Gya felt her gut tighten, hearing one side of Stephanie and Sky’s conversation and seeing Aaron’s free hand curl into a fist. “What’s going on?”
“Hold on.” Aaron held up his hand.
Not liking being in the dark, she grabbed the handle of the limo door.
Kyle moved to the seat next to her. “Let’s stay put until we hear what’s happening in Malibu, okay?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, and in a sharp tone answered, “Fine. You’re the boss.”
Why do I have to be so bitchy? Of the two brothers, Kyle was the gentler one, though she was pretty certain he could be firm at times, too.
“Sam, search the property for any clues for who was behind this.”
Gya felt her pulse burning through her veins. “Behind what?”
Stephanie’s eyes welled up. Whatever Sky had told her wasn’t good news, that was for certain. “Gya’s insurance papers are in my filing cabinet at the office. Call her agent as soon as you get back there, Sky.”
Insurance papers? “What the hell is happening, Stephanie? I want to know now.”
Aaron turned to her. “Your house is on fire. Looks like arson.”
* * * *
When Kyle saw Gya’s jaw drop, he grabbed her hand. “It’s just a house. You’re safe.”
She closed her eyes and nodded. “I’m okay. Just trying to take it all in.”
Not only beautiful, but also tough. What a woman.
“How bad is it?” She opened her eyes and looked at both Aaron and Stephanie, who had ended their calls.
“Sky said the fire department got it out before it spread to the rest of the house,” Stephanie said. “Looks like it started in the living room.”
“Sam saw evidence that someone had thrown a Molotov cocktail through your front window.” Aaron stepped out of the limo, offering his hand to Gya.
She took it and exited. He and Stephanie followed behind as Gya’s promoter walked over to them.
“I need to get home now,” Gya said.
“Not a good idea.” Aaron was right about that. Too dangerous.
“What’s going on?” The promoter wore a white mini dress, red stilettos, and way too much makeup. She held a slim cigar, which she puffed on incessantly.
Kyle had a bad feeling about the woman. “You must be Sharon Thompson.” He held out his hand, trying to get a better read on the promoter.
She took his hand and squeezed it. In a flirty tone, she said, “And you must be one of the new bodyguards. Pleasure, Mr. Strait.”
“Please put that stinky thing out, Sharon.” Gya backed up. “You could at least smoke a regular cigarette instead of a smelly cigar.”
Even though Kyle had enjoyed a few good cigars in his life, he had to agree with Gya. Whatever cheap brand of cigar Sharon had chosen, it definitely did have a terrible odor.
“You know I don’t want that smell on my clothes.” Gya leaned against the limo.
“Of course.” The woman stepped back and turned around.
Out of the corner of his vision, Kyle saw Sharon roll her eyes. Clearly, the woman didn’t like Gya’s manner, though she seemed to be putting on a front that she did.
Sharon tossed her half-smoked cigar away, and once again faced her meal ticket. “Sorry about that, Gya. I forgot.”