One got caught and then there were two
Two little liars fighting for a gun
One shot the other and then there was one
One little liar convinced she finally won
Her fans turned against her and then there were none
“They know I’m alive—that I’m here, with you!” Madison clutched hard at Tommy’s arm. He’d never seen her so spooked. Not knowing what else to do, he slid an arm around her waist and rushed her outside to his car.
TWENTY-SEVEN
SLEEPING WILD
Trena Moretti blinked her eyes open and listened to the soft muffled snore drifting from the man beside her. His back was turned, offering an impressive view of well-defined shoulders and dark, gleaming skin. Softly, so as not to wake him, she trailed a finger down the length of his spine and sighed. She had no business being there. She’d broken her own rule with barely a thought. Still, there was no denying James was a beautiful sight to behold.
She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, reviewing the night in her head. On the drive home from Ojai, James had sent her a text asking if she wanted to go out for a bite. Originally she’d planned to meet with @LuckyHearts16—the person who’d sent her the video of Madison leaving her earring at the memorial. Not wanting to look overeager, she delayed the meeting and accepted James’s offer instead.
But now, with the morning sun slipping through the crack between the curtains, she was no longer sure she’d made the right choice.
It had started innocently enough, with the two of them sharing a pizza at Pizzeria Mozza, where she’d effectively broken her strict no-carb rule. A couple of glasses of wine later, Trena found herself inviting him back to her place and doing the sort of things that, despite the lingering shadow of regret, still managed to bring a smile to her face.
Quietly, she swung her feet to the floor and was about to stand, when James rolled over, grasped her by the wrist, and pulled her back to him.
“You sure you want to do that?” His dark eyes were heavy with sleep, but something about his tone struck her as vaguely menacing.
“You mean take a shower and get on with my day?” She kept her tone playful and light, but when she tried to pull away again, he held tight.
Was he playing? Or should she be worried? With James, it was never easy to determine.
She shot him an uncertain look, unable to relax until he released his grip.
“Sorry.” He propped an arm under his head and drew a slow, leisurely gaze down the length of her body. “Can’t blame a guy for wanting a repeat. Especially when he’s lucky enough to wake up next to you.”
She frowned and pushed away.
“What’d I do now?”
It was a good question. One she wasn’t entirely sure how to answer. “What’re you doing here?” She faced him.
He cocked his head and sharpened his gaze.
“I mean, what exactly are you doing here—with me?”
He tried for a grin but only made it halfway. “Is this the relationship talk? The ‘what are we doing, where are we going, what does it all mean’ talk?”
Something about his exaggerated grimace made her laugh and ease up. “No, nothing like that. It’s just—we seem a bit incongruous, don’t you think?”
“Because I’m just a bouncer and you’re an important news lady?”
She studied him for a long moment. “But you’re not just a bouncer, are you?”
It was a question she’d been meaning to ask but kept putting off. Now that it was out there, she became acutely aware of the sheer awkwardness of waiting for his reply while she stood naked before him.
“What’re you getting at?” His posture was that of a man at ease, but the way his jaw tensed gave him away.
“What exactly do you do for Ira? What exactly did you do for Madison, for that matter?”