“Some days that’s all I want to do, but being who I am, I can’t afford that type of attitude. If I became a bitch, people would tune out and I’d be let go. Then what would I do?”
“Is acting all you ever wanted to do?”
“I used to think so.”
“But not anymore?”
“Since my miscarriage, I’ve been thinking about a lot of things. I love acting, but the demands on my time are getting old.”
“Is there something else you wanted to do?”
“Theater. I was thinking of maybe starting my own theater and opening it up to at-risk kids. Showing them there’s something better they can do with their time instead of turning to drugs and other bad behaviors. That takes a lot of money, though.”
“There’s always investors.”
She shook her head. “No. If I take investor money, then I can’t make the decisions. Their money guarantees them a say in how the program is run, and I don’t want to see my dreams of what the program could be turn into the bottom-line discussion.”
“I have a feeling you’ll figure it out if it’s that important to you.”
Shay yawned.
“Getting sleepy?”
“I’ve been up since three yesterday, and it’s after four now, so yeah, I’m tired.”
“You go on to bed. I’ll be out here on the couch if you need anything.”
“Let me grab you a pillow and some blankets. You’re welcome to use the guest shower. It’s just off the living room through that hallway there.”
“Thanks.”
Once Shay had brought him the bedding, she excused herself and went to her bedroom. Max made quick work of making up the couch. His eyes felt grainy, and he needed sleep in a bad, bad way.
Making a snap decision, he called Jasper.
“It’s after four in the morning.”
“I know. That’s why I’m calling.”
“Did something happen?”
“No, but I’ve had two hours of sleep in the last seventy-six hours. I need someone to come help you today while I sleep. I won’t be able to do shit if I don’t get at least eight hours.”
“Fuck. Why didn’t you say something yesterday?”
“Because we had shit to do yesterday. Can you grab one of the guys to sit outside the apartment door or downstairs? I’d rather have you up here if possible.”
“I’ll come over now and have Cole come upstairs until I get there. You get some sleep, Max.”
“Can’t until I talk to Viktor and Kade. They want a report.”
“The fuckers can wait. I’ll call them and let them know you’ll give them a report later. The need for sleep is more important. You can’t protect her if you’re about to pass out.”
“You’re right about that. I’m going to hop in the shower.”
“It’ll take me about twenty minutes to get there, so see you soon.”
Content he’d taken care of the immediate problem, Max headed to the shower and would soon be blissfully sound asleep.
Max dragged himself from sleep and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Damn, but he was still tired. He stretched, his back sore.
“About time you woke up.”
His head swiveled to see Jasper sitting on one of the chairs, a Kindle in his hand.
“What time is it?”
“Around four in the afternoon.”
“Fuck, why’d you let me sleep so late?”
“Because you drove for twelve hours straight to get back to New York after your last assignment, then you only had a couple hours of sleep before your sister called. You needed it, man. Can’t keep the client safe if you’re falling over where you stand.”
Max scrubbed a hand over his face. “Where is she?”
“She’s on the phone in her office. I think she’s talking to her dad.”
“Anything new on the case?”
Jasper glanced down the hallway. “Viktor called. He has a match for the fingerprints they found in her apartment.”
“Who?”
“Name’s Douglas McArthur.”
“Rap sheet?”
“A mile long. The police are looking for him. I sent all the information to your email, including his photo.”
“Where’s he from?”
“Los Angeles. Guy followed her here.”
“Have you asked her about him yet?”
“No. I just got the news a few minutes ago. I figured you’d want to do that since this area is more your expertise. You find people.”
Maybe he’d get lucky and find this fucker sooner rather than later, but he also knew being here with her would slow his process down. He’d need to call Dylan, his partner in crime when it came to tracking people. Dylan was almost as good as he was. Almost. It came from his time in the military. He’d learned shit Dylan hadn’t.
“You heading back to the office?”
“As soon as Cole gets here to take over my shift. Why, you need something?”
“Yeah, get Dylan working on this.”
“Will do. I’m going to order food. You have a preference?”
“Chinese?”
Jasper grinned. He loved Chinese food almost as much as Max did.
“I know just the place, and they deliver.”
“I’m going to go get cleaned up then check in with Shay. Let us know when the food’s here.”
He left Jasper to it and took a quick shower, washing away the sleep and the sweat from his overly long nap. Jasper shouldn’t have let him sleep so long. He’d never get to sleep tonight.
He opened the duffel bag he’d left in the bathroom last night and pulled out some clean clothes. Jeans and t-shirt. He brushed his teeth and slipped on clean socks before heading down the hall to find Shay.
She was sitting in her office staring off into space when he knocked on the open door. Her head turned toward him, and he saw the stark look in her eyes before she masked it.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She waved his question off. “Did you sleep well?”
He came into the room and sat down in the chair in front of her desk. “Bullshit. What’s wrong?”
She snorted. “You sound just like your sister.”
Max leaned back and waited. Desi had taught him you didn’t push a woman to tell you things. You called her on her BS then waited her out.
They sat like that for five minutes before Shay gave in. “It doesn’t have anything to do with my stalker.”
Crossing his arms, he stared her down. He should have let it go, but he couldn’t. Oddly, he wanted to know what was bothering her even if it had nothing to do with the case. He wanted to help her.
“My dad’s sick.”
Memories of his mother tried to push forward, and he shoved them down. “What’s wrong with him?”
“His heart. They think he needs bypass surgery.”
Shit. That was serious.
“I’m sorry, Shay.”
“I can’t take time off work. We film every single day, but…”
“But you want to go home and be there for him.”
“Yes. I just spoke with my producer. He’s willing to give me the time to be there for his surgery, but that’s it.”