“LBD
Entertainment is a front for prostitution.” Aiden said.

“30
K worth of hookers? Damn I’m kinda impressed.”

“They’re
high-end escorts.”

Mark
stared at him. “How do you know this?”

“Lulu
sells a lot of her clothes for charity. They buy a ton of Lulu’s dresses every
year and I got curious to know why. So I did some research and discovered what
the company is all about. They employ plus size women as escorts.”

“What
did Lulu say?” Mark asked his eyes wide with surprise.

“I
kinda kept that tidbit on the down low. She’d want them on her show.”

“You
look a little pleased with yourself,” Mark said.

“I
knew it.” Aiden said with a little up and down jump on the balls of his feet. “I
knew it. I knew it. TCB is his beard. I knew he had a big thing for Lulu and
he’s only going out with the TCB for the photo op. I’m glad Lulu doesn’t want
him back.” If she took Jake back, Aiden would quit. For real this time.

“I’m
not following you, Aiden,” Mark said, looking confused.

“Jake
O’Malley is a chubby chaser, that’s why he took up with Lulu. He only dropped
her because his agent made him and he has no spine.” Aiden paused to look at
Mark. Mark wasn’t his typical date. His friends would take one look at Mark
with this tattoos and leathers and wonder what kind of man Mark was. No one in
Aiden’s circle of friends would ever look at someone like Mark, yet Aiden
realized he’d been dating guys for the photo-op, too. No wonder he was alone
after all this time. Mark was a man who was brilliant and funny, kind and
tender. Mark wasn’t a pretty boy and wouldn’t fit into Aiden’s world. Yet,
Aiden wanted to know him better, to spend time with him and go with what he was
feeling. Maybe what he needed to do was change his world.

“What
are you thinking, Aiden?” Mark asked as he continued to tap away on his iPad.

“I’m
reevaluating my life choices because I just realized I’m almost as shallow as
Jake O’Malley.”

Mark
bent over and kissed Aiden lightly on the lips. “Hold that thought while I look
something else up.”

Aiden’s
phone rang. He answered it and listened for a moment. He disconnected and
looked at Mark. “That was Calvin, Lulu’s butler. He and his wife had the
weekend off and decided to visit their daughter in Newark. When they got home,
they found the house broken into and pretty much trashed.”

“I’ll
get Noah,” Mark said.

Lulu
could only stare in shock at her bedroom.

The
mattress had been ripped off the bed frame, pillows scattered around the room. Drawers
from her dresser had been tossed on the floor. Her underwear had been flung so
forcefully a bra hung from a light fixture. Clothes from her closet had been
dumped in a pile in the middle of the closet floor. A perfume bottle had been
smashed and the scent of Lulu’s favorite cologne hung heavy in the air.

John
Hathaway, a police detective friend of Noah’s, surveyed the damage while the
CSIs took photographs and collected evidence. They all wore sterile booties
over their shoes and latex gloves on their hands.

Lulu
felt violated, angry, and scared. At least the vandal hadn’t harmed her
ceiling. Marc Chagall had painted it. Lovers entwined and Lulu loved to lay on
her bed and gaze at it.

“Can
you see if anything is missing, Miss Bennington?” John Hathaway stepped over a
pile of shoes with the stilettos broken off.

Lulu
shook her head helplessly. She walked around the room as best she could without
stepping on anything. She stopped at her vanity and saw the frame containing a
photo of her parents on their wedding day broken in half. The photo itself had
been torn into a dozen pieces. Lulu could feel tears prickling at the corners
of her eyes. She wiped them away.

Noah
pulled her out of her bedroom and down the hallway to the stairs. John Hathaway
followed after a few last instructions to the crime scene technicians.

Noah
settled her in the living room, the detective sat across from her with an open
notebook in one hand and a pencil poised over it as he jotted a few notes.

“Why
didn’t you report the threats, Noah?” Hathaway asked.

Lulu
looked at the detective. “You do know my brother is Wilder Bennington and he
and the chief of police have an ongoing issue, don’t you?”

“Miss
Bennington, I know. But a crime is a crime and I will do everything in my power
to protect you.”

“That’s
Noah’s job,” Lulu replied.

The
detective simply glanced at Noah and then back to Lulu. Lulu tried to
concentrate on his words, but they made no sense. She heard the words, but her
mind kept skittering away.

“John,”
Noah said quietly. “Can we do this later? I don’t think Ms. Bennington is up to
answering any questions. There isn’t anything we can tell you. The house was
empty all weekend.”

Hathaway
wrote something into his notebook. “I want to know about the other threats to Ms.
Bennington.”

“I’ll
send a full report to you by tomorrow morning.”

A
commotion sounded at the front door and Wilder stalked in looking frazzled and
pale, panic on his face. Aiden followed wringing his hands.

“Pack
a bag, you’re coming home with me,” Wilder said, fear vibrating in his voice.

“No,”
Lulu said, shaking her head. “If I do that, they win.” And she wasn’t going to
let the sick bastard win.

“I
don’t care what they think.”

“I’m
perfectly safe, Wilder. Whoever broke in did so because he or she knew I wasn’t
home. This is a war of terror and I refuse to be terrified. This is my home. I’m
not going to let some thug take away my feeling of security.” After her
parents’ murder, Lulu had had a hard time coming back. Everywhere she looked
she saw little things that her mother had made, that her grandmother had done. A
chair in the corner of the living room had a needlepoint seat that her
grandmother had designed and stitched. A portrait of her grandmother hung in
the hall. Lulu knew if she left now, she’d never come back.

“This
is my home, Wilder,” Lulu continued. “Everywhere I look I see memories. I
remember when I used to hide in the grandfather clock in the hallway even
though it has beveled glass on three sides.”

“You
were only four at the time,” Wilder put in with a small grin.

“I
remember Penny shuddering when she found me in it.” Lulu said. “I remember when
Marc Chagall painted the ceiling in my bedroom. Grandpa ordered it for Penny
and one day I was allowed to watch Mr. Chagall work. Mom and dad shared that
room after grandpa and Penny, and one day I’m going to share that room with my
husband. No one is chasing me out of this house.” Lulu’s voice rose. “No one,”
she half shouted.

Wilder
looked at Noah. “I hired you and I want you to get her out of this house now.”

Lulu
glanced around the room, her gaze resting on Noah, “Would you please give me a
moment alone with my brother?”

Noah
ushered everyone out of the living room after a pitying glance at Wilder. After
everyone exited into the foyer, Aiden closed the sliding wall panels shutting
off the living room and from the solid sound of the doors, Noah knew no one
would be hearing what was said either.

In
the foyer, E.J. turned to Aiden. “Why did you call him?”

Aiden
sighed. “Really? You have to ask. I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t. I’m
not sure who I’m more afraid of, Lulu or her brother.”

E.J.
chuckled as though in agreement.

Aiden
looked at Noah. “What should we do in this situation?”

“I’m
damned tired of being one step behind this asshole,” Noah looked at Harrison. “We
need to go back and go over everything again. I want to have every detail
reexamined. We’re missing something. It’s like the stalker can’t decide if he
wants to kill her or terrorize her.”

“Take
another look at this Marcia Bennington.”

“She’s
seventy-eight, she’s too old to do anything,” Aiden said.

“Anyone
can hire out,” Noah said.

“We
really can’t find anyone who hates her this much,” Harrison said, looking up
from his iPad. “Everyone we’ve checked not only has a solid alibi, but thinks
she’s wonderful. So far, we have a lot of dead ends, except for O’Malley and
his not so solid alibi. The only thing we know about him is that he was at the
Waldorf Astoria the same time as the car incident, which was only a couple
blocks from the hotel, and he hired a hooker.”

“Then
check with the hotel. Someone must remember him. After all, he’s not a
low-profile celebrity. Check with the escort service he hired. See if you can
track down his ‘date’ for the weekend. Maybe she can vouch for him.” Noah
rubbed his temples. He’d never had such a peculiar case before. Usually
background checks and active investigation led to something concrete.

The
door to the living room opened and Wilder walked out still looking pale and
unsteady. He gave a quick glance at E.J. then walked past everyone without
saying anything, opened the front door, and left.

“He’s
mad,” Aiden said with a shudder.

E.J.
started after Wilder, but Noah stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Not now,”
he said in a quiet whisper for her ears only.

E.J.
looked troubled but didn’t follow.

“Harrison,
get to work. I don’t care what it takes, dig, dig, dig. Take Roman and Gabriel
with you. E.J. get some rest, I want you fresh for tomorrow.” Noah walked into
the living room and closed the doors behind him.

Lulu
sat on the sofa looking composed, but her foot tapped relentlessly on the
carpet.

Lulu
looked up. “I don’t know anything else. I’ve thought and thought, but I can’t
figure out who would want to hurt me. Yeah, I have business rivals who don’t
like me, but that’s business.”

Noah
could tell she was frightened despite her calm demeanor. He sat down next to
her and slipped his fingers around hers. Her fingers were icy and he wanted to
rub them back to warmth. The fire snapped and crackled in the fireplace
throwing extra warmth into the living room.

“What
do I do next?” she said in a half-whisper leaning into him. “Am I being
ridiculous staying here?”

“Up
until this moment, this was your haven, the one place you felt safe.”

“Now
I feel violated. I just don’t understand someone I know hating me so much. Or
someone I don’t know.”

“I
know you’ve had a difficult night, but this ride on the pity train is stopping
right now.”