Authors: Michelle Betham
He knew Michael had gone after her, and that hadn’t surprised him.
It hadn’t worried him, either.
India
was smart enough to handle her ex-husband; she wasn’t going back there, he was confident of that.
What he wasn’t so confident about was her coming back to
him
.
To think that he’d blown it, it was too much to take in.
Along with everything else that was going on.
The press and media were everywhere, questions being thrown at him every time he moved, none of which he was willing to answer.
The whole situation was a subject he didn’t feel much like talking about.
Michael Walsh was his father, so what?
He
didn’t care about any of that, but as far as the Hollywood gossip machine was concerned it was the
only
thing worth talking about right now – that, and both his and his father’s relationship with
India
, the woman
Hollywood
had taken to their hearts for almost two decades now, put up there on a pedestal.
The Queen of the Rom Com, the darling of the movie world; the Princess of Tinsel Town.
They loved her, but what they didn’t love was people hurting her.
And that’s exactly what he’d done.
He’d hurt their English Princess, and nobody liked that.
He crossed the road, keeping his head down as the fountains outside The Bellagio kicked into action opposite.
The music and lights accompanying the show seemed to be doing a great job of distracting anyone in the large crowd of tourists who may otherwise have recognised him, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
He’d needed the fresh air, but what he didn’t need was any hassle.
Pulling his cap down over his eyes he looked up only to find a cab he could hail, thankful that one turned up within seconds.
He jumped in and asked the driver to take him to the bar on
Tropicana Avenue
, keeping his cap pulled down over his eyes, which were still covered by his dark glasses, and that probably drew more attention towards him than he needed, but he really didn’t want to risk being recognised or questioned.
Not tonight.
He just wanted time to sit and think, time to work out what he had to do next.
And thanks to the still-busy traffic crawling along The Strip he had plenty of that and, thankfully, a cab driver who seemed to sense that he wanted to be left alone.
Reaching the bar he paid the driver, left the cab and walked through the doors into a place that instantly relaxed him.
The music was loud, the beer was always good, and the people here tended to leave him alone and he hoped that – despite all the drama going on around him – they’d still do that tonight.
‘Hey, Mr MacDonald!’ the bartender smiled, automatically pulling him a beer from the draught pump, handing it to him and waving away Dominic’s attempts to pay.
‘This one’s on the house.’
Dominic smiled his thanks, taking a long drink and removing his cap, but leaving his dark glasses where they were.
He was taking no chances.
‘I’m assuming you’re wanting a little bit of peace tonight, huh?’ the bartender said, wiping down the counter in front of Dominic.
He looked up and nodded.
‘Got it in one.’
‘I’m guessing things are pretty crazy at the minute.’
‘You could say that, yeah,’ Dominic sighed.
The bartender looked over towards the back of the bar and signalled to someone.
A large well-built man with an abundance of tattoos all over his hugely-muscled arms came forward from the shadows and nodded at the bartender as he indicated Dominic.
‘DC’ll look after you.
Don’t worry.
Nobody’ll bother you in here.’
Dominic took another drink, turning round to see DC fall back into the shadows, but he knew he’d be there, watching anyone who came close.
DC was a familiar face to people around here.
Nobody messed with him, and although Dominic wasn’t one for bodyguards and security everywhere he went, right now he was grateful the option was there.
He took his cell phone out of his pocket and checked for messages, but there were none waiting for him.
No new voicemails, nothing.
India
was ignoring every attempt he was making to get in touch and he felt his stomach sink at the lack of replies to his countless text messages.
He felt about sixteen, being rejected by the most beautiful and most popular girl in High School.
And it hurt.
He took another long drink, almost downing the beer in a couple of mouthfuls as he took a quick look around the place.
It was busy, but not overcrowded.
Loud rock music blared out from concealed speakers in the walls as around him people talked in voices raised so they could be heard above the noise, the sound of pool balls knocking against each other coming from the floor above, accompanied by laughter and jeering.
Against his better judgement – but alcohol on an empty stomach was already taking effect – he typed out another quick text to
India
, pressing send before he could change his mind.
But the second he’d done it he regretted it.
Sighing heavily he put his head in his hands, pushing them back through his hair.
‘Everything okay?’ the bartender asked, sliding a shot of vodka towards him.
‘Here.
You look as though you could do with this.’
Dominic looked at the glass for a second before reaching out and picking it up, knocking the shot back in one without flinching, slamming it back down on the bar in front of an impressed bartender.
‘Whoa!
You really
did
need that, didn’t you?’
Dominic wiped his hand with the back of his mouth.
‘No, I’ll tell you what I
really
need…’
He looked around again, just to make sure DC was still on duty and nobody was too close.
He couldn’t risk any more gossip getting out.
But he kind of needed to do this, even if it
was
just to let off steam.
He looked at the bartender, who raised his eyebrows, giving Dominic a knowing smile.
‘Give me five minutes.
I can get you the perfect girl.
Clean, discreet, and sexy-as-hell.’
Dominic doubted that, because as far as he was concerned there was no-one as sexy as
India
.
But
she
wasn’t here, and he needed something.
Something to take his mind off her for just a few hours.
And anyway, for all he knew she could be doing exactly the same thing with Kenny Ross, so why shouldn’t
he
kick back too?
‘You can use one of the rooms out back.
Okay?’
Dominic nodded, giving the bartender a smile of thanks.
Tonight was all about forgetting, because tomorrow she was due back in Vegas.
But until then he was determined to play, even if he wasn’t entirely sure he was going to enjoy it.
***
‘What’s up?’
India
asked Kenny, walking out onto the decking, running her hands through her just-out-of-the-shower damp hair.
‘Is something wrong?’
She sat down beside him as he handed her a newspaper, the headline regarding Charley’s porn-star past screaming out at her in bold black letters.
India
closed her eyes and breathed out slowly as every memory of her late brother flooded her head – how he’d tried so hard to save Charley from that life, with no regard for the consequences.
Consequences that both she and Charley had had to live with ever since.
‘Jimmy Cash is back on the scene?’ she asked, although it was almost definitely a rhetorical question.
That headline told her everything she needed to know.
Kenny nodded, pushing a hand through his black hair, staring out at the almost-still ocean in front of him, the beach now quiet as the day got ready to end.
India
put the newspaper down and looked at Kenny.
‘Poor Charley… no wonder she’s been distracted.’
She continued to stare at Kenny, who was finding it difficult to meet her eyes.
‘You knew about this, didn’t you?’
He nodded again, still unable to look at her.
‘Kenny, how long?
How long have you known about this?’
He clasped his hands together between his open knees, staring down at the ground.
‘She needed to confide in someone.
She was going crazy…’
‘What about Vince?
Why couldn’t she talk to him?’
This time Kenny looked up, his eyes meeting hers.
‘You
know
why.
If she’d told Vince he’d have gone out there all-guns-blazing, and who knows what would have happened.
Jimmy Cash is a dangerous man, as you well know.’
‘So, it’s okay to put
you
in that danger then, is it?’
‘
India
, come on, she had to talk to someone.’
‘Anyway…’
India
sighed, ‘… that’s all academic, isn’t it?
It’s out there, in the open.
Vince must know everything by now.’
She looked down at the newspaper, at the picture of her friend back in the days when she’d lost her way, when she’d been involved in a world she should never have gone near with people she should never have become involved with, because it was those people who’d murdered her brother.
All because he’d tried to save Charley from that world.
And those people.
‘Why is he doing this to her, Kenny?’
‘I don’t know.
Some kind of sick revenge?
Who knows with a man like Jimmy Cash.
He’s a psycho, but he’s a fucking clever psycho.’
‘Is she scared?’
‘Yeah, of course she’s scared.
But not just for herself.’
‘Do you really think he’d target other people?
Just to get back at Charley?’
Kenny looked at her, reaching out to take her hand, giving it a quick squeeze, knowing she knew the answer to that one without him having to tell her.
What had happened to Terry had been testament to that.
‘I really don’t know,
India
.
Nobody does.
But it certainly looks as though Mr Cash is trying to make some kind of a point.’
He handed her another newspaper, one which detailed every porn movie Charley had ever made under Jimmy’s guidance, and how Jimmy had released them all online via a website that had been set up, giving anyone and everyone access to a past Charley had tried so hard to forget.
‘Jesus Christ… I had no idea…’
India
said quietly.
‘Surely… surely Vince can put a stop to this, Kenny?
Surely he can take some kind of legal advice?
I mean, Vince he… he knows people.’
‘I’m sure he does, baby.
And, as far as I know, because I spoke to Charley earlier today, he’s talking to his lawyers as we speak, trying to find out just what they can do, but… it’s out there now, isn’t it?
Even taking down the website, applying as many injunctions as you like – people will have seen it all, won’t they?
And if they haven’t seen it for themselves they’ll probably know someone who has.
Come on,
India
.
You know better than anyone what the
Hollywood
gossip grapevine is like.
And… well, all of that, it happened, didn’t it?
That
was
who Charley was; she just didn’t need reminding of it.’
‘No.
She didn’t.
None of us did.’
India
looked at Kenny again, his gaze fixed on the now-darkening sky, the breaking of the waves practically the only sound that could be heard on the almost deserted beach.
‘Exactly what kind of support did you offer her, Kenny?’
He swung round to look at
India
, the expression on his face telling her everything she needed to know.
‘I don’t…’
‘No, you
do
understand, Kenny, so don’t lie to me.
It’s all suddenly starting to make sense now.
The looks you two were sharing, the way you were acting around each other… Did you sleep with her?’