locate—before he wrapped up the case.
People cheated. Innately, people didn’t know how to stay with the same person for their entire lives. Sure, someone could argue that he hadn’t worked for everyone on the entire planet, and therefore happiness might exist for a few happy slobs, but for the most part... Love sucked. He’d seen that reality up close too.
“How often are spouses wrong about their cheating partners?” Blake asked. The kid was like a sponge, always wanting and soaking up information.
“So far I’ve only met one.” With Sophia’s claim that Ari was fucking Julie, Troy’s hardened heart had taken an unexpected hit to discover this movie star might be a mistress to a sleazy producer. Maybe that’s why he wanted to hold out until he had absolute proof. Until then, he could still admire her, still respect her. Julie wasn’t ruining this marriage until he could prove it. A little piece of him had been crushed to think someone who seemed so wholesome could be just as tawdry as anyone else.
The pisser had come when he’d talked to her. She was nice. She was wholesome, beautiful and funny and everything he always thought she’d be from watching her on television.
“Do you think these two are doing the nasty?” Blake lifted a dark eyebrow.
Troy still couldn’t picture her with Ari, but chances were good that they were carrying on an affair. They’d already had two meals together. Sophia had told him when she hired him that Ari was using the excuse that he wanted to hire Julie to star in his next film and needed to talk to her regarding her vision of the character.
Yeah, right. And he had a bridge in San Francisco he was dying to sell.
“Anything is possible.” Troy said.
Blake helped him zip his bag. “Have you looked into the shooting? I figured you’d start investigating since you got hit.”
“I thought for the time being I’d let the police handle it. There’s a chance the shooter didn’t have a specific bone to pick with Julie Fraser, in which case it’s not likely she’s in danger anymore. The suspect might have targeted her that night, but Julie had a point. Maybe the shooter only wanted the notoriety of hitting a movie star so it doesn’t mean she continues to be a target now. Besides, I’d have to bill myself and I’m expensive.”
Blake chuckled. “How long will you be in the sling?”
“A few more days, I guess. I’m supposed to follow my pain.”
Adjusting the bag over his shoulder, Blake glanced at Troy’s arm. “For what it’s worth, I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t run into any more bullets. I need the job.”
Troy opened the bedside table to check he’d cleared everything out. “Trust me, it’s not in my plans.”
He had done some work for Blake’s father, a defense lawyer. Usually, Troy didn’t love working for the guys who attempted to get people back on the streets after committing their crimes, but Blake’s dad was a decent man who asserted that not all people taken into custody were guilty, and all had a right to a fair trial. The man had a point.
Which meant there remained a fraction of a chance that Julie and Ari were not actually fucking each other.
Despite his new crush since meeting Julie, he had a job to do. But he did want to say goodbye to her before he left. “I’ll be right back,” Troy told Blake. “The nurse is supposed to come with a wheelchair.”
Blake leaned against the windowsill. “I’ll be here.”
Troy had told Blake to keep a low profile if he came to the hospital. A security guard would not have an assistant, and he didn’t want to lie to Julie more than he had to. He went to her room and found an empty bed with the sheets pulled back. The bathroom door sat ajar, also empty. He checked up and down the hallway. No sign of her. He had no idea how long she’d be gone.
Damn.
He’d probably see her again if she had any contact with Ari, but the dynamic would be completely different. He’d had her to himself for a couple of days, but as soon as she got out of the hospital, she’d once again belong to the world.
Rehab. She was probably in physical therapy. What the hell. He’d detour there on the way out. Chances were he’d only see her through his camera lens after today so he might as well take this one last opportunity.
Troy sucked it