They’re both self-propelled nightmares. There has to be something else.
I need help, but since this is beyond Brina’s skillset...
I glance at the time, grateful it’s a couple hours earlier in California.
My cousin, Liv, answers on the first ring. “Paige? Holy crap, it’s been forever!”
“I know, lady. I miss you. Still killing it with your books?”
There’s a long pause on the other end where I can imagine her awkward, giddy smile. “The latest was on The New York Times list for ten weeks! So, um, I guess you could say that. Turns out people really love grumpy single dads in small-town sagas.”
“Way to slay, cuz. Can’t wait to see your stuff on Netflix someday.” And I totally believe I will.
“Oh, Paige, I can’t imagine! I’m flattered, but...something tells me this isn’t why you called, is it?”
“How’d you know?” I ask with a smile.
“Your voice. You sound a little tired and a lot worried.”
I sigh. Leave it to the kick-ass author to read people like a book—and read them so well she deserves all the lame puns.
“So, I know this might be a big ask, but you’re the only one who can help me. I need information—well, dirt—on two people. Victor Brandt and Giselle Simms.”
“Ohhh, scandalous. Did they pee in your cereal?”
“Umm—not mine. They’re hurting someone I care about.” I’m afraid to say more.
“Oh, no. If it’s that kind of danger, I’ll have Riker go straight to Landon Strauss, and he’ll use the full weight of Enguard to—”
“No, no!” I rush out. “Not that kind of danger. No one’s facing hit men or creepers like you and Milah had to. We don’t need bodyguards. This is more like...a blackmail thing?”
My heart climbs as I realize it’s not that far off from the scary threats on her life Liv went through before her hot future hubby saved the day.
“Wait. Your fiancè?” she asks quietly. “I saw you were engaged. Ward, right? I can’t believe you didn’t call me for wedding tips yet!”
Oh, boy.
“It’s complicated, Liv. But I know you’ll understand,” I whisper. “So let’s leave it at ‘engaged’ for now, and in a couple of months, I’ll explain why I didn’t call.”
“Gotcha. But you need dirt on what, your future in-laws?”
“...yes.”
She giggles. “Paige, everyone wants dirt on their in-laws. My advice is, suck it up and get along for his sake.”
“I don’t have a problem with them. He does—a very serious one involving a lot of money and deeply personal information—and he doesn’t want to bring me into the drama. I’m going to lose him, Liv, if I can’t figure something out.”
A hot tear rolls down my cheek again.
“I’m so sorry. What’s the deal with his own parents?”
“They were involved with Dylan Parnell’s death and...they kind of want to keep using it as a weapon against their sons and Ward’s grandmother,” I say, trying to give the best summary.
“Parnell? Name sounds familiar...”
“He was an actor years ago. Super famous. Every teenage girl had him on their posters. He drowned in this horrible accident on Lake Michigan.”
“Oh, right. God. I remember that case now. I was just a kid, but it was all the buzz for a while...”
I sniff. “The investigation didn’t prove any wrongdoing, but Ward doesn’t trust them. I think now they’re trying to blackmail him, but I can’t say more than that.”
“Well, I’ll have Riker see what he can come up with. Enguard Security has a lot of resources. If there’s something to find, he’ll get it,” she tells me.
“Thank you so much,” I say.
“Tell me about this guy you’re marrying when he’s not being blackmailed, okay? According to the Twitter-verse, he’s an arrogant skirt-chasing snob.”
I laugh. “A lot of that’s tabloid driven and they’re not exactly fond of Ward and his brother. He may come across as aloof, but he’s no snob. He just has very high standards and expects the same from everyone else. All the scandals his parents made were hard on the family business, and he thinks keeping everyone in line helps their reputation. I can’t say he’s wrong.”
“You admire him,” she says happily.
I do? I’d never thought of that.
“Maybe.”
“What about the women? If someone plans to marry my cousin, that’s what I’m more concerned about. He could hurt you, and then I’d have to kill him,” she says with her best mock ice-cold mafia don voice.
I laugh. I miss Liv more than I realized.
“I think he gets blamed for his brother’s antics sometimes. He had a messy breakup with one woman a few years back that got twisted around. Ward’s not that kind of man the internet claims.”
A kid screams in the background and her husband’s booming voice echoes.
“Umm—I should go investigate. Probably Em practicing her latest ninja moves. Let’s just say it’s interesting since her dad decided she’s old enough to start sparring with him,” Liv says with a laugh.