No Stone Unturned (19 page)

~

“When David took over this place, he built all these private rooms in the basement for people to throw parties.  They each have their own private grill for you to prepare your own food.  I had him reserve one for us ‘cause he’s a very good friend and I trust he’ll keep this quiet,” Andro whispered as a hostess led Gemma and Tyler through a dimly lit hall.  The smoky smell of charcoal wafted through the air.  Since her arrival in Los Angeles, Andro had spoken of his good friend David and his restaurant in K-Town.  He seemed proud to have a reason to bring them there.

“How’s this for discreet, Tyler?” Gemma asked, smiling at him over her shoulder.  “There wasn’t even a sign on the door.”

At the end of the hall was a man talking to several servers, a serious look gripping his otherwise youthful face.  He was sharply dressed in a perfectly tailored, monochromatic suit.  When he saw Andro, the seriousness of his face dropped immediately.  He ran down the hall and jumped up onto him, nearly knocking his three hundred pound frame to the ground.

“David!” Andro exclaimed, hugging the man so hard his feet lifted off the ground.  Tyler and Gemma exchanged glances of amusement.  It was rare to see Andro let his guard down, let alone express such joy.  The sight of his smiling face coupled with the smoky, warm atmosphere put them both at ease.  Tyler reached for Gemma’s hand, their fingers interlocked as they leaned into each other.

“Welcome to my place! I’m so honored to have you two here,” David said as he gestured for them to follow him into the private room.  It was small and cozy, decorated with dark wood paneling and plush brocade seats.  Set in the center of a heavy wooden table was a burning grill.  “Andro and I were roommates when he lived here and any friend of his is a friend of mine.  Most of the servers here only speak Korean so I’ve taken the liberty to order for you – just a couple of my favorite dishes,” David said graciously.  “Oh, and anything more you need, just let me know.  Please don’t hold back.  Andro and I will be right outside.”

“Thank you so much, I really appreciate this,” Gemma said, her eyes wide with anticipation.

“It’s my pleasure.  Enjoy.”  With that, David and Andro closed the door behind them and left Gemma and Tyler alone in the warm, smoky room.  Shortly after, two middle-aged women in heavy aprons burst through the doors, bringing an array of colorful Korean appetizers in small black bowls.  Gemma and Tyler reveled in the sensory experience of the many trays and plates presented to them.  True to David’s word, the servers didn’t seem to speak English and only exchanged polite words with them in Korean on their way in or out.  Much to their delight, the servers also appeared to have no idea who they were.

“Tsk, tsk.  Why didn’t you ever think to take me here before?” Gemma asked teasingly.  Tyler threw his arms in the air, chopsticks and rice bowls in his hands.

“I’d never been here before, Gem, or I would be
liv
ing here,” he said jovially.

 They chatted and feasted for what felt like hours.  The room was heavy with the scent of leftover food and the echoes of their conversation.  Gemma wasn’t sure they had ever had a chance to talk this extensively without interruption.  The subject of their careers and troubles were left at the door.  As their appetite and conversation began to wane, there was a knock.  Andro and David peeked into the room.

“How are you doing?” David asked.  “Are we happy?”

“We’re happy,” Tyler said, draping an arm around Gemma’s shoulders.  “Very happy.”

“Even though I’m a food coma,” Gemma joked.  “Hey, come sit for a bit before we leave!” she waved Andro and David into the room.  “I can’t thank you enough for tonight.  We really needed to relax a little and this was just perfect.”

“It was my pleasure,” David said.  “And thank you for visiting my humble little project.  We like keeping it low-profile.  I mean, hell, we haven’t even named it yet.  But somehow people are finding their way in.”

“Apparently you’re not the first celebrities to walk through this door,” Andro shrugged.

“I don’t follow entertainment news,” David said apologetically.  “I just recognize the faces from movies without really knowing the names.  All I know is that people like it here for the discretion.  The paparazzi haven’t gotten word yet, so it’s a perfect place to hide.”

“It’s a great place in general,” Tyler said, rising to his feet to shake David’s hand.  “This was such an great experience.  Thank you again, David.”  Gemma gave David a hug goodbye before allowing Andro to lead them out through a back exit.  As they wove through the winding halls and ducked through beaded curtains, Gemma and Tyler passed a few of the other restaurant patrons.  Most were too engrossed in grilling their own food, but those who looked up and saw them gave no more than a polite nod of recognition.  But as Gemma felt the rush of crisp air coming from the open door at the end of the hall, one person held her stare for longer than usual.  It was a familiar face but in the dark, Gemma couldn’t be sure of who she was.  But just as suddenly, it was totally clear.  Her once lithe figure was carrying a few extra pounds and her wild, rainbow-streaked hair was replaced with a single-toned, shoulder-length cut.

“Harper?” Gemma gasped, freezing in place.  “What are you doing here? I thought you were in New York!”

“I’m visiting,” Harper replied simply.  She smiled stiffly at Tyler and held her hand out to shake his.  Gemma shook her head in disbelief.

“How long have you been here?” Tyler asked, equally stunned.  “You should’ve given us a call so we could’ve all gone out or something.”

“It hasn’t been that long.  But hey, look, I need to go,” Harper said, abruptly.  She swung her purse onto her shoulder and cut in front of them to head out the door.  “And can you not tell Zoe I was here? Thanks.”

~

“Aunt Mira, it’s her.”  Gemma was certain in her words.  “It’s got to be. She’s
always
had something against me, and what do you know, this whole time she’s been in L.A. without telling any of us! Isn’t this all coming together for you? Is it not
to
tally suspicious that she would do that?” Gemma demanded into the phone as she paced back and forth in Tyler’s living room.  He was out recording for the day and she had too much nervous energy on her own to keep still.

“Listen, honey.  The Harper you ran into last night is not the same Harper that you knew last year.  She’s changed and she’s in L.A. just to gather some old things and say goodbye to the life that she had there.  If
I’m
telling you that, you should believe me,” Mira responded rationally.  “Since she came back from rehab, she’s been nothing but responsible.  You
know
how much I disapproved of her presence in your life last year, but now I couldn’t feel more different.  Really.”

Gemma collapsed into the couch, sighing.  “This is not how I expected you to react.”

“Well, sweetheart… I think I should tell you something.” 

Gemma held her breath.  There were a lot of things that Mira could tell her, many of which she wouldn’t want to hear.  “What do you need to tell me?” she asked.

“I haven’t told anyone yet since it was only official last night, but,” Mira sighed, almost dreamily.  “Hudson and I are getting married.  He proposed.”

“
What
?” Gemma’s heart raced.  For a moment, she forgot what the nature of their call was.  “Aunt Mira, oh my God! What? I’m so happy for you.  I’m so happy!”

“So, as you might put together, I’d like for you and Harper to get along.  Since we’re all going to be family soon.”

“Oh,” Gemma exhaled.  The purpose of the call suddenly came crashing down on her again.  She paused.  “Does Hudson know about my identity?”

Mira took in a deep breath before replying.  “Yes.  But he wouldn’t if I didn’t think it was totally secure.  You know that right?”

Gemma ignored her aunt.  “So does Harper know?”

“I don’t know.  She and Hudson have gotten so close since she came back from rehab and I don’t to be in the way of their healing by making him keep these kinds of secrets,” she explained.  “Well, the point is that I said he could tell her if it ever came up in conversation.  But I wouldn’t worry.”

Gemma was floored.  “
How
are you not worried?”

“Because even if she knew she wouldn’t tell a soul.  I know I told you to be wary and I know that it’s my fault that you’re so worried, but we need to stay
focused.
  Being careful doesn’t mean suspecting every person who comes your way.  Paranoia is never productive.”

“Whoever it is – she was in my
house
, Aunt Mira.  She got in somehow.  Who knows what she knows about me? I haven’t been able to go back since it happened.”

“We’re paying quite a pretty penny for all the security detail, so I can assure you that you’re probably safer there than you are at Tyler’s.  I guess this means you haven’t received the package.”

“What package?”

“Something came to the Beauford house for you and I forwarded it to your place.  The return address is from Thailand.”

Gemma’s jaw dropped.  “Lucas?” she breathed.  She hadn’t thought of him in so long.  Too long.  “What did he send?”

“Well, I didn’t open it,” Mira said simply.  “You would’ve yelled at me.”

~

Mira hadn’t been kidding about Queen Bee’s security detail.  Nothing seemed different when Gemma first stepped out of the car in front of her own house, but then she watched Andro knock on the door of an unmarked van parked under some trees on her driveway.  The door slid open to reveal a grid of television screens.  Each covered a different corner of her house and true to Mira’s word, no entrance was left unmonitored.  Two stern-looking men dressed head-to-toe in black sat inside.  They gave Gemma a quick nod before returning to the screens.

“They can’t see into your bedroom though so don’t worry about your privacy,” Andro reassured her.  Gemma laughed.

“Yeah, I’m only worried about my safety at this point, so that’s fine,” Gemma said.  “Can you ask them if I received a package recently?” Andro tucked his head back into the van.

“You guys see a package arrive?”

One of the men nodded.  “From a Lucas Grey.  We scanned the contents and it’s safe.”

“They scanned it? What do they mean they scanned it?” Gemma asked.

“Mira pulled out all the stops.  It’s the only way she can keep herself from coming here and watching the house herself,” Andro said.  Gemma shook her head to herself.  She should have known why Mira sounded so surprisingly relaxed.

“Andro, this is a weird question but how much is this all costing?”

“More than I’ll see in my lifetime,” Andro responded casually as he hoisted the package out of the van and led Gemma to the front door.  “But don’t think about all that right now.” 

“Alright,” Gemma sighed as she stepped into her house.  The air held the same chill she felt the night she realized that the intruder had been inside.  She frowned, shaking her head.  “I’m just going to be honest and say that I’m only back because I was curious about the package and not because I actually want to be here.  It still freaks me out to think some stranger was in here going through my stuff.”

“I understand,” Andro nodded.  He handed her the package.  The box was rather large but rectangular and flat.  Scribbled directly onto the box was Gemma’s Beauford, New Jersey address.  It was Lucas’s handwriting.  She smiled.  “There’s an envelope taped to the back,” Andro pointed out to her.  Gemma brightened as she reached around to the back of the box.  “I’m going to give you some time alone,” Andro said, backing away.  “I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

“Okay,” Gemma replied as he shut the door.  She tore the envelope off and opened it.  Inside was a photo.  It was a picture of Lucas standing next to a beautiful and rather majestic elephant.  The elephant gripped a paintbrush in his trunk as Lucas held a canvas covered in painted flowers.  Gemma squinted at the photo.  She could barely recognize Lucas.  He wore a crisp, white linen button-down shirt with his sleeves casually rolled up and the upper half of the buttons undone.  His hair was its usual mess of brown hair but he was also sporting a fair amount of facial hair.  If it weren’t for his familiar, shy smile, Gemma wasn’t sure she would have known who it was in the photo.

She turned the picture over.  There was a note. 
Gemma, As promised, here I am with an elephant.  I know I was supposed to be riding it but apparently they don’t allow you to ride the ones that are super talented painters.  But they did let me keep the painting.  Love, Lucas.  P.S. I think I saw Damian on a billboard in an ad with Queen Bee.  Wow… what happened there?

Gemma burst out laughing.  She didn’t realize the Thierry Marc ads made it all the way to Thailand but she was excited to find out through Lucas.  She tore open the top of the box and pulled out all the packaging material to reveal the same painting that Lucas had held in the photograph.  Gemma kneeled before it, looking at the careful little brushstrokes spattered across the canvas.  She ran her fingers over the dried paint.

In most of her memories, Beauford was a place to be escaped.  She was separated from her parents, from the city she knew, from the identity she craved.  People like Madison and all those who couldn’t find it in themselves to stand up to her were like an army against Gemma’s wellbeing.  Moving to Los Angeles and letting Queen Bee’s life be dominant felt like the necessary escape from the mundane existence of Gemma Hunter.

But as she continued to examine the painting, she began to feel something else.  Generally reserved, Gemma had always lived in the shadow of her outgoing older brother.  It never bothered her and at times, she loved the privacy of her own quiet nature.  As a result, she grew up identifying herself simply as Gavin’s little sister until the day Mira discovered her very hidden talent for performing.  The beginning of her teen years ended up being devoted entirely to Queen Bee.