Authors: Christy Reece
“You would’ve been perfect for it, too.”
Edy was ever loyal, which Kacie appreciated. “You’re prejudiced.”
“No, I’m practical. You keep recommending other people for jobs you’re up for, at some point people will think you’re in my business.”
“I’m getting plenty of work.”
Edy huffed out a little laugh. “You have no idea.”
“What do you mean?”
“What would you say if I told you that right before I walked in here, I got a call from Julian Montague?”
“I’d say you had a few drinks before you arrived.”
“Yeah, well, I did. But I’m still sober enough to negotiate a deal to die for.”
Kacie’s heart took an excited leap. Julian Montague was looking for a model for his new line of cosmetics and sports and eveningwear. The entire fashion industry had been holding its collective breath to see whom the designer would choose. Not only did Kacie have a great admiration for him, she’d gotten a sneak peek at the new line and had fallen in love.
“Seriously? Montague really wants me?”
“Offer is a two-year contract.”
“He’s okay with my clauses?”
“Not a problem. Your hometown-girl look is exactly what he’s looking for.”
That was a relief. Her stipulations on nudity or near nudity were in every contract she’d ever signed. She had several reasons for this, not the least of which she knew she would be a role model for young women and refused to be photographed in anything too revealing. She had developed a reputation for being a prude, but she could live with that.
“There are just a few things we need to nail down. Let’s meet tomorrow afternoon and iron those things out. Two o’clock okay?”
“Perfect. I’ll—” A burst of male laughter caught her attention, cutting off her words. A shiver zipped up her spine, and she looked around. Where had it come from?
“Kacie…you okay?”
“Yes…I, yes, definitely.” Utterly spooked, she turned quickly, almost sure he’d be right behind her.
“What is your problem, Kacie? Who are you looking for?”
“Did you hear that laugh?”
“I hear lots of people laughing. It’s a party.”
Okay, get it together, Kacie, before Tatiana and her cohorts get a glimpse of the crazy you seem to be flirting with.
“Sorry. Just heard someone laugh and thought it sounded familiar. So…um…yeah, that’s great news.”
Edy looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “Hell, I thought you’d be dragging me by my ear to find a place to talk about it tonight, and now you act like I just complimented your nail polish. What’s up with you? A year ago you would’ve been so excited I wouldn’t have been able to keep you from screaming the news to the entire room before you demanded the facts straightaway. Is this not what you want anymore?”
“Of course it is. I want this job, Edy. More than you’ll ever know. So…two o’clock. Right?”
“Yeah. Sure. Whatever.”
Kacie restrained herself from snapping at the woman. Edy sometimes had the ego of a diva, and when things didn’t go her way, she had a tendency to pout. Besides, this
was
a big deal. Edy was right. Any other time she would’ve been dancing like a fiend. But today’s weird occurrence at the park, followed by that freakily familiar laughter, had her on edge.
“How about we meet for a late lunch at Marvin’s? We’ll talk and celebrate. My treat.”
Excitement flickered in Edy’s eyes but was quickly replaced by doubt. “I called for reservations last week and couldn’t get a table for at least four months.”
“I know someone. I can get us in.”
Looking somewhat mollified, Edy nodded. “Okay. I’ll bring the specifics.” Her light-blue eyes scanned Kacie’s face. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’re looking kind of washed out.”
Oh for an agent who didn’t feel she had to call it like she saw it all the time. Delivering the brutal truth was one of Edy’s least endearing but most valuable qualities.
“Yes. I’m definitely okay. Just need a good night’s sleep.”
“Make sure you do that. I don’t want Julian thinking you’ve lost your edge. You have to look as close to perfect as possible from here on out.”
Since perfection wasn’t possible and sleep didn’t always come easy, Kacie merely smiled and changed the subject. “Isn’t that Jeffrey Miller standing in the corner? Why don’t you go over and say hi to him?”
“Please. As if.”
Edy had a longstanding crush on one of the premier advertising executives in the country. Jeffrey Miller, once a top model, now ran his own advertising firm. Still single and in his early forties, the man was considered one of the hottest catches in the world. He was also one of the most arrogant men Kacie had ever met. Edy, on the other hand, couldn’t see beyond his good looks.
“I don’t know,” Kacie teased. “He looks kind of lonely to me.”
“You’re right, he does.” Straightening her shoulders, Edy nodded. “Okay, I’m going in.” She took a few steps and then turned back to Kacie. “Don’t think I don’t know what you just did. However, I’m doing this for a good cause, so I’ll forgive the distraction.”
“And that good cause would be?”
“He’s clearly a misogynist who’s dying to be reformed. And I’m the woman for the job.”
Kacie laughed, appreciating the woman’s confidence if not her goal. “Go for it.”
As Edy zoomed toward her target, Kacie eyed her own target—the ladies’ room. She smiled, waved, and called out “thank you for coming” greetings as she crossed the room. The event had turned out even better than she had hoped. She gave all the credit to her amazing staff. Without them, she never would have been able to pull this off.
Finally escaping from dozens of eyes, Kacie allowed her smile to slip from her face as she walked down the carpeted hallway to the ladies’ room. Five minutes of alone time should give her enough stamina to go back and smile for at least another couple of hours.
She pushed opened the door and was delighted to see that both the lounge and restroom were empty. Quickly using the facilities, Kacie washed her hands and took a moment to freshen her makeup. Okay, maybe she did look a bit ragged…definitely paler than normal.
A quick touch-up helped a little, but what would help the most was a long, uninterrupted, peaceful sleep. After what she’d been through, most drugs repulsed her, which meant she sometimes went without sleep. Even after five years, she often woke up in a cold sweat, the remnants of nightmares preventing her from going back to sleep.
But Edy was right. She had to look her best. Maybe she could find an herbal relaxant. She would call her therapist tomorrow and see if she could suggest something.
Kacie headed over to a cozy-looking chair in the corner. Just a couple of minutes of meditation and she would be ready for round two. She was halfway to her destination when the room went dark.
Releasing a little gasping squeal, Kacie froze. Had the electricity gone out in the entire building? Holding both hands out in front of her, she turned to where the door should be and began to walk slowly toward it. The masculine laughter, slightly high-pitched, took her off guard. It was the same laughter from earlier. The same laughter she heard in her nightmares.
“Hello?” Her voice wavered. “Is someone there?”
Total silence followed.
Her heart pounded hard against her chest as she exhaled terrified spurts of breath. She would not panic. Dammit, she would not panic.
Straightening her shoulders, Kacie took a determined step toward the door and then another. She had a good sense of direction. She knew where the door was. She would get there and get the hell out of here.
The lights flickered on, startling her to a stumbling halt. Her eyes searched her surroundings. No one was around. Had she imagined the laughter? Of course she had. She’d heard it earlier, and her overactive imagination had brought it to mind.
Shaking her head at her ridiculous fears, Kacie took the remaining steps to the door and opened it. Muted voices and laughter could be heard over the classical piano music coming from the speakers in the ceiling.
Everything was normal. It had been a momentary power outage, nothing more.
Working her smile back into place, she strode toward the ballroom, welcoming the sound of normalcy and sanity.
She had panicked for nothing. Everything was fine. And the eyes that she now felt were following her? That was normal. This was her event…of course people were watching.
As Kacie entered the ballroom and began her second round of thank-yous, she ignored the small voice inside her that asked just how long she could keep lying to herself.
Chapter Four
Hours later, Kacie stood at her office door and debated her choices. Her body was weary, but her mind was restless. After the limo had dropped her off at her apartment, her entire team had continued to party. Even Marta and Hazel, who were both old enough to be grandmothers to the other staff members, had wanted to continue the celebration. The benefit had raised almost twice as much as they’d hoped, and they had just cause to celebrate.
Kacie had cried off, using the excuse of a busy day tomorrow. Amid goodhearted boos and cheerful jeering, they’d waved good-bye to her and went on to their next destination.
And now here she stood, wide awake and more on edge than she’d been in years. After tossing around on the bed for half an hour, she’d gotten up and tried all of her normal remedies for sleep. A hot bath, warm milk, meditation, and reading. None of them had worked. She knew if she got back in bed and tried to sleep again she’d either have another bout of tossing and turning or have nightmares.
What those guys in the park had said today—the creepy, almost monotone chant, as if it were part of some kind of Satanic ritual—continued to replay in her mind.
He’s coming for you.
Was it just some weird street theater, like the officer had surmised, or was it more ominous than that? Had it been some kind of warning she should heed? If so, about what?
Thankfully, no one in the press had caught wind of the assault. That was what money and a world-class publicist like Sandi Winston could do for you. She’d called the woman seconds after giving her report to the police. And somehow, it had gone away. Sandi was a marvel at making bad news disappear and good news shine even brighter.
Kacie eyed the small stack of emails and social media messages on her desk she’d yet to answer. She knew full well she could ask Molly to do them and most people would never know the words hadn’t come from her. But since she couldn’t sleep, why not knock out a few innocuous emails?
Grabbing the small stack, she headed up to her bedroom. She would read them in bed and then hopefully fall asleep watching television. Who would suspect that one of the top models in the country went to bed alone, often before nine o’clock, and always made sure the television was tuned to something old and comforting? The only thing edgy about Kacie Dane was the clothes she modeled. Everything else was boringly normal.
Barefoot, dressed in her favorite cotton pajamas, her hair pulled back in a haphazard ponytail, she knew she looked less like a model and more like the girl next door. Though much of her appeal as a model was her all-American wholesome girl persona, few people had ever seen her this dressed down. Anyone who saw her this way saw the real person behind the fake life, and only a handful of people were trusted with her secrets.
She pulled back the comforter and sheets and then propped up three of the six pillows against the headboard. Settling back, she clicked the remote till she found a
Friends
rerun and then picked up the pages. Kacie scribbled her answers beneath each message, the soft sounds of laughter from the television a soothing background noise. Her head sank into the pillows as her eyes drifted shut. Myriad colors swirled around her—light, opaque, soothing, then darker colors emerged—thick, evil, vile—as she dived deep, then deeper into her nightmare.
“Hello, my little jewel.”
Kacie gasped and tried to raise her head. She couldn’t move. She was frozen in place, literally. Her body felt like ice. She was cold and so weak she couldn’t work up enough energy to shiver. He had drugged her again. The food she’d eaten, tainted. But if she didn’t eat, she would starve.
“Why?” She wanted to scream the word, wanted that small knot of anger lurking inside her mind to force her body up to fight this bastard. Instead of shouting, her words came out on a sigh that sounded breathless...easy.
“Because you’re mine…all mine. I shall enjoy you over and over again.”
“Cold,” she whimpered softly. “So cold.”
“Let me warm you.” Large hands, hot and slightly damp, roamed her body. Despite the disgust her blurred mind told her she should feel, she relished the warmth, whimpered her pleasure.
“That’s my girl. My precious jewel.”
“Noooooo!” Kacie shot up in bed.
The lights were on, the television still playing. She drew her legs up, shivering. The nightmares were less frequent than they had been, but sometimes, when her guard was completely down or she was stressed, they would slash at her like a machete.