Never Look Back (16 page)

Courtney pressed her lips together.

"You need to lose at least five to seven pounds. You can't have the roots of your hair revealing a different shade from the rest, and I don't mean to be rude, but please throw out your gum."

"Does that mean I don't have a chance?" She spit out her gum into a Kleenex she pulled from her purse and tossed it inside the garbage can.

Rob burst into laughter. "Of course you do. You're amazingly beautiful. You have the height and body. You're young and have a vibrant personality. I wanted to check if you can handle the critic because people can be downright mean in this industry. And I totally want to represent you. For now, it will be easier for me to get you to do print, like magazines, over runway shows. Are you okay with that?"

She leaped to her feet and gave Rob a tight embrace. "Oh my gosh, of course. And I will lose those pounds and dye my roots once I leave your studio."

"Great. Let's take more shots so I can send this to my contacts. They're looking for fresh new faces, and I believe you'd be a great fit."

"Wow, Gio was right. He promised you'd take care of me."

Turning off the lights, Rob packed his cameras. "Let me prepare the contract."

After signing the contract, Rob realized how he missed Dana. Projects were lining up and how he wished he could give them to Dana.

***

Vladimir read the text on his phone, and that was all he needed.
Courtney signed contract. Turn on your computer.

A warm smile spread on his lips.

Taking a stroll, he crossed the street and dashed inside his motel which was two blocks away from Dana's house.

He grabbed his laptop and turned it on, rubbing his hands as he studied the view of Rob's loft. Punching a text on his phone, he said,
Well done.

***

A couple of weeks had passed since Courtney left, and whether Dana liked it or not, Gio had been right. Rob had booked Courtney a contract with a clothing line, and even as a runway model. She deserved it, but now Dana was left with Gio to manage the store.

Gio worked harder than Courtney. He arrived earlier than usual, never eyed the clock, greeted customers, provided them the utmost care, and always brought her tea. He was submissive and accommodating at all times.

As they did the final inventory that afternoon, Gio said, “I suggest that we have a one-day sale tomorrow. Slash everything to fifty percent.”

Working on a spreadsheet sales forecast, Dana glanced at him. “I don’t know if the owner will agree.”

“You can tell her you want to get rid of the old stock and increase sales. It’s just one day.”

“You’re right.” She chewed on the tip of her pen. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Well, that’s why you need me here.”

They shared a laugh.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard you laugh.”

She covered her mouth.

“Seriously, you should laugh more often.”

He was damn right
.
When was the last time she laughed?

“Hey, how about I take you to dinner tonight?”

“Dinner?”

“Yeah, you need to eat. Nothing fancy.” He gestured. “I heard there’s a nice Japanese restaurant across the street. What do you say we go try it.”

Dana took a long time to answer.
I can’t be alone all the time.
She missed Rob back home, and Jake, Molly and Sarah back in Bluewater Acres, and she felt bad that she didn’t even go out to dinner with Courtney. Gio looked like a nice and harmless guy, and what was wrong with having dinner? “I don't know. I still have to put tags on the new stock.”

"Okay, but you gotta eat. How about I bring you dinner instead?"

Before she could say anything, Gio fled to the door.

Persistent.
She couldn't deny she enjoyed the attention he gave her.

***

Rob rolled his suitcase inside his loft and flung his keys on the counter. Exhausted from his morning photo shoot, he sank onto his couch and turned on his laptop. He opened his drawer and removed the contents from an envelope−checks made to Dana Simmons. How long would it take until this checks became stale? Six months? Less? He eyed the calendar on his desk and marked September "the month I find Dana."

His phone disturbed his thoughts. He answered, "Yeah?"

"Did you meet the woman I told you about?" a faint, high-pitched voice asked.

"Sandy? Yes, I did." He cleared his throat. "I know she's a friend of your cousin, and I owe you a huge favor, but just to be frank, she needs to build her class."

Laughter erupted over the phone. "I know what you mean. She has a few rough edges, but hey, I'm sure Courtney will step up to the plate."

Rob grinned. "You'll be thrilled to note that she signed her first contract with a new clothing brand." He turned on his laptop and clicked on Courtney's photos.

"That's awesome. I owe you one, buddy."

"No problem. I appreciate the referrals."

"You take care, my friend," she added.

The phone clicked as he continued to browse the photos. His cursor landed on the pictures he took of Michael Downey's house. He had looked at them several times since his visit, but never found anything and the agents never noticed suspicious activity.

Rob decided to look at it again, and this time something caught his eye. He zoomed to get a closer look.

"Holy shit!" Rob blinked. "This can't be."

Right before Rob's eyes was a reflection of Michael Downey's PC, and on the screen were four young women exposing their bodies.
Why didn't I look for this earlier?

Then he remembered the mirror that was hanged on the wall of Michael Downey's living room. "Oh my God." He zoomed it, and his jaw dropped.
Stacy Kestav.

***

Weeks had passed and Stacy and Marcy had bonded while they were in captive.

"How long do you think they'll keep us here?" Stacy asked that morning.

Marcy squeezed her hand. "Do you believe in hope?"

"I'd like to."

"Every day, I tell myself that I'm closer to seeing my daughter again. I will never stop thinking of her beautiful smile. I know we will be together again."

Tears spilled down Stacy's cheeks. "I miss my sister and my mom." Her face grew grim. "But I will never forgive my father for what he did. I will see that he rots in jail."

Marcy embraced her. "Hang onto your hope. You have a whole life ahead of you."

***

Rob leaned against Stanley's desk while his lawyer browsed the photos in his camera. "That's Stacy Kestav."

Stanley pursed his lips. "The picture is not that clear. How can you tell it's her?"

Rob zoomed the next photo, which showed a sunflower tattoo on the lady's belly button. "I remember her tattoo."

Swinging his chair, Stanley rose from his seat and opened the refrigerator in the corner. He grabbed two cans of Coke and tossed one to Rob. "Did you call the FBI agents already?"

"Not yet. I wanted to check with you first. This sure is Goddamn proof that he has something to do with Stacy Kestav's case."

"You're putting yourself at risk."

I didn't come here for your approval." Rob circled around the desk and plopped himself on the chair. "I came here to tell you that I will need your help."

Stanley raised his eyebrows. "I have to admit that you're just like your father. You don't take no for an answer."

Rob folded his arms.

"You know very well that if there's a case, we can't present this as evidence since you were inside private property."

"I didn't break in his house. I was invited in."

Stanly exhaled an exasperated breath. "And you were using an alias."

"Who gives a fuck. The evidence is there. Stacy could still be alive."

"You don't even know if that's an old photo."

"You're not making this any easier for me." Disgusted, Rob headed and took one last look at Stanley. "If you don't want to help me, then I might as well do this on my own. I don't wait for things to happen, I make things happen."

On the phone, Vladimir waited for his order outside the restaurant.

"Did you check your computer today?" Constantine asked.

"I'm not home. What's up?"

"What's the matter with you? You're losing your guard and not covering your tracks."

"What do you mean?" Vladimir looked behind to see if anybody was following him. No one was there.

"I hacked into Rob Hanson's computer. You'd be interested to know that your pretend Seattle realtor happens to be the same photographer and agent that signed up Courtney for her modeling career. But after downloading her photos, he happened to notice the pictures he took at your house."

"He took photos of my house?"

"Yeah, and thanks to your feng shui guru who told you to hang a mirror on the wall—"

"Wait, wait. What do you mean?" He kicked a stone on the sidewalk.

"It caught the reflection of your laptop where you had naked photos of Stacy Kestav."

"Holy sh—" He covered his mouth, eyeing the patrons who entered the restaurant.

"I'm texting you the photo now."

Vladimir checked the picture. His heart sank like a deflated balloon.

"I'm taking care of it."

Vladimir didn't say a word.

"I don't know what the fuck is wrong with you, Vladimir. You're weak, and your emotions are clouding your vision."

"Look, I'm this close to getting her to open up to me."

"And what are you going to do after that?"

"Slow down, boy. The best way to treat your enemies is to make them your friend. Once you have their trust, you use your power against their vulnerability."

"I admire your patience," Constantine said. "While you're doing your rendezvous, you need to know that the gang and I have been doing all your work."

"And you know how much I appreciate you for that."

"You need to get your ass back here soon. No more careless mistakes."

"I will." He watched the stream of people coming down from the train.

The waiter walked out of the restaurant and interrupted his conversation. "Here's your order."

"Look, I gotta go. Talk soon."
Fuck! How could I be so careless?

***

After sharpening her chopsticks, Dana plunged the avocado roll inside her mouth. She wiped her lips with a napkin and moaned. "This is so delicious."

"I told you you needed to eat."

Scribbling on her pad, Dana wrote:
Reminder: Dana needs to eat.

He grinned, and moved the soy sauce closer to her. "I wasn't sure if you were allergic to anything or a vegetarian so I got a mixture of everything."

She aimed for the cha-ya roll, she said, "This is a feast. Thank you."

"So…" He sipped his sake. "I don't think I asked you, but how long have you managed the shop?"

"Just recently." She chewed hoping he wouldn't ask where she grew up but he did.

"Are you a Texas native?"

She took a deep breath, but kept her gaze glued on her meal. "Nope. Originally from Georgia and moved here five years ago."

"Hmm." he pressed his lips together. "You don't seem to have a Southern accent."

"You think so," she practiced her drawl wondering why U.S. Marshall Collins had thought of Georgia.

"Now that's better. What did you do before managing this shop?"

"Well…" She paused, realizing that inventing stories was all she did for the past months. "Waitressing, selling cars, you name it."

"Really? And what made you choose this job?"

He seemed to be asking too many questions. She cleaned up the last sushi on her plate. "It's not rocket science." Dana giggled. "It's fun. I don't know if I'll be here for a long time, but I think it would probably be nice to own my own shop someday."

"Interesting." He nodded.

After a moment, Dana realized that
was
what she wanted. Managing this shop allowed her to use her fashion sense to arrange the store the way she wanted it to be. She kept the show window fresh and hip every week. Sales had doubled since she started, and she liked that she had the freedom to choose what to buy from vendors. For the first time in months, she learned something about herself, and whether she was Dana Simmons, Lucy Mitchell, or Abigail Madison, this was something she wanted.

"You're very good at what you do," he added.

"Oh, thank you." She felt herself blush. "But enough of about me. Tell me about yourself. What exactly do you import?"

"Anything and everything."

"Quite vague, huh?"
Why is he so mysteriou
s?

He leaned forward to reach for the salmon sashimi.

Dana and Gio spent the rest of the evening enjoying the meal and chatting.