Harley (West Coast Rock Star #1) (11 page)

Harley snuggled against him. “I miss her so much. I just want to see her again.”

“I miss her too, Har. I miss her too.” It was the only truth he could tell her.

Chapter Sixteen

She was swathed in the dark as the luminescent swarm of jellyfish danced in their tank. It was her favourite part of the city. It was the one place she had truly felt connected with Harley.

It pained Cade to know that she would never get to see her again. She could imagine how upset she would have been once she was told of Cade’s departure. Harley hadn’t bothered to respond to her last text, and though it was a bit expected, Cade was still heartbroken.

Staying in Vancouver wasn’t a viable choice. She was in Canada with a worker’s permit. Cade had gone directly to Mackinley Securities for a job, and with one purpose. That purpose blew up in her face. Mac hated her. He never gave her a single chance.

After a chat with her grandmother the previous night, she was determined to return to NJ and live the rest of her life forgetting about her father’s last words. Her father, that was a loose term to use. Had she indeed had one? The man she’d grown up with treated her like a pariah. He’d put up with her while her mother was still alive, but as soon as she had gone, Cade had been nothing to him but an eyesore. A thorn in his side.

And Mac hadn’t been any different. Whatever purpose she had felt before went out the window once Mac had fired her. Her time in Vancouver hadn’t served its purpose but she doubted it ever would. All she had gotten were more raw emotions. Could she have just stayed with Harley and risked a secret relationship with Jax? Would he be willing to keep it a secret? Would it be an actual relationship?

The vibration of her phone in her pocket interrupted her thoughts. Cade read the message that went through and was baffled by it, but she found herself walking tersely toward the exit.

When she arrived at the restaurant, she spotted Juliette first, seated at a booth in the far corner, away from prying eyes. It might have sounded ridiculous at first, a pretend covert operation as Juliette had called it, but if Mac found out this meeting happened, Cade could only imagine the repercussions that could go down on every person involved.

Cade approached them, trying not to fiddle with her fingers to show how nervous she was. Juliette shot her a smile, which didn’t quite reach her eyes. Cade nodded a silent greeting, then turned to the other woman across from Juliette.

“Mrs. Mackinley.” Cade felt the knot in her gut tighten.

Irene Mackinley reached for Cade’s hand, dragged her down to sit beside her and wrapped her in a tight embrace. “No need to be formal, my dear.” Irene held her at arm’s length and smiled. “Irene is fine.”

Juliette slid off the booth and stood, shrugging her bag over a shoulder. “I better head back to work.”

Cade smiled at her, and mouthed a ‘thank you’. Then she focused all her attention to the woman who had known her mother for years, and who possibly had firsthand information on what she wanted to know the most.

Irene was what people would call a handsome woman, unlike Cade’s mother, Mila, who had a natural softness and beauty that everyone admired. If the lines on Irene’s face were something to go by, Cade could tell that she had gone through a lot in life. Cade was never one to pry. Even when Juliette would start to offer some ideas about how the Mackinleys lived their lives, Cade would always stop her from saying more. It might sound unreasonable, given her actual goal, but all she wanted was to find out about Mac’s past, not Irene’s.

When Cade’s mother was still alive, she had shared memories of her younger self and the friends she had. Irene and Mila were as thick as thieves, as her mother would say. Nothing had hindered their friendship, even after their marriages, until Cade’s father had changed his attitude toward everyone around him. Although her mother would never admit it, she was lonely.

The older woman brushed a hair off Cade’s face. “You look just like your mother. She was so beautiful. All the guys would go ga-ga over her. But she was shy and kind. Her mother hated it when we were together. She said I was a bad influence on her daughter.” Cade listened to Irene’s hearty laugh. When the laughter died down, Irene reached for the glass of water on the table. “Would you like something to eat? Their sandwiches are good.”

Cade shook her head. “No, thank you. Irene, if you don’t mind, I’d like to know why you’re here with me today.”

Irene rubbed her wrinkled and pale fingers together. She produced photographs and laid them out on the table. Cade’s hands shook while her fingers hovered over the pictures with colours faded through the years. She picked one up of a girl in her late teens whose hair was a similar length and colour to hers. The girl looked right at her, with blue eyes that rivalled the clearest ocean. It was her mother. If she couldn’t tell by her features, Cade could certainly tell from the way she smiled.

“Did you know that your mother was supposed to join the convent?” Once again, Irene laughed at a memory that Cade waited for her to share. “Then she met your father. She was done for. I knew it right away.” She looked over the photos and handed one to Cadence. “He was very handsome too. All the girls thought so, not me, of course. I got my eye on one man. Noah and your father were inseparable too. They were best friends, like me and your mother. We would go on dates together.” Irene gave her another photograph.

She was looking at her parents, possibly in their twenties, both with shy smiles on their faces. Her mother wore a yellow and white floral dress, while her father had his uniform on. He was dashing, and she could see why someone like her mother would be attracted to him. He carried himself a certain way, with a mixture of quiet confidence and charm. But most of all, he seemed happy. What had happened to this man?

“We were all so carefree.”

Cade continued to peruse the photos, asking Irene for information or waiting for the older woman to talk about the event when the picture was captured. Why had she never seen these photographs before? She assumed that her grandmother would have copies of them. They showed wonderful times. Happier times. Times when her father wasn’t such a hateful man. Could it be true? Could the birth of his only daughter have caused his despair?

She regarded Irene, unsure of how she could formulate the questions she had been waiting to ask. Was this the right time? Was she the right person to ask? Cade’s heart thundered in her chest. She readied herself for the answers.

Chapter Seventeen

Harley glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table. She had one chance to get away with her plans. What she needed was a distraction.

Flicking the TV on, she searched for something intriguing. What would someone like Penny want to watch? Harley looked to her right to find her new bodyguard browsing a destination magazine she’d found on the hotel desk. She wasn’t a bad bodyguard. In fact, Harley thought her pleasant and enjoyed her quiet company. But she was nothing like Cade, and Harley missed Cade so much.

She bit down on her bottom lip so she didn’t pout, or sigh, or give Penny any clue of what she was feeling, Harley found what she was looking for. International news. Yes, Penny might be the type to watch it with interest. What’s going on with the world?

Harley left it on and turned up the volume. The newscaster’s voice filled the room. Sure enough, Penny looked up, eyes glued on the screen. She adjusted her position in the grey club chair to get a better view of the TV.

The mental clock in Harley’s head was ticking along with the tapping of a finger on her arm. With another surreptitious glance to where Penny was seated, Harley decided to go for phase two.

Off the bed and heading to the door, Harley paused as Penny asked, “Where are you going, kiddo?”

Harley turned to her and offered a polite smile. “I’m gonna get a snack from my father’s suite. Do you want anything?” In her mind, she was hoping her plan would work. She had never given Penny doubts that she would pull something like this.

Something flashed on the TV, instantly distracting Penny. “Ah, no, I’m good. You want me to go with you?”

Harley shook her head, even knowing that Penny’s attention wasn’t on her. “I’ll be quick.” And out the door she went.

She waited three seconds, pressing her ear on the door to listen for movements. Harley heard nothing but the sound of the television. She zipped up her sweater, checked her pockets, and ran for the elevator.

Once she reached the lobby, Harley pulled out her cell phone and dialled a number. A high-pitched voice answered on the other line. “Ya got Niki.”

“Are you there? Did you get it?” Harley asked, waving a taxi and ignoring the curious glances of the bellhops around her.

“Well, hi to you too, missy.”

“Niki, I don’t have time for your games. Tell me,” Harley ordered. She and Niki were only nine years apart but Harley considered her too immature for her age, which, at times like this, was helpful for Harley.

“Yeah, I got ’em.”

Harley hopped into a taxi and gave the driver an address. He didn’t move, but turned to look over his shoulder. “Where are your parents?” he asked with a slight accent.

“Mom, hold on…” Harley said into her cell phone. “Look buddy, my mom is waiting for me at the airport.” She pulled out a printout from her sweater pocket and unfolded it for effect. “She needs this, see?”

Before the driver could scrutinize it, Harley folded it again and stuffed it back into her pocket, then returned to her conversation. “I’ll be there soon if this guy decides to get a move on.” To add to the dramatics, Harley rolled her eyes, knowing the driver was still watching her.

He cursed under his breath, calling his passenger a brat, before advancing.

“I’ll see you at the gate. Bye, Mom,” Harley said.

“Whatever,” replied Niki.

Harley sat back after telling the driver she would give him an extra twenty if he drove fast. The guy grunted, but clearly he wanted that extra cash.

Taking money from her father and Tina had made Harley nervous and guilty. Only it was the least trouble she was getting into compared to what she’d planned. It had taken her a night to decide her course of action.

During the years she had lived with Fiona, she had been expected to pull her own weight. Not with chores or anything simple. Harley had acted as Fiona’s personal assistant, booking flights, arranging accommodations, making dinner reservations, and whatever else Fiona wanted. Practice makes perfect, and with the one credit card she’d kept from Fiona, she’d managed to arrange her itinerary, travelling from LA to New Jersey.

She had overheard a conversation between Penny and Zee the other day. It was easy for her to stay hidden when they weren’t expecting her to listen. From what she’d heard, Cade had returned to her grandmother’s house in New Jersey. Harley felt that from all the chats she’d had with Cade, she wouldn’t have a hard time finding the house. A Google search didn’t offer any address for one Cadence Williams. Try as she might, Harley couldn’t recall Cade’s grandmother’s name. But she knew where to start, and it was all that mattered.

The next difficulty would be travelling on her own as an unaccompanied minor. She was too little in stature, and no one would believe that her parents would have let her go on her own. So, Niki came into the picture.

Niki was once her babysitter, but her interests had been more towards Fiona’s jewellery stash and liquor collection. Harley had caught her a few times and instead of threatening her jail time or whatever delinquents were given these days, she had asked Niki for a few favours. At first Niki had been hesitant, but Harley was smart. She had evidence in the form of a video taken with a nanny cam. This was the biggest favour yet, and Harley had told Niki that it would be the last, provided she saw it through.

What Harley didn’t count on was the churning in her gut. Guilt was eating her up, but there was no turning back now. All she had to do was find Cade, and ask—no, beg—her to return. Harley was positive she would say yes.

The taxi stopped outside of LAX, Harley paid the driver, and jumped out before she could change her mind.

***

Cade drew in a breath to clear the webs tangled in her mind. After a long distance run, she was too exhausted to think about her conversation with Irene at the diner. She had hoped for clearer answers, but all she received were more speculations.

But she was glad to have the moment with Irene. Other than her grandmother, there wasn’t anyone else she could turn to when it came to the dilemma with her father, or rather, the question of her biological father’s identity. Would she be happy if Irene said Mac was it? And after finding out, what then? The man disliked her, much like the father she had grown up with had.

As soon as she opened her door, the thrill of her cellphone greeted her. The only person who’d be calling was Juliette, to see what Cade had learned from Irene. Cade wasn’t in the mood to share, so she ignored the phone. She would have to call Juliette back later.

She hopped in the shower and immersed herself in the warm water, soothing all her aching muscles until she was nicely pruned, and she couldn’t get the thoughts out of her mind. When the gush of the shower silenced, her phone rang again.

Cade huffed out a sigh, cursing Juliette for not getting a clue. With a towel wrapped around her body, she went to the dresser and snatched up her phone. Shocked to see the sixteen missed calls from various numbers, Cade scrolled through the listing. Quite a few were from Juliette, some from the Mackinley offices, and others were from a blocked ID. Ten voicemail messages also awaited her. The first few were between Juliette and Mac, both asking her to call them back immediately. On to the seventh message, and Cade’s heart pumped heavily in her chest when she realized who had been the caller. Jax.

“Cade, I’m sorry to be calling now…I need your help.” The words were punctuated with heavy sighs, but before he continued, Jax paused for a good minute. Cade held onto the phone, to the point where she almost felt like she was crushing it. “Harley’s missing.” Before he ended the call, Cade thought she heard a sob.

She didn’t bother listening to the other messages. While she dialled Jax’s personal number, she dressed in whatever she could grab.

He picked up on the first ring. “Cadence.”

“Jax, what’s going on? What do you mean Harley’s missing?”

To say his voice was panicked was an understatement. Cade could hear the tremble in his voice, clearer than anything around her. “We don’t know where she is.”

“Where’s Penny? Wasn’t she supposed to be looking after her?”

On top of the anxiety, Jax was pissed off. “She was, but she thought Harley just crossed the hallway to my suite. Cade, I wouldn’t ask you this if I didn’t think it was important. We need you.” He paused to take a deep breath in. “I need you. Harley needs you. You were the only person who was able to connect with her.”

“I’ll book a flight right away.”

“Wait. Pack your bags and I’ll call you back. I’ll have Tina make the arrangements.”

Cade didn’t bother arguing. She wasn’t sure how long it would take her to find the next available flight to LA, and on top of that, she wasn’t too sure if her meagre bank account would cover the cost. But she would do anything for Harley, and if she was being honest, for Jax too.

It took exactly ten minutes for Jax to call her back, just to tell her that a driver would be coming in a few minutes to pick her up. On their second call, Cade heard the added noise in the background. She wasn’t sure where Jax was. He could be at the suite. He could be at a police station. All she could tell was that a lot of people were there to help or sort out what had happened to Harley.

“I’ll see you soon,” was her promise to Jax. As she ended the call, Cade repeated the words for Harley, wherever she was.