Without warning, someone slammed Danni from behind. She tottered on her high platform boots, able to right herself before doing a header. She spun to see what asshole felt it was necessary to push. The perpetrator was a gray-haired woman half Danni’s size. The woman plowed past, oblivious of Danni’s “don’t mess with me” stare.
Danni had made the right decision to spare Alex this chaos. He’d be immediately recognized and barraged with fans wanting to take selfies with him. His security would be a nightmare. Chills ran down her spine despite the LA sun baking her in the leather Goth costume. Was it possible that the stalker wanted to draw Alex out into public by taunting him with the T-shirt?
Paranoid much? Only someone with Reeves’s skills could have found the link between the T-shirt and the store.
Danni plowed her way forward, murmuring half-hearted apologies, her excitement rapidly fading. After twenty minutes of body pressing with strangers, she was hot and frustrated. The smell of hot dogs and onions from the sidewalk stands wasn’t helping her already iffy stomach.
Right when she was considering an escape to a side street, she spotted Armature’s storefront. A little bling was exactly what the doctor ordered to boost her mood. A silver cuff would complete her Goth disguise, which consisted of a black leather bustier and jacket and a short, red, plaid skirt with a black belt and knee-high boots.
She loved this line of jewelry, and the inexpensive but hip style fit her mode as a rock star’s girlfriend or a Goth. She had abandoned her nerdy scientist look the day Jax had left her for a nineteen-year-old model. She refused to give the bastard another thought. She had moved on spectacularly. Was she petty that she hoped Jax saw the tabloid pictures of Danni in the arms of Alex Hardy?
It was a matter of minutes to find the perfect silver bracelet to match the buckles on her jacket and black belt.
She smiled as she caught the image of herself in the store mirror, and her fake nose piercing flashed. Her disguise was all part of her plan to convince the shop owner to feed her the deets on the stalker. This “incognito” business was a blast, better than dressing up for clubs. Her hair was hidden under a black wig, and a black watch cap, since black hair was a Goth requisite. And Danni didn’t have the time or inclination to dye her hair.
She could see the end of the alley over the heads of everyone but could barely get around the mass of women who were fighting over leather purses in an open stall. Raised voices and shoving was becoming irritatingly tiresome.
The tiny hairs on Danni’s neck raised again. She quickly turned around to check if anyone was following her. The prickling sensation had started as she left the jewelry store. No one except Reeves knew where she was. She had told Alex that she was going shopping, but she didn’t tell him where.
Everyone surrounding her looked like the usual mishmash of shoppers. Maybe she was taking the spy business a little too seriously, or last night’s overindulgence was catching up to her.
Danni slipped into the perfume store to watch from the window for anyone who appeared questionable. She lifted a bottle from the beautiful array on the counter, pretending to smell the fruity scent of Jo Malone. She had to swallow hard to not retch from the intensity of the scent. What was she thinking last night when she drank endless glasses of champagne? She wasn’t thinking. She jumped into avoidance and shutdown mode. She gazed out the window. No one “suspicious” had passed by.
She moved to the lipstick display since the employee was looking at Danni as if expecting her to pocket a few items. She found a perfect shade of Dior fuchsia that would look great with her favorite lime-green dress. And the lipstick was ten dollars less than retail price. The saleswoman looked a bit shocked that Goth Danni had bought the feminine pink lipstick. Danni kept her focus on the window during the transaction.
She stepped back into the crowd after searching both ways. No one stood out. Maybe it was last night’s excess and her empty stomach that was making her jittery. She wished she could have confided in Reeves, but she knew how he’d react if he were aware of her plan. The T-shirt was the only lead she had. And she was capable of talking to a shop owner all by her lonesome.
Leaving the alley, she crossed both streets to the T-Shirt and Sports Emporium. She couldn’t shake the sensation that someone followed her.
She stopped in front of the Emporium, pretending to inspect the window filled with tourists’ T-shirts and sports clothes. She angled her head to see in the window reflection if anyone was lingering.
Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour clothing was displayed. The downside of shopping in this area…lots of knockoffs. She turned to search the street one last time before entering the store.
Door chimes rang in the empty store. The small space was crammed with rows of hanging shirts and shelves of running shoes, shorts, and stacks of T-shirts. The dark room was overcrowded with merchandise and smelled of moldy cheese.
A Chinese woman came from behind a curtain at the back of the store. Her speech was punctuated by her rapid steps. “I’ve Adidas, Reebok, Under Armour. What do you like?”
The woman’s piercing eyes did a fast-track down Danni’s outfit. “I’ve black. You need black T-shirts? I’ve a big selection. Or you can print your own.”
Her yellow-toothed smile didn’t reach her eyes. Danni looked to see if the woman’s fingers were also nicotine stained.
“I didn’t come for one T-shirt.” Danni gave her a full-wattage smile that brought men to their knees.
“A friend received this T-shirt as a surprise gift.” Danni dug the shirt out of her bag. “I’d like to buy at least a hundred more of this shirt for my Seattle shop. I’d need them in all different sizes.”
The woman’s face didn’t register any shock at Danni’s request as she inspected the label on the shirt. “It is a custom design. But I have many like this. Let me show you.”
“Oh, no. I fell in love with this shirt.” Danni fingered the blood splotches as revulsion filled her throat. “It will sell well with my customers.”
“You don’t want to see my shirts?”
“Maybe you can reproduce this shirt? Contact the designer? I’m happy to pay you a special commission for putting me in touch with the designer. And of course, I’ll have you print the T-shirts.”
The woman’s shrewd eyes assessed Danni’s face. “I might still have her order. Let me check my records. You look around. You might find something else you’d like.”
Danni couldn’t stop the grin from moving across her face with the ease of her success. Of course, she owed Reeves for the connection. The next issue would be what to do with the information. Once she had a name, she’d ask Reeves to do a deep search before she told Alex.
She wandered over near the window where the sports clothes were located. She should buy a high-end pair of leggings or running shoes to make the shop owner happy.
She startled when she heard a man’s raised voice speaking in Spanish. She hadn’t seen anyone enter the store. Or heard the door chimes.
A dark-skinned man in a red Nike running suit with heavy gold bling flashing around his neck was in an intense discussion with the owner. He leaned over the counter and waved a stack of cash in front of her face. The woman didn’t look fazed by his angry tone or posture. She shrugged and then answered in rapid Spanish.