Hunted: Chapter 17

Morning saw me hustling to organise a ride. Originally, the lasses had planned to use a car service for Elise to take Rory the three hours’ drive to Temecula, but I sourced a chunky Lincoln Navigator that reminded me of a souped-up version of the mountain rescue service’s off-roaders, more by its bulk than function.

It appeared safe, and protecting Elise was forefront in my mind.

With the car secured, I located Gordain. When we returned from the trip, the crew would be setting up at the new festival site.

My uncle tossed a bag to a waiting roadie. “I dinna need to tell ye to drive safe, I know ye will. Call me when you’re at the next site so we can meet ye from the car. After last night’s wee scrap, I dinna want any more trouble moving across the sites.”

“Agreed. Lesson learned.”

I’d bet Gordain had worried all night about Viola and the bairn. I’d replayed it over and again while I’d held a sleeping Elise.

At Elise and Rory’s accommodation, the women were ready to go. We loaded up their small amount of luggage, plus my single bag, and got underway.

Slumped in the back, Rory hid behind her sunglasses and a miserable expression. “Every time the car hits a bump,” she moaned, “I want to throw up.”

In the passenger seat, Elise snickered. “Serves you right for drinking your bodyweight in shots last night.”

Rory grumbled. “That wasn’t the worst of it.”

“Uh, then what was?”

“I’m not going to spill. All I’m gonna say is that Max and I did something really stupid. Even by my standards.”

Elise peered over the seat. “You can’t leave us hanging like that.”

I glanced in the rearview to see Rory flip up her hood and curl herself into a ball. “Watch me. I need time to process my new levels of insanity.”

We sped on, and I kept my concentration on the road. Driving on the wrong side was unnerving, but the route was simple and the traffic steady.

We made a stop off for drinks, and I took the opportunity to text Max.

Cameron: What the hell happened last night between you and Rory. Did you…?

Max: No, man. Not that. I’ll show you when I see you.

I could only imagine what Max meant by show, rather than just telling me.

We drove on, and a now-caffeinated Rory perked up. She and Elise chatted before Rory turned her questions to me and my role in the rescue service.

I told the story of a call-out where I’d been lowered on a winch from a helicopter over a snowy crag. A hiker had broken his ankle climbing the mountain, and a storm had set in.

As I spoke, Rory grimaced at the heights and Elise wondered over the risk I’d been in.

Glancing between them, I picked up on a fact I hadn’t noticed before.

How similar the two women were.

Not only in their appearances, with Rory’s hair the same shade as Elise’s had been before she’d dyed it, but in their mannerisms, too.

Both tucked their hair behind their ears in the same mid-speech way. Both tilted their head after a pert question.

I’d focused so much on Elise, Rory hadn’t drawn my attention.

“Ye two could be sisters,” I said after they’d recovered from a fit of giggles.

Rory beamed. “Wouldn’t that be the best?”

But panic flashed over Elise’s expression. She stared at me then changed the subject, pointing to an outcrop of hills in the far distance.

Her distraction worked, as Rory recalled a hike they’d once gone on. But I’d noticed. And my mind whirred over what it could mean.

Finally, in a Temecula suburb, we arrived at Rory’s house, a single-storey family home. The front door opened on our arrival, and older woman eased herself out in a wheelchair. Rory’s mother, clearly. Though with pale hair and skin, she didn’t share many features with her daughter.

We climbed from the car, and Elise waved at Rory’s mum.

Then another person appeared behind the woman. Both Elise and Rory stilled.

“Your dad’s home?” Elise said quietly.

Rory’s jaw tightened, and her gaze fixed on the man. She swallowed, then brought her attention back to us. “You guys, this is going to sound so rude…”

“We won’t come in,” Elise finished for her. “We have a long drive ahead of us. It’s better if we just go. Apologise to your mom for us?”

Rory ducked her head, her brazen confidence vanished. But she gave a nod then enclosed Elise in a hug and whispered something in her ear. Elise blinked in surprise but managed a smile.

I moved in on Rory. “Is there a problem here?” I asked, low. “If ye don’t want us to come in, we can wait out here for a while.”

“I appreciate that. Just get Elise away before my dad starts hassling her.”

She patted me on the shoulder, offered a small smile to her friend, and stepped onto the path.

“Hey, super star,” the dad called from the porch. “Where you going in such a hurry?”

Elise slipped back into the car, and I followed her, driving us off down the street.

“Is Rory in danger?” I asked.

Elise glowered, staring over her shoulder as the house disappeared in the distance. “Fuck,” she bit out. “I don’t think so. Her old man is an asshole, but I don’t think he’d hurt her.”

Not good enough. My innate protector radar blared.

Around the corner and out of sight, I pulled the car over. “Talk to me. I’m not about to leave her there if she’s at risk.”

For a few seconds, Elise remained silent, chewing over her words. Then she relented. “Rory’s dad is the worst kind of deadbeat. You saw her mom, she’s in a wheelchair, yet he provides next to no support and he’s hardly ever here. About two years ago, I bought them an adaptable car so they could get her mom places. It lasted a hot minute before her dad took it. Rory avoided me for months until I got to the truth.”

“Her da sold it?”

“He did. And her mom still welcomes him with open arms every time he returns. She adores the fuckhead, and it’s the only reason Rory has to suffer that man. After the car thing, I had to block his number because he was always dropping me messages about how her mom needed money, or how there was no food in the house. I didn’t tell Rory most of it, she already hates him. And besides, he’s not even—”

She froze up, but I knew in a beat what she was about to say. Those similarities between the women had a more significant meaning.

The lasses were related.

Elise had been on the cusp of telling me, but she’d clammed up. Even after our hook-up, at best we were friends. In reality, I was her temporary bodyguard.

I hungered for her truths.

If she wanted to share this with me, she would in her own time.

I ended her suffering with my own conclusion. “Then us going back there will only make things more difficult.”

“It will. It’s better if we leave.”

I indicated out and pulled back onto the road.

It took a long while before Elise dragged herself out of her slump. “Rory said something interesting about you before we left. That you’re someone’s significant other. For a second, I thought she meant you had a girlfriend.”

I gave a short laugh. “Do ye think I would have done any of that last night if I was in a relationship?”

Elise rolled her eyes, a faint flush decorating her cheeks. “No. She clarified it. What she meant was that you’re boyfriend material.”

“For the record, I’m entirely single. Have been since we met.”

She made no reply, but I caught the glimmer of a little smile. Suddenly, my goal was to keep that smile there. Or at least distract her from her thoughts.

Collecting my phone from the dash, I handed it to Elise unlocked. “Do me a favour. Find Lochie’s number in my contacts. I need to speak to Ellie.”

“We’re going to call your dog?”

“Aye. She needs to hear my voice.”

Elise smirked but did as asked.

The call connected, and the grumpy head of the mountain rescue service came on the line. “Cameron, when are ye coming home?”

No preamble. That’s what I loved about Lochinvar.

“Naw yet. I’m in a car on loudspeaker with Elise. Are ye home? Can I talk to Ellie? How she doing?”

“She’s grand. Your da texted half an hour ago to say they’re on their way home, so she can return to the crofthouse tonight. Isla will be devastated. Your dog slept in her bedroom every night.”

A door creaked, and a bark sounded.

“Here she is.”

I could be embarrassed about having a conversation with my pet, but I’d taken such efforts over training Ellie, and she identified me as her leader. It distressed her not to know where I was.

“Ellie, how’s my good dog? I hear you’ve been having fun on your sleepover.”

A rapid series of barks was my answer.

I asked her if she was behaving herself. She howled in reply.

“Can I say something?”

At my grin, Elise pulled the phone back to her mouth. “Hey, Ellie. I just want you to know that Cameron is doing fine, too. He misses you. But he’s being good, just like you are.”

Ah, this woman. Everything she did and said lit me up.

I chatted a little more to my dog, making sure she was happy.

I pictured her in Lochie and Cait’s cosy cottage, and a pang of missing home hit me.

After I hung up, Elise kept my phone in her hands, the screensaver a landscape of a green glen and soaring mountain. “I love the place where you live. I love how close everyone is and how you all treat each other. I get now why you don’t want to be away for long.”

“There’s more to it than just that.”

“There is?”

“Want to hear a story? It’s a wee bit sad.”

“If you’re telling it, I want to hear it.”

I swallowed, age-old tightness constricting my chest. “I’m an only child, but I wasnae meant to be. My parents tried for some time to have a bigger family. I was the only one who made it.”

Pain crossed Elise’s expression. “That must’ve been so hard for them. But they have you.”

“They treasure me. And by that, I don’t mean smother, but they love me beyond anything. I want to be all they ever wished for. When I was hurt and hospitalised after the shooting, my mother was on the phone outside my hospital room, talking quietly to one of my aunts.” I rubbed my chest then returned my hand to the steering wheel. “She thought I was asleep, but I heard every word. She cried so hard for me. They thought at one point I was going to die from loss of blood, and it just broke my mother’s heart. I’d had an inkling they’d wanted more children, but never once did they share that with me. The shooting brought it to the surface. I will never, ever let them down.”

“God, Cameron.”

There, guts spilled and on the floor. If Ma knew I’d overheard, she’d feel terrible.

“My parents are the polar opposite to yours,” Elise stated.

“Ye were close to your dad, aye?”

Elise snorted. “I was, but he liked his space. Dad had a lot of time for me, but he also really appreciated it when I wasn’t there.”

“Were your parents married for long?”

“Oh no. They never had a wedding. Or even lived together. I’m pretty sure I was the product of a hook-up. They were barely an item. Just two people who made a mistake.”

My jaw dropped. “They made ye. That’s no mistake.”

She gently pushed my arm. “You’re so sweet.”

“I’m honest.”

Elise folded her hands in her lap. “Which brings me onto another topic. I’ve been thinking more about what you said, about how the blackmailer is probably someone invested in my career. I even Googled how to make a suspect list.”

“Want to talk it out? I can try to help.”

“Only if you’re sure you want to be involved.”

“Spill it. Work through your thoughts.”

From her bag, she produced a pen and a small journal.

“Motive, opportunity, means,” she quoted. “That’s the way to identify suspects. Who could do it, who’d want to do it, and who was in the right place at the right time, or whatever.”

In the edge of my vision, Elise drew a table. Across the top she wrote the three criteria.

I drummed my fingers. “I’ve been thinking about this, too. There’s the possibility that this is a genuinely crazy person. Someone ye don’t know, but who is such a huge, insane fan, that they’ve infiltrated your life in order to control ye.”

Elise nodded. “The first name on my list, then, is ‘stranger’. We know their motive—to keep me making movies to feed their addiction. But the opportunity and means are a mystery. It’s unlikely some random would have access to my dad.”

“Right. We need to find out more about the sender of the emails. Any small details will help. If ye want, I can ask Gordain. He’d know people who could look into things like this. They already do it for Leo. He has his fair share of crazies.”

“Do you think Gordain will help?”

“Why wouldn’t he?”

She squirmed in her seat. “I came to the festival assuming all your family would hate me for what I did to you.”

I reached out and found her hand. Since last night, I wanted her close to me again.

“How could anyone not like ye?”

Elise squeezed my fingers and didn’t let go. “I don’t mind people thinking I’m crazy. But I’d hate for you to think that.”

“I know you’re not. Even if ye were, I like your brand of crazy.” I sucked in a breath. “Okay, next on the list. Who would suffer the biggest financial loss if ye stopped working?”

“My manager, I suppose. Janelle works solely for me. She used to have other clients, but Mom asked her to commit all her time to my career. If I stopped working, she stops earning.”

“Add her.”

Elise released my fingers then dutifully jotted down the entry, using initials only for the suspect. “So her motive is financial. She knew an awful lot about my dad, including some of his friends. She’s been in my life for a long time, too, so she has the means. I don’t know how we assess opportunity.”

“Someone would have got those pictures from somewhere. Or hacked your dad’s phone or laptop, wherever they were stored.”

“Not his phone, he never kept pictures on there. He had an old-fashioned view in some respects and used an ancient phone and a separate camera. His laptop is probably still locked in his office. He shared a house with his girlfriend. She hasn’t moved out.”

“Girlfriend? Should she go on the list?”

Elise sighed. “Maybe? Her name is Christina. She’d have the means by access to Dad’s laptop, but why not just sell the shots outright? Or other stories about me that he probably told her? I’ll put her down anyway. This is a depressing job.”

I accelerated so we were flying along the highway. “Ye never have to show anyone this list. I willnae tell anyone it exists, unless we include Gordain. Who else are ye thinking about?”

“Derren should probably be on there. He’d have a motive, considering I never want to work with him again. Maybe Rory’s dad, though he’s not smart enough to plot against me. Even my mom, if we’re being technical. Her production company is funded by my earnings. See how ridiculous this sounds?”

At the mention of her ex, a fine ripple of anger spread through me, and I fought to hide it. Last night, she’d confided about being attacked. The effects of it had been plain in our clinch.

I knew without question that he was the attacker.

I badly wanted her to give me enough detail so I knew how to hate the man. But more, how to help her heal from it.

“If there’s anyone else, I can’t think of them.”

“Then in all likelihood, the answer is staring ye in the face.”

She hummed agreement then found her phone and connected it to the speakers. Mellow rock music filled the car. Pearl Jam. I’d played that to her in Scotland, the first night we’d kissed.

“Ye remembered,” I said.

“You inspired me. I’ve been listening to them all summer because of you.”

“I’m glad every memory of me wasn’t bad.”

She swung to look at me, her eyes wide. “No! God, no. You were perfect. I was a mess.”

I found her fingers with mine, and she hushed and let the music play.

The rest of the journey was spent with Elise picking apart her home and professional life, searching for answers to the mystery. By the time we arrived at Greenlands, a wide-open festival ground framed with tall palm trees, we had a decent starting point.

Our next move was to get professional help. “What’s the view on asking Gordain? I know trusting people is hard, but I’ve known him all my life. I trust him with my life. With yours.”

Elise rested her gaze on me, the violet-blue of her eyes strong. “I trust you, beyond probably ninety-nine percent of people I know. If you think Gordain can help, then I’ll talk to him.”

Getting through security and to the right part of the site took forever. We had to leave the car outside the secure area before meeting a few of the crew. Elise donned her baseball cap and sunglasses, huddling into my side as we passed through the camping grounds. But then we were there, familiar faces around, and my worries reduced.

Gordain was holed up in a makeshift office, a phone call on the go and a screen open front of him. He registered us at the door, then got off the call and beckoned us inside. “Ye made it.”

“We need help with something,” I said. “A security issue.”

“I’ll pay, of course,” Elise blurted.

I glanced at her, sad that she thought she had to stump up cash for people to be on her side.

Gordain’s gaze narrowed. “Come. Sit. Talk to me.”

As succinctly as possible, Elise outlined the contact she’d had from her super fan. Gordain asked to see the messages, then put a number of questions to her, working through all the information he needed in his methodical fashion.

“Did ye know a picture of ye both appeared online earlier? Taken outdoors yesterday.” He woke his laptop and found a social media platform.

Elise and I leaned in. The picture displayed the two of us at breakfast, Max and Rory cut out. The headline made fun of Elise’s breakfast choice but also questioned who I was. Her mystery man. Though she was barely recognisable in the shot, my face was unobscured. I’d raised my sunglasses into my hair and was gazing at the lass like a lovesick puppy.

“I’m surprised you’ve not had alerts for this.” Gordain gestured at Elise’s phone.

She slumped in her chair and blew out a breath. “I probably have. I used to check every day, hourly. But after that picture of me appeared in the spring, I don’t anymore.”

Her cheeks coloured, and there was no doubting what picture she meant.

Gordain’s forehead creased in a frown. “Did ye take action against the photographer?”

“No. My manager was looking into it, but she never got anywhere.”

His frown deepened. “To be clear, you’re asking for my help as a protection specialist. Alongside checking out this email account, do I have permission to get the name of the photographer, too? I can have it for ye this afternoon.”

Elise’s jaw dropped. “How? I mean, yes. I’ve wanted to know for months. I’m on first-name terms with many of the celebrity photographers on the circuit, particularly the ones based in LA. Some of them I’ve known since I was tiny.”

I brushed her knee with mine. “What will ye do if ye have a name?”

She gave up an exasperated sound. “I don’t know. I’m not very good at confronting people. I just want to know. It was one of the worst things anyone has ever done to me. They need to see the impact they had.”

Gordain’s expression gentled, and he switched from the efficient head of security to the uncle I’d known since I was wee. “I’ll get ye the name. I can help with injunctions and any other process ye want in place. Do I need to talk to your manager or anyone else to okay this access?”

She shook her head. “No. One thing I insisted on when I turned twenty-one was autonomy over who I employ. I just need to tell Janelle where to expect a bill from.”

Gordain made a note on his laptop. “Lastly, what do ye normally do to tackle trolls? The worst of your fans. I’ll work within your process.”

Elise blinked as if the question was a strange one. “Nothing. Ever. I’ve had death threats, abuse of all kinds. It’s been worse in the last few months. But Janelle said to ignore it. It’s the Internet. People are anonymous.”

I knew Gordain too well, and his attempts to conceal his reaction didn’t escape me. He lived for the safety of his family, but beyond that, he cared about his work. About his skill set and how he’d built a company around protection.

His main client was Leo, but I wondered if he intended to expand. He’d so easily accommodated Elise.

He placed his words with care. “That might have been the case a decade ago, but it isn’t now. People can be and are traced and held accountable for the things they say online. If someone made a death threat against Leo, we would have an injunction by the first available court appointment. It isn’t acceptable. These occurrences need to be nipped in the bud. I’ll get on it now.”

His implication was clear. If left, matters could get worse. Perhaps that was how Elise’s super fan had come to be.

It was how Cait’s stalker had escalated in the winter.

Elise blanched. “Thank you.”

“Nae bother, lass.” He waved us off and immediately started a phone call.

We exited the office, and Elise’s shoulders slumped. I reached out and hugged her to me. Whatever we were to each other, my urge to comfort her was only getting stronger.

“That was heavy. Want to do something fun to lighten up?”

She inched closer. “What do you have in mind?”

“Find Max and interrogate him on what went down with your friend last night.”

Her answering grin had my heart skipping a beat.