Текст книги "Directing Disaster"
Автор книги: Kate Kane
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Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 11 страниц)
Chapter 8
That stain’s never coming out
Jess held her gun in both hands as she heard the bathroom door rattling.
“I’ve got a gun and I know how to use it,” she yelled, just as the door burst open and a tall, dark and handsome man burst through it.
She pulled the trigger splattering his $5000 black pinstripe Brioni suit with neon green paint right where his heart would be. He looked exactly like Ben’s youngest brother Dr. Paolo Raffaele Bellini. But it wasn’t Pauli.
“Damn, that’s gonna leave a mark,” he said as he looked at the paint running down his chest. He wasn’t talking about the paint; he was referring to the bruise that had already begun to form.
“You aren’t Pauli, so who the hell are you?”
“I’m the cavalry, Toots. I have a car and a jet waiting to whisk you to Kansas.” He reached out his right hand to help her stand. “Throw some things in a suitcase.”
He was dialing his phone with his left hand. “Yeah, I got her. She looks fine. I’m not sure she needed the help. Ha fatto un colpo per uccidere il mio abito.” He said and then held the phone out to Jess.
The Bellinis often had what they assumed were private conversations, in Italian, when others were around. What they didn’t know was that Jess had bought Rosetta Stone and learned Italian. She understood every word they said to each other and had for the last two years. Well, every non-curse word. Rosetta Stone wasn’t big on curse words.
“Hi,” Jess said quietly.
Ben laughed. “You’re good? He says you shot him.”
“I’m fine. Paint ball. I don’t know what he’s complaining about, he was missing the fedora anyway. He said he was the cavalry? Who is he? ”
“That would be Pauli’s twin brother Giuseppe Gabrielli Bellini. He’s going to bring you home.”
She handed the phone back to the stranger and squinted her eyes. “How’d you get in here anyway? I know the place was all locked up.”
“Toots, I’m a Bellini.”
“Jess. My name is Jess. And, Bellini or not, I still don’t know how you got in here.”
He shook his head. “And I’m not going to give away all of my secrets on a first date.” He nudged her toward the bedroom. “Get your things. I promised the old man I’d get you home fast. So click those ruby red stilettos together three times and let’s get moving.”
He looked like Pauli, but Pauli had been calling and texting her at least three times a day since their first meeting, mooning over her like some lovesick puppy. This one acted like she was a boil on his ass.
She grabbed a duffle and tossed some things into it. She zipped it shut and he grabbed it from her hand. He put his hand in the small of her back and maneuvered her through the condo. When they got into the living room she stopped in her tracks. She looked around the room. “They’re gone,” she whispered.
“Whatever they are I’ll buy you two. Come on,” he said as he gave her a nudge. He pulled the door closed behind them and guided her to a waiting limo.
“Go,” he told the driver once they were inside.
He looked at her. She was just a little bit of a thing. But damn she was a dead shot. He was glad it was only a paint ball gun. He wanted to rub his chest where the bruise was no doubt forming. But he didn’t want her to know how much it hurt.
She wasn’t at all what he’d expected. Pauli gossiped like an old woman and had talked about her incessantly since meeting her. To be honest, he was sick of hearing about her. But after finding her in her little red dress and her five inch heels, all barricaded up in the bath tub. With a Louisville Slugger on her left side, paint ball gun in both hands, her big blue eyes wide as silver dollars as she took dead aim at him. And those eyelashes, maybe he could see the attraction. Lord, where could you even get false eyelashes like that?
They were at the Long Beach airport in record time. The driver went straight to a waiting plane. The driver opened Joey’s door and Joey reached in to help Jess out of the car.
Joey spoke to the driver as he handed him a wad of bills. “Thanks, Tito. I’ll call next time I’m in town.”
He’d put his hand in the small of her back and was guiding her toward the private jet. He nudged her up the stairs. He nodded to the pilot. “Did you file the flight plan to Johnson County?”
The pilot nodded. “We’re good to go. Is this the package?”
“Yeah, this is it. Let’s get the wheels up.”
He had maneuvered her into the plane and pointed her toward a chair. After she sat, he took the seat facing her.
She’d never flown in a private jet, but she could tell this wasn’t just any jet. It had sofas, tables and the seats reclined, like all the way. She wasn’t positive, but she’d bet there was a bed just past the half wall behind him.
She narrowed her eyes at him. Ben had sent him, he was family and he was taking her home, but what the heck? “The package?” There was something slightly shady about him. Sure, she’d heard all of the rumors about the Bellinis being mobbed up, but she’d never seen anything that looked so much like a scene from The Sopranos as Giuseppe Bellini in that black pinstripe suit.
She thought she’d try a new tack. She reached out her hand. “Maybe we should start over. I’m Jess Parker.”
He reached across the table and shook her hand. “Joey Bellini, but I’m guessing the old man already told you that.”
“If you mean Ben, he said your name was Giuseppe Gabrielli Bellini. I’m sorry about your suit, but I did warn you that I had a gun.”
He smiled at her. The gold flecks in his whiskey brown eyes flashing along with his million watt smile. “It’s fine Toots, like you said, I was missing the fedora anyway.”
“Why do you call him the old man?”
Joey laughed. “He’s been bossing me around for as long as I can remember, like he thinks he’s my old man. Lean back and relax. I’m going to change.” He smiled. “The neon green does nothing for my eyes.”
Joey got up and headed behind the half wall. Apparently there was a closet. He pulled out what appeared to be an identical black pinstripe suit. He opened a drawer and pulled out a shirt and tie. She really had done a number on that suit.
Chapter 9
A reunion
It was after 10:00 p.m. when they landed at the Johnson County Executive Airport. Joey had called Ben as they were landing, and he was waiting for them when they walked out of the plane and down the stairs. He stood, wearing his casual uniform of khaki slacks with a light weight sweater, leaning against his black Lincoln Navigator.
Joey had his left hand in the small of Jess’s back as he guided her toward Ben. “The package is delivered,” he said, as he handed Jess’s duffle to Ben.
Ben shook hands with Joey. “Thanks. I owe you.”
“We’re probably even. It worked out. I have a whale in St. Louis.”
Joey looked at Jess and winked. “Next time, Toots, I’ll wear my fedora for ya.” And he turned and headed back toward the plane.
Jess shook her head and mumbled, “Next time I’ll shoot you in the face.”
Ben opened the passenger door for Jess. He walked around and got in. “Better call your mother and tell her you’re making an unscheduled visit. I’ve got someone in L.A. looking into the incident.”
Jess dialed her mother’s house. “Hi Mom. Did I wake you?” She paused, “You just sound really tired.” Another pause as Lane spoke. “I’m in town. A friend is going to drop me at the house. I should be there in about 15 minutes. I’ll explain when I get home.”
Ben only heard Jess’s side of the conversation and it was enough to worry him. “Is she all right?”
Jess looked at him; she could tell that being away from her mom was killing him. “She said she’s okay, just a little tired. It’s late, you know. I think I woke her.”
They both knew better than that. Lane was almost always up at this time of night. She’d be sitting in bed reading. She’d go to the bedroom at ten o’clock and brush her teeth and wash her face while the news was on. After the weather report was over, she’d turn off the TV and read. First she’d do her devotional Bible reading and then she’d move on to whatever mystery novel she was reading. She read between three and five books a week and under normal circumstances, there was no way Lane would be asleep at 10:45 p.m.
“I want to know if she’s sick. If there’s anything wrong, call me. Jess, promise me.” Yes, he was supposed to be taking a break, needing a little space, but both he and Jess knew the truth.
“If she’s sick, I promise, I’ll call you. But she said she was just tired. Maybe she’s not sleeping well.”
“Yeah, I know that feeling,” he said almost to himself.
He pulled into the driveway. “It’s good that you called the Bambino. I’m in court tomorrow. The prosecution is wrapping up. We could be doing final arguments next week. If you need anything, call my cell or the office. They’ll get word to me even if I’m in court.” He looked at her. “Jess, give her a kiss for me, will you?” He waited in the driveway until Jess was in the garage and had closed the garage door.
Lane met Jess in the mud room. “Was that Ben?”
What could she say? Her mother knew Ben’s SUV when she saw it. “Yeah, he picked me up.”
“Why didn’t you call me, I’d have come to get you.”
“It was a last minute thing; I caught a ride with a friend in a private plane. We landed at Johnson County Executive Airport and I called Ben to come get me. I just wanted to talk to him, you know?”
She’d have to tell her mother about the stalker, but it could wait until tomorrow. Right now, she just wanted a good night’s sleep in her own bed.
Lane put her arm around Jess’s waist and they walked together toward the bedrooms. She knew that all three of her kids had relationships with Ben. In fact, the day after he’d told her he needed some space, he’d taken Jake and Jamie to Neiman Marcus in St. Louis to be fitted for suits. Suits he was getting them for the wedding that he and Lane were supposed to be having. Now he’d picked Jess up at the airport and brought her home. Apparently, he only needed space from her.
Jess looked at her mother. She really did look tired, and pale. “Are you sure you’re okay? You really look pale.”
Lane pulled Jess into her room and closed the door. She needed to tell someone. Maybe it was fate that had brought Jess home at just this moment. She sat down on her bed and motioned for Jess to sit too.
“I’m fine.” She paused. “I’m pregnant, but I’m fine.”
Jess looked at her. Oh. My. God. Pregnant. She’d promised Ben she’d call if her mother was sick. Pregnant. Pregnant is pregnant, she thought, not sick. “Mom, how do you feel about this?”
Lane laughed. “Well, I admit it was a bit of a shock. Mick McGuire came to get me for lunch today. We went to Aunt Em’s Diner and when we walked in the door, I guess the smell of greasy food overwhelmed me and I fainted. I woke up in the ER where I found out I’m pregnant. I have an appointment late tomorrow morning with an OB who specializes in high risk pregnancies for women over 45.”
Mick McGuire was with her when she found out. Jess had met him at her mother’s forty-ninth birthday party a couple of months ago. She remembered the way he had looked at Lane. He was so obviously enamored with her mother that Jess had felt sorry for him at the time. But moving in on the fiancée, no check that, the pregnant fiancée, of another man wasn’t cool, no matter how much he thought he loved her mother.
“But you’re happy? What about your break from Ben?”
Lane smiled. “Yes, I’m happy. Ben has to be told. Break or no break he has a right to know. But for right now, you and Mick are the only two people who know.”
“You told Mick before you told Ben or us kids?” Oh, the Italian in Ben isn’t going to like that one bit. Jess wasn’t too happy about it herself.
“It was a mix-up at the hospital. I was unconscious and Mick was there. The doctor saw my engagement ring and thought Mick was my fiancé. She told him. He knew before I did.”
Okay, that was an explanation, but Jess knew Ben was still not going to like it. She hugged her mother. “If you’re happy, I’m happy. Get some sleep, Mom. You really do look tired.”
“Don’t tell the boys, I want to do it. I’d have told them tonight, but I didn’t want to tell them without telling you.”
Jess got up and went to her room. There were two things the Parkers said about themselves. Blood may be thicker than water but Parker blood was thicker than molasses and that the fastest forms of communication were telephone, telegraph and tell-a-Parker. Still, she’d keep this to herself, for now.
Jess hadn’t told the boys about the conversation she’d had with Ben to get him to back away from their mom. The Parker boys both stood six feet four inches tall and weighed between 200 and 220 pounds. They’d both been ready to knock the crap out of Ben, but she’d convinced them that everything was fine. Holy hell, who knows what they’ll do when they find out Mom is pregnant. It was good that she was home to do damage control. In more ways than one. Directing the lives of her family would leave her very little time to worry about her crazed fan.
Speaking of crazy, she wondered what the situation was with the nut jobs in Ben’s life. Not long ago, Jess and Lane had gone out for lunch and Lane had stumbled on a body in the Ladies’ room. The body was one of Ben’s ex-girlfriends. The Homicide Detective was one of Ben’s ex-girlfriends and she really wanted to pin the murder on Mom. Then the day that Jess had gone back to L.A., the receptionist at their dentist’s office had seen Mom’s engagement ring and when Ben had said he was the lucky man Lane was engaged to, Rochelle had gone to Ben’s house and broken in to convince him that she was his one true love.
That’s when Jess had known that Ben couldn’t keep her mother safe. She’d called him and told him he knew what the right thing to do was, and that if he didn’t take care of it, she would. Days before, he’d told her that this was real life and she couldn’t direct them like actors on her stage. He was right about one thing, this was real life. And it seemed to be getting more real by the minute. Was it possible that she had been wrong?
Chapter 10
Paparazzi
Jess’s phone began ringing at 7:00 a.m. God, what was it? “Hello?”
“Jess. It’s Jer. Look I know I woke you, but I’ve been fielding calls half the night.” It was her agent and what the hell was he talking about?
“Some paparazzi got you at Long Beach getting on the Lucky Bets jet with some tall dark and handsome George Clooney type. They checked the flight plan and found out you went to Kansas. I’d guess they’re all going to be descending as soon as commercial flights can get them there today. I just wanted to prepare you. What the hell’s going on anyway?”
“Look Jer, thanks for the heads up. It was just a family friend. I had a few days and wanted to come home. You know, I cut my visit short last month because of the audition.”
She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t want to tell him about the stalker breaking into her condo. It was why she hadn’t called the police. She didn’t want the publicity. Actors were changed at this stage of a movie all of the time, even principals. She didn’t want any reason for the producer to decide she was too much trouble.
She ended the call with her agent and called Ben. “I need Joey’s number. Paparazzi got shots of us at Long Beach. What’s Lucky Bets?”
“It’s the casino Joey manages in Vegas. I suppose they’ll be tracking him down and that’s why you want his number.”
“Yeah, I just want to warn him. You know, I think the call should come from me.”
He gave her Joey’s number. “You do know it’s like the middle of the night there, right?”
She groaned. “Hey, I’m still on L.A. time. Believe me, I know. And here I thought Vegas was a 24x7 town.”
She dialed the number Ben had given her and to her surprise Joey picked up on the first ring.
“Bellini.”
“Joey? It’s Jess Parker.”
“Toots. What, you ready to go back to lala land already?”
“No, I’m calling you to let you know some paparazzi took pictures of us at Long Beach airport. My agent called me this morning. He knew it was the Lucky Bets jet. The press didn’t know who you were, but I imagine it’s only a matter of time.”
“Toots, are you that famous?” What the hell? He knew she was an actress and that she’d just gotten some big role, but paparazzi chasing him down, come on. He wished he hadn’t been dragged into this. And he would have argued with Ben when he’d called yesterday except he’d played the trump card. “She’s family,” Ben had said, and a Bellini would do anything for family.
Jess shook her head, this was just exasperating. “Well, since the announcement of the Harts in Time role, the stalker isn’t the only person who’s been following me around.”
“Fine. I’m calling for the jet. I’ll be there in about three hours. Meet me at the airport.”
And she was listening to dead air. What was he coming for? And what was she supposed to do with him? She hit redial.
“Toots. I appreciate that you miss me, but I’ve got things to do here.”
Lord, this man was infuriating. Miss him, hell. All she wanted to do was warn him that the paparazzi could be looking for him
“Joey, why are you coming? What are you going to do here? My agent says the paparazzi are on their way to Kansas.”
He laughed. “Subterfuge, Toots. I’m going to be Pauli.”
And once again she was listening to dead air.
Jess was shaking her head. It still made no sense, Joey was going to be Pauli? Who would believe he was Pauli?
She got up and went to the kitchen. Jamie was sitting at the breakfast bar.
“Hey, Jams.” Jess had called him Jams since he was a baby. Depending on how she felt, over the years she’d added any fruit that jam or jelly could be made from and occasionally because his name was Jamison, she called him whiskey.
“Sis. How and when did you get home,” Jamie responded as he continued eating.
“Got in last night. Ben sent his brother, a limo and a jet for me.”
Jamie shook his head. “Where did his brother get a jet?”
“Well, it seems his brother Joey, who is Pauli’s twin, manages a casino in Vegas. Joey seems to have a jet at his constant disposal. He’s flying back here from Vegas this morning. Should be here around 10:30.”
Jamie stopped eating and looked at his sister. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Ben’s got someone in L.A. looking into it. I don’t have any appearances for a while, so I’m staying here. But, my agent just called and said the paparazzi got shots of me and Joey at the airport. He says the paparazzi are coming to Kansas as soon as commercial flights can get them here. Joey plans to beat them here.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “It’s too early for me to think about it.”
She opened the fridge and got a Dr. Pepper. She dropped two slices of bread into the toaster. Peanut butter toast and Dr. Pepper. Just what she needed.
“Jams, don’t talk to strangers today, okay?”
“Jess, you know I’m old enough to know that. Oh, you mean reporters and paparazzi. Yeah, okay,” he said as he put his breakfast dishes into the dishwasher.
“Stay out of trouble,” he said, as he picked up his book bag.
She looked at the peanut butter toast she’d just made, there was no way her churning stomach could keep that down. She handed it to Jamie.
Jess was sitting at the breakfast bar drinking her soda when Lane came out of her room. Lane didn’t usually eat breakfast, which was good because she was experiencing what she now knew was morning sickness. She wasn’t actually doing much vomiting, just experiencing constant nausea. She also knew, from past experience, that the doctor was going to cut her back to one caffeinated item a day, so she was going to start now. She also suspected that diet drinks were no longer allowed. It looked like herbal tea was in her future.
“Mom, I know you need to get to work, but there are a couple of things I need to tell you. Ben sent his brother Joey to get me in L.A. because I have a crazed fan who broke into the condo. The paparazzi got pictures of me and Joey at the Long Beach airport, and they’re descending on Kansas. Everything’s okay. I’m safe here at home. Did you know Pauli had a twin? Anyway, Joey manages a casino in Vegas and he’s flying back here and I need the Escalade to pick him up at the airport.”
Lane looked at Jess. She shook her head hoping to clear some of the confusion. Her daughter had called Ben because she had a crazed fan? He’d sent his brother and a private jet to get her? Of all the days to go cold turkey off of caffeine. She needed to get to work. She still had to figure out how she was going to avoid telling Meg what her doctor appointment was about. Since Meg was dating her son Jake, there was no way she could tell Meg the truth. Meg would tell Jake, Jake would tell Jamie and no doubt one of them would tell Ben.
Lane closed her eyes. “Okay. I’m going to work. You know where the keys are. Keep me posted.”
Maybe Lane should have gotten all worked up over the news, but she needed to concentrate on one thing at a time, and right now she was concentrating on not throwing up.
