Fuck.
What a jerk!
Jerk! Jerk! Jerk!
Gaaaaa!!
It’s three in the frikkin’ morning, and I can’t sleep. Why? Because of his royal jerkiness, Kyle Ryders.
Fuck.
A party for his friend, and what does he do? He takes off! Just like that, and doesn’t return for hours. I mean, how frigging selfish is that?
I’m pissed off at his arrogant attitude, and I’m too wound up from the party to sleep. 1
Asshole. 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~3
Blinking against a bright light that was shining in his eyes, Kyle rolled over on his bed, pulling the pillow on to his head in a vain attempt to stall morning. Sighing in annoyance, he tossed the pillow aside, and looked at the clock. 4
“Shit!” Jumping out of bed at the time, he’d already grabbed the pair of jeans that were on the floor by the bed and pulled them on before he remembered that he wasn’t due on set that day. 5
Looking back at the clock, he frowned at the 6:48 that stared back at him. It was rare that he could take advantage of sleeping in, and after the events of the past week, he needed it. Pulling the jeans back off, he fell onto the bed and tried to get back to sleep. 6
Eyes opened as laughter filtered in from downstairs. Raising himself on one elbow, he stared at his closed door in confusion. He’d arrived back home around three in the morning, and the party had thinned out slightly, but still seemed to be going strong. After depositing the promised stripper with the birthday boy, Kyle had made his escape and gone to bed. 7
Luckily for him, the two detectives had gone long before he got back, and he didn’t have to deal with either one. Giovanni he could tolerate, but Detective Grant pissed him off on a level he hated to be in. To her, he was the lowest form of scum, right on par with the most despicable of felons. He was an actor. 8
Kyle had seen the subtle change in her demeanor when she’d found out that Liam had once been one of ‘them’. After that, she actually took notice of what Liam had to say… all the while discounting or glaring when Kyle even bothered to open his mouth. 9
Well, screw her. He wasn’t just some pretty-boy air headed dumb-ass, and if she couldn’t see that (or even find it out through her stellar investigative skills), then… sucks to be her. Bitch.10
Running hands over his face when he knew he didn’t really, truly hate her, he sat up on the bed and mulled over what to do on a rare free day. Another noise from downstairs caught his attention, and he stared when music filtered up. Sweet mother, the party was still going on. 11
“Beat last year’s record,” he muttered when he realized that less than four hours sleep was about all he was going to get. Not feeling like putting up with a bunch of tired, drunk partiers, he considered hiding out in his room for the day. 12
Quickly squashing that idea, he got up and headed for the bathroom that was attached to his room. A shower to clear his mind, and then he could think of what to do. 13
Taking a quick shower, he dried off, decided to forgo shaving, and tossed the towels down the laundry chute. Walking out of the bathroom, he crossed his bedroom and headed for the dresser. 14
“The park,” he said suddenly, then stopped. “The park?” He’d never been one for taking leisurely strolls, and had no idea why he felt a need to go to the park. 15
Taking a walk through the trees and grass held some appeal, but he would be noticed. He was always noticed. And that could put a great morning on hold faster than anything.16
Deciding to take that chance, and opting for a small disguise that could pass enough to make him just look like ‘that famous actor’. Slipping on a pair of jeans that had the knees ripped out, and a shirt emblazoned with an anarchy symbol, he started looking through the ‘shit’ as he called it, that helped him look his best on those days when he had to be more than just plain Kyle Ryders. Brown contact lenses might work since Geoff Saturn had bright blue eyes, and close ups of his face in character were gracing more than a few billboards.
Studying his changes in the mirror, he looked down at the expanse of ‘shit’ on the table and decided that changing the hairstyle might help. Slapping a handful of some seldom used hair gunk on his head, he combed it through, then ran fingers over, raising his hair into a fairly good impression of… a famous actor with brown eyes and spiky hair. 17
“Hell with it,” he muttered. Removing the contact lenses, he blinked a few times, and grabbed a thespians ‘best friend’; the all mighty nondescript baseball cap. Making his way out of the room and down the stairs, he paused when he realized that, although thinned out considerably, the living room was still full of people in various stages of drunkenness.18
“Where’s Liam?”19
Davy looked up at him from behind the body of a woman sleeping on his lap. “He tanked about half an hour after you did.”20
Great. Just frigging… “Going out,” Kyle announced to the remaining party guests that seemed to content to have their asses parked in his living room. 21
“I’ll come with,” one said, although Kyle had no frigging idea just who he was. Even after all that had happened, every day there seemed to be a new face in his house.22
“No,” Kyle said. “Flyin’ solo on this one. Davy, have the party finished by the time I get back.” Walking through the door before anyone could complain, he continued past the Ferrari and Rolls Royce. Making it to the garage, he entered through a side door and looked over the selection of motorbikes. 23
Blinking when he realized that he had more than he could ever ride or enjoy, he made a mental note to contact a broker about unloading a few. Going to the least expensive of the bikes, a 1985 Harley-Davidson FXWG 1340 Wide Glide, he checked the gas, then turned for a helmet and jacket. 24
Pulling on an Aerostich leather jacket, he tossed the baseball cap to the long bench that ran along the garage wall, and replace it with a black du-rag emblazoned with the words ‘American Biker’. A black helmet followed and soon he was on the bike and out the garage door. 25
Thankfully most of the paparazzi had him pegged as one of the still leaving party guests, and left him blessedly alone when he exited the property. Speeding through the streets just in case someone had decided to follow, he soon arrived at the park in question and parked his bike in one of the lesser used lots. 26
Now all he had to do was walk around looking for something he had no idea of… looking, he realized he was in nearly the same spot he’d been just the day before when someone had decided to run a car through a movie set. Wondering why he was even here, he sighed and headed out. At the least, he’d have a relaxing morning of melting into the crowds and hopefully remain unnoticed. 27
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~28
Saturday morning, 8 am sharp… and Izzy was running late. Parking her jeep in the lot, she jumped out, grabbed the case from the back seat and set off at a trot, motioning behind her with the remote to set the car alarm. 29
Damn party she thought to herself, adding a few choice curse words in for the absent host. They had stuck around until nearly two in the morning, and Kyle had still not returned. 30
“Annoying fuck-twit,” she muttered as she switched from a trot to a near run. She’d never been late for anything before, but it looked as if that record was coming to a crashing end. All thanks to a moody, arrogant actor who thought nothing of taking off on a friend during a party. God, if he did that without guilt, there was no telling what else he could do… like lie to police about just how well he knew someone. 31
Worse, the woman they had been trying to find had also vanished. There was no recording of her leaving through the front gate on foot, and no trace of her on the grounds. All cars were basically accounted for, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. The mystery woman could have come with someone, or hitched a ride home with someone else, or even just managed to slip through the gate before Izzy had time to get to Liam to view the cameras. 32
There had been a few women that had left the grounds at that time, but the slipping on of a jacket, and her telltale outfit of the see through shirt would have been completely covered. 33
After the party, Izzy starting thinking that maybe this was all about Kyle (then again, in his world, what wasn’t about him?) and that someone was trying to remove any woman that was close to him. 34
She’d mentioned it to Gio, who had been drunk, and although he hadn’t laughed at her idea, he hadn’t supported it, either. It was a long shot, and rather askew thinking, but on one level, it fit. And if there was one thing she’d learned about Hollywood, was that it operated on a whole other level than normal reality did. 35
The woman who was killed had once been a roommate, and possible more of Kyle Ryders. The actress that had nearly been hit by the car had been an onscreen lover of Kyle Ryders’ character, and had been saved from a near hit and run just minutes before filming the big love scene. 36
It all fit… and it all didn’t fit. 37
Sighing, Izzy spotted the crowd in the distance, and hurried her pace. Wondering if she should take the time to call and see if Kyle had finally made it home, she pushed the thought away. She was already annoyed enough without adding more to it.38
Jogging around a tree, Izzy skidded to a stop and looked around. Numerous faces looked up at her, more than a few giving a frown as she returned the gazes with a sheepish grin. 39
“Sorry,” she said, crouching to the ground, then sitting. “Late night, early morning, and not enough caffeine in my system.” Opening the case she had in her hands, she looked up. “I miss much?”40
“Just starting, actually,” came the reply.41
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~42
So far, so good. 43
Kyle managed to go most of the morning without being noticed, thanks in part to the du-rag covering his light brown hair, sunglasses concealing his telltale nearly emerald eyes, and a snarl that made even the heartiest hesitant in approaching him. 44
Basically, he looked like a tough-ass biker with a strong F.U. attitude… something that he borrowed from a bit part he’d had in one of his first acting jobs. In that television show, he had basically been in the background, but the general aura he held had been enough for the director to take notice. The next week he’d been back in a speaking role, and after that, a larger part. 45
Although it had only lasted five weeks until the series had been cancelled, it opened up the wide world of Hollywood to his talents. And he owed it all to that snarling biker hovering in the background of a bar scene. 46
So far, so good. And he was actually enjoying himself being able to blend in with those just out for a leisurely stroll. Too bad he had no real idea why he was at the same park the near hit and run had been in… not like it was even remotely close to his home, or even the studio. 47
Turning to head back to the parking lot where his bike was, he paused as he heard a tune carried on the breeze. Someone was doing a fairly good version of Heart’s “Crazy on You”, the guitar strumming in a way that made him want to know who was brave enough to attempt such a song. 48
Following the music, he stopped short when he realized it was coming from a small group of people that were sitting under a tree. A few guitars were on the grass, their owners listening to one person playing. And damn it, if he didn’t actually recognize that one person. And double damn it if it didn’t shock the hell out of him to realize that such beautiful music could come from hands that were also adept at firing weapons. 49
So entranced with her playing, he didn’t notice that a small crowd was gathering around him, until someone bumped into him from behind. Blinking as if being waken from a daydream, he turned, and stopped when he realized that a fairly good sized group of people were staring, whispering, and worse of all, taking pictures of him. 50
Damn it. He should have figured that standing in one place long enough would cause him to be recognized…. And honestly, he was getting tired of not being able to enjoy the simplest things any longer. Sighing, he tried to play them off. Lowering his sunglasses enough to stare at them, he gave a look of utter annoyance. “Sorry,” he said, disguising his voice with an Australian accent. “Can I help you?”51
“You look like that actor.”52
“Which one?” he asked, sounding bored.53
“The one from that movie with the aliens.”54
Well, that narrowed it down to only a few hundred names. 55
“I’m not,” he said, turning away.56
“Are you sure?” a woman asked, looking him over. 57
“Positive,” he replied. “Think if I was famous that I’d be hanging around this park?” 58
“I think you are him,” the woman said, taking another picture. 59
He loved his fans, he really did… but sometimes he wished they would give him a little space when he was out on ‘personal time’. Sighing, he slid past her and started to walk to the tree where the guitarists were. 60
Approaching, he could tell the moment she saw him. The guitar playing faltered, then stopped, replaced by an even stare. 61
“Hello,” Kyle said as everyone in the group looked at him. 62
“You’re lucky I don’t shoot you,” Izzy said.63
Kyle smiled. For some reason, he found that highly amusing.64
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~65
“If I asked a question, would I be able to get an honest answer?”66
Izzy glanced at him as they walked through the park. “I’m not in the habit of lying, Mr. Ryders.”67
“But you are in the habit of withholding pertinent information if it means a resolution to your case.”68
“Pardon?” she said. “Are you implying that I would purposefully withhold-“ 69
“No,” he interrupted. “I meant that you wouldn’t tell me everything about the case, even though I seem to be neck deep in it.” He paused. “Am I a suspect?”70
The word ‘no’ was on Izzy’s lips, but she hesitated in letting him know. “Everyone is suspect,” she finally said, more to spite him than anything. 71
“I see,” Kyle replied in a quiet tone. “And if I told you that I had nothing to do with this?”72
“I may believe you,” Izzy admitted. “Basically since you weren’t there when it happened.” She paused. “As long as you’ve been honest in the replies you gave, there should be no problems.”73
Noticing a falter in his step, she stared at him. He looked away, and continued walking. 74
“Have you been honest in the replies?”75
”I’ve told the truth,” Kyle said. “I just… withheld something." He stopped walking and looked at her. “Laine, or rather Michelle, did stay at my place,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. “But she didn’t exactly spend every night on the couch.”76
“So, you lied.”77
“No,” he said. “You didn’t ask me if we had sex, you only asked where she slept. And, to be honest, we didn’t exactly sleep, if you catch my drift.”78
“Why not tell the truth?” 79
He gave a brief smile. “In relation to your question, I did tell the truth.” He started walking again. 80
Realizing that he was right, Izzy trotted to catch up. Ducking under a branch, she stopped with a jolt as the strap to her guitar case snagged on the tree. “Damn it.”81
Turning at the curse, Kyle rolled his eyes as she tried to get an arm behind to release the branch. “Need help?”82
“No.” Squirming a bit as she tried to release herself, she sighed. “Yes.”83
Walking to her, he stood in front and reached an arm around her to unhook the branch. “Stop squirming,” he said. “Unless you want to tear the case.”84
Standing still, she was acutely aware that he was leaning in very close to her, their bodies nearly touching. Breathing in, she caught the scent of soap, shampoo and leather… and could feel herself blush. It was rare that she was affected like this, and chided herself in getting trapped up in the whirlwind that surrounded the actor. 85
Taking a step back from her, Kyle gave a rare smile, one that he reserved for people he actually knew. “Sorry,” he apologized. “Got a little tear in the case. Couldn’t help it.” 86
“It’s okay,” she said, stepping away. “All right, if you’re innocent, then who would you think killed the victim?”87
Raising an eyebrow at her one-track way of thinking, Kyle shrugged. His mind was still on the scent of her shampoo, and he wanted to bury his face in her hair to inhale almond all day. Blinking that that idea, he wondered just where it came from. Yeah, she was cute, but he wasn’t the type to fall for every pretty face that came along. 88
That, and he was sure that she was the type that would more than likely slap him down if he made any suggestions about well, anything. To her, he was still one level above pond scum, and he was sure her including him in the investigation was her way of tripping him up and confessing to something she would take completely the wrong way. Fine. If she wanted to play it that way, then he was more than willing to hone his thespian skills on her. 89
“No idea,” he said.90
“What about people in your house?”91
“Liam, Greg and Davy are about the only three people in this whole world that I trust,” he said. 92
“Would anyone kill to get back at you?”93
That brought him to a stop. “What?” Shaking his head, he stared at her like she’d insulted his mother. “What kind of people do you think I hang around with, Detective?”94
“It’s a general question,” she said. “I didn’t mean to offend you.” 95
“You did,” he told her. “Look, I live a fairly low-key life. The tabloids are forever trying to catch me doing something, and before this past week, I’ve only been in one, maybe three so called scandals.” 96
Sensing that she may have stumbled onto a sensitive subject, she opted to let it slide for a while. Gio had been right when he suggested not alienating certain people, and since Kyle was talking to her, she saw no need to shove him away.97
“Are you four the only ones that frequent your property?” she asked. “Any maids, secretary, entourage?” 98
“Didn’t I go through this all ready?”99
“Never hurts to refresh,” Izzy said. “Sometimes you remember things you forgot… or, neglected to mention the first time.”100
Kyle sighed, not really liking to divulge certain information. Deciding that telling her some things would be less hassle than a full-fledged investigation, he opted to give her the basic overview. “Liam does security,” he said. “Greg handles appointments, bookings, and deals with my agent when he pisses me off, and Davy is basically my gopher.” 101
“Anyone else?”102
“There’s always someone else at my place,” Kyle said, a touch of bitterness in his tone. 103
“Who?”104
He shrugged. “I have no idea who half them are, so if you want to know motives, you’d have to actually do some detective work there.”105
Ignoring the condescending tone, she pressed on. “You don’t know half the people that are at your own home?”106
“Nope.”107
“Then why are they there?”108
Kyle fell silent as they walked, considering how much to let her know. Spilling secrets to anyone had a bad tendency to come back and hurt in the worst possible way. He’d ‘been there, done that, still have the magazine issue that spilled his secrets’, and there was no way he wanted to go through that again. Truth was that he hated being alone, and having a group of barely recognizable faces was slightly better than staring at empty rooms. 109
Sensing a possible sore subject, Izzy pulled back on the urge to press her advantage to get an answer. Willing to come back to the question at a later date, she moved on. “Do anything to piss someone off enough that they’d want to kill over it?”110
“I try not to do things that will come back to haunt me… makes life much easier that way.”111
“Past girlfriends, boyfriends?”112
Giving an amused look, Kyle shook his head. “And there it is, the question of the week. Is Kyle Ryders hiding in the closet?” 113
“I didn’t ask that.”114
Sighing, he stopped walking and regarded her steadily. “I’m not gay, I’m not bisexual, I’m not even bi-curious. If a role calls for me to kiss a guy, then fine, it’s called being an actor.” He paused. “Hell, I don’t even sleep with a date until I’ve known her for a while. Does that satisfy your curiosity about my sex life?”115
Izzy rolled her eyes. “Dramatic, much?”116
“Isobel,” he sighed. 117
Blinking at the way her name sounded on his lips, she had to fight back the giddy feeling. She’d never liked Isobel, but somehow found it entrancing when – 118
Coughing to cover the confusion she felt, Izzy motioned to a blue Jeep they were approaching. “My ride,” she said. “Need a lift to your bike?” she asked, eyeing the helmet he still had in his hand. 119
“Sure, thanks.” Climbing in the passenger side, he pulled on the seatbelt and waited while she put her guitar in the back seat. Staring at the people wandering around the park, Kyle’s attention was drawn to one figure that seemed to be staring directly at him. 120
“Hell,” he whispered.121
“What?” Izzy asked, pausing as she was half in the Jeep. 122
“Woman just to the right of the fountain,” he said. “Same one that was convinced that I was me.”123
“That you were you?”124
He shrugged. “Told her I just looked like me, but I wasn’t.” Not looking away as the woman continued to stare, he felt a shiver go through him. 125
Stepping back out of the vehicle as she watched her passenger shudder, Izzy took a better look at the woman. There was something vaguely familiar about her, but it was hard to place. “Do you know her?” she asked, voice back to business. 126
“Don’t think I’ve ever seen her before today,” he said. “But don’t quote me on that.” 127
Izzy had taken a few steps around the Jeep towards the woman, stopping as the other turned and walked away. The option to follow or not was there, but was quickly decided for her when the woman walked to a bus stop and climbed onto the waiting downtown bus. It was then that Izzy realized where she’d seen the woman. 128
Last night, the woman’s hair had been down, curling over her shoulders and framing a face that looked ready for an artist to immortalize. Today, her hair was pulled back, giving her features a much more severe look. Fighting the urge to follow someone that really had done nothing wrong, Izzy stared for a few moments as the bus pulled away, then took out her cell phone and sent off a quick text message. 129
Bus 3, main route, check cameras 4 mystery lady. Knowing that Gio would get the general idea from the message, she tucked the phone back into her front pocket. 130
“Wait,” he said, staring as the bus disappeared around a corner. “I do think I’ve seen her before. Maybe.”131
Deciding to hold off on telling him about the woman being at the party in his house, she turned back to the Jeep. “You’re not sure?”132
“I meet a lot of people, detective,” he said. “Most times just in passing.” 133
Izzy considered that. If it was indded the same woman from the night before, and she seemed to be following Kyle, then maybe there had been some connection before. “Do you get a lot of fan mail?” she asked.134
“Yeah.”135
“I’ll need to look through any that sent you pictures.”136
“That’s ninety-nine percent,” Kyle said dryly. “Drop me off at my bike, then follow me home. I keep all those pictures at my place.”137
“Why?”138
He looked at her as she got in the Jeep. “I’m two lots over,” he said instead. 139
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~140
The place was huge, and looked more inviting in the daylight. Pulling in behind the Harley, Izzy couldn’t help but gape at the property. Last time she’d been here in the daylight, she had not actually taken the time to look around, her attention centered solely on the body on the ground. Now, she could see the understated beauty of the place.141
Waiting for her to join him, Kyle paused while she phoned in to the precinct to let them know what she was doing. He could see the logic in that, since at any given time a reporter could be hanging from a tree, trying to get a picture of ‘Kyle Ryder and Date!’. Official business took away some of the sting that any errant photo may bring. 142
Walking in the door, Izzy banged into Kyle’s back as he suddenly stopped walking. Peeking around him, she blinked at the view. Couples were scattered over the large living room, each pair in different levels of making out. Across the room, a woman perched on Davy’s lap, moving up and down as his hands grasped at her backside. 143
Staring at the events, Kyle tried to hold back the anger that wanted to explode. Behind the anger though lurked an embarrassment so large that it nearly prompted him to turn and storm out. Not that he was a prude, or even remotely virginal… it was that he knew Detective Grant would read the wrong conclusion into the whole thing and he really didn’t need that headache. Ever.144
“Dude!” Greg said, finally noticing Kyle. He stood, easing a woman off him and then straightened his clothes. “Didn’t expect you back so-“145
“Out!” Kyle said in a loud voice, making most of the activity stop as all eyes were drawn to him.146
“Kyle-“147
“Now, Greg.” 148
More than a few eyes grew wide at order, and those that knew the tone scurried to their feet and headed for the door. A few straggled behind, but were ushered out by Davy and Greg, who kept giving Kyle worried glances. 149
“You cool?” Greg asked as he walked past. 150
Kyle’s eyes tracked to him. “I don’t want to see anyone but you, Davy, and Liam in here for the next couple weeks.”151
“Understood,” came the reply, then he was gone. 152
Izzy blinked as she tried to figure out what had happened. Wasn’t often that she stumbled upon an orgy (first time, actually), and she tried to understand why Kyle had not been overly surprised at the view. She guessed that being a star meant the occasional orgy… too bad she had shown up with him and probably ruined the fun.153
“Sorry,” he muttered, then turned and headed towards a hallway. “Office is this way,” he called over his shoulder. “Come on.” 154
“That happen often?” she asked.155
“Fortunately, no.” His hand landed on a doorknob, and he looked at her. “Ten years ago, I came out here with Davy and Greg. We made a promise to be there for each other, no matter what, and,” he paused with a shrug. “I made it big, so here they are.”156
Feeling a little sorry for him and the underlying coolness in his tone, Izzy followed into the room as he opened the door. Looking around, she couldn’t help but be surprised for the second time in less than five minutes. She had no idea what to expect, but it hadn’t been a plain looking office devoid of all characteristics that would show that it belonged to someone as famous as him.
A large desk, three filing cabinets and a computer on a smaller desk were accompanied by a small fridge, microwave and coffee maker on a shelf. Where she would have assumed posters from movies, he had instead hung tastefully framed images of mountains, beach scenes, and, of all things, a frame that held about thirty or so drawing that looked like a child’s scribbles.157
Going to the desk, Kyle hit a button on the phone. Frowning as he waited, he motioned to the chair for Izzy to sit. Listening to the rings over the speaker portion of the phone, Kyle was about to disconnect the call when it was answered.158
“What?” a voice mumbled. 159
“It’s ten in the morning,” Kyle said, his tone mild. “Get the hell up, Liam.”160
“Shit!” Over the speaker, muffled sounds could be heard, like someone jumping out of bed and dressing. “Sorry.”161
“You talking to me?” Kyle asked, “Or the reason you, uh, slept in.” 162
Silence greeted him for a few moments. “Both, actually.” Liam said, his tone a little sheepish. 163
“Great. Please make sure everyone makes it off the grounds.”164
“Party’s still going on?” Liam said, sounding completely awake. 165
“Make sure they go, then grab Davy and Greg and drag them back here.” Reaching out, he disconnected the call, then stood.166
Walking to a large filing cabinet, Kyle pulled open a drawer. “You want pictures based on year, location, hair color, natural hair color?” 167
Raising an eyebrow at that last statement, Izzy walked over and stood on the other side of the drawer. “Let’s start with age,” she said, tossing out the one category he hadn’t mentioned. 168
He nodded. “She looked around your age,” he said. “So that would be…” he trailed off, smirking. 169
“Thirty-two,” she said, a slight warning in her tone.170
“I was going to guess thirty-one,” he muttered, pulling a file out and handing it to her. Pulling another one out, he motioned to the large desk that was in a corner. Sitting down, he waited for her to join him.171
“Before you start,” he said. “I should point out that I get a lot of pictures.”172
“So you’ve said,” she replied, opening the file. Her eyes grew wide at the first image and she tilted her head as she tried to figure out just how the woman in the image could take a picture while maintaining that pose… in the buff. 173
“Most are nudes,” he said, humor in his voice. “That’s why I keep them here. In the wrong hands, it could ruin some woman’s life.”174
Glancing at him as he started sifting through the pictures, Izzy was once again reminded at how wrong she had pegged him. He wasn’t the egotistical asshole that she thought, and if he hadn’t been so famous, would probably be the guy that friends turned to because they knew he was reliable. 175
“Coffee?” he asked suddenly, breaking the silence.176
“No thanks.”177
“Beer? Wine? Imported water from some glacier that’s melting faster than a model’s cheap Botox injection?”178
“No, no, and how tempting with the analogy.”179
Standing, he walked to the small kitchen set up in the corner and quickly filled the coffee maker. “I need some caffeine,” he said, then bent low to peer in the fridge. “Christ, Davy,” he whispered, “I give you one job to do and you can’t even accomplish that.” 180
Izzy watched as the small fridge door was gently closed. Another door opened in a cupboard, and it looked like he was purposely keeping himself from slamming and yanking. They both looked as laughter filtered in through the open door from the main part of the house. 181
“Keep looking,” Kyle said as he headed for the door. “I’ll be right back.”182
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~183
“Damn it, Davy,” Liam said. “You promised the party would be over by four.”184
Shrugging, Davy took his time walking back to the main house. “You’re starting to sound like Kyle.” Holding his hands up, he mimicked. “Oh, don’t do that, the reporters will print it. Oh, Davy, no getting laid in the living room, the-“185
“Getting what in the where?” Liam demanded. 186
“Laid in the living room,” Greg volunteered, then shut up as both glared at him. 187
Staring, Liam tried to get that through his brain. It wasn’t working. “It’s too early for this shit,” he said. “Is it too much to ask that you behave just one Saturday so that I can sleep the hell in?” 188
“Oh?!” Davy snarled. “It’s okay for you to get laid, but not okay for me?”189
“I was in my own bed, in my own room,” Liam pointed out in a calm tone. “Notice the difference?”190
“Guys,” Greg said. “My buzz is gone, and the headache is moving in for the kill. So… could you both either shut the hell up, or go fuck off, or something?”191
“My birthday,” Davy said, his tone dipping to a petulant whine. “And all I get is shit on by my so-called best friends.”192
“Stop the victim routine, Davy,” Liam said as he opened the door to the house. “Unless that’s what you used to get laid…?”193
Stopping with a glare, Davy soon looked thoughtful. “Think it would work?” Frowning as the other two burst out laughing, he soon joined in, their earlier argument basically forgotten. 194
“Everyone gone?” Kyle asked as he walked into the living room. 195
“Completely,” Liam said with a nod. 196
“Good.” Exhaling, Kyle studied the three that had been his best friends in high school, and the only people he knew he could count on. They’d been through a lot together, but this week had been one thing after another, and Kyle’s patience was paper thin.197
Watching with a mixture of curiosity and concern, Liam noted the fatigue in Kyle’s step as he walked to the fireplace, picked up a half empty glass and looked at it before replacing it on the mantle. 198
This wasn’t ‘red carpet’ Kyle, friendly and open… this was ‘you’re about to have a world of pain slammed on you’ Kyle, all business and ready for battle. Centering on Davy, Kyle exhaled briefly, then began.199
“Why did I walk in my house and find an orgy?”200
Davy shrugged, his earlier attitude back in full force. “Lousy timing on your part?”201
“I see,” Kyle said slowly as he reminded himself about staying calm. “And why was this orgy in my living room, instead of in your living room?” 202
“What’s the real problem, Kyle?” Davy asked. “You pissed that we started without you?”203
Kyle went so still that Liam felt an unfamiliar trickle of worry. It was rare that Kyle lost his tempter, but when it did happen, it was never a good thing. Quickly catching on, Greg cleared his throat and stood. 204
“Apologies from me, Kyle,” he said. “You’re absolutely right that it shouldn’t have been in your living room, and I give my personal vow that it won’t happen again.”205
Getting angry with that, but not knowing why, Kyle transferred his stare to Greg. “Stop kissing my ass, Greg,” he said. “It fucking pisses me off.”206
“Greg, Davy, out,” Liam said, his tone even. 207
Ignoring the two as they left, Kyle shook his head and muttered to himself. As soon as the door closed, he looked at the remaining friend. “No lectures, Liam,” he said, running a hand over his face. “I’m too tired to even pretend to listen.” 208
“You only swear when you’re completely pissed. What’s going on?” 209
Kyle shook his head slightly. “This whole past week is what’s going on,” Kyle said. “I’ve got a cop that keeps asking questions I don’t want to answer, and I swear there’s some flaky bitch following me around. I’ve got scene re-shoots in two days and I can’t concentrate long enough to learn new lines.”210
“Wait,” Liam said, suddenly all business. “Who’s following you around?”211
”No idea.” 212
“All right. No more going out by yourself,” Liam said. “Greg or myself will go with you.”213
”I don’t like-“ He stopped talking as Liam raised a hand.214
“Normally, I’d listen, but as your security guy, I’m going to have to insist.” Liam smiled slightly. “Unless of course, that lady cop wants to ride herd over you.” 215
Kyle snorted. “No thanks.”216
“Why not? She’s cute.”217
“She hates me, she has a gun, and she knows how to use it.” 218
“Good point.” He glanced at the large windows that overlooked the pool. “About Davy?”219
“I can’t deal with him right now,” Kyle said as he stood. “I’ll be more liable to beat the hell out of him than talk to him.” 220
“I see.”221
Stopping at the neutral tone, Kyle sat back in the chair, slouching. I don’t need this. Damn, I’m tired. Running a hand over his face, he shrugged as he thought of a way to get Davy out of his sight for a day or two. “I need Davy to drive up the coast to the beach house,” he said slowly. “Check it out, clean it up and stock it for a few days.”222
“All right.”223
“I’ve got a break in shooting mid week, and I think I need a couple days away.”224
“I’ll send him up to Rio del Mar to take care of that after he sleeps.”225
“Appreciate it.” Standing again, he paused as a stray thought occurred. “I didn't see Kitten here this morning. She get home okay?”226
“Put her in a cab myself.”227
“Thanks. When did she leave?”228
“Just after you woke us, actually.” Giving an innocent look as his friend turned to stare, Liam shrugged. “What?”
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Comments
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Nice!
I am so glad I stumbled upon this 'novel'. My only concern is that I'm going to catch up before you're done!
I love the twist with her in the park, I was totally not expecting that. Great visuals, I was a bit confused by his eye color at first...then I read on.
A few things stood out to me -
Talking a step back from her, Kyle gave a rare smile, - I think it should be 'taking'
Blinking that that idea - Should be 'at that'
Glancing at him as he went to work viewing, Izzy was once again reminded at how wrong she had pegged him. - Something about the flow of the line...I had to read it over a couple of times. Maybe it's just me
I also noticed people blink a lot.
I love how you let the reader see both sides of the story w/o giving away too much. I save these chapters for slow days @ work and lately there have been a lot of 'em. Thank god!
Excellent chapter, spot on dialog and story progression. Love it.
Jack
beginning: 5, language: 5, plot: 5, ending: 5, dialog: 5, characters: 5.
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for pointing out the errors... I tend to miss them after reading it over too many times. And yes, people do blink a lot. 
I must remedy that.
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