Hollywood Flirt - Alexa Aston Page 0,53
the world never seemed to notice.
Wake had a dark side he’d inherited from his father. He’d found the old man’s porn stash when he was ten. Hundreds of images of bondage and incredible kinky stuff which fascinated him. He got off on it. That meant he had to look elsewhere to satisfy certain needs. He couldn’t introduce Sydney to that world or she’d run away screaming and never look back.
His mistake was bringing that hooker home with him. He always took care of private business away from his personal life, never wanting the two to intersect. The one time he’d let it invade his home space had been a huge mistake. Wake thought it was safe. Middle of the morning. Sydney worked incredibly long hours, even longer than he did, so he didn’t expect her for another ten or twelve hours. When she walked in to retrieve a flash drive she’d accidentally left at home and found them—and saw what he was doing to the woman—Wake knew by the horror on her face that he’d lost her for good.
No amount of pleading or apologizing had been good enough for her. She didn’t understand that world—or his dark needs—and never would. He could still see the disgust on her face. She immediately filed for divorce. Didn’t want a penny in alimony. Quit her firm and left with no forwarding address.
At first, Wake enjoyed having the apartment to himself. Reveled in his new freedom. Then he came to realize that he was addicted to Sydney. To her goodness. Her steadiness. That’s when he hired Marker. The ex-cop found Sydney in Boston. Kept tabs on her for him. Wake didn’t care how Marker got his information. The PI regularly provided pictures of Sydney, with details about her daily routine and the cases she worked. She didn’t have any life outside of her law firm. She was friendly with her assistant, Brenda, and had no social life, other than work functions the firm’s partners required her to attend.
Wake tried calling her. Emailing her. She shut him down every time. He’d sent flowers on multiple occasions. No response. He was starting to go a little crazy for wanting her when Marker told him last week that she’d abruptly left Boston. Wake took the next shuttle from LaGuardia and slipped her super a few twenties so he could see inside her apartment. She’d left in a hurry. Clothes still in the closet. Furniture and dishes left behind. He dug through every drawer and looked in every cabinet but nothing personal remained.
Worse, Marker hadn’t been able to find out where she’d gone.
The door opened. The burly PI came in and headed straight to Wake’s table.
“You’re fifteen minutes late.”
“I had to finish checking something out.” The ex-cop sat and leaned beefy arms on the tiny round table.
“Did you find where she’s gone?”
Marker gave him a tight smile. “Getting there. She called her PA a few hours ago.”
“Could you trace the call?”
“She offered Brenda a job. Near LA.”
“She’s in California?” Wake couldn’t imagine Sydney there. She always bundled up in turtlenecks or heavy sweaters and slacks. Thinking of her in the land of endless sunshine didn’t fit.
“Brenda turned in her notice. She’s already booked a flight to LAX next weekend.” Marker told him the airline and time.
“I want you on that plane. If Sydney doesn’t meet her at the airport, you can find her through Brenda.”
“I’ve already made my reservation. I can slip a tracking device in the assistant’s handbag, either at the airport when she’s boarding or on the plane.”
Wake made a quick decision. “Let me do it.”
“You?” Marker chuckled. “I don’t think so.”
Wake gritted his teeth. “I’m the one paying you. I want to go. I want to see her in person.”
“Show up out of nowhere? You’ll scare her shitless, Wake.” He paused. “You want to win her back? You’ve gotta finesse your way in this kind of situation.”
Marker was right. Dejectedly, he said, “Okay. You follow Brenda. Find out where she goes. Discover Sydney’s address and new phone number. She’s ditched her phone. Again.”
“Have I let you down so far? No. Trust me, Wake. I’ll take care of this. As soon as I know, I’ll pass along everything I can about Sydney’s new life.”
That would have to do. For now.
CHAPTER 17
Sydney froze. The bottom of her stomach crashed. Panic surged through her like an electrical current.
Dash loved her?
It wasn’t possible. She hadn’t heard him right. Or he’d just been caught up in the moment as they