Sins of the Father (8 page)

It took her a moment to
realise Brad was following discreetly behind her. She had to admit,
she was impressed. He’d meant what he said about blending in – his
watchful eyes didn’t miss a thing.

“
Can I get
you a drink?” she asked, arriving at the refreshments
table.

Those intense eyes turned
to her and away again, sweeping the area. “I’m good,
thanks.”

Alicia smiled, unable to
resist a little teasing. “I know you have a job to do, but you’re
allowed to relax from time to time.”

“
I am
relaxed. I’m just not here for the entertainment.”

“
Oh, lighten
up, or people will start to stereotype. I bet you can make small
talk with me and still know everything that’s going on around
you.”

He grinned; she had that
effect on people. He’d been watching her all morning, it was hard
not to. Wherever she was, people flocked to her naturally. “That’s
true. How’s your day going so far?”

Alicia giggled - a
surprising girly sound. He liked it. “There you go, didn’t hurt,
did it?” When he said nothing she poured herself a glass of orange
to give herself time to consider the question. “Actually, it’s
going great. It’s not the same without Jack, but I adapted the
script and it seems to be working.”

“
You wrote
it?”

“
Yes, this is
the fourth I’ve written for Gray’s Films. I wrote it with Jack in
mind, so it’s been a challenge.”

Brad was surprised by
both answers; he didn’t usually miss the details. “If you write for
the company, why isn’t your name credited?”

“
I use a
pseudonym.” It flattered her that he knew enough about her previous
films to notice. She wondered if he knew about the little crease
between his eyebrows when he was studying something. She guessed he
was curious about her reasons. “But that’s a story for another
time. We’ll build up to it!”

He smiled again, the kind
that transformed him from distant to dreamy in under a second. “How
does Jack feel about being replaced?”

She stepped back a
little, surprised by the turn in conversation. “Nobody could
replace my...”

“
You don’t
have to be embarrassed to say lover, I’m not your priest but I’m
discreet. It comes with the job.”

The shock of his
statement was like a hard physical blow. A feeling of bitter
resentment rose up in her throat, and with it came the anger. “You
disappoint me. I had you pegged as more intelligent than that. I’m
used to the press jumping to such conclusions but you’re supposed
to be a professional.”

“
Now wait
just a minute.” Brad had taken a step forward, his own temper
circling.

She moved closer too,
refusing to be intimidated and far too angry to think about what
she was doing. “I accept complete responsibility for inviting this
conversation. It was a mistake. I now see the merits of keeping you
the hell out of my private life.”

His eyes widened a
little, it was the only indication that he was fighting against an
anger she couldn’t see. It shook her enough to know it was time to
back down.

Brad’s hands clenched and
unclenched by his sides. He was angry with himself; he shouldn’t
have allowed himself to get dragged into her world, but god, she
looked beautiful when she was riled.

Her reaction to his
comment about Jack seemed a little over the top – he couldn’t
figure out if it was guilt, or if the hurt on her face was genuine.
Either way he had crossed a line, he shouldn’t have goaded her that
way.

“
You’re
right, I’m ill equipped to deal with the drama,” he said. There
were things about her life that he would never
understand.

Alicia
felt the resentment drain out of her. They were both right – she
had instigated the discussion and he clearly wasn’t used to her
world.
Why do I behave this
way around him?

“
Perhaps we
should try again. The drama, as you put it, will take some getting
used to. But you’re a big boy, you can handle it.” She tried a
smile and found it came easily enough. “I’m Alicia, and I can be a
little sensitive about people assuming the worst in me.”

Brad relaxed again, now
that the storm had passed. “Good to meet you. I’m being paid to
protect one of the stars of this gig, so if you need me I’ll be
right over there.” He was rewarded by her appealing
giggle.

“
You’ve just
redeemed yourself, shadow man.” She looked over her shoulder when
she heard someone call her name. “I’d better get back.”

Brad watched her walk
away. He had known coming into the assignment that the rules were
different, that it would require a certain amount of flexibility
when it came to Alicia. He was fine with that. What he wasn’t
comfortable with was the alarming desire to kiss that pretty mouth,
especially when she was ranting at him – eyes flashing and lips
moving in almost hypnotic suggestion.

He’d enjoyed her comment
about the stereotype, she was refreshingly sharp. It amused him all
the more because he was doing what any typecast fledgling would do
– falling for the actress.

***

After a long morning on
set, the whole crew were starting to feel the pressure. The sun
beat down, as relentless as a burning ball of rage. Brad felt their
mood, but it had nothing to do with the climate. He barely even
noticed the temperature or the orange ball in the sky. He’d
suffered through the foulest of weather in Iraq, and nothing
compared to the tightening in his chest whenever he looked at
Alicia Gladstone.

He contemplated backing
out as lead on the case and praying on his partner’s better side.
He’d promised Kelvin he would face his demons head on, but every
part of him screamed to walk away. He was accustomed to controlling
his emotions, or curbing impulses, but he hadn’t been prepared for
their first meeting. It wasn’t just his unexpected attraction to
her – he just hadn’t expected her to look so much like Helen. The
photograph hid some of the subtleties he could see in her
face.

“
Can I get
you anything, Brad?”

Brad turned towards Tim
Johnson with an easy smile. “I’m fine, but thanks.”

He watched Johnson walk
across to the refreshments cab where everyone now congregated. He
knew Alicia was among them, of that he was acutely aware. Not
because of his training, but because he couldn’t keep his eyes off
her. He’d tried.

Johnson was having the
same reaction, he was practically drooling when she threw the poor
man a bone and stopped to chat.

He observed her body
language, saw that she was relaxed and holding up a lot better than
most of her co-stars. She’d pulled her hair back into a loose tail,
and changed into a vest top that hugged close to her small waist.
Even restrained, her glossy black hair looked inviting – almost
every man in the country longed to run his fingers through it. He
was no exception.

It was a welcome relief
when his mobile vibrated silently in his pocket. “Morgan,” he spoke
through his hands free device.

“
Hey, sugar,”
Susannah drawled.

Brad relaxed a little at
hearing her voice. “Suez, just the person I wanted to speak
to.”

“
All right,
what do you want looking up?”

He laughed. It was not
difficult to imagine her scowl. “I need you to get me everything
you can on Jack Murphy; a full background.” Something told him
there was a reason Jack was targeted.

“
Sure,
consider it done. How’s it going? Are you having fun, brushing
shoulders with the rich and famous?”

“
Why, do you
want to trade?”

“
Oh, no…
you’re not getting out of it that easily. Suck it up, big man. I’ll
call you when I’ve got something.”

“
Thanks.”

He sought Alicia out
again as he terminated the call. She was still talking to Johnson,
and appeared thoroughly entertained. He was starting to suspect his
initial view of her was a little off the mark. He hadn’t seen any
indication that she was the Prima Donna people reported her to be.
She didn’t have an army of people taking care of her every whim.
That aspect of her life, if nothing else, was
inaccurate.

As though conscious of
his attention Alicia glanced across. She turned briefly to respond
to someone over her shoulder. When he could see her face again, he
was surprised by the goofy expression. He’d never seen that look on
Helen’s face. There were other subtle differences too. Helen
radiated the kind of chill that could freeze a man mid-stride,
whereas Alicia seemed to glow with the kind of warmth that shone
from the inside out. It was probably why, in terms of beauty, Helen
didn’t hold a candle.

He watched as she
accepted two cups from a member of the crew and started walking in
his direction. “I know Tim already asked, but I thought you might
like a coffee.” She held out her offering.

He took it with a smile.
“Thanks.”

She reached into her back
pocket with the free hand and brought out a scrunched piece of
paper. “This is my schedule for the next few days.”

“
I appreciate
that.” Brad’s eyebrows rose when he saw the list penned in italic
script.

“
It doesn’t
look like I do an awful lot, does it?” She smiled self-consciously,
catching him off guard.

“
I imagine
this takes up most of your time.”

“
I cancelled
some of my engagements. I can’t get out of the photo shoot, or the
interview I’m doing for local radio. Its part of the promotion for
a short I did last year.”

Brad folded the paper and
placed it in his own pocket. “I’m not here to interfere with your
plans, just to make sure you’re not in danger.”

“
Speaking of
which, Stuart organised a dressing room for you in the main
building. I’d like to stay in the trailer unless it’s going to be a
problem.”

“
That’s fine.
A member of my team will be taking the night shift – it doesn’t
matter where you’re located as long as they can protect you.” He
wanted to ask about her choice of accommodation but he
didn’t.

Alicia frowned; she
didn’t see why it was necessary to have a guard posted throughout
the night. “What about site security? I believe they patrol the
area.”

“
They do, but
we provide a personal protection service that’s around the clock.
We’ll be coordinating with the main team - I’ve known Donovan for
years so don’t worry, I won’t rock the boat.”

Brad looked over her
shoulder when he caught sight of a harassed deliveryman hurrying
their way. He stepped forward, relieving the man of the package and
setting it on the ground.

“
This was
delivered for you, Miss Gladstone,” he said, looking from one to
the other in obvious confusion.

“
Thanks,
Tom.”

“
Who’s it
from?” Brad asked, seeing no identifying label on the
box.

“
I don’t
know. Sid, at the gate, signed for it. I think he said UPS
delivered.”

Alicia smiled. “That’s
great, thanks for bringing it.”

“
Sure.” Tom’s
eyes darted to Brad before he hurried off, relief flooding his
face.

“
What’s
wrong?” she turned to him.

“
I don’t
know. Something doesn’t feel right. Are you expecting a
delivery?”

“
Not that I
know of, but people send me things all the time. They usually go
through Sarah. She’ll be by later so I can ask her about
it.”

“
How often do
you deal with items personally?”

Alicia thought for a
moment. He was scaring her a little, especially since she couldn’t
remember an occasion that she had. Everything went through the
production office. “I don’t. Not on set anyway.”

“
If that’s
the case I’ll ask a member of my team to stop by with some
equipment. I’d like to scan it over just to be sure.”

“
You’re
thinking it’s from my admirer.”

Brad grinned at her
choice of words. “I’m thinking it’s a possibility. Someone out
there wants to play with your head. This could be the next
step.”

“
Okay, as
much as I like surprises, I’ll leave it with you.” She waited for
that terrific smile again, but his head was in a different
place.

“
Al, have you
got a minute?” Stuart called to her from behind one of the
monitors. It looked serious, judging from his
expression.

“
Sorry, I’d
better get back.”

“
Okay. When
you’re ready I’ll accompany you to the hospital.” It was the first
thing on her list; Jack Murphy’s name appeared several
times.

“
Thanks.”

He waited until she’d
joined Stuart Mansfield before grabbing one of the chairs he’d
adopted. With one eye on the action in front of him, he used the
other to rig up his laptop and put a call through to his
partner.

“
How’s it
going, big man?” Kelvin asked. His face almost filled the
screen.