“Darling! Back from the wilderness.” He kissed the air next to both my cheeks. He slid his glasses down his nose and widened his eyes to what was happening behind my shoulder, AKA the bane of my existence exiting the taxi, then pulling our suitcases out of the trunk.
“My, my. I’ll have him for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.”
“Just be careful not to choke,” I muttered, sliding my sunglasses up to rest on my head. “He’s a health hazard.”
“He looks like a vice.” Keller smiled to himself, hugging my shoulder. “You wanna tell me you still haven’t sampled him?”
“About that.” I cleared my throat. “Let’s head inside. We need to talk.”
“And leave him with the suitcases?” A mischievous glint zinged in Keller’s eyes.
I tossed a look behind my shoulder, then gave Keller a shrug.
He winced. “Ugh. I can already tell the energy between you two is so not good for my skin.”
Keller and I walked into my house. I grabbed a couple La Croix cans and made my way up the stairs. I locked both of us in my room before Ransom could give me the third degree about screening people before they entered the house.
“Tell me everything.” Keller clapped his hands together. “Starting from the rumors your sister was a bridezilla. The tabloids are having a field day after what was leaked from the pre-wedding photo shoot. Was she that bad?”
“No,” I said, crossing my legs over my bed. “She was worse.”
Keller gasped, flinging himself next to me. “She’s giving me intense Aquarius vibes. Is she an Aquarius?”
“Naturally.” She was an Aries, but it was basically the same thing.
I told him about Hera’s deplorable behavior, omitting the part where the groom had assaulted me. I liked Keller a lot, but I didn’t fully trust him. Not with my truth, anyway. Then I told Keller about my hookup with Ransom, again neglecting all the parts that left me feeling too exposed. I didn’t tell him how much it had meant to me. Falling apart in someone else’s arms. Just that it happened, and that Ransom was not game for a repeat.
“But he seemed into it the night he insisted on sharing a bedroom with you.” Keller munched on the tip of a tortilla chip. “Right?”
“Right.” I moved uncomfortably, taking a sip of my soda. He didn’t have the full context of the situation, the way Ransom had also saved me from Craig’s abusive hands, so he didn’t get the whole picture. “But I think it was just a moment of weakness on his part. We were at my parents’， and everything just…simmered.”
“Once a weakness, always a weakness.” Keller shook his head. “All he needs is a little push in the right direction. Who wouldn’t want to do you? I mean, I would. You’re super hot.”
I smiled, reaching to squeeze his hand. “How are things at Main Squeeze?”
“Oh. Fine. You know. The holiday season is upon us, so I’m waiting for people to gain weight so they’ll start their crash diets.” He hopped off of my bed, sauntering to my window to light up his joint. “That’s what I’m capitalizing on. Other people’s misery. Making a living is such a tedious job, Hal, let me tell you.”
I leaned back on my satin pillow, braiding a lock of my hair absentmindedly. “You can always take a break if it’s too much.”
“And who’d run Main Squeeze?” Keller perched his ass on the windowsill, pushing the rolled cigarette between his lips.
“I don’t know, hire a manager?”
Keller smiled lovingly at me. “Oh, Hal-Pal, I do love you.”
Maybe he did, but he also patronized me constantly, and I didn’t know why. Keller couldn’t possibly run an actual business by himself, right? That was a thing only grownups did.
“Hey, Hal.” Keller frowned, looking out my window as he lit up his joint. In front of him sprawled the stunning view of the Hollywood Hills and my neighbors’ Olympic pool. “There’s a strange car sitting in the back of your neighbors’ driveway.”
“Strange how?” I yawned.
“Strange…like, there’s a person in the passenger’s seat taking photos of me through the window.”
I jumped out of bed, charging toward the window. Shoving Keller aside, I saw a huge, black Escalade parked in front of my neighbors’ garage. A man was sitting in the passenger seat, taking pictures of my window, his face hidden by the huge smartphone he was holding.
My nostrils flared.
“Can you see his license plate?” I tugged my phone out of my pocket, taking pictures of the guy, just in case. Where was Ransom? How did he not see this?
“Nope.” Keller frowned, grabbing his phone. “Let me go to the spare bedroom and see if I can take a picture of it from a better angle.”
“Thanks.”
While Keller tried to get the license plate, I ran toward Ransom’s room. He wasn’t there. I heard the water running in the bathroom next to it. So this was why he hadn’t seen that car. I pounded on the door, my lungs scorching with fear.
Who were these people?
What did they want?
Was this why Ransom didn’t want us to go back to Los Angeles? But it made no sense. I’d never had anyone follow me before.
The bathroom door swung open. Ransom was standing there, condensation rolling off of his glistening, muscular chest and shoulders. He had a small towel wrapped around his waist.
“Sweet Jesus,” I heard Keller groan behind my back. “The man is unreal.”
“What is it?” Ransom demanded, ignoring Keller.
“There’s a suspicious car parked right in front of my bedroom window. And some jackass inside it took pictures of me just now.”
He shouldered past me without another word.
Flying down the stairs, nearly buck naked.
I jumped into the stupid Hipmobile, hitting the accelerator and rounding Hallie’s mansion. The plan was to block the assholes from leaving the neighbors’ driveway. Too late. The perp was already flooring it down the street, careening toward the main gates. I followed them, naked, soap bubbles still sliding down my wet skin.
The Russians showed up as soon as Hallie and I hit California ground, making their intentions clear. They hadn’t forgotten about me, what I did, or where I was.
I was hedging my bets on the front gate being closed. I’d hopefully be able to corner them, beat the crap out of them, and find out where Kozlov was. I wanted to get real nice and personal with him and settle our beef once and for all.
The Escalade zinged past the manicured lawns and excessive Spanish Villas, careening downhill before the gate came into view. Unfortunately, it was wide open. Some YouTube star who lived in the neighborhood snailed his way inside in his H1 Hummer.
The Russians laced through the open wrought iron gate and out of the neighborhood. Still on their heels, I slammed my bare foot over the accelerator.
I flicked my phone and called Max.
“Boss?” he answered immediately.
“You need to get to Hallie’s house right now and keep an eye on her.”
“What’s happening? Is she okay?” He sounded worried, and that made me feel…no, fuck that. It didn’t make me feel. Because I didn’t feel. But I wondered why the hell he cared about a woman who used him to get to me.