Still Jaded

  There seemed to be a thousand photographs taped to the walls of her closet. Even if I tried, I didn't think I could know enough people to get that many photos. I looked closer and saw that each one was of Cadence with another person. Some were celebrities, some looked like politicians. One caught my interest and I grabbed it. Bryce smiled back at me. He was in his soccer uniform from Spain with his arm around her. She was beaming. Bryce looked like he'd just played a game. His hair and uniform were both soaked in sweat.

  When the hell had this been taken?

  Then I spied another picture. It was of Denton and he had his arm around Cadence like in Bryce's photograph, except he wore a black tuxedo and they looked like they were toasting to something with their drinks.

  I grabbed both photos and then finished my search of her room. I didn't really know what I was looking for, but I figured I'd know it when I saw it. And I knew I'd found it when I moved a pillow and discovered Cadence's diary. It didn't look like much, just a small brown leather journal. I put it in my back pocket and turned to leave.

  As I went downstairs, I peeked where the television was on and saw two pledges sprawled on the couches. One was snoring and the other had her head nestled underneath the cushions. I turned to go, but a picture on the wall stopped me. It was a house photo of all the sisters. Dated for the previous year, I skimmed over the names and recognized a few from my classes. One name I saw that I didn't expect was Dorothy Rossi. I matched the name to the face and gasped when I saw it was the waitress from Sparky's.

  The one who loathed all things Greek.

  She had the same red braids but was dressed in the same red dress as the other sisters. She looked happy, glowing even.

  I didn't even want to guess what changed her.

  Abruptly, the television shut off, and I left before I was caught. I didn't dare look inside the room again to see if the pledges had woken up or not. I didn't care. I needed to get the hell out of there. When I got outside, I cut across the backyard and through the gate.

  I hurried to my car and then drove towards the hotel.

  After I got to my room, I poured myself a drink and studied my two stolen mementos. Bryce and Denton. Why both of them? Did Cadence know them personally? Was she a groupie and nabbed their autograph with the picture? She had pictures of other celebrities on that wall. Why in her closet? Why not out in the open? As I thought about it, I realized that all of the pictures on display around her room were of her friends and family, which was normal, but why hide the photographs of the celebrities?

  I had a feeling that I wasn't going to be able to intimidate Cadence into submission. She was cunning, and she had friends, lots of friends. I needed to get at her some other way. When I finished my drink, I fixed another and wondered where to go from here. Did I have a next move? I saw my phone on the counter and cursed. I knew what I needed to do but hesitated.

  The phone trembled in my hand as I scrolled through my contacts. I held my breath until I heard Denton answer. "Sheldon?"

  "I didn't know if this number still worked." I wasn't as relieved as I sounded. Denton had answers that I needed, but he'd bring his own trouble.

  He laughed, "Well, it works. This is the only number Mena remembers so I kept it for her. Everyone else has my other numbers."

  "I have a favor to ask." Politeness aside, I needed answers.

  Denton chuckled. "Same old Sheldon. What can I do for you?" His voice seemed to sneak over the line and unravel something in me. I could almost feel his caress.

  I paused for a second and told myself that I had no other choice. "Can you come here? I have a question to ask you."

  "Sure. Where are you?"

  "Wilshire Hotel. Room 617."

  "Give me an hour. I'm at my house."

  "That's fine. I'm not going anywhere." After I ended the call, I stayed on the bed for a minute. The instant I invited him to my room, I regretted it. The problem was that I needed to see him in person to ask about Cadence. I needed to see his face.

  Rather than make another drink, I grabbed the bottle and settled back. An hour later, with the bottle half gone, I was on the patio when I heard a knock at the door. I had showered and tried my best to rewrap my dressings, but I hoped I didn't look as hideous as I must have in the hospital. For some reason I cared.

  As I opened the door, I had to grin. Denton stood with a pink rose in his hand. Casually dressed in jeans and a white polo, he looked like he'd just showered. He had a small smile on his face, as if he were proud. Everything about him was like a burst of fresh air. That was when I realized that, Denton had become a friend. No idea how, but he had.

  He extended the flower. "I figured you'd need something to liven up the room. Hotels get boring after awhile."

  As I shut the door behind him, I commented, "Pink is a very 'friendly' color."

  "I got the message at the hospital. No touching." He smirked.

  "It's more like—I don't need any more drama in my life." Still, I couldn't hide my grin as I found a glass for it.

  "Your two 'besties' provide enough." He flashed a smile. "Mena taught me that word. I think it's ridiculous, but it's fun to say."

  "More like all their female groupies bring the drama."

  I didn't ask about her. This wasn't the time or place.

  "I can imagine." His eyes twinkled, and he scratched the back of his neck. "So, lay it on me. What do you need to ask me? What do I need to do for you?"

  I threw down the picture of him and Cadence. "How do you know her? Where was this taken? How long ago? Do you still talk to her?"

  He picked up the photo to inspect it better and held up a hand. "Hold on, Sheldon. Whoa. I…who is this? I…wait…I do know her. She's a Hempler. She's well connected." His eyes widened. "Sheldon are you going after her? I'd be cautious. Her dad owns the Hempler Diamonds chain."

  My eyes closed. Shiiiii….iiiit. I had not considered this complication. "What do you mean 'well connected'? How well connected?"

  "I only know her because she came up to me with her two sisters. All of them wanted a picture and then they left. It was a private party for my movie Rough Blue. Her dad's a Hollywood man. He's got his hands in a lot of projects. The brand sponsors a lot of our media events. Her brother, William, was as an extra in a few of my movies. It might've been because of his dad, I'm not sure."

  "Do you know her family well?"

  He shrugged. "Their mom died when they were little. Her dad never remarried. I think her two older sisters work in the business. That's it. I don't know her personally if that's what you're asking. Why are you interested in her?"

  I grimaced. "She's become a thorn in my side. I underestimated her."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "Nothing. It's my problem, but there's something off with her."

  "Is your psycho radar going off?"

  "Maybe." I hid a smile.

  "Come on, Sheldon. I don't know what's going on, but I can figure out that it's something not good. You're in a hotel, and who do you call? Not your normal two toys. You called me. You're alone and backed into a corner."

  "I wanted information. That's all."

  "Bullshit. You called me because I'm not Bryce or Corrigan. You wanted a break from them, and I'm guessing you wanted a break from that world, which is funny because this is you. If you could become a hermit, you'd be happy. You'd miss your friends, but you'd be content. You might not want to hear it, but I know you pretty well. I know when you're asking for help without asking for help." He moved closer and lowered his voice. "Why were you in the hospital? Is someone coming after you again? Is it this girl?"

  I winced as pain flooded me. "It's not. I don't know."

  "I can help you. I can ask around, see if my agent knows anything. I'm sure he can find out some dirt on her."

  "Your agent isn't named Mathias, is it?"

  Denton laughed. "No. Tim is generally just a sports agent. He must have his hooks in Bryce, huh? He's a little much, but he's a good guy."r />
  "He's a slimeball."

  "He tends to give that impression with girls, which is probably why he specializes in male athletes. He's never had good success with females, personally or professionally." Denton laughed again and turned to stand in front of the patio doors.

  I studied his back for a moment. Denton was…okay. He was a friend, of sorts, and he was mostly trustworthy, but I wasn't stupid. If Denton could sleep with me, he would. He wouldn't care if it hurt my relationship with Bryce. However, if he said he'd help, I knew he would. And he wouldn't say a word.

  "Are you trying to burn a hole in my back?" Denton turned and flashed those dimples again.

  I sighed as I dropped down on my bed. "I'd appreciate anything you can find on her."

  "Sure thing."

  "And if you have the idea about strings being attached, you better stop right now. I'm not going to owe you a thing. I don't work that way."

  He held up his hand and made a scissor motion with them. "Consider them gone, if they were there. I'm not doing this because I want something from you, Sheldon. Sure, if you get the urge to jump my bones, I'm more than happy to make that happen. But I'm not doing it because of that reason. You were my neighbor for a long time. You and I have gone a couple rounds together. Plus, the whole thing with Mena…I know that you really did care about her. I want to help because I care about you, and I don't care about anyone except my sister so consider yourself lucky. And I can't lie to you. You always see through my bullshit."

  "I don't know, Denton. You could make things worse for me."

  He laughed. "All I'm offering is that I'll ask around. I'll have my agent do the same and we'll see if we can find anything on this girl and her family. How about that?"

  I studied him intently. Was that really all he was offering?

  Then he looked around. "Why are you in a hotel again?"

  "My place was ransacked."

  "Perfect!" He beamed. "You can stay at my place. It's isolated and extremely safe. It's big. You won't even know I'm there when I am. You can have your own side of the house. There's a security system and cameras. I'll show you how to operate it all."

  "I don't know…"

  "You can hide. I know that's what you want to do. Who would figure out that you're at my place? No one. Not even your two besties would guess. I know you're hurting if you called me instead of them. I can also figure that they're part of the reason you're hurting. That and a certain Spanish model that's been all over the gossip shows?"

  Guadalupe. I fought against showing my teeth at the mere thought of her.

  "Sheldon." Denton stepped closer as his voice softened. He took my arms in his hands. "You helped me with Mena. Let me do this for you. Please."

  I knew he was working me. He played the sympathetic good guy perfectly, but I rolled my eyes. I didn't even care because while Denton knew me, I knew him too. And I knew he actually did want to help. I sighed and then removed his hands. "I will come, but if I get drunk and you take advantage of me, I will rip off your dick. You know that, right?"

  "I'd expect nothing less." His smile never dimmed.

  "Good. Where do you live now?"

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Denton sent a car a few hours later. I told him I needed time to pack, but in all honesty, I just needed some time to make sure this was the right thing to do. It only took thirty minutes to get everything together. With a text sent to Corrigan and Bryce, I was free to go. I told them that I was going to New York since my mother had flown to Europe for six months and the apartment was abandoned. I didn't care that I was lying to them. Denton was right. I needed to get away. I needed to regroup.

  A couple hours later, as the black sedan weaved through trees and more trees, I was anywhere but New York. As we slowed, a gate opened; I was somewhere deep in a forest, but I was okay with that. Denton hadn't lied when he said his house was huge and isolated. It looked like a log home palace, secluded and tucked into some back pocket of the forest. I had a sudden vision of winter with snow all around and a fire burning. Something told me that Denton could live in that house for an entire year without setting foot in the world and survive just fine. No one would find it either.

  It was my dream home, and I was nearly salivating by the time the car stopped before a five-car garage.

  "Miss." The driver pointed back towards the gate. "There are three cameras posted along the perimeter. There are also four more hidden in the trees. Mr. Denton wanted me to tell you about them. The gate is electrical so no one can touch it in any attempt to climb over. It has a three second delay before someone is shocked."

  "That's…good to know." And a little frightening if I was trying to get out.

  "There's a latch behind the gate on this side. You can lift the black lid and pull the lever. The gate will open from this side if you need to get out."

  There went that scary thought. I nodded and took a deep breath. Denton was globally recognized for his celebrity status. I shouldn't have been surprised at the lengths he'd go for privacy and safety. If Mena ever came here, he'd do anything to keep her safe.

  "Is Denton here?" I asked when the driver took my bags out of the back.

  "He headed to New York a half hour ago. There was an emergency with Miss Mena. His instructions were to show you to your room. He said you would feel comfortable with the home to yourself."

  He was right. The driver showed me my room, set in some far wing of the house, and left me alone after that. Not only did I have a plush king size bed but also a tapestry that went over it. A few couches were in the corner that opened to a walk-in closet. The balcony was behind the couches. If my room was this grandiose, I wondered what the rest of the house was like.

  I found an indoor pool, a tennis court, and a complete gym including a track. Then I found the kitchen, which could accommodate a restaurant staff. There was a huge rotating rotisserie in a corner. As I found one living room, I sat down on a plush couch and wondered why I hadn't taken advantage of my friendship with Denton sooner. Just then a part of the wall slid away to reveal a theatre screen that was the size of the entire wall. I stood up and found that I'd accidentally hit a button on a remote. The television clicked on, and I found myself staring at Bryce.

  He was larger than life on the screen. It felt as if he was standing in front of me, but bigger. I jumped then patted my chest in an effort to calm myself. He's on TV. It's the game. He's not here. An interviewer stuck a microphone in Bryce's face and asked how Guadalupe was.

  Any calming thoughts I had went out the window.

  He was saying, "…we did the best we could. I think we've learned from our mistakes and will prepare for our next game. Thank you."

  The screen changed to a group of announcers around a table. I realized they were discussing how ready the new left forward was for the California Suns and their competition. One announcer said that Bryce would crash and burn. A second said he'd do just fine after being challenged at the start-up. The third said he could always go right back to Spain. And the fourth smiled, nodded, and wished the new locally grown left forward good luck. The screen cut to another shot of Bryce at some event. He wore a tuxedo and had his arm around a beaming Guadalupe, who wore a red dress that barely covered her.

  I threw the remote down, but it didn't do anything. That's when I crossed to the large screen and quickly found the on/off button.

  Then my phone buzzed. It was a text from him.Are you sure you want to go? I don't want you to go. Can I visit you in NY? I will be there in a few weeks for a game.

  I erased the message and didn't text back. I knew it was childish, but I didn't care. Bastard.

  Then Corrigan called. I groaned but answered. "Hello?"

  Corrigan yelled, "Why are you in New York? Why aren't you here?"

  Loud music and laughter in the background made it difficult to hear him. "Are you are a party?"

  "I'm at the bar. We're planning the homecoming carnival."

  "What are you planning?"

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sp; "I don't know. We haven't started yet." He growled in frustration. "That's not why I called you. Why are you going to New York?"

  I grinned as I heard his last words slur a bit. "Are you drunk?"

  "Maybe. Will you talk to me?"

  "I am, about the carnival."

  He growled again. "You're running away. Why are you doing that?"

  I frowned. "Corrigan, what do you want?"