Chapter Twenty-Eight

Christian had fallen back to sleep. Kayne, Presley, and Nicole tried to get Aja Blue to go with them to the house, but she wasn't leaving Christian. A nurse checked his vitals, and then they were alone. In deference to the daylight, she'd pulled the curtains so he could rest easily.

While he was out, Aja Blue tiptoed outside and headed to the nurse's station. "Can you tell me what room Eleanor Sinclair is in? She's a personal friend."

Aja Blue almost choked on the words. The woman was evil personified, but she wanted to face her. The nurse recited a number and gave her directions. As Aja Blue neared the room, she saw a cop posted outside.

He glanced at her as she approached. "I'm Aja Blue LaLonde," she told him. "I was on the yacht with Mrs. Sinclair, and she's hired me for a design project. Would it be possible to talk to her?"

When he looked conflicted, she threw out Detective Herbert's name. With a tip of his head, he said, "Go ahead, but I'll warn you. She's a demon spawn."

That she was. "Before I go in, do you have a phone I can use to record the conversation? Mine was stolen." Again, he hesitated. "Okay, look, here's the deal. She's a criminal, and I want her confession on tape."

"Ah. Sure. Anything I can do to help to put her away." He pulled it from his pocket and set it to record.

"Thanks."

Aja Blue pushed through the door. The fancy, moneyed Eleanor Sinclair was resting on a bed in a generic blue hospital gown, her jewelry gone. One arm was in a cast and propped on a pillow, and the other was handcuffed to the bed. That made her smile.

"For God's sake, go away," Eleanor snapped. "You've done enough stupid tests."

"Hello, Mrs. Sinclair."

Her head whipped around, and she sneered. "What are you doing here?"

"Why the hostility?"

"You murdered my husband."

"I had nothing to do with it. It was his shady business dealings that killed him. I won't stay long because, frankly, you disgust me." That last part was said under her breath. "I wanted to ask why you even invited me to the fundraiser."

"Heathcliff told me you were trying to blackmail him. He said to have you come, and he'd prove it."

Aja Blue shook her head slowly. "Not true in the least."

"Excuse me if I believe my husband over a whore."

Wow. Name-calling. How pedestrian of her. Aja Blue refused to take the bait. "Why did you invite me to your home on the same day your husband was meeting with a notorious demagogue?"

"Oh, please. I don't keep Heathcliff's schedule, and he doesn't mine."

"He didn't tell you he was hosting a war criminal in your home?"

"That's a lie! Heathcliff would do no such thing."

Aja Blue shrugged. "Yet, he did."

"You will not slander my husband's name."

"Or what? You'll sue me? Your lawyers are going to be quite busy handling your attempted murder charge."

"That's another lie."

"You think there were no witnesses? I saw the whole thing, and I'm told there is video proof as well."

She sniffed and rolled her head to the side. "My lawyers will have the charges dropped."

Sadly, that was probably true. The rich were held to a different standard than regular people.

"Why did you offer a scholarship in Jay's name?"

Mrs. Sinclair faced her and gave a brittle laugh. "You thought that was going to happen? It was to lure you to the boat so my husband could confront you. There were never any plans for one."

That cut like a knife, and she would shed a tear over it later. Not now. She needed her wits to face a woman who was pure evil.

"Your husband kidnapped me and told me he was going to kill me."

"Oh, for Heaven's sake, Aja Blue, don't be so dramatic."

"It's the truth, and, again, it's all on video. Was it your idea to drug me?"

"No, that was all Heathcliff. I will have you know I argued against it, but he was adamant."

How sweet. "Do you do everything your husband tells you?"

"What do you know about marriage?"

"Not much, but I know your husband was betraying his country."

"How dare you tarnish Heathcliff, you low-class bitch."

Aja Blue smiled. Takes one to know one. "He did it to himself. Your life will change, Mrs. Sinclair, and not in a good way. I would've made your pool house a showstopper. Now, I hope I never see your face again."

Aja Blue turned to walk out.

"You're breaking the contract. I want my retainer back."

She slowly turned. "Your husband broke it when he hired someone to kidnap me, pointed a gun at me, and murdered my friend. You want the money back? Sue me."

She walked out the door as Mrs. Sinclair screamed obscenities at her.

"I told you she was a hellion," the cop remarked.

"You did, and she is. Thanks for the phone. Can I email the recording to myself?"

"Sure."

She did and handed it back to him. "Thanks again."

As Aja Blue returned to Christian's room, she saw two giant, muscular men in suits coming out. She panicked and rushed forward. What if Sinclair's men blamed him for Heathcliff's death and wanted retribution?

"Hey, you two! Stop right now!"

Both men turned to her, and she almost stumbled backward. Good Lord, they were devastatingly gorgeous. Aja Blue was rarely shell-shocked, but she was now. She shook it off. Christian's life was at stake.

"What do you think you're doing in there? Did you hurt him? Who sent you? Are you working for Heathcliff Sinclair? I swear you will be sorry if you touched a hair on his head. I'm tougher than I look and—"

"Ms. LaLonde?"

She blinked. They knew her name? "Who are you?"

"I'm Logan Bradley, and this is my partner, Luke Colton. We're Christian's bosses."

Aja Blue prayed a hole would open in the floor and suck her in. She felt like a complete fool and covered her face with her hands. "Oh, my God, I'm sorry." She dropped her arms and sighed. "I was afraid Mr. Sinclair's henchmen had come for him."

Logan raised one brow in a move so sexy she almost swooned. "We look like henchmen?"

"No, of course not," she sputtered. "I mean, you're both huge, like muscular and all, so I guess you could be, but I was just . . ." She blew out a breath, beyond flustered.

"I'm teasing," Logan assured her.

"We're glad you're watching out for him," Luke said. "How is he?"

Relieved they let her off the hook so easily, she said, "Good, considering." She told them what the doctor had said about his concussion.

"That's a tremendous relief," Logan said, and Luke echoed the sentiment.

"Now that you're here, I wanted to talk to you two about payment for your company's services.

Logan waved a hand. "There's nothing to talk about. We got this."

She shook her head. "No. I asked Christian for help, and your company went above and beyond." My gosh, when she thought about the accommodations and vehicles, not to mention the help from his office, she was blown away by their commitment.

"Don't worry about it, Ms. LaLonde," Luke said. "Our country owes you a debt of gratitude for uncovering a traitor."

Her mouth dropped open. "Are you kidding me?" She shook her head. "It was all Christian. Kayne and Presley too. They deserve the credit. Not me."

"You set the ball in motion," Luke said.

"But I didn't realize it," she argued. "I thought I was being followed."

"You were, and knowing about it doesn't matter. It all counts."

Her eyes stung at their generosity, and words were beyond her. "I wish you would let me pay."

"We take care of family," Logan simply replied.

Now, she couldn't stop the tears from spilling over. "I can't thank you enough."

"Look after Christian, and we'll be even," Luke told her.

"I can do that."

Christian might've wanted to keep their relationship a secret, but she had a feeling not much got past these two shrewd, intelligent men.

"We have to meet with the authorities," Logan said. "Can you let Christian know we stopped by and we'll be back later?"

"Absolutely."

"Nice to meet you, Ms. LaLonde," Luke said.

"Please, call me Aja Blue."

With handshakes, they left. Wowza, they even smelled divine.

When she entered his room, Christian was still asleep. He looked so handsome in slumber with his tousled blond hair. Stubble gave him a rakish look, and she wanted to run her hands over the sandpaper texture of his cheeks.

She dropped into a chair beside his bed, and exhaustion overwhelmed her.

#

A buzzing phone woke Aja Blue, and she knew it wasn't hers since it had been stolen. It was Christian's, and the tone indicated there was a text. His office had forwarded her calls to his phone, but she assumed it was for him. Probably his bosses. She checked the screen and was shocked when it was for her. Tyler had set it up so she could get into Christian's phone, so she accessed the text. It read: Aja Blue, call me. Whoever it was had left a number but no name. She had a gut feeling, so she walked out to the hallway so she wouldn't wake Christian and hit the call button.

It rang twice before the line was answered, but no one spoke. "Hello?" There was no response, but she could tell someone was there. "Polly, is that you?"

"Yes."

The word was spoken so low that she almost didn't hear her. Relief that her friend was alive washed over her. "Polly, I've been trying to find you for months. How are you?"

"Um."

That wasn't much of a response. "Where are you?"

"I'm here, Aja Blue."

"Where's here?"

"In Norfolk. I came to see you."

"You're here now?"

"Yes."

"Polly, where's Dirk?" If she had that low-life scum with her, Aja Blue would refuse to see her. She was done with Dirk and his aggressive hostility.

"Oh, I-I, uh, don't know. I l-left him."

"Good for you, Polly. I'm proud of you."

"Aja Blue, I need to see you. I could use a friend right now."

Aja Blue glanced in the room at Christian. He was still asleep. She could go to Polly and bring her back here. "Where are you?" Polly named a chain hotel about twenty minutes away. "My boyfriend is in the hospital. I'll come get you, and then we can return here."

"Ok. Please hurry." She recited the hotel address and her room number.

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

Aja Blue hated to leave Christian for a moment. She hoped he didn't wake up while she was gone. With that thought in mind, she approached the nurse's station, asking for paper and a pen. She wrote a note to let him know where she was going and placed it on his lap. Then, she used his phone to hire a ride-share service. Thankfully, she had an account since she had no cash or credit cards on her.

She almost placed the cell on the bedside table but slid it in her pocket instead. After amending the note she'd left for Christian, she headed to the lobby. She thought about letting Presley and Kayne know where she was going, but they were probably sleeping. She'd be gone an hour max.

A copper-colored sedan pulled under the portico, and she slid into the back seat. The driver was in a chatty mood, asking if she'd heard about the excitement at the harbor last night. Aja Blue wasn't about to tell him she was the cause and let him prattle on. They got stuck in traffic after an accident, adding an hour she didn't have to the trip. She needed to be by Christian's bed when he woke up and almost had the driver turn around. Finally, they reached the motel. She let the driver know she'd included his tip with the online payment.

Aja Blue glanced around as she crossed the cracked, litter-strewn parking lot. A car honked in the distance, and the smell of rotting trash and mold permeated the air. It wasn't the nicest part of town, and the motel had seen better days. A few cars were in the lot, but none were outside the room number Polly had given her. She wondered how her friend had gotten to Virginia and how she had managed to crawl out from under Dirk's controlling thumb.

Aja Blue had barely knocked on the door when it whipped open. A wave of nostalgia hit her hard. She remembered the first time she and Polly had met. They'd both been so young and na?ve. Scared. Their parents had pushed them into acting, and they'd had no idea what they were getting into. They had navigated childhood and young adulthood together. At one time, they'd been as close as sisters. There wasn't anything she wouldn't have done for Polly, and she knew her friend had felt the same way.

As Aja Blue hugged Polly, sadness washed over her at how thin she was. It felt as if she were embracing a skin-covered skeleton. When Polly was young, she carried baby fat, which made her chubby cheeks adorable. She'd been self-conscious even at that age and had flirted with eating disorders most of her childhood.

"Polly, it's so good to see you."

"I can't say the same thing, Aja Blue."

Aja Blue jerked back and looked into brown eyes, which she realized were bloodshot and glassy. "What do you mean?"

"She means you betrayed her."

Aja Blue froze at the voice as Dirk stepped out of the bathroom with a pistol pointed at her. She was getting pretty damn tired of men holding her at gunpoint. On top of that thought was the soul-crushing one that her friend, the woman she'd been searching for and worrying about for years, had sold her out.

Another memory assailed her. Aja Blue was a junior in college, and Polly had come to visit. They'd had tutors when they were children on the set, but Polly hadn't been a great student. Getting a degree had never been one of her goals. She'd tried to continue acting, but the jobs were few and far between. They had been lounging on the sofa in Aja Blue's apartment when Polly blurted out, "I'm jealous of you, Aja Blue."

The remark had taken her by surprise. "You are? Why?"

"Everything always comes so easy to you."

"That's not true," she'd argued. "I've worked hard for everything I've ever accomplished." And she'd done it by herself. Her mother certainly hadn't helped once she'd decided she didn't want to act anymore.

"Well, it seems that way. You are the one who won the awards and had roles thrown at you. You never had to suffer through humiliating casting calls."

"I did, too, Polly. You know that." Granted, it had been when she was very young, but she'd been to plenty.

"Whatever. I start a new job next week at the Blue Dragon."

"Oh? Is that a dinner theater?" Polly had talked about possibly going that route. Aja Blue had been encouraging since it was still in the show business realm.

Polly chewed her thumbnail. "No. It's a gentlemen's club."

In other words, she was going to be a stripper. Aja Blue had tried to talk her out of it, even offering to loan her money. Polly was sure she'd be discovered there . . . and she had been. By Dirk Haines. It'd been the beginning of Polly's downfall.

Dirk's barked command for Polly to get Aja Blue's cell phone snapped her back to the present. "I don't have one."

"Oh, come on," he sneered, making his disgusting face even uglier. "Everyone has one these days."

"Well, I don't. It was stolen."

"I don't believe you. Check her, Polly."

Polly reached for her, but Aja Blue stopped her with a sharp look and channeled her inner Presley Parrish. "Touch me, and I will break your arm in half."

Polly seemed taken aback but challenged, "You wouldn't dare."

After setting her up to be held at gunpoint by her psychotic boyfriend, she absolutely would. "Try me."

Polly stared at her as if gauging her seriousness. Then her hand shot out, and she snatched the phone from Aja Blue's pocket before she could react. It was apparent larceny wasn't new to Polly.

"Give that back."

She reached for it, but Polly tossed it to Dirk. Aja Blue gritted her teeth when he dropped it to the ground and stomped his booted foot on the screen.

"The hell?"

She smirked when nothing happened. CObrA Securities phones were virtually indestructible. He tried again, jumping up and down on it. Then he grabbed a pillow from the bed, stuck his gun in it, and pulled the trigger. The sound was muted, but she still jumped. So did Polly. She didn't see the phone surviving that. Feathers drifted in the air as Dirk tossed the pillow aside. He nodded in approval. Then he booted the ruined phone under the bed.

"Thanks a lot, Polly."

Polly wiped a finger under her nose. Aja Blue didn't know this Polly. She wasn't the same person she'd been before. Everyone changed; that was a given in life. But Polly's transformation had not been for the better. "How are your parents?"

That caused a reaction. Her glossy eyes widened briefly before a mask slipped over her face. Instead of answering, she shrugged.

"I can tell you if you'd like." She didn't wait for Polly's approval. "Your mother spends most of her days volunteering on committees, and she's on medication for high blood pressure. Your father had to retire on disability from an accident at work, but he's still active with the local Moose Lodge. Both worry about you constantly and would be overjoyed to get a phone call from you." Aja Blue made sure to check on them from time to time.

Polly's eyes had welled with tears, and she darted a look at Dirk, who scowled.

"Quit filling her head with nonsense. They disowned her a long time ago."

Aja Blue ignored him and almost faced Polly, but she didn't trust him not to shoot her in the back. Better to keep him in sight, even if he made her skin crawl. "That's a lie. They didn't agree with some of your life choices, but they have always and still love you."

Polly was looking at Dirk again. She didn't make a move without his approval. He'd gained entire control of her life. Aja Blue tried a different tactic to get through to her friend.

"Why do you think I betrayed you? You know I would never do that."

Polly's once-plump, rosy cheeks were now gaunt and sallow. Her chapped lips lifted in a sneer. "You always were selfish, Aja Blue. Always. You stole the awards and roles I should've won."

"I didn't steal them. They were given to me."

"I wonder how."

The snarky tone almost had her slugging Polly in the gut, but she would not resort to her level. Sheesh, there was that violent streak again. Maybe she needed to take up boxing since she wanted to punch people. "I was a child."

"Doesn't matter anymore. Besides, Dirk told me what you did."

Aja Blue narrowed her eyes at the disgusting weasel with his greasy black hair and cheesy mustache. He was such a cliché, and it wasn't even funny. He reminded her of Snidely Whiplash, from the old Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. What Polly ever saw in him, she'd never know. "What did Dick tell you?"

Polly either didn't hear her dig or chose to ignore it. "You refused to do the Aja Blue and Polly Too reboot." She rubbed her nose again, something she'd been doing frequently. "They're the in thing now, you know. All the old shows are doing it, and they're successful. We could've been too. It would've been my comeback." Now Polly was sniffing and twitching. Aja Blue was no expert on the subject, but she thought Polly might be in the throes of withdrawal.

Aja Blue glared at Dirk. "That's what he told you?"

"Yes. Dirk wrote the pilot for the new show and everything."

That was one reason the project had been booted to the curb. His writing skills were atrocious. He was used to directing people having creepy sex, not creating dialogue. The other reason—the biggest one—was that FamCam, the family-oriented network that had carried their original series, wanted nothing to do with a child star turned stripper and porn queen.

"Did you even read it?" Aja Blue had, and it'd made her gag. She'd have refused if FamCam hadn't done so first.

"Well, no, but Dirk told me it was clever and funny, and I believe him. Because of you, it will never get made now."

Aja Blue almost flinched at the venom in Polly's voice. Dirk had poisoned her mind as well as her body. "Dirk lied to you, Polly. He should've told you they flat rejected his pitch. I was never consulted on the decision, so it had nothing to do with me." She withheld the part where Melvin Sark declared Polly would never appear on his network again, ABAPT reruns notwithstanding. They made FamCam a ton of money, after all. Mel was a first-class hypocrite.

Polly shook her head. "No, it's your fault. Dirk wouldn't lie to me."

"You think I would, Polly? We've been friends for over two decades. Remember when you broke your leg, and I sat with you, watching Disney movies and playing board games? We ate ice cream and popcorn."

Aja Blue could see Polly's determination wavering. "Dirk said you had to pay for ruining our lives."

"Dirk did that when he convinced you to star in his movies." She almost choked on the last word. "Remember when you had a crush on Billy Bender but were too shy to talk to him? I got you two together."

"He only pretended to like me to be near you."

Oh shoot, she'd forgotten that part. Billy had turned out to be a slimy snake. "What about when we dressed up like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum for Halloween that year? We had so much fun."

"You made me be Tweedle Dum."

Ugh, this was not going as planned. "Remember stealing the golf cart and riding around the studio lot until we got caught?"

Polly chuckled. Maybe she was getting through to her. "You took the blame and got in trouble."

"In all fairness, it was my fault." They both laughed, and Aja Blue took her hand. "I would never lie to you, Polly. I did not kill the reboot."

Polly looked from Dirk to Aja Blue and back. "Dirk?"

"Don't listen to her, baby. She's a liar. She'd say anything to turn you against me. Don't forget, I've got your medicine right here." He patted his shirt pocket. And by medicine, he meant drugs. Polly was practically salivating. It broke Aja Blue's heart.

"While this reunion has been touching and all, here's what's going to happen. Since you are to blame for me losing everything, you will give me all your money."

Fat chance. She'd die first. "How could you possibly think I was responsible for the feds shutting down your business? Do you think I have that kind of pull? That's all on you."

"If you'd left my star actress alone, she wouldn't have been restless, and I could've focused on my company. Because of you, my attention was diverted, and my empire crumbled."

"Really? I thought it was the syphilis outbreak."

The blow was unexpected, and pain exploded in Aja Blue's face. Polly gasped and shrank back as if she'd been the recipient of Dirk's pugilism before. No doubt she had. Aja Blue blinked back tears, wishing she'd kept her mouth shut and waited for Christian before agreeing to visit Polly. She should've known her old friend couldn't quit her boyfriend slash pimp slash pusher.

Aja Blue refused to give Dirk what he wanted, and that would anger him. She needed to string him along until she could figure out how to get the gun away from him. Maybe it was a fool's mission, but she was determined to save herself. She had a very important reason to live, and he was currently in a hospital bed, waiting for her to return.

"Polly, look at me." Her friend was still laser-focused on Dirk's shirt pocket. "Polly!"

She squeaked and spun to Aja Blue.

"One last time, I have never lied to you. Never. I've only wanted what was best for you. Let me help you, Polly."

Polly chewed her lip. Aja Blue reached out a hand, and Polly grasped it like a lifeline.

"What the hell, Polly?" Dirk bellowed. "It's you and me against the world, baby. Now get over here."

"No."

The word was said without conviction. Aja Blue squeezed her hand in reassurance. Polly looked at her and nodded. Then, more robustly, she said, "No."

Dirk's face reddened with anger. "Oh, you want to help her now, do you?" he sneered. "You want to know what she's become? She sleeps with men for drugs. Polly will spread her legs for anything as long as they pay her in pills. She's nothing but a doped-up, washed-up, two-bit whore."

Polly gasped, his words obviously crushing her. Then something happened. Aja Blue watched the transformation take over Polly's body. Her spine stiffened, and she braced her shoulders. A flush of red filled her cheeks, giving her much-needed color. "It's all your fault, Dirk Haines. Every bad thing in our lives is because of you. You did this to me."

Aja Blue stepped back at the thunderous look that contorted his face. "Yeah? You think so, baby? You think I shoved enough blow up your nose to fill a National Football League stadium? If I made you, I can unmake you too."

Everything happened in slow motion. Dirk swung his gun from Aja Blue to Polly. Aja Blue screamed and dove for her friend as gunshots rang out. They hit the floor with a painful thud.

"Polly, are you okay?" No answer. Aja Blue lifted her head to see Polly's sightless eyes staring at the ceiling. Her chest was covered in blood.

"No, no, no," she chanted while placing her hands over the wound to staunch the flow. It was fruitless since Polly's heart had stopped beating. There was barely a trickle.

Dirk's unholy roar echoed through the room. "Look at what you made me do." Then he wrenched her wrist, causing a jolt of pain to radiate up her arm, and yanked her to her feet.

"Let me go, you filthy bastard." She tried to jerk from his grip. "I have to help her."

"She's dead because of you. This is all on your shoulders. You couldn't quit butting in and trying to control her life. Well, she doesn't have one now, so let's go before someone calls the police. We're going to get my money."

Shock dulled her reactions. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears as he dragged her to the door and whipped it open.

"Get moving."