Nowhere to Run (Stephanie Carovella) (3 page)

***

Carolyn Mathers frowned, slipping a hand through her red hair, her eyes darting nervously around L.A.X. Once the Darling of Hollywood, four years ago she had abruptly left all the fame and the glory behind.

Forced into exile, she was making a comeback and she was going to do it with a vengeance. She would be someone again – a megastar. Promised a seven-film contract with
Callendor
Studios, there was nothing or no one to stop her. Not this time.

Tapping her fingers impatiently against her Louis Vuitton handbag, she stepped onto the escalators. She hoped the studios hadn’t forgotten to send a Chauffeur to pick her up. They knew how nervous she was about coming back to L.A, especially after what had happened four years ago. They knew how skittish she was, after that maniac had almost killed her.

A crazed fan – it’s what the police had told her. She knew better. She shuddered delicately, refusing to remember. She still had the emotional scars from the mental and physical abuse she had been put through.

Even after all this time she still found it hard to close her eyes at night. She still woke up screaming. Night after night, time after time she woke up in a cold sweat. Her hand moved to her throat, tracing the faint scar from her attack. Quickly she removed her hand, nervously tightening her grip on her handbag.

Her attacker had never been caught, and this made her apprehensive but the studios had promised her,
promised her
this time would be different. This time she
would
be protected.

A hand on her shoulder made her jump, interrupting her thoughts.

“Ms Mathers?”

She spun around quickly, staring at the uniformed man with a puzzled frown. “Are you with
Callendor
?”

He nodded, tipping his hat slightly. “I called out to you when you came out of the terminal, but you didn’t hear me.”

He took his hat off, holding it to his chest. “I didn’t mean to startle you, but if I came back without you they’d have my head.”

Carolyn laughed softly. “Well then, we can’t have that now, can we?” She teased softly, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

Relief evident on his face, he indicated for her to follow him.

“Take me to the car,” Carolyn commanded, friendliness giving way to professionalism. She’d seen the admiring glance he’d given her and it wouldn’t do her career any good to fraternize with the hired help.

The Chauffeur nodded, leading her towards the darkened underground car park, his eyes scanning the area. Carolyn frowned, noticing for the first time how deserted the car park was. She shivered, memories of another isolated car park rippled through her.

Shutting them out of her mind, she fought her inner terror and took a deep breath. She closed her mind to the thought of that, almost fateful, night and followed the Chauffeur to the Limousine.

“Here we go, all safe and sound,” the Chauffeur said warmly, stopping to put her bags in the trunk. He unlocked the door, and opened it for her.

Carolyn slipped quickly into the car. She sank into the backseat with relief, taking a ragged breath. Now she was in the car she felt safer, and would feel even better once they were out of this isolated car park.

He wasn’t here. He couldn’t attack her. He couldn’t hurt her anymore. She wouldn’t let anything or anyone hurt her again. Yes, things would be better for her this time. She wasn’t going to be scared away so easily.

“Comfortable?” the Chauffeur asked from the front seat, turning to smile at her. She nodded, quickly pressing a button to slide up the panel between them.

The Chauffeur’s voice intercepted her thoughts through the intercom. “Why don’t you sit back and close your eyes, Ms Mathers? It must have been a long flight for you, and there are refreshments if you feel like something.”

Carolyn smiled in pleasure. Now this was more like it. She’d forgotten how the studios pampered their stars every whim. She felt like the star she was already. She giggled softly. It wasn’t going to take long for her to get used to the high life again.

Spotting her favorite brand of water she picked it up, giddy with delight.
Callendor
had, certainly, outdone their selves this time. Unscrewing the cap of the Evian
bottle, she drank thirstily. It had been a long trip, and she could already feel the effects of jet lag taking hold of her.

Yawning, she sank deeper into the backseat. Closing her eyes, she let darkness overcome her.

***

He slid down the panel separating Carolyn Mathers from him. He smiled at the sight of her unconscious body, whistling softly to himself. Had his little princess really thought she could just slip back into the country without his knowing? He knew everything.

Although she had come back to him, she still needed to pay. But, first he was going to keep her around for a while. He’d really missed her, and was going to show her just how much.

Chapter Three

Stephanie gently reached out to touch a photo of Angeline, Ben, Jesse, Dominic, and herself. She dropped her hand quickly, almost as if the picture had burnt her, hot tears blurring her vision.

A hand touched her shoulder and she promptly wiped away her tears, not wanting Jesse to see she’d been crying.

“Coffee...still one of your biggest weaknesses I bet,” Jesse murmured, handing her a mug.

“And, you’re still the only man I know who can make real coffee,” she said, clasping it gratefully.

She watched him reach behind her to pick up the photo. Smiling sadly, she quietly asked, “Do you remember the night this was taken?”

Jesse nodded silently. When he spoke, his voice was gritty with emotion. “You had just discovered you were pregnant and Dominic was so proud; I’d never seen two people so in love. Ben had just signed his first record deal and was on a perpetual high. Angel was in love for the millionth time and my own career was on the rise.”

With a bittersweet smile, he gripped the photo tighter. “It was one of the happiest times of my life,” he murmured.

 “Mine too,” Stephanie whispered, taking a hasty sip of coffee. Her gaze lingered on Dominic and she reached out, gently touching his smiling face. “God, I loved Dominic so much,” she said softly, her smile dimming.

“I know Steph. I know you did,” Jesse said, drawing her closer and tucking his chin on her shoulder.

She tilted her head up to look at Jesse again, a wistfulness on her face. “That was a different time Jesse and a different place. We were all so very different.”

Jesse grunted in agreement. “We were younger, carefree, reckless, and definitely more foolish.” He shook his head. “We thought we were going to take on the world together, really kick it in the ass. We thought we were invincible.”

Taking the photo from Stephanie, he gently placed it back onto the fireplace mantel. “We thought we were invincible and Dominic proved us all wrong,” he continued bitterly.

Stephanie fell silent; an image of Dominic’s dancing emerald eyes and easy going smile came to mind. Another wave of pain shot through her, her thoughts turning to what she had lost when he’d died. As much as she cared for Leigh, her love for Dominic would always remain strong. He had been her anchor. The only man she’d completely given herself to, without any other thought but her love for him.

It had almost killed her.

Taking a deep breath, she suddenly wished she was anywhere but here. L.A held too many ghosts, too many memories and she wasn’t sure she was going to leave again unscathed.

Wanting to think about anything but her ghosts or memories, she scrutinized Jesse, soaking in every detail. He looked older, as if the harsh reality of Angeline’s death coupled with the reality of the losses they’d shared in the past year were finally taking their toll. Their eyes met, both silently studying each other. Stephanie broke the silence.

“Tell me about Angel’s death,” she said softly, leaning against the fireplace mantel.

Jesse snorted in disbelief, a grim smile on his lips. “Hell, Stephanie, you take off for six months, with barely a word to anyone, and then stroll back into town as if nothing has changed,” he bit out, seeing Stephanie’s closed off expression.

Breaking off, he looped his thumbs into his jeans pockets and rocked back on his heels. “You don’t mince words, do you?” He paused, shrugging. “You’ve got contacts within the L.A.P.D. I’m sure, by now, you’ve not only read the report but also seen the crime scene photos. There’s not much more to tell.”

He watched Stephanie cautiously, his smile grim. He knew the stubborn expression on her face. It told him Stephanie had no intention of leaving straight after Angel’s funeral. If he knew her as well as he thought he did, she’d find some way to provide her input into Angel’s murder.

He smirked, knowing how Gena Evans would react to Stephanie poking around her crime scene. It wasn’t going to be pretty.

Gena Evans and Stephanie Carovella were like fire and ice, night and day. Two women, that were equally fiery, stubborn, and almost always at odds with each other. Their last meeting had ended with their almost coming to blows, as they’d thrown angry words at each other. He’d never understood how their friendship had managed to stand the test of time, but something always drew them back to each other.

Shaking his head, he decided to keep his thoughts to himself, until Stephanie was ready to voice her plan of action. He waited patiently for her to answer his careful reply to her loaded question.

“I need to hear it from you,” Stephanie said, taking another deep breath. “I need to know what the photos and the report don’t tell me.”

“Trust me Steph, you don’t want to know. You don’t need the nightmares,” Jesse said, wrapping his hand tightly around his own coffee cup.

Her laughter was almost strangled, her voice harsh. “I already have the nightmares Jess...or did you forget that?”

Jesse’s expression softened and he touched her arm gently. “Then there’s no need to add to them.”

“Jess, I need to know.” Watching him shake his head negatively, Stephanie pushed on. “I need to know everything that happened that night. Tell me.” Taking the edge out of her voice, she whispered, “Please. I have to know.”

Seeing the steely determination in her amber-brown eyes, he reluctantly agreed. “You might want to sit down first.”

She sat down on the velvet red loveseat, patting the seat for him to join her. He sat down next to her, unsure of where to begin.

“You know Angel had her fair share of stalkers,” he said.

Stephanie nodded, sighing heavily. “It was part of the job. All the freaks came out to play.”

Jesse half-smiled at her choice of words. “Yeah, and then some but she had one she just couldn’t shake. She didn’t know who he was – whether he was a client or someone who had taken more than a passing fancy to her. But he had her running scared.

At first, she didn’t think too much of it, at least not until Mystique went missing.”

“Mystique?” Stephanie interrupted.

“This god damn kitten Ben and I bought her for her last birthday. It was nothing more than a fur ball,” Jesse’s voice was choked. “It used to follow me around the house. I was always tripping over it. It annoyed the hell out of me.”

”What’s this got to do with her stalker?” Stephanie asked cautiously, certain she wasn’t going to like his answer.

 “Angel was frantic. She loved that kitten to pieces. When it went missing, she was completely devastated. She even put up posters everywhere and offered a reward in the hope someone would find Mystique.”

“You didn’t find her?”

Jesse clasped his hands together, refusing to look at Stephanie. When he finally raised his eyes to meet her gaze, pain was etched in them.

“One morning, about a week after Mystique went missing, Angel opened up her front door to find Mystique on the doorstep, dead. Her little neck had been broken. The sick bastard positioned her on the doorstep.”

“Just like cats do with mice,” Stephanie murmured, smiling coldly at the twisted irony.

“What?” Jesse asked distractedly.

“Cats do this with mice. They dump their prey at the feet of their owners. They seek gratification for their gifts. Maybe this stalker was doing the same with Angel, and got angry when she didn’t react the way he wanted.”

Ignoring Jesse, she stood up and began to unconsciously pace the room, speaking her thoughts aloud.

“He wanted her attention. He wanted gratification for his gift, and Angel didn’t give it to him so he killed her.”

Breaking her train of thought, she noticed Jesse’s horrified expression. Quickly she added, “Still, it’s wrong. How could anyone do that to a small defenseless kitten?”

“The very same person, who would rape and murder Angeline,” Jesse answered harshly, his breathing uneven.

He watched Stephanie return to the loveseat before he stood and began his own agitated pace of the room. “Angel really freaked out. She took a leave of absence from work, and skipped the country. She went to London to see Colin, and just tried to forget everything.”

“Colin?” Stephanie said. “I don’t think I know about him.”

“Colin Masters.” He spat out, distaste sliding across his face.

“The actor?” Stephanie said, unable to hide her surprise. “She dated Colin Masters? Damn, I can’t believe she didn’t tell me about him.” She grinned widely. “She always did like the bad boys.”

“You two were probably fighting at the time.” Jesse said, absentmindedly running his hand along the back of the loveseat.

He paused, flashing Stephanie a grin of his own. “Besides, I wouldn’t use the term dating.”

“Oh, it was like that huh?” Stephanie said, shaking her head. She never understood how Angel went through men like others went through tissues.

“By the time you were best friends again, he was out of the picture and she’d started seeing the ex-cop.”

 “Jase Devlin?” Stephanie asked quietly.

“I guess Angel told you about him then,” Jesse said with a snort.

Stephanie nodded, unable to hide her smirk. “Jase I have heard about.”