CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

RYDER

––––––––

"Open the gates!" I yell at the guards.

"I can't," Asher says. "They've been locked down."

I press the remote again and toss it across the dashboard. Who the hell knows how to lock gates like this?

Who the fuck is it?

"Calm down," Aidan growls and climbs out of the car.

I follow him.

"What have we got?" he asks as I grab the bars of the ornate black gates and peer up at the house. You can't see all that much from the road, but my mind is going insane.

No flames.

That's good.

No sounds of gunshots.

Good.

"Her team was just here ten or fifteen minutes ago. All of them left except for Gina," one of the guards says.

Gina?

No fucking way. Jesus Christ, it's her!

It seemed way too obvious. Because they'd been friends, I saw her as nothing more than jealous and obsessed with Nick Marciano.

Jesus.

I run my hand over my hair and shake my head.

After years of friendship, she is so obsessed with the guy that she does this?

Clearly, she's a lunatic.

I assumed she was sleeping with him in New York and was simply hiding it from Savannah, who doesn't want her staff fucking her co-star.

Not that she has a right to dictate that.

But Gina has been disrespectful and showing signs she resented her friend.

But murder?

Perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself. We don't know what they are doing in there, and the gates might just be malfunctioning. And Savannah just may not be answering her phone.

My gut says otherwise.

Behind us, three more cars pull up and about five Black Hawke Security guys climb out. Including Marshall.

"Can we override it?" I ask, lifting my phone to my ear and trying Savannah's number again.

Still no answer.

"Fuck." I curse and pocket it.

"Let me try," Brody, one of the tech guys, says. He pulls out some tools and gets to work.

"What do we think is going on here?" Marshall asks, his hands on his hips.

"Nothing good," Aidan says. "Do we call the cops yet?"

There hasn't been an incident yet, so we're a little premature.

"No."

I watch Aidan rub his jaw and pace along the front of the gate while I survey the property.

I can get in there.

I grip the sides of my bulletproof vest and start formulating a plan. I do a weapons check—gun, knife, smoke canister—and then run my hand over my head.

When I turn to speak, Aidan shakes his head. "No. Whatever you are thinking, let's wait to get these gates open and then call the cops."

I clench my teeth.

"No. I'm not waiting. Don't ask me to do that."

"Fucking hell, you're sleeping with her. With Savannah Sinclair. Christ." Aidan throws his head back.

"Lower your voice," I growl quietly.

"Jesus." He rubs his face.

Marshall glances at us, but I don't know if he heard.

"Aidan, this can't get out." I tug him farther away. The fact that I've breached my employment contract should be the most important thing on my mind.

It's not.

I know how important it is to Savannah for this to remain confidential and away from the public. Then again, none of it will matter if she's dead.

How unhinged is Gina?

If she was responsible for George's death, and we might never know, then she is very dangerous.

She was so obvious and yet, it seemed way too obvious.

"I've got to get in there. You know I'm the right person to do this." I grunt. "Nothing could be happening inside. In which case, I'll call back and tell you all to disappear. If not, I can handle a twenty-something psycho."

"Not if you are fucking the woman she might be trying to harm." Aidan shakes his head. "Marshall or I will go. You know I'm right."

I rub my head and slam my arm down.

I cannot stand back and let another woman under my protection get hurt. If they are having lunch, then I'll happily hang my head in shame.

But my instincts are screaming.

"Listen. I'm her bodyguard. I'm going. Let's face it, Josh is going to fire me, anyway." I shake my head. "Don't try to stop me, Aid—"

Then we hear a gunshot.

Not again!