Savage Alpha (Alpha 8) (7 page)

Lily didn’t back off.

Instead, she kept chipping away at his outer shell a bit at a time. Hell, he’d already told her more about himself, his parents, than even his closest friend knew. She—

“What is it?” Jonas’s tone was sharp as Lily ended the call, her eyes once again full of those haunted shadows that turned them a dark green similar to Gabriel’s. “Lily?” He moved swiftly across the kitchen to take her in his arms as she seemed precariously close to falling off the work top.

Tears swam in her eyes as she looked up at him. “That was Giles, the director of
Desperation
. Tonight’s performance has been canceled.” She drew in a ragged breath. “Everyone is being called back in to the theater, though, so the police can talk to all of us.”

“Why?”

She began to tremble in reaction to whatever she’d been told. “Someone… Someone broke into the theater after we left earlier.” The trembling deepened. “Charlie—the doorman… He… He’s dead, Jonas, beaten with his own walking stick! And—and—”

“And?”
Jesus Christ!

The tears began to cascade down her cheeks. “And Evan is in the intensive care unit, in a coma after being hit on the head too.”

Chapter 5

Jonas glanced across at Lily as he drove them both back to the theater. “There’s absolutely no reason to think these attacks are connected to what’s been happening to you.”

Lily’s hands were clenched on her thighs. She didn’t believe that, and she doubted Jonas did either. It was surely too much of a coincidence this had happened at the same time as she was being hounded by a stalker?

She still couldn’t believe Charlie was dead.

In his late fifties, Charlie Driscoll had been doorman at the Majestic Theater in London for over twenty years, since he was involved in a car accident that had left him with a permanent limp and necessitated he use a walking stick. The same walking stick someone had used to kill him.

Charlie was a widower but spoke often of his two children and six grandchildren, was always cheerful and— Was… Past tense. Because someone had hit him over the head, repeatedly, before leaving him lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

And Evan… Dear God, Evan was in a coma, having suffered similar head injuries that might or might not prove fatal too. Lily had wanted to go straight to the hospital to be with him, but Jonas had insisted they had to go to the theater and talk to the police before they did anything else.

After Lily’s initial bout of tears, when she had clung to Jonas for comfort, she now felt numb inside. All she could think of now, those thoughts going round and round in a constant loop inside her head, was that Charlie was dead and Evan seriously injured.

And if it was connected to her stalker, then it was all her fault.

That latter possibility consumed her and allowed for no thoughts of anything or anyone else.

She didn’t
want
to think about being in her kitchen earlier with Jonas.

“We’ll know more about what happened after talking with the police.” Jonas reached out to briefly squeeze her hands, inwardly cursing himself for having decided Charlie was one of the people he would talk to this evening rather than earlier.

Despite what Jonas had said to Lily, he had a feeling Charlie’s death was connected to whoever had spray-painted Lily’s dressing room earlier. Charlie was meticulous in keeping a record of who went in and out of the theater, and it was highly likely whoever was responsible for the spray-painting had returned after the matinee performance in order to silence Charlie before he could add two and two together and come up with the correct answer as to who that person might be.

Jonas was eager to get a look at Charlie’s visitors’ book.

He was less sure as to the motive for attacking Evan Butler, but it had obviously been done by the same person, so perhaps Evan had only been unlucky enough to interrupt the attack on Charlie? Or maybe he had recognized the attacker?

Or it could be more personal than that? If the stalker knew anything about Lily, and he obviously did, then he would know Evan was a friend of hers, and that the two of them often had coffee together after the show. Evan made no secret of the fact he had a boyfriend, but that wouldn’t stop a mentally unbalanced stalker from suspecting there was more to the friendship between Evan and Lily, which meant he could have seen Evan as a possible rival for her affections.

Whatever the reasoning, the attack this evening was obviously meant to silence both men.

“I think the police intend for us to talk to them, not the other way round.” Lily sighed. “And I’m so sorry for dragging you into this.”

“It’s not a problem.”

“I know how much my brothers hate it when they have to deal with the police.”

“Not my favorite thing either.” Jonas shrugged. “But in our line of work, it happens all the time.” That work had occasionally brought him into contact with members of the homicide department of the British police force, and with any luck, he might know one or two of the people investigating tonight. If so, he might be able to persuade them into giving him information on the attacks. Most especially on the record Charlie kept of people entering and leaving the theater.

For now, though, Jonas was worried about Lily. She had been unusually quiet since receiving the telephone call that had rocked her world. She now sat tensely beside him, huddled down into her coat, somehow looking smaller, and vulnerable as hell.

“We’re booking you into a hotel once the police have finished with their questions.” His tone brooked no argument.

Lily didn’t give him one, but her eyes widened. “Why?”

“A precaution.”

She slumped back against her seat. “Because you do think this attack is connected to me.”

Jonas never lied. He saw no point in it. He didn’t placate, or sugarcoat the truth either. Except in this case, he badly wanted to. Lily was stretched so tightly right now, the least little thing could cause her to break down again. She presented such a tough exterior to the world in general, and to Jonas and her brothers in particular, and she wouldn’t thank Jonas if anything he said or did was the cause of her losing that control again.

“As I said, we won’t know that until we’ve spoken with the police,” he answered her truthfully. “But if these attacks
are
connected to your stalker, then his behavior is escalating at a rapid pace.” A worrying pace, as far as Jonas was concerned.

“Whew, that was intense.” Lily grimaced as she and Jonas left the theater two hours later, having spent most of that time talking to the police. They certainly hadn’t been pleased on learning Lily had a stalker and hadn’t reported it. “I felt more like a suspect than a victim.”

“That’s how you’re supposed to feel.” Jonas shrugged. “It’s part of the interrogation technique.”

“It wasn’t exactly fair, when they wouldn’t tell
us
anything in return.”

That wasn’t completely true. Jonas had indeed known one of the officers investigating, and although the other man wouldn’t tell him anything specific about the attacks, he had confided that the theater’s visitors’ book had suffered significant damage. Jonas had interpreted the word “damage” as meaning the pages for today had been ripped out. Which probably meant he was also right about the attacker having signed in earlier, before spray-painting Lily’s dressing room. It sounded as if he might have returned later to destroy the evidence, once he realized his signature would be in the book.

Jonas was fast reaching the conclusion that Lily’s stalker and the person who had killed Charlie Driscoll and attacked Evan were one and the same.

For the moment, Jonas was keeping that piece of information to himself. Lily was upset enough already. He didn’t need to confirm her worst fear.

“Lily, what the hell is going on?” A young man rushed up to her as they turned the corner onto the main street. His eyes were slightly panicked, his face pale, blond hair tousled. “I got back early from my trip and wanted to surprise Evan, but the people outside the theater said the performance has been canceled, and there are policemen standing guard outside the front and back doors of the building. They aren’t letting anyone in or out, and Evan’s cell phone doesn’t seem to be working. What’s happened, Lily?” His voice rose hysterically.

Jonas saw the dismay in Lily’s face, and guessed this must be Evan’s boyfriend, Todd. And he obviously had no idea the other man was currently in the hospital, fighting for his life.

As for Evan’s cell phone… The police officer Jonas had spoken to had confided they had already ruled out the attack being a robbery, as both Charlie and Evan still had cash and credit cards in their wallets. But both men’s cell phones had been destroyed. In all probability by being stomped on with the heel of a shoe.

“Oh God, Todd…” Lily groaned now, confirming this was indeed Evan’s boyfriend. “I thought Giles would have called you.”

“Evan was going to call me earlier but didn’t, and now I can’t reach him.” Todd looked at the theater and then back at her. “What’s going on, Lily? Where’s Evan?” He grabbed hold of the tops of her arms. “Tell me where he is, damn it—”

“Back off, buddy.” Jonas made a downward movement with his arm, effectively breaking Todd’s hold on Lily, before stepping between the two of them. He towered over the younger man by a good seven or eight inches.

Considering Evan found Gabriel attractive, Jonas couldn’t imagine anyone less like the eldest Knight brother than the man standing in front of him. Todd was slightly built, wearing a maroon sweater and faded denims, a couple of inches under six feet tall, with a boyishly handsome face, and blond hair that had a tendency to flop forward into his eyes.

“Something’s happened to Evan, hasn’t it?” The younger man’s eyes blazed with emotion as he glared past Jonas at Lily. “This is all your fault,” he accused. “I warned Evan to stay away from you after he told me about the letters and roses you’d received. But he wouldn’t listen to me, said the two of you are friends—”

“We are—”

“He doesn’t need friends like you,” Todd snarled, moving forward.

“I said back the fuck off,” Jonas growled.

“Need any assistance here, sir?”

Jonas turned to see that one of the policemen standing guard had approached them and was now standing a couple of feet away. They also had the attention of the crowd gathered outside the theater. Not surprising when Todd was making such a scene.

“It’s okay, Officer,” Jonas assured him smoothly. “Perhaps you would like to inform Inspector Adams that Mr.—sorry, I don’t know your last name…?” He looked at Todd.

“Shaw,” he snapped.

“Mr. Shaw is a friend of Mr. Butler,” he explained pointedly.

“Ah.” The policeman nodded. “If you would like to come this way, sir?” he spoke evenly to Todd. “My inspector can answer any questions you might have, and we can let these good people be on their way.”

Lily flinched as Todd gave her a last malevolent glare before striding off with the policeman. “Oh God…” She began to tremble. “Would you please get me out of here, Jonas?”

Jonas didn’t need asking twice, his arm moving about Lily’s waist, her face turned into his chest as she avoided meeting any of the curious glances of the avid crowd, as the two of them walked the short distance to his SUV.

“Can we go to the hospital now to see Evan? Please.” She looked at Jonas imploringly once they were inside the vehicle.

“The police said he’s under guard, and only close family is being allowed in. I’ll be surprised if they even let Shaw into his room.” He grimaced.

“But—”

“Lily, you won’t be allowed to see him, and you aren’t going to do anyone any good sitting outside in the waiting room.” And if Todd Shaw did turn up there too, which he was definitely going to do, Jonas didn’t want Lily upset—more upset, by being on the receiving end of any more of his accusations. She was beating herself up enough already without help from anyone else. “I know one of the police officers on the case. He’s promised to give me a call if—when, Evan wakes up.”

Lily was very quiet during the drive back to her apartment. Not that Jonas could blame her. The interview with the police had been grueling, to say the least, and Lily really hadn’t needed that encounter outside the theater with Evan Butler’s boyfriend afterwards.

“I’ll clear away in the kitchen from earlier, while you pack a suitcase,” Jonas told her once they were in her apartment. They hadn’t tidied but left immediately for the theater after receiving the call from Lily’s director.

She looked at him uncertainly. “I’d really rather stay here than go to a hotel.”

Jonas couldn’t allow that. The security in the building wasn’t bad, courtesy of Gabriel would be his guess, and there were also surveillance cameras across the street, both front and back. Coincidentally of the type used by Knight Security. But Jonas was still uneasy about staying here and would prefer it if Lily was nowhere the stalker knew where to find her. The man had killed once, possibly twice if Evan didn’t make it, which meant he was completely out of control. Jonas wasn’t about to let Lily become his next target, on the basis of “if he couldn’t have her, then no one else would either.”

“I’ll be staying at the hotel with you.”

Her eyes widened. “You will?”