“Fine. Youwarnedme. A lot. This has nothing to do with Jaden.”
I let out a short scoffing sound. “Well, of course it doesn’t. I’m not stupid, Ava. I think I’d know if Jaden or any of my clients were into drugs. There would be signs.”
From my periphery, I saw her shoulders relax. “Good, now that you know I’m not out to get you, Jaden, or anyone for that matter… After Jaden’s party, I ignored the rumors. But then I saw something else that had me curious.”
“What’s that?”
“On my first day shadowing Jaden, I saw an interesting interaction in the parking lot of the gym between a player for the Chargers and who I thought was Phoenix Sky.”
The name sounded familiar. I racked my brain. “The singer?”
“Yes. I’m pretty sure I glimpsed her and someone else doing another exchange at the Rams’ fan fest. I had brushed off the gym incident because there’s a possibility she’s dating that football player. But what was she doing at the rally? If it were really her, that is. I just knew something was going on. I heard about her performance at that club tonight. I snuck in to get a solid lead.”
My fingers flexed on the wheel. “And what did that get you but arrested?”
Her brow furrowed with annoyance. “It got me proof, Lincoln.”
“What kind of proof?”
Again, she hesitated as if she didn’t trust me.
“Why should I tell you? You’re a part of the Hollywood crowd.”
“I’m not. I may have acquaintances and attend a few events, but I stay far away.”
She let out a soft sigh. “When I snuck backstage, I saw things… Inappropriate behavior from some well-known celebrities aside, I saw drugs. Lots of them. I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure handing off wads of cash for little packets of white powder and pills is illegal. I managed to snap a couple of pictures before I got caught.”
My next breath hitched in my throat. I had to take a deep breath to calm the storm of worry rising inside me. Concern forher. As I turned into the parking lot of her hotel and found a spot, I said as calmly as I could, “Ava. Stop.”
She crossed her arms and tilted her chin defiantly. “Stop what?”
I braced myself because I knew my next words were landmines. “Going after people who can ruin you.”
“I’m not afraid of a little heat.”
“This isn’t a little heat,” I snapped. I had to stop and take a deep breath to rein in my emotions. “Just do the feature you came to do on Jaden and don’t go after powerful people. Once they find out you’re after them, they play dirty. Like I said, I’m not immersed in the dark world, but I'm adjacent to it. I’ve seen people destroyed.”
Her jaw clenched. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you anything. Thanks for saving my ass tonight. Goodnight, Lincoln.” She was out of the car and marching away before I could blink.
“Dammit, Ava!” I went after her. “Come on, I’m giving you sound advice here.”
“Screw you and your advice.” She threw over her shoulder. “I’m no coward.”
“I know?—”
We walked through the lobby door, and I had to pipe down. There were still people lounging around. My eyes were glued to Ava as she strutted ahead with determination. The tiniest smile curled my lips because she still had that I-mean-business walk. It was just so much sexier now. I mean, her ass was just… I stared at it as her hips swayed from side to side. It was perfect.
When I joined her in the elevator, she glowered at me. “What are you smirking about?”
Instantly, I wiped it away. “Nothing. You’re still stubborn as a mule, I see.”
“No, I’m just not in the mood to be discouraged.”
“That isn’t my aim.”
“You didn’t have to follow me up.”
“Pardon me for being a gentleman.”
