uncommon for people you’ve never met before to be telling you their darkest secrets. You are their friend, their confidante. In this instance, though, being Elodie’s friend wasn’t a bad thing at all—I figured it would help me get in touch with Pearl.
“I read your text,” Elodie continued. “That’s why I’m calling you back because it looked important. I’m going to find out more, but I think my mother has mentioned this woman Kristin Jürgen to me. And not in a good way. Her name sounds really familiar.”
I told Elodie the whole story, trying to keep my voice down so Ethan wouldn’t hear. It unnerved me to be revealing all this to a total stranger, yet at the same time, just sharing all my troubles gave me a sense of liberation. I understood as I spoke, though, she must think it was all really far-fetched. There was silence on the other end of the line. I wanted to scream with frustration. Nobody believed me.
“I can help you,” Elodie said, finally. “You have no idea the kind of shit I’ve had to deal with in the past.” Deal wiz in zee past, her accent said. Cute. Just knowing that someone, anyone, was offering to help me, lifted my spirits. Although I’d been hoping to reach out to one of the Chevalier’s hotshot attorneys, not Alexandre’s niece.
“Have you been to the cops?” she asked.
I rewound the Kristin saga in my head. This super-successful neurologist who had received awards for being such a fabulous doctor, and me, the love-struck actress accusing this respected neurologist of trying to murder the man I was in love with. I knew any normal policeman would think I was crazy. “Not yet. My story sounds so nuts, I’m not sure if they’d believe me.” I glanced over at Ethan, who was stealthily eyeing me up and down. Damn, I wonder if he’s heard.
“Good. Don’t call the cops for now—I’m sure we can sort this out,” Elodie advised.
“Hang on, don’t go anywhere, hold the line.” I zipped up my case and made for the door, wheeling my suitcase behind me.
“Wait up! Miss Cole, let me call you a cab,” Ethan shouted after me.
“I’m fine, thanks, I’ll get one on the street. Elodie, are you still there?” I struggled through the swing door.
“Where are you right now?” she asked.
“Outside Daniel’s hotel, which I’ve been asked to leave. Look, I need a lawyer.”
“Sounds to me like you need a bodyguard, first and foremost.”
I smiled. Her accent was adorable: ‘first and foremost.’ She had a point about my needing a bodyguard, considering the fiasco in the hospital with Kristin.
“No, seriously. I’m going to make a call,” she said.
“Is there any way you can contact your uncle? Or Pearl?”
“Believe me, every contact my uncle has, I know about. He and I are very close. You want help? Look no further, I’m your girl.”
La Femme Nikita? I admired Elodie’s bravado, but wondered how much of it was B-S. But I was hardly in any position to turn down help. Why hadn’t Star called me back?
“I’m going to hang up and make some calls,” Elodie said. “Meanwhile, I’ll send a text message, which you need to respond to. This way, I’ll know where you are, so don’t, for fuck’s sake, lose your phone.”
I frowned. “What are you saying, you’ll know where I am? You mean if I call you?”
“Your cell will be like a GPS the second you return my text. I can keep you traced. Keep your phone with you at all times. Never leave it lying around. Got that? I’ll call you back.” She was gone. A few seconds later a text came through that said, It’s me. I replied, Thank you, and felt relieved to know that Elodie had my back. She was quite the sleuth, and I wondered how the hell she knew all this undercover stuff. I seemed to remember Pearl telling me she was in her early twenties, around the same age as me, but I couldn’t recall what she told me Elodie did for a living. Although with an uncle as wealthy as Alexandre Chevalier, I guessed she never needed to work a day in her life if she didn’t want to.
I hailed a cab and went to the Bellagio. I cashed in my chip. I had never in my life carried that kind of hard cash in my purse, and it terrified me. I wanted to deposit it in the bank but didn’t have time for all