and sighed. “Look, when I get nervous, I sling jokes, okay. Call it a defense mechanism or whatever. Do I think any of this is funny? No. But do I think either one of these guys tried to shoot me? I don’t know, but I doubt it. Besides,” she blurted, “Allen sent the first note after the shooting. He wouldn’t shoot me just to send a note to tell me to have a quick recovery if he’d pulled the trigger.”
Troy raised his eyebrows. “He could’ve done it and sent the flowers anyway. But go ahead, I’m dying to hear your logic for the other guy.”
“Wouldn’t he have sent another letter after missing me on the balcony?” She lifted one brow like he was the one lacking cognitive brain cells.
She did have a point, but not enough to change his course of action. “Not necessarily. Look, we call the cops because,” he said, lifting a finger, “Allen has now sent you two cards.” He raised up a second finger. “He knows where you live and—” he ticked off a third finger, “—I don’t like it.”
There were a lot of things he didn’t like. He didn’t like that Allen could’ve also sent the other note and just signed it A. Nor did he like the location of the property or the security on the house. He especially didn’t like that she might be having an affair with Ari, but he was trying his damnedest to keep that on the back burner. He especially didn’t like how he could picture her naked in that hot tub waiting for him to join her.
Something pinged in his head and he backtracked his train of thought. The property, security...what was the other thing?
Ari.
Whose name started with an A.
Troy read the card a third time. We’ll be together soon. Hadn’t that been Ari’s goal all along? Was he somehow trying to scare Julie into his arms by using a completely different name? The guy certainly had enough money to pay someone to kill her. But if she died, Ari wouldn’t be together soon with her. Then again he would have great publicity once his next film came out if he told the press that he’d contracted Julie to be the star.
An hour later, after sitting on hold, getting the runaround from the desk cop and waiting for a detective most of that time, his frustration might’ve strangled him. “I don’t believe this,” he said hanging up the phone.
“What’d they say?” Julie asked from her spot on the other side of the granite counter in her kitchen.
“They said there was no overt threat with the cards and flowers. They can’t be sure the gunman was after you, but they’ll do some drive-bys to check on you here. The investigation is focused on the crime scene and your fan mail.” Which meant her safety lay in her hands. And his.
“Okay.” She seemed resigned, but then she wasn’t convinced this guy posed a threat.
“How much do you love this house?” Troy asked as he rummaged through the paper at the end of the counter. He found the real estate section and whipped it out.
“I love it. Why?” Her tone screamed caution. So did her narrow-eyed gaze.
He slapped the section in front of her, his mood as serious as the attempts on her life. “I’m sure you’ll love something new just as much. It’s time to go house hunting.”
* * *
Three days later, Julie, her mom, Abbey and Cal sat in Julie’s living room enjoying a rare afternoon of girl time. Abbey had stopped at Starbucks on her way in and they all happily sipped their drinks of choice. Julie’s former stunt double had introduced her to chai lattes and she’d become addicted to them.
“Tell me again who this bodyguard guy thinks he is?” Cal tucked herself into the corner of Julie’s comfortable sofa and sipped her frap. She’d made it very clear she wasn’t a fan of Troy Mills.
“Cal.” Julie sat at other end of the sofa. She used her warning tone. The one that said get off my back.
“I’m serious. He thinks he can stroll through your house and tell you to move and you’ll just jump right out and buy a new house? Get real. I thought I liked this guy for saving your life, but—”
“Twice,” Julie’s mom amended from the overstuffed chair across from the sofa. “He saved her life twice.”
“Not true,” Cal said, glancing at Elena. “She saved her own life the second time when she