Things Lost In The Fire (33 page)

Brody’s eyes widened as he tensed with rage. “Someone was at your fucking house?”

She winced, wishing she hadn’t said anything. He didn’t need to know. “I called the cops, they told me to put in a security system. Tess knows a guy who can do it…”

“You’re not staying there until it’s put in,” he ordered as the bartender dropped off their frothy glasses of Guinness.

Sadie tilted her head to look at him, feeling her patience wearing thin. “Do you think I’m stupid? I’m staying at my mother’s.”

“Oh, yeah, because that’s better,” he retorted, grabbing his beer and downing a few big gulps. He set it down and tried to control his temper, feeling helpless at the thought of her cowered in panic on the phone with 9-1-1 while some creep lurked outside.

She was wrong. If it was just some paparazzi,
he’d
kill him.

Sadie exhaled and took a tentative sip of her own beer, willing the panic out of her system. When she began to feel better, she reached over to hold Brody’s hand. Their eyes met and she managed a smile. “I’m glad you saw me. If you hadn’t been there, he might not have left.”

He squeezed her hand, then on impulse pulled her face toward his for a quick, tender kiss. He rested his forehead against hers, sorry to feel the distress vibrating off of her. Sorry to know some obsessive freak caused it. “I’ll get to the bottom of this, okay?”

She pulled away, her eyes on his. “How?”

“I’ll do some digging. If it
is
paparazzi, it’s probably one of three or four guys that are notorious for pulling crap like this. Let me put some feelers out and see what I can find.”

She nodded, feeling a weight lifting off her chest. “Thank you. Really. You don’t have to go to the trouble…”

“Shut up.” He nudged her shoulder with his, enjoying the warmth of humor that filled her eyes. “I would do anything for you. Except wear a dress. A man’s gotta have his limits.”

She let out a bright laugh, lifting her beer for another sip. After a moment’s consideration, she tilted her face toward his. “What about a muumuu?”

Brody grinned, not missing a beat. “Do I get to wear boxers underneath?”

“Hmm…no,” she decided.

“Ah, I see what this is. You just want to see me naked,” he fired back, raising his glass in a toast as she sputtered and choked on her beer. “Muumuu provides easy access. You know, this might not be a bad idea…”

“Oh, God, stop,” she managed, laughing uncontrollably. “So inappropriate.”

He glanced around the bar, then back at her. “What? No one’s listening.”

She rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the side. “You’re such a guy.”

“I hope that doesn’t surprise you…otherwise this muumuu conversation is gonna make a lot more sense.”

She started laughing again, only to sigh as she realized her beer was nearly empty. She downed the last of it, feeling much better than when she’d arrived. In fact, she nearly forgot why she was in the bar in the first place. It came back to her in fluttering waves of negativity that dampened her cheerful mood.

He noticed her smile falter and lifted her chin, urging her to look at him. “Hey. It’s going to be okay, all right?”

She gave a quick nod. “Okay.”

He finished his beer and threw some cash upon the bar, then rose to his feet. “Why don’t I walk you to your car? You can drop me off at mine, then I’ll follow you home and make sure you get in safe.”

“I’m staying at my mother’s,” she reminded him, gathering her purse as she stood up.

He cursed under his breath. “Right. Forgot. Well, I’ll still follow you there. Hopefully Valerie doesn’t call out the hounds when she sees me.”

Sadie chuckled. “If by hounds you mean that hyper snowball then I think you’ll survive.”

He wrapped his arm over her shoulders and led the way outside, walking with her to her car. She liked the way he was affectionate with her, not seeming to care if anyone saw them or what they’d say if they did. Tonight she felt like any normal girl walking with a funny, charming guy that wanted the world to know she was his. The feeling was so surreal she wondered if she’d wake up and this would all be some kind of crazy dream.

“Better hope your meter didn’t run out,” Brody said when they reached her car. “Looks like you might’ve gotten a ticket.”

Sadie groaned, spotting the slip of white paper tucked under the driver’s side windshield wiper. “I know I put in enough money…”

She pulled the paper from the windshield and turned it over, expecting a parking ticket and finding something else entirely. It was a nearly blank page with nothing but the word “WHORE” in big black letters written upon it.

When she only stared at it in shock, Brody grabbed it from her and grunted out a violent curse. He started to tear the letter to shreds to save her from having to look at it again, but reason took over. Instead, he set it down on the hood of the car and turned to her.

“Do you have a book or a notepad or something in your purse?”

She jolted at his words, startled back into reality. With a nod, she reached into her purse and pulled out
An Introvert’s Guide to Being Extroverted
, handing it to him.

Under other circumstances he would have teased her about her book choice, but he couldn’t muster up enough humor for it. He tucked the mysterious letter inside the pages and shut the book.

“You’re going to give this letter to the police so they can dust it for fingerprints, okay? And make note of this exact location. They’ll want to check surveillance cameras of nearby stores to see if they can find out who did this.”

Sadie’s brows furrowed. “Why would they go to that much trouble?”

“Because it’s you, Sadie. And like it or not you’re a celebrity, which means they don’t take these things lightly.”

She frowned, digging for her keys. “Whatever. I just want to get home.”

Brody ran a hand through his hair, frustrated by her. “All right. My car’s another block down. Give me a sec and I’ll follow you.”

He walked away before she could argue, so she slid into her car, locked the doors, and waited for him to pull up beside her. When he did a few minutes later, she pulled out onto Sunset Boulevard and headed for the Hollywood Hills, watching his headlights in her rearview mirror.

WHEN SHE rolled up to her mother’s place, Sadie entered the security code Valerie had given her to open the gate. They both drove in and parked in front of the house.

Brody stepped out first, eyes sweeping the front yard and driveway. He noticed Valerie had plenty of security lights and even cameras, keeping watch of even the farthest reaches of the grounds. Unlike Ben, who couldn’t be bothered to update his security system, Valerie had a top-notch one in place for her protection.

Sadie would be safe here, he knew. But she wouldn’t be happy.

He went to her when she surfaced from her own vehicle, clutching her purse to her chest. She faced him, uncertainty in her eyes. “Do you want to come inside?”

Brody started to say no, to make the case that everything looked good and that he should go, but Valerie stepped out of the front door and interrupted him.

“What is
he
doing here?” Valerie demanded, racing down the steps. She came to a stop beside Sadie, clutching the folds of her silk robe around her body. Her bronzed eyes looked at him with disdain. “How did you get in?”

Brody folded his arms, matching Valerie’s derision. “The gate just magically opened and I drove right on through.”

Sadie rolled her eyes, pulling her mother away from Brody. “I invited him. He’s my friend, Mom, in case you forgot. He’s worried about that person who’s been following me.”

Valerie faced her. “Did something else happen? I knew you shouldn’t have gone out tonight. I just knew it.”

“I saw that same black car, but it’s okay. Nothing happened,” Sadie reassured her, deciding not to mention the creepy note on her car. She looked to Brody. “Brody followed me home to make sure I was safe.”

He held her gaze, taken aback by the warmth of gratitude he saw there. It was a similar look to the one Chase had given him that night at the hospital. Seeing it brought an odd fullness to his heart. “Just doing what I can.”

“Thank you.” Sadie smiled, then awkwardly stepped forward to hug him. “We’ll talk tomorrow. Okay?”

He nodded, eyeing Valerie over Sadie’s shoulder. The woman looked positively flabbergasted. It brought a snide grin to his face. “Sounds good.”

He brushed his lips against Sadie’s forehead as he pulled away, wishing they were alone so he could do more. As it was, even that small gesture of affection was giving Valerie an aneurism.

Amused, he hopped back into his car and left, imagining the argument Sadie was about to have with her mother. It couldn’t be prevented; the woman didn’t trust him.

He supposed he couldn’t blame her. He’d done very little, until now, to earn her trust.

But that was going to change.

H
E COULDN’T remember the last time he’d set foot in the family law firm, though not much had changed. It sat atop the prestigious Aon Center, the second tallest building downtown, with sweeping views of the city all the way to the Pacific. Odell & Son occupied the entire top floor, decked out in frosted glass, scarlet mahogany, and brushed nickel accents. It was an oddly modern design for a stuffy, traditionalist firm, but Brody figured if they used grandfather clocks and cigars it might turn away most of the L.A. crowd.

As it was, he spotted a few celebrities among the clients scattered about the lobby awaiting their appointments. No one famous enough to warrant his father’s immediate attention, but the aging B-list actress, veteran cable news anchor, and anxious supermodel kept their heads low and their eyes to themselves as if nervous they might be recognized.

A law firm was rarely a happy place, a fact Brody understood all too well. He hated coming here almost more than he hated the reason for his visit.

Without a word to the doe-eyed receptionist, he wandered down the hallway that led to his brother’s office. Though he vaguely remembered its location, his eyes trailed over each stainless steel name placard as he walked past all the opaque glass doors. When he found his destination, he gave a quick knock and poked his head in.

Chase was at his desk, phone pressed between his shoulder and ear. He glanced up at Brody and gave a tired smile, waving for him to enter.

“Right. I understand Ms. Hale, but you still have to provide us with those bank records. The court’s demanding them, there’s nothing I can do,” Chase said into the phone, rubbing his temple.

Brody took a seat in the plush armchair across from his brother, crossing his right leg so his ankle rested on his left knee. He tapped his hands on his thighs as he waited, taking in the stunning view outside the windows. Even with the smog, it brought a twinge of affection to his heart. He loved that damn city, chaos and all.

When Chase finally hung up the phone, he took a moment to collect his thoughts and make some notes before turning to Brody. A cheerful grin lit up his face. “What’s up, buddy?”

“Nothing good,” Brody replied. “How’s the baby?”

“Great. God, she’s cute. Abby’s got her hands full, though. She won’t sleep much at night just yet.” Chase grabbed a silver picture frame from his desk and handed it to Brody. It showed baby Charlotte, smiling up at the camera from her pink bassinet.