Fame, Fortune & Secrets (The Redemption Series: Book 2) Read online

  Eduardo and David left the room, their friends’ laughter following them. As they walked out into the morning sunshine Eduardo was becoming more irate.

  “I thought they got rid of these assholes a week and a half ago when we told them to.”

  “You heard Pearson. It’s a political favor.” David quickened his pace.

  “Yeah. And we get the pleasure. These two idiots shouldn’t even have driver’s licenses to begin with.”

  A man ran toward them, his arms waving wildly. Eduardo grimaced. “And here he is—moron number one.”

  No sooner had he spoken than the training car sped past them. It careened into the small pond that was affectionately called the Mudhole, and landed upside down.

  David and Eduardo sprinted to the water and dove in. Eduardo proceeded to find the driver, and David went to the passenger side. It took minutes to break the window and extricate the man. Fortunately he was alone in the car and still conscious. Eduardo hauled him through the muddy water by the back of his shirt. The three gasped for air, muck dripping down their faces.

  As they headed toward the embankment they looked up to see General Pearson, Jimmy, and Alain, accompanied by Amanda James and her cameraman. Jimmy was doubled over with laughter. Alain bit his lip, his shoulders shaking.

  “Friggin’ idiot!” Eduardo pitched the hapless driver out of the water.

  “Yeah, Clemente—the glamour never ends.” Jimmy roared.

  Chapter Six

  Eduardo

  “Hope you guys got all the mud out of your ears.” Jimmy was gleeful.

  “Shut up, Hollinger.” Eduardo sank into his chair at the conference table. He felt like putting his fist through the wall.

  “Men.” General Pearson came through the door. “Amanda will be doing a special documentary on you. She’ll be giving the public a behind-the-scenes look at what you go through every day. With all the media attention on the Sylvie Mason thing and your association with these rock stars—well it seems it would suit our purposes to publicize your heroism. Like I said, I expect it will not only improve our image with the public and soften this scandal, but it may even increase the numbers of qualified people looking to join our ranks.”

  Eduardo inspected the dirt under his nails and sighed. “Yeah. Yeah. And it’ll increase album sales.” Then he realized the General would not appreciate his sarcastic tone. “Sorry, Sir.”

  Pearson nodded his forgiveness. “I know you men have had a difficult time lately. Between all this publicity, media attention—all the personal things going on—not to mention your family members turning into superstars. And of course, now you’re in charge of security for their concert. I’m sure it’s enough to make anyone’s head spin. I know your work has been less than satisfying lately. We still haven’t found this traitor. Things will change once we get to Salzburg.” Pearson rubbed his chin.

  He motioned to Jimmy to deliver a cup of coffee, and sat silently sipping it. His men fell into their own thoughts.

  The General began again. “Anyway, I’m sure if you think about it, this Amanda James show will be beneficial on a number of levels. If you don’t do it, the publicity won’t go away. So we might as well take advantage of it. Amanda will be in this afternoon to interview you. I expect you will cooperate and conduct yourselves in a manner to make me proud. Joe Harris told me your family will be speaking with her as well. And she’s interviewing Aubrey Rose and Glori Coulson for this show, too. I guess she’s going to be covering the inside story on the concert. So you may end up speaking in a more personal manner—about your family and how their musical success is affecting you and so on.” Pearson stared off into space.

  Eduardo gritted his teeth. Joe Harris had Pearson like a puppet on a string.

  ***

  Eduardo was grateful the Ross Hotel offered its guests a peaceful, quiet atmosphere. He craved serenity tonight. Opening the door to Nita’s room, he found himself in the midst of a profusion of red roses. The scent was overwhelming—it reminded him of a funeral.

  Maneuvering through the flowers he found her sitting on the edge of the bed, brushing her glorious long black hair. She was so deep in thought that he startled her as he emerged from the roses.

  “Where did these come from?” He gestured with a sweep of his hand.

  “Oh. They’re from Mac.” Nita’s voice was miles away.

  “Mac?” He was growing more irritated.

  “You know—Mac Knight. You must have heard of him. He’s one of the most famous—as a matter of fact, I thought you met him not too long ago.”

  “And what’s he doin’ sendin’ you roses?” He walked around more flowers to face her directly. Nita did not bother to look up at him.

  “It’s nothing Eduardo,” she sighed. “He just wants to do a song with me. That’s all.”

  “A song, huh?”

  He knew his sarcastic tone aggravated her. She threw the brush onto the dresser and stood up to face him.

  “Why is it, Eduardo—every time a man comes near me—you automatically assume he wants to sleep with me?” Her face was reddening.

  “Because he does.” This was a simple fact she should have known.

  “Oh. And I have no other talents anyone could possibly be interested in?”

  “Sure, honey. You’re very talented. I mean—you’re a doctor. You save people’s lives. And you can sing like an angel. Of course you’re talented.” He really wanted this conversation over.

  She fumed. “But all I’m really good for—”

  He interrupted. “What? What is it? This thing with David—”

  “Oh don’t start, Eduardo! It’s not just David, and you know it!” Her voice rose higher.

  “Know what?” He shouted over her.

  “We both know you’ve been cheating on me since the very start. It’s just getting a little hard to ignore it these days.”

  “Cheating on you? What are you talkin’ about? I haven’t cheated on you.” Not lately anyway.

  She glared up at him. “Well—perhaps you have not had a dalliance since we got back together in February. But you know full well over the years you’ve cheated on me hundreds of times.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t play the innocent with me. I was barely a teenager, and you were doing me and the prostitute in Salzburg!”

  “What? That wasn’t cheating. I was a kid. Where else was I gonna learn what to do?”

  She was enraged. “You self-righteous—that was cheating Eduardo. And maybe they were all prostitutes or one night stands, but it was still cheating!”

  He grabbed her by the shoulders. “Nita!”

  She writhed out of his grasp and stormed to the bathroom, roses flying in her wake. “You should leave now, Eduardo. I don’t want you here tonight.” She slammed the bathroom door.

  He stood there, confused, staring at the door. Anger reverberated through his body. He squelched an urge to throw a vase of roses at the door. Consciously, he worked to calm himself. Deciding he should give her the time alone, he went to the nearby sitting room. He put his head in his hands. Huh. Lambrecht gets to live out every guy’s fantasy. And I get the dog house.

  ***

  Jimmy slammed his locker shut. “I can’t wait for this long weekend. Gonna forget all this shit—friggin’ busywork. And sweet Aubrey Rose is mine all weekend.”

  Alain’s face was suddenly serious. “Good morning, General.”

  Jimmy turned to find Pearson behind him. “Good morning, Sir.”

  Pearson was straight-faced. “Good morning, men. I’m afraid your busywork is over. I need the four of you in the conference room in five minutes.” Pearson hit a locker with his open hand and left.

  “What in hell is it now?” Eduardo didn’t know if he could take another thing.

  ***

  “Gentlemen, I’ve had some interesting phone calls from an eclectic group of people this morning—Joe Harris—Bud Bainbridge—the President of the United States. I’m sure you’re on the edg
e of your seats to hear all the details.” Pearson poured himself some coffee while his men looked at each other.

  “I know you boys have had some issues of your own lately, so perhaps you haven’t been paying close attention to the news. Recently there was a kidnapping in Beverly Hills of all places. She’s the daughter of one of the most famous—not to mention richest and most politically active—actors of our time. No doubt you’ve heard of Andrew Blackington? It turns out he’s a personal friend of Bud Bainbridge and the President of the United States. And our wonderful friend, Joe Harris, suggested to Bud that you guys are superheroes and can do anything. Need I say more?”

  The General leaned back in his chair and surveyed the faces of his men. He noted Jimmy’s pained expression.

  “Hollinger? It looks like you might have some thoughts on this.”

  “Well, Sir, there’s nothin’ I like better than walking into the middle of a screwed-up kidnapping—Sir.”

  Pearson smiled. “Well, Jimmy, I’m sure you boys are going to have a lot more fun this weekend than you planned. You’ll be going for a nice walk in the woods to find a nineteen-year-old girl named Sara. And the one million dollars that have already been paid in ransom.” He reached for his coffee and took a gulp.

  “The kidnappers appear to be rather clever survivalists. At least they’ve beaten the shit out of the state troopers and FBI so far.” Pearson distributed folders from a pile on the table. “Time is of the essence, gentlemen. The young lady was abducted out in front of her boyfriend’s home five days ago. We have reason to believe she’s still alive and being dragged through the mountains with the kidnappers.”

  Glori

  Raphael showed up on the Bainbridge’s patio as Cindy, Debbie and I were finishing a German class with Frau Ruppert. He explained that David had called and told him our favorite secret agents were on the Sara Blackington case.

  Debbie was inconsolable when she learned David would not be coming home that evening. Cin cradled her in her arms as I yelled to be heard over her wailing.

  “You mean they’re just leaving? Just like that? Oops—we got a mission—we’re outta here? Just like that?”

  Raphael nodded. “Yes. Just like that. But it sounds like they’ll probably call you right before they leave. To say goodbye.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “I thought this crap was supposed to be over!”

  ***

  The Bainbridges had planned the Sunday afternoon barbecue well in advance. We were grateful Bud and Dottie decided to proceed with the get-together despite the stressful circumstances.

  Cat and Cindy coddled Debbie. She continued her third day of melancholy and worry over her husband. Sitting in the corner of the patio with Nita, I moped and complained.

  “We must’ve sprayed Debbie with a gallon of that neroli hydrosol David’s mother sent. It’s not doin’ a thing to calm her down. Nothing’s stopping her crying now.” I poured myself some wine, and Nita refused my offer of a glass.

  Nita tried to chuckle, but her eyes were red and her face tear-stained, too. “I think we all need something stronger than neroli hydrosol—or wine.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. You’ve been awful quiet this weekend. I mean I know you’re worried, but you seem a lot more upset than I’ve ever seen you before. Usually you take things more in stride, even if it’s a crisis.”

  Nita’s dark eyes filled with tears. She took out a tissue to blow her nose. “Oh, Glori.” Her voice was heavy. “I’ve been miserable lately. I had an argument with Eduardo the night before he left. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him since. I was in the middle of recording Friday when he called, and Emily gave me a message that he was leaving on this mission. She didn’t even come to me to tell me it was an emergency. I never had a chance to apologize. I don’t even know if I should apologize. But I know I love him with all my heart, and I don’t want to lose him.”

  “Wow.” I was so touched; I didn’t know what to say. “That’s so sad, honey. I’m sorry.” I patted her hand sympathetically. “What, what happened?”

  Nita located another tissue and patted her face. “I confronted him—about his cheating on me.”

  “Whoa! What did he say?”

  “Oh, he denied it of course. He doesn’t seem to think having a prostitute or a one night stand is cheating.” She blew her nose again. “But at this point, well I don’t think he’s cheated on me since we’ve been together in February. And I don’t believe he’ll be unfaithful when we’re married. So I probably shouldn’t have even brought it up. But he gets so jealous of other men—needlessly, of course. He was having a snit because Mac sent dozens of roses to my room. Eduardo thinks he wants me to sleep with him. And it was only because he wants to do a song with me.”

  I busted up laughing. “Well I don’t know about that.”

  Nita was shocked, and I was shocked that she was shocked.

  I said, “Honey, you’re a real smart woman. You must know how beautiful you are. And men will knock themselves out to date a beautiful celebrity like you. Let’s face it—any guy’d want to sleep with you. And guys like Mac can have any girl they want, any day of the week. So he’s goin’ for a little challenge, because you’re so gorgeous, and because you’re a star. I couldn’t blame Eduardo for being jealous. He’s worried about losin’ you as much as you’re worried about losin’ him. I mean before, it was kind of even. Two smart, really good-looking people. Now you’ve got the fame and fortune. He’s bound to be jealous. And this guy Mac is a super star. He’s handsome and rich. Why wouldn’t he be jealous?”

  Nita was silent.

  Joe Harris arrived on the patio waving hello with his cigar. Doug Bainbridge looked up from his conversation with Raphael and Cisco. “It’s the man of the hour! Everybody’s favorite manager.”

  Joe said, “Yup. Now I’m even getting business for the Special Forces. I’m sure they really appreciate it.”

  Amidst general scoffing at that statement, Joe sauntered around trying to look nonchalant. But he had to have known we weren’t thrilled to have our favorite secret agents in jeopardy. Even if they were doing something good for a friend. Joe arrived in front of Debbie and took a seat.

  “How are you feelin’ honey? I hope you’ve been eating enough. You know your husband is personally gonna kill me if you don’t eat. You know that don’t you?”

  She looked at him shyly, clutching Cindy’s arm. “Yes.”

  Everyone laughed out loud while Joe mouthed his cigar.

  He turned to Bud. “How’s Andy doing? Did you talk to him?”

  “I spoke to him this morning. He’s not too good—wife’s hysterical, I guess. They’re pretty much losing hope at this point. I guess one of the cops said it’d be a good result if they come back with a body.” Bud took a seat and thought for a minute. “You know, I never really paid attention to the need for great security people until Cindy and Glori were attacked. We were lucky, Joe. Lucky they were okay, and we got top-notch people to keep us all safe now.”

  “Yeah.” Joe could see I was glaring at him. He knew he messed up by hiring clowns to do security for Aubrey. And trying to do that for our upcoming concert.

  “Well, if anyone can find Sara Blackington, it’s our heroes,” Joe said.

  Eduardo

  “Ya know—you’ve been whining and complaining for three straight days!” Eduardo wiped the sweat from his brow.

  “Yeah, well I was supposed to be hangin’ out at the beach with Aubrey this weekend. Three days of sun and—” Jimmy’s voice trailed off, and he gulped his water.

  “Maybe sex.” Alain winked. The men enjoyed a laugh at Jimmy’s expense.

  “Hey, this was gonna be the weekend. This was it. She had the whole weekend free. Just the two of us—some wine, the ocean.” He spit angrily into the brush. “Now she’s got rehearsals for this concert and a tour coming up, and I’m goin’ to Salzburg. Might as well be Siberia. Now I’ll never know if we even had a chance.” He soaked a rag and rubbed his face. �
��And you haven’t exactly been a happy scout this weekend either, Clemente.” Jimmy threw the rag at him.

  “Yeah, pardon me.” Eduardo extended his finger.

  More laughter followed. The men watched as David rose from his perch on a rock, picked up his gear and headed up the slope.

  Jimmy shook his head. “What? Doesn’t he ever take a break? He thinks he’s a kid back in the Alps or something?”

  ***

  It was early Tuesday morning when the men found blood heading in two different directions. It wasn’t long before they heard groaning in the woods nearby. Alain was the first to reach the man. He’d been shot in the leg. While he inspected the wound, Jimmy tried to question him. The man’s only words were pleas for help.

  “He’s delirious, Hollinger. I don’t know what we’re going to get from him,” Alain said.

  Eduardo overturned a nearby backpack. “How about a hundred bucks.” A single bill fell from the bag.

  Jimmy seized the man by his shirt, lifting him off the ground. “Okay asshole! Where is she? Who else was with you?” He growled into the man’s face.

  Pain and fear stimulated the man to whisper what he knew. He begged for his life.

  ***

  Eduardo and Alain caught up to David as he continued on the trail.

  “Hollinger’s waiting—Cookie’s on the way. There’s just one more guy, and our buddy back there swears she’s still alive. Sounds like they got into some argument over the girl. He was shot last night sometime. But they only got a couple hours on us. This guy we’re after is named Gordon—John Gordon. He’s part of some militia survivalist group. Sounds like he’s thinkin’ he’s gonna keep her for himself—out there in the woods someplace.” Eduardo rubbed his face with his sleeve, then chuckled. “Sounds like a real dreamboat, huh?”