reminded me of my dad. He used to play tournaments on the weekends."
"What was his job?"
"He was a math teacher. He was brilliant, and his calculating mind translated to the chess board."
"Did you inherit his talents?"
"Definitely not for math, and I haven't played chess since he died."
"Until last night. How did that feel?"
"Very strange—in a good way."
She smiled. "Maybe you need to rediscover your love of the game. It might make you feel closer to your dad."
"I don't know if I want to feel closer. It's easier not to feel anything."
She nodded, wondering if that's why he'd said he didn't do love. The loss of his parents at a young age had probably scarred him. "That's kind of sad."
"I don't let the sad in anymore. I haven't in years."
"That doesn't mean it's gone. It just means you shoved it down deep into your soul. It's probably festering."
"Or I've come to terms with my loss," he said pointedly.
"Thanks for telling me about them."
He sipped his coffee. "In case you haven't noticed, I have a little trouble saying no to you."
"I think that’s worked in your favor," she said with a laugh.
A grin spread across his face. "That's true. Last night was all kinds of amazing."
She flushed with pleasure at the look in his eyes. "It really was."
"But now you have to go to work."
She looked at the clock and groaned. "All right. Let's do this."
She got up from her chair and carried her dishes to the sink, then she went to put on her scorched clothing. She didn't want to leave this little oasis of safety and Jax, but she had to get to those journals before someone else did.
After picking up clothes at a nearby boutique, Jax took Maya back to his house where she changed into a pair of white denim jeans and a sleeveless top. Then they headed to Blackwood Studios.
He hadn't been on a movie studio lot before, and after getting through security, he found himself driving by huge gray cement buildings that looked like airplane hangars but were apparently sound stages. Maya eventually directed him into a parking spot in front of a series of two-story office buildings. He tried to act as if this was all old hat to him, considering he was supposed to be an out-of-work actor. Fortunately, Maya was so distracted by what she needed to do, she wasn't paying him much attention. He really needed to come clean with her. But first they had to get the journals. Right now, that was all that mattered.
"You should wait here," she told him. "It will be easier for me to get in and out without questions."
"Okay. But don't take too long. I'll miss you."
She smiled. "Believe me, I'm going to do this as fast as possible."
As Maya left, he took out his phone and called Flynn. He'd texted him when he'd first gotten up, but now he needed to follow up.
"How's it going?" he asked. "Did you talk to the police?"
"Caitlyn and Diego are at the precinct now. They'll bring the arson investigation under our purview, so we'll have that case along with Julia Poplova's death and the ongoing investigation into Yuri's murder."
"The bodies are piling up," he said grimly.
"I'm just glad you and Maya didn't add to that count."
"Which brings me to another favor I need to ask. I'm concerned about Maya's family. I need our team to set up a security detail for her parents and sister. They're all staying in a house in Carlsbad with her sister Darcy. I don't know her married name. Her husband's name is Matt and he works at a tech company. If you can't figure out the address, I'll find a way to get it for you. Maya's grandfather, Phillip Ashton, is at the Carmichael Center, an assisted living facility in West Hollywood."
"I'll take care of it," Flynn said. "What are you doing now?"
"I'm at Maya's office at Blackwood Studios. She's getting her grandmother's journals. We'll take them back to my place. Hopefully, there's a clue in there she doesn't realize she has."
"That would be helpful. And the parking valet?"
"He wasn't at the club last night; he called in sick. I'm not sure if he's still on for the alleged poker game tomorrow night. I'll see if I can get in touch with him today. Caitlyn is working on another way to put David in a precarious position with his colleagues."
"She mentioned she was doing some photo manipulation."