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  “Fuck me,” Seth muttered viciously when he saw the photo of the young actress he’d told Gia about, the one who had made him extra wary of pseudoreligious organizations that took advantage of the vulnerable. Joy spun around at his cursing. Everett had stood as the salacious news story unfolded, and now he turned to Seth as well.

  “Seth! I didn’t realize you were back. This is awful,” Joy said in a choked voice, but Seth waved her into silence as he stepped into the room, his attention on the television.

  “Jana was found dead of exposure in a local park in 2011. Although police saw no evidence whatsoever of foul play, Hightower insisted it was nothing less than murder by the God’s Chosen Few Church, a religious organization founded by Vladimir Tomoriv. Hightower reputedly harassed Tomoriv ruthlessly in the months following Dharma Jana’s death. According to the minister, Hightower was, quote, ‘intimidating and physically threatening.’ Only when Tomoriv threatened to go to the police to get a restraining order did Hightower finally stop his relentless harassment.”

  “Harrassment my ass,” Seth said scathingly, his incredulity mounting to unforeseen levels as Tomoriv’s handsome face appeared on the screen. Could this fiction possibly grow any more ludicrous? he wondered in shocked outrage. He’d known the Hollywood entertainment shows thrived on lurid gossip that usually was only loosely based on fact. But this was downright lie-mongering.

  And all to a purpose, he realized, a chill going through him.

  “I didn’t put two and two together until I saw the clips earlier today about Gia Harris and Seth Hightower being involved,” Tomoriv was telling the camera in his Russian-accented voice, the liquid dark eyes that had mesmerized thousands now holding the attention of millions of viewers. “I’m familiar with Hightower because he was involved with one of the members of my church, God’s Chosen Few. When Sister Dharma Jana died under tragic, but accidental circumstances, Hightower irrationally blamed the church that had nurtured and cared for Dharma as one of its own children. He harassed me repeatedly. Seth Hightower has an ax to grind against nontraditional religious organizations. I hadn’t really been thinking much about the Sterling McClarin trial—my involvement with my flock and daily solitary meditations in nature keep me away from the clamor and taint of the everyday world—but once I heard Seth Hightower is involved with Gia Harris, I had to consider my obligation to speak out the truth. People like Seth Hightower are enemies against our right to worship as we choose. If he’s been involved with Gia Harris, sharing his ideas with her, then . . . who’s to say?” Tomoriv arched one sleek black brow. “Maybe there’s more to Gia Harris’s grudge against the leader of another nontraditional religious group—Sterling McClarin—than any of us had considered before?”

  “Holy shit,” Everett muttered, looking at the screen with a vaguely sick expression on his face.

  “Nontraditional religious group,” Seth growled, suddenly feeling like he could spit fire. “This is the biggest ocean of crap I’ve ever heard in my life!”

  “I know,” Joy said, turning to Seth. Her face was tight with worry. “I remember you telling me about Dharma Jana. You met with the police after she was found dead, right? And didn’t a reporter question you about Dharma’s death? That article must have been the kernel of truth from where they sprang all these lies. When the police were no help, you did go to Tomoriv and confront him with your suspicions, didn’t you? I remember how frustrated you were when he fed you a bunch of new-age mumbo jumbo when you asked about Dharma’s extreme weight loss and the circumstances leading up to her death,” Joy recalled anxiously.

  “Once,” Seth uttered with a harsh bark of laughter. “I saw Tomoriv once, for all of three minutes, before he put a locked door between us. That’s the extent of my harassment of that asshole.”

  “Did you threaten him?” Joy asked, her eyes looking huge in her face.

  “No. I don’t go around threatening people, you know that.”

  “Tomoriv was likely threatened by the size of your biceps and your scowl,” Everett said under his breath, thinking. He blinked, noticing that scowl present now on Seth’s face. “What? That’s not a real shock, is it? Most men with half a brain are intimidated by you. I was when I first met you on the set of Maritime. Forget how much it amplified when I started seeing Joy,” Everett stated baldly. He saw Joy’s disbelieving look. “I just meant that it’s not Seth’s style to threaten physical violence, but to a weasel like Tomoriv, just his presence can be intimidating enough to prick his pride and put up his defenses . . . and eventually spawn this pile of horseshit,” Everett said scornfully, waving at the screen.

  “McClarin and his crew are behind this, mark my words,” Seth said. “Tomoriv is just their tool. McClarin’s back was up against the wall with Gia about to testify soon. She’ll be a sincere and credible witness. Up until now, telling the truth is the only reason people could come up with as to why she would testify against McClarin. Now another reason has been planted in their minds, and it’ll be hard to make it disappear.”

  “The jury will be isolated from this gossip, Seth,” Joy reasoned.

  “Ideally,” Seth agreed. “But even if McClarin is found guilty, his lawyers will appeal. It’ll be impossible after this kind of exposure to find a jury that hasn’t been tainted by false rumors against Gia. They’ll linger, even after they’re inevitably disproved. And Gia is the linchpin of Madeline’s case against McClarin.”

  “He’s right,” Everett said, looking unhappy about that fact.

  “Somebody leaked that Gia has been here with me, and that was the fuel McClarin has been waiting for,” he said distractedly, his mind working. He fastened on possible candidates, ruling out this possibility and that one. When he came up with the likely answer, it didn’t help to reassure him much. He’d inform Charles immediately to see if they could contain the threat. “McClarin must have been thrilled when he realized he could link Gia—through me—to even the most bogus, trumped-up insinuation that Gia might have a grudge against nontraditional religious organizations,” Seth said, his mouth twisting bitterly.

  “Where are you going?” Joy asked when he pulled his phone from his pocket and stalked across the room.

  “I need to contact Charles,” Seth said, pausing and turning back. “I need to find out if this really is a threat to Madeline’s case.”

  “You didn’t do anything wrong, Seth,” Joy said, stepping toward him. Everett grabbed the remote from her stiff hand and turned down the volume on a loud commercial. “This is all just an outrageous bid for ratings. It’ll die down when there’s no fuel to back it up. You know that.”

  “But it’s because of me this is happening, even if it’s in an indirect sense. Maybe I should have mentioned Dharma Jana to Madeline—”

  “Why would you?” Everett asked incredulously. “Only a whisper of what was said on that show was true. You had no reason to think this Tomoriv jerk would make your concerned visit about the death of a friend and coworker into a ‘harassment charge’ or a conspiracy theory,” Everett said using air quotes. “There’s no proof or witnesses to that supposed harassment charge, right?”

  “I don’t know how there could be, since it never happened,” Seth said.

  “One honest reporter is going to discover there’s no police report of the incident in about an hour flat. By that time, Madeline will have time to respond with the voice of reason,” Everett continued. “Trust me, these sensationalistic news stories that have no fuel to back them up flame out fast.”

  “I know none of it is the truth, but I’ve still put Madeline in a bad place. And worse, Gia,” Seth added with a sinking feeling. What if all this made her hesitant while she testified? What if—God forbid—this whole crackpot incident really did end up spiraling out of control, and McClarin was somehow acquitted?

  More than anything, he wanted reassurance that Gia was okay. He needed firsthand proof of that.

 
Fucking Hollywood, land of the vampires and soul suckers.

  “What can we do to help?” Everett asked.

  He was reminded that as a megastar, Everett had survived his fair share of media shitstorms. Seth was glad of the practical question. It whipped his brain into action mode.

  “I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you and Joy drive my friend Alexi’s car back to Los Angeles? That way, I can catch a plane tonight.”

  “Not a problem,” Joy said. “We’ll return the rental car and take Alexi’s back home.”

  “Yeah, we’ve still got vacation time left. A road trip will be great. Don’t worry about us, or Alexi’s car,” Everett added.

  “Thanks,” Seth said sincerely. What the hell would he have done if this bizarre situation had arisen and they hadn’t arrived? His phone started to ring. He glanced at the number.

  “It’s Charles,” he told them grimly, bracing himself for bad news.

  Twenty-two

  Gia studied her phone anxiously for the hundredth time Friday night, but there was no return phone call or text from Seth. The too-familiar ache of worry and panic swelled in her belly. She hadn’t been able to eat since Charles had pulled her into a private office at the courthouse during a recess early this afternoon and showed her that outrageous lie being passed off as a news story. They’d exposed Seth’s helplessness over that young actress who had gotten involved with a cult. They’d twisted the story until it didn’t even vaguely resemble the truth anymore. It was desperate, malicious mudslinging.

  God. It was like all Seth’s worries about associating with a movie star were coming true. This was a nightmare.

  “They can’t get away with this!” she’d told Charles, shivers of dread crawling along her arms as the tabloid story concluded.

  “Is there any truth to it?” Charles had asked.

  “No! Except the part about us being together. Who could have leaked the fact that Seth and I were in the Shawnee National Forest?”

  “Only you, Seth, Madeline, Alex and me knew where you went after we engineered your escape. Not even the deputy who came to get you knew your exact previous location in the area. Didn’t you tell me your driver Jim came to get you though?”

  “Yes, but Jim would never leak that information!”

  “Someone did. We compartmentalized the knowledge of where you were. There were some who knew Seth was going to disguise you, but they didn’t know why you were being disguised or your final destination.”

  Gia had thought fleetingly of telling Charles they’d exposed their secret to Rill and Katie Pierce, but immediately dismissed any suspicion in their direction for the leak. Seth was like family to them, and he trusted Rill and Katie implicitly.

  “What about this Tomoriv guy and this girl, Dharma Jana? Do you know anything about that?” Charles asked, grabbing a pen and sliding a notebook across the desk. He began to rapidly take notes.

  “Yes. I know that Seth knew her from a movie set a few years ago and was worried about her involvement in Tomoriv’s cult. She was new to Hollywood and very vulnerable. He’d felt helpless watching her sinking deeper into the cult’s clutches. He went to the police after she died to report his concerns about that cult’s involvement, but they couldn’t do anything, given the circumstances of her death. Seth never threatened or harassed that cult leader though. That’s a bald-faced lie. And, he never saw Dharma romantically, like they said in that story. You know Seth. He doesn’t get involved with actresses. Everyone knows it.”

  Charles had looked up from his rapid note taking when he’d heard her voice cracking.

  “Gia, don’t let this get to you. This is a sensationalist ploy to divert public opinion, most likely manipulated by McClarin or his followers. The last thing we need is for you to get frazzled by it. That’s why they’re doing it. Don’t give them what they want.”

  “But Madeline will—”

  “Madeline sees this for what it is too. What we need to focus on now is getting all the information we can and coming up with a strategy for how to respond.”

  “You need to call Seth. I need to. He’ll hate this. You know how private he is.”

  “As soon as we finish talking, I will. Until we can figure things out though,” Charles had said with a sharp glance, “I don’t want you two planning to see each other. Things are too hot for that right now. Do you understand?”

  She’d agreed to Charles’s request grudgingly earlier that day, only because she didn’t think it was an issue. According to what Charles had said this morning, Seth was still in Illinois.

  Besides . . . after this whole fiasco, the last place Seth would want to be was anywhere near Gia.

  Again, she checked her cell phone then flopped back on the bed, feeling both wired and exhausted. The United Studios’ Bunker Hill condominium was comfortable and luxurious, but she missed the familiarity of home.

  She missed being snuggled up in the woods with Seth.

  Still, she recognized and appreciated Seth’s point in having her stay in the downtown tower. Not only was it conveniently located for the trial, her police escorts liked the setup much more in the high-rise. It was easier for them to secure Gia’s surroundings there. The word of where she was staying had only started to leak out on their return trip from the courthouse that night. Even so, the building security was keeping the drive and the lobby of the tower clear of reporters. Only residents and guests were allowed on the elevators to the condominiums.

  She was secure here. But she was also trapped, she realized miserably.

  Seth was right about all this fame and notoriety. Maybe she was just too young and naïve to get how destructive a force it could be.

  A soft tap came at the bedroom door.

  “Come in,” she called.

  Gia’s mother, Susan Moreno, opened the door and stepped over the threshold carrying a tray.

  “Room service,” her mother said with calm cheerfulness. Gia forced a smile and partially sat up in bed.

  “Have I told you how much I appreciate you being here?” Gia asked as her mother set the tray down on the bedside table.

  Her mom gave her an arch look. “Several times. More importantly,” she said as she poured some steaming water into a cup, “have I told you how proud I am of you for testifying in this trial?”

  Gia started in surprise. “You are?” she asked, sitting up in bed slowly.

  Her mom nodded. She poured a packet of Splenda into the drink and stirred it before handing the cup and saucer to Gia. “Herbal tea to help you sleep. You’re strung tight as a wire,” she explained before she sat on the edge of the bed and patted Gia’s knee. “In fact, I owe you a lot of ‘I’m proud of yous’ and just as many ‘I’m sorrys.’ ”

  Gia blinked in surprise.

  “I know I haven’t always seemed supportive of your choice to do films. It seemed different when you were on Broadway. Hollywood seems more . . . dangerous somehow. When McClarin was arrested, and all this craziness started, my worry over you being a film actress only amplified. As a result, I know I haven’t been very supportive of you. I haven’t been fair,” Susan said regretfully. “I haven’t told you how proud I’ve been for all you’ve accomplished in the past few years. But I have been proud. I am.”

  “Why are you telling me this now?”

  “Watching you these past few days. Admiring your courage.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” Gia said, moved by the unexpected compliment.

  “Your father and I—and Stephen,” she added, referring to Gia’s stepfather, “we all just worry so much.”

  “I know,” Gia said, her eyes burning. She felt paper-thin after what had happened with that story breaking. Her normal defenses and resilience seemed to have abandoned her. “The truth? On a day like today, I doubt the wisdom of my career choices as well.”

  “Don’t,” her mother said resolutely.
“Not because of that story. After watching these court proceedings over the past few days and seeing that swine Sterling McClarin up close, after witnessing everything you’re going through, I know you must feel like you’re battling a storm in a ship full of holes. But don’t give up. On any of it. I’ve never been prouder of you in my life, knowing what you’re doing, seeing you face this . . . this damn persecution by the press. Even though I agree with Charles and Madeline,” she added grimly. “It’s most likely McClarin and his faction that are behind all that.”

  Gia smiled at the evidence of her mother’s sober fierceness. She hadn’t seen her formidable game face since she was a corporate lawyer years ago.

  “Now,” her mom said, clapping her hands briskly. “Tell me about Seth Hightower.” She noticed Gia’s stunned look and fading smile at the topic change. “I noticed the expression on your face when we watched that sleazy show’s video clip together.” Gia exhaled slowly and set her cup of tea on the table. “I assume that part of the story is true? You were indeed in a house in the woods with this man, Seth Hightower, avoiding the press?”

  Gia nodded. She pinched her eyelids shut as emotion swelled in her breast. “Oh God, Mom. He must hate me by now,” she confessed shakily. Her mother clasped her hand.

  “Surely he realizes you had nothing to do with this ridiculous story being circulated.”

  “He’s too smart not to have realized that in a split second. That’s not why he’s probably wishing right now he’d never laid eyes on me.”