Kissing in Action (2 page)

"Tell me everything!"

Chapter Two

"Juicy!" said Lily when I caught up with her at the bar she owned. Her disguise was gone and she was dressed in a simple, white Lily's Bar t-shirt and black pants. She didn't mention what she was up to earlier and I didn't ask, although I was actually nearly desperate to know. However, having shared my exciting news, Lily spent the last five minutes jumping up and down while shrieking with glee. Finally, she settled down and placed a coffee in front of me. What I really wanted was a cocktail, but I had an appointment to meet the band later, and I didn't want to risk turning up inebriated.

"Who's blackmailing them?"

"Pay attention! That's what I'm supposed to be finding out. Solomon told me..."

"Who did he hear it from?"

"Umm..." I frowned. I had no idea. "I don't know. Their manager?"

"Okay. What did he say?"

"All I know is that B4U received threatening letters on every leg of their tour so far. Since they're staying in Montgomery for two weeks to shoot their video, they hope this might be their best chance to find the blackmailer before the tour, as well as the band's reputation, get ruined."

"Pfft," said Lily rudely. "Their reputations are so squeaky clean, they probably sneeze laundry detergent."

"They do seem nice," I admitted as I flicked through a magazine. As luck would have it, there was a paparazzi shot of B4U walking into a high-end store. Each band member was superbly styled in the latest fashions. I spotted at least one Vuitton hung on an arm, and three pairs of Louboutins. The rest of the clothing labels were lost on me, but each woman seemed to have invested several thousand dollars into their fashions, with everything utterly hip and desirable. Along with glossy hair and perfect figures, the band members had become role models and the latest paradigms for hundreds of thousands of adoring fans.

"Nice?" Lily reached for the magazine and turned it around. "Lauren Young personally donates ten percent of her salary every year to needy children. Amelia Toren is a mentor for inner city kids. Katya Markova escaped from Russia at age five, and came to America with nothing. She claims to be entirely self-made, and does motivational speeches in high schools for free. And Shelley Solis rescued a pug from a burning building before finding it a new home as a therapy dog for elderly citizens!"

"How do you know all this stuff?" I asked.

"Jord and I took Chloe to the park over the weekend and she didn't stop talking about them. I think I know everything a little kid needs to know about B4U, except how to get concert tickets."

"I told Solomon I needed concert tickets and merchandise, or I wouldn't take the case. Maybe I should visit Chloe and get some inside info?"

"She'll tell you anything you ask the minute you tell her you're working with them. You're going to be the all time number one aunt!"

"I already am."

"Number one biological aunt," Lily clarified.

"Whatever. Still number one!"

"Did I mention they had nine number one songs in two years?" Lily continued. Dragging a bar stool over and perching on it, she began blowing on her decaf coffee to cool it before taking a sip. "Not to mention, I love their TV show."

I took another look at the photo. "Who would want to blackmail four saccharine-sweet, accomplished, self-made, philanthropic young women?" I asked.

"Don't ask me. That's your job! One of them probably has a dirty, little secret. Maybe even a sex tape."

I frowned. "Really? Do starlets still fall for that?"

"Only the really stupid ones."

"I'll check it out," I said, making a mental note.

"When do you start?"

"Officially, tomorrow. They got into town last night and I'm going to meet them this evening. Tomorrow, I'll go through all the existing blackmail demands and keep an eye out for the source of the next one while Solomon works through their security issues."

"I want to come. I bet I could help. Also, I... No, I got nothing. I just want to meet B4U. Do you think they'll come to my bar?"

"I have no idea."

"Could you tell them that Lily's Bar is the hottest hangout in Montgomery?"

"I will."

"And will you also let me know if they plan to come, so I can tip off the press?"

"That would be wrong and possibly an invasion of their privacy."

"Fine, I won't tip off the press, but I might take a selfie. Can I still meet them too? I can take notes or something?"

"Sure, I guess. Solomon didn't say I couldn't bring anyone," I replied. He didn't exactly say I could bring someone either. In my book, that was as good as permission; plus, he usually didn't mind Lily so long as he didn't have to pay her.

"That's settled then. Hey, maybe the blackmailer is someone jealous in their crew? It doesn't matter how nice a person is if someone else covets what they have."

"I wondered that too. It would explain how the blackmailer always knows where they are staying. Solomon said they kept their hotel details under a 'for your eyes only' requirement so that the public wouldn’t know in advance. Sometimes, even the band doesn’t know until they get there; and they even go so far as to book in under false names."

"I would book under something really glam like Countess Esmeralda Blackheart."

I turned the page of the magazine as I raised my eyebrows. "No one would ever be curious over that kind of name."

"I know, right? Perfect! What did you say they were being blackmailed for?"

"Solomon didn't mention it. I don't think he knows. He said they are trying to keep it all under wraps so the press doesn't find out. It's strictly on a need-to-know basis. I can't even see the blackmail letters until tomorrow."

Lily blanched. "But you're going to tell me, right?"

"Maybe."

"How dare you 'maybe' me! You're my oldest friend and now we're related! Since when did we start keeping things from each other?"

"Since my job went on the line if anyone found out. I signed a non-disclosure."

Lily flicked another page, settling her gaze on a shirtless shot of Hollywood's latest heartthrob. "Hey, look at this. It's written by Shayne Winter."

"Who?"

"The
Montgomery Gazette
reporter who stalked us at the pony convention."

I had a vague recollection of the pretty, but pesky blonde reporter who was so determined to get a story. "She really made it to Hollywood? Good for her."

"Looks like the perfect job. Write fifty words, six of which are 'dribble' and get paid. Anyway, if you get fired, we'll set up our own detective agency. I bet we could attract loads of clients. I could give a free pitcher of margaritas as an incentive to pay up front."

"You sound like my mother. She's still trying to persuade me to set something up with my dad."

"Your poor dad. Did he enjoy the cruise?"

"He loved it, but you could have asked my mother that."

"What? How? I haven't seen your mother in so long. Not at all."

I narrowed my eyes. "Yes, you have."

"Have. Not."

"I saw you!"

"Where?"

"Outside the library, this morning. You were following a man. You were in disguise."

"Then how did you know it was me?"

"I called you and spoke to you!"

"Oh… yeah."

"I also watched you through my zoom lens."

"Stalker!"

"Hardly, I was wrapping up a case. What were you both doing anyway?"

Lily's nostrils flared. "I'm not at liberty to say."

"I'll ask Mom."

"Great! Now tell me how you intend to bring down the blackmailer, and keep one of the biggest, most famous, current bands safe, while not getting mobbed by the media? Do you need to borrow a disguise from me?"

I checked my watch, blanching as soon as I noted the time. If I didn't hurry, I would be late to meet the band. Judging by Solomon's excitement at getting the case, that wouldn't do at all. "We have to go," I told Lily. "Still want to come?"

"You betcha." She spun around on the stool. "Ruby, watch the bar... and all the people in it! Lexi and I are going to do something really cool!"

~

Solomon met us in the lobby of the Marchmont Hotel, which I visited a few times before and loved. The plush furnishings, the expensive curtains that pooled in front of floor-to-ceiling windows, the cocktail bar... It even had a pretty, walled-in garden where I attended a wedding reception the previous year. Yes, I could have moved right in.

"There are a few things you need to know before entering," Solomon told me as he rose from the leather wing chair he'd been sitting in. He kissed me first, then he kissed Lily on the cheek. "Lily, what a surprise," he said, sounding resolutely unsurprised.

"I know! Isn't it?!" Lily said, utterly delighted. I decided not to burst her bubble that Solomon wasn't even one iota surprised at finding me with my best friend in tow. "I just thought I'd lend Lexi a hand." She leaned in, lowering her voice. "I know a lot about B4U."

Solomon moved closer. "What does B4U stand for?" he asked.

Lily blinked. "I have absolutely no idea. Ask me an easy one."

"What do I need to know?" I asked, ignoring the question without admitting that I, also, didn't know what the band's name meant. Possibly, I decided, it meant nothing at all. Or maybe it was really crappy text speak from a sweaty, old, balding, music exec who thought it was "cool."

"For one, they are having a few issues right now," Solomon began, signaling for us to follow. We followed him to the elevators and he jabbed the
up
button.

"You’d probably be having issues if you were being blackmailed too," chimed Lily. "Have you no sympathy?"

"What she said," I replied, nodding to Lily, "but what kind of issues?"

"Personality ones," replied Solomon. "Don't expect them to be too friendly."

"Check. Anything else?"

"They're under a lot of pressure, just trying to keep the situation out of the media."

"No problem. We'll solve everything and get it under control," said Lily, stepping into the elevator as the doors slid back.

"Did I recently employ her and forget about it?" Solomon asked softly.

"I heard that. Get in! There's no time to lose!" Lily clapped her hands as she beckoned us to hurry. We stepped inside and Solomon punched the button for the top floor.

"The whole top floor is reserved for the band. There're three suites. The band have two, and their manager has the third," he explained. "We'll meet all of them together."

"I'm really looking forward to this," I said as the elevator began its ascent. "I've never met anyone really famous before."

"You might regret it."

I frowned. "Why? I know they're having a bad time, but like Lily said, that's why we're here. We'll get everything under control." I added, remembering my own stipulations. "Do you think they'll let us watch their video being filmed?"

"The manager has agreed to allow us total access while we investigate, so yes, I guess that would be okay."

"Me too?" asked Lily. "No one will see me, I swear. Unless they want to, like if they offered us small, but pivotal roles with screen time. I'm happy to dance like no one is watching, although I have to insist on clothes, if that's a deal breaker... No, wait, we've talked about this stuff, haven't we, Lexi? Did the band make a sex tape? A naked, sexy-times sex tape?"

Solomon took a deep breath.

"What's your take on the manager?" I asked before Lily broke into an interpretive dance.

"Seems like a nice guy. He's been with the band since they decided to move from TV into the music business so... three years, I guess. He's got a solid background with a lot of successful stars. B4U is his biggest achievement to date. He appears to genuinely care about them, and it was he who came to the agency for help. He is very nervous of the magnitude and impact this could have on the band."

"It's only blackmail. What could possibly be so bad that there would be any fallout?" I asked.

"Their image is so squeaky clean. They can't risk damaging that when their stardom is built on it. Whatever they're being blackmailed about, we can assume it's something that they don't want made public. Their whole careers are based on them being everyone's girls next door. Without that, they're just like any other pop starlets," said Lily. The elevator glided to a halt and the doors slid back.

"What she said," replied Solomon as he stepped out. He greeted the two enormous security guards who rose from the stiff-backed chairs as we stepped into the corridor, and introduced us both.

The larger of the two nodded, and ticked off our names.

"I'm on the list?" asked Lily.

"I figured you'd turn up," said Solomon. "And took the liberty of adding you."

"Awww."