Hollywood Divorces

  What a great idea!

  • • •

  The blonde stirred, her long silky hair a gossamer cloak around her delicate shoulders. Maria snored lightly.

  Tony’s eyes suddenly snapped open. He felt a wave of doom, as if he’d just awakened from a particularly frightening nightmare.

  Someone was in the bedroom.

  Someone was standing at the foot of the bed pointing a gun at him.

  All he could make out was the shadow of a man and the gun, the metal glinting in the dusky half-light creeping through the blackout blinds.

  Tony struggled to sit up, attempting to shove the girls off him.

  “What d’you want?” he said in a low, angry voice. “You want money—I got plenty. On top of the dresser. Take what you want an’ get the fuck out.”

  Maria woke up. “Tonee,” she cried out, not sure what was happening.

  “Stay still,” Tony warned. “Everythin’s gonna be fine.”

  “I . . . don’t . . . think . . . so,” Matt said, feeling tough and in control.

  Who had the power now? Not Tony Alvarez with his flashy demeanor and insulting mouth.

  Not Tony Alvarez—wife stealer.

  Oh no, not Tony Alvarez.

  Not the fucking spic.

  For once, Matt Seel was totally in charge.

  CHAPTER

  * * *

  46

  “I’ve been thinking,” Nick said.

  “Hang out the flags,” Cat joked. “Mr. Logan’s been thinking!”

  Nick and Amy had joined Cat and Jonas in the coffee shop. Cat still had her three thousand dollars winnings, and Nick had won twenty-five grand. Neither Jonas nor Amy were into gambling.

  “You wanna hear what I’ve been thinking, or not?” Nick said, devouring a plate of scrambled eggs.

  “Not,” Cat said, drinking espresso.

  “Are you ever serious?” Nick asked, throwing her a look.

  “Only when I’m working. Remember?”

  “Cat has a quirky sense of humor, like me,” Amy offered, holding hands with Jonas.

  “That’s great to know,” Nick said. “But here’s the deal—I’m trying to be serious here.”

  “Sorry,” Cat said, reaching for a slice of his wheat toast. “Go ahead—be serious.”

  Before he could reply, two giggling teenage girls approached their table.

  “Are you Nick Logan?” one of them asked.

  “Course he is,” the other one giggled, nudging her friend.

  “Guilty as charged,” Nick said, poker-faced.

  “Can we get your autograph?”

  “On what?” he said.

  They turned to each other and completely broke up.

  “Maybe on my tee shirt,” one of the girls suggested, thrusting out her small breasts.

  “Got a pen?” Nick asked, unfazed.

  “Oh.” The girl looked blankly around the table. “Does anyone have a pen?”

  Amy reached into her purse and obliged. Nick spun the young girl around and scrawled his name on the back of her tee shirt.

  “The girls at school will go like nuts!” she exclaimed. “You’re the bomb!”

  “You were sooo hot in The Jack,” the other girl gushed. “I like saw it like four times. I even cut class to see it.”

  “Thanks, girls.”

  “Do you know Ashton Kutcher?”

  “Never met him.”

  “He’s cute too. Can we take a picture with you?”

  “Got a camera?”

  “We’ll get one from the gift shop.”

  “Do that, an’ if I’m still here, you’ll get your photo.”

  Giggling, the two nymphets ran off.

  “Doesn’t that drive you crazy?” Cat asked.

  “What?” Nick asked, finishing his eggs.

  “The attention.”

  “If I didn’t have the attention, they wouldn’t go see my movies. And we want them to see our movie, right?”

  “Don’t you miss being able to walk around and not be bothered?”

  “It’s a trade-off,” he said. “I’m not wild about it, but I gotta put up with it.”

  “Oh please,” Amy interrupted. “You love it. Ever since you were a little boy, you always wanted to be noticed.”

  He grinned. “My married sister with the big mouth.”

  She grinned back. “My famous brother with the big—”

  “Hey,” he interrupted, motioning her to shut up. “Enough already.”

  “No need for modesty,” Amy said mischievously. “I’m sure Cat has already noticed your enormous . . . ego.”

  They all laughed.

  “So c’mon, what were you thinking when I interrupted you?” Cat asked.

  “I was thinking that since we’re only here for a day, how about taking a boat out on Lake Mead?”

  “You’re amazing,” Cat said. “You drive all night, sleep for two minutes, win twenty-five thousand bucks, and now you’re up for a boat trip.”

  “Why not? It’s all in a day’s fun.”

  “I think it’s a fine idea,” Amy said, joining in. “Come on, Jonas, we’ll go to the front desk and find out about hiring a boat.”

  Jonas jumped up, and the two of them went off still holding hands.

  “Ain’t love grand?” Nick remarked.

  “Seems like it,” Cat agreed.

  “He’ll have a shit fit when he catches her act.”

  “Why?”

  “She’s tough.”

  “Like you?”

  “I’m a pussycat.”

  “Sure.”

  “Hey—y’know what we should do?”

  “Tell me,” she said dryly. “I can’t wait.”

  “Organize some kinda party.”

  “What kind of a party? There’s only the four of us.”

  “I know people here. C’mon, blondie,” he said persuasively. “We gotta throw them a wedding party.”

  Cat looked at him fondly. “You really are a total nutter.”

  He met her gaze with one of his own. “An’ you love it, doncha?”

  “Guess I must,” she said, unable to keep the smile off her face.

  And she realized as she said those words that she was becoming far too attached to him. While they were making the movie she’d been able to keep her distance; now it was a whole different vibe, and it was a dangerous one.

  She had no desire to get hurt again, not after Jump.

  Nick was nothing more than a diversion for a fun couple of days, and if she took it more seriously than that, then she had only herself to blame.

  • • •

  “You’ve been asleep practically the whole flight,” Pete said, as Shelby stirred and opened her eyes. “We land in less than an hour.”

  “Sorry,” she said, quite flustered. “Was I leaning all over you?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said as he attempted to get some feeling back in his arm.

  “Should we call the hospital?” she asked.

  “No, it’s better to wait until we get there. There’s nothing you can do from the plane. You’ll go straight to the hospital from the airport.”

  “I feel so helpless,” she said, drinking from a bottle of water.

  “I know the feeling.”

  “It’s not as if I haven’t tried so many times to help Linc,” she said, her eyes tinged with fatigue and worry. “I begged him to have therapy or get into rehab. He did it a couple of times for about five minutes, and that was it.”

  “Nobody ever said Linc was easy. He’s a stubborn sonofabitch.”

  “You know about his childhood?”

  “He talked about it a few times.”

  “It’s the reason I put up with so much of his crap, because I know how difficult it is for him to get over what happened.”

  “I’m sure you helped him a lot.”

  “I’ve always tried to be there for him, Pete, but there comes a time when it’s enough. Unfortunately I reached that point.” She
paused for a moment. “Oh, God, I never imagined something like this would happen.”

  “Shelby,” Pete said gently, “you have to realize that Linc has moved on. He hasn’t been calling you and begging you to come back, has he? He’s got himself a new girlfriend.”

  “I know,” she answered sadly. “But when I tell him about the baby, things can change. The last four years I’ve been the one who’s protected him, Pete. He needs me.” “Is that what you want for the rest of your life? To be his guard? Watching everything he does, spying on him, seeing that he doesn’t take a drink or does a drug? Is that how you intend to live? Especially after you have the baby.”

  “All I want is for him to get over this. Then I’ll see.”

  “Can I get you anything? A real drink? Something to eat?”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I want you to know that I’m happy you’re with me, Pete.”

  “What was it they said in that old movie—just whistle and I’ll be there.”

  “Thanks. It means a lot.”

  • • •

  “Don’t move or I’ll blow your fucking brains out,” Matt said. He’d heard those exact words on a cable TV show, and they seemed totally appropriate.

  Very slowly and carefully, Tony was trying to get himself into a sitting position.

  Maria, aware of what was going on, began whimpering softly. The other girl still slept.

  Matt felt a surge of adrenaline. He had his rival exactly where he wanted him, and nothing and no one could stop him from blowing Tony Alvarez to kingdom come.

  He had the power, and he was about to use it.

  As he stared at his antagonist, he realized there were two girls in the bed. Two witnesses.

  He hadn’t thought about witnesses. Matt Seel was not a killer. He was an assassin of one person and one person only.

  What if these girls recognized him? What if they identified him?

  No. Impossible. It was dark. He had on his wool ski mask and cap. His face was totally hidden. One shot and he’d be out of there.

  As these thoughts flew through his mind, he tightened his grip on his gun.

  Everything was happening in slow motion for both men.

  Tony’s mind was alive with ideas of how to stop this crazy sonofabitch. He had his own gun under the pillow; his plan was to reach it and blow this cocksucker away. Unfortunately the girls were in his way.

  Now the blonde woke up and began whimpering too. He wished they’d both shut the fuck up. Had to concentrate. Had to make this go away.

  “Go in the bathroom,” Matt commanded, jerking his gun at the two girls. “And stay in there. If you use the phone I’ll kill you.”

  Another surge of power raced through his body. This being-in-charge shit was really something.

  The girls didn’t need asking twice; they jumped off the bed, making a wild dash for the bathroom.

  It was exactly the opportunity Tony needed. As the girls moved, so did he, reaching for his MAC 10 automatic he kept under the pillow.

  Matt caught the movement and fired his Glock.

  He was too late to stop Tony from spraying a fusillade of bullets.

  Both men were hit.

  One of them fatally.

  • • •

  By the time Lola arrived home she had it all worked out. She would summon Big Jay to come upstairs and pack up Matt’s things. Then she’d call Tony and tell him that they had to have an immediate get-together, where they’d discuss her marriage idea. She was sure he’d go for it. Why wouldn’t he? They’d been engaged once before. This time no engagement; instead, a quickie marriage the moment her divorce was final.

  After that was settled she’d start concentrating on her career. She’d call Faye and instruct her to put out an announcement that she was divorcing Matt Seel. If Faye didn’t like it . . . too damn bad.

  Big Jay greeted her at the gate with an expression of deep frustration. “Miss Lola, how many times I gotta ask you not to go places without me?” he complained. “You never know who’s waitin’ to follow you. There’s always photographers hidin’. It ain’t safe for you to go runnin’ around on your own.”

  “Sorry,” she answered casually. “I had to pop over to my mama’s. You were asleep.”

  “Not good enough, Miss Lola,” Big Jay scolded. “In future you gotta wake me.”

  “Yes, Jay,” she answered obediently.

  After dealing with Big Jay, she drove up the long driveway to her house.

  There was no sign of her Bentley in the motor court. Damn! She loved that car.

  She went straight to her dressing room, changed into her workout clothes, then headed for the gym in the pool house. Usually she worked out with a trainer, but since getting back from New York she hadn’t bothered to reinstate her workout time. Besides, sometimes she liked taking advantage of the solitude.

  The gym was large and airy, filled with the latest equipment. It overlooked the swimming pool, a wall of bougainvillea, and a cluster of palm trees. Most of the exercise equipment she’d gotten for free, because the manufacturers all wanted Lola Sanchez working out on their machines.

  She clicked on the TV and jumped on the Life Cycle. Half an hour of cardio, forty-five minutes on the Life Cycle. Gotta get rid of those pancakes!

  She felt pretty good, considering; making decisions always filled her with energy.

  After a while she buzzed Jenny on the intercom. “Arrange for a trip to Disneyland for me and all my nieces and nephews on Saturday. Alert Big Jay.”

  “Done,” Jenny said.

  Next she reached for her cell and called Isabelle. “I’ve decided to take all the kids to Disneyland on Saturday,” she said. “Can you stop by the Gap and get them new outfits? My treat.”

  “Can I come?” Isabelle asked.

  “I was thinking just me and the kids.”

  “You’ll never manage all of them.”

  “Big Jay will be with me. I’ll have him organize another couple of guards.”

  “But I’d like to come,” Isabelle insisted, never one to miss out on a public outing with her attention-getting sister. Isabelle’s dream was to have her picture in People alongside Lola.

  Lola knew better than to argue; when it came to Isabelle it simply wasn’t worth it. “Whatever you want,” she said, resigning herself to her sister’s company. “Have you spoken to Selma today?”

  “I called the hospital,” Isabelle replied. “She feels much better and can’t wait to see you.”

  “I’ll go over there later,” she said, returning her attention to the TV.

  The handsome Mr. Lauer was interviewing a politician on the Today show. He’d interviewed Lola a few times and she liked him a lot. He had an easygoing style, although he never let an interview subject get away with anything, which was quite refreshing.

  Humming softly to herself, she watched him do his thing until a breaking news story interrupted the program.

  A dark-haired newscaster appeared on the TV screen, her face serious.

  “Reports are coming through of a shooting at the Hollywood Hills home of award-winning film director Tony Alvarez. Mr. Alvarez, onetime fiancé of movie star Lola Sanchez, was shot to death this morning in an apparent home invasion. We have no more details at this present time. We’ll keep you updated.”

  Lola almost fell off the Life Cycle and immediately began running back toward the house.

  “No!” she screamed. “Nooo! This can’t be true!”

  Coming up the driveway was her Bentley, Matt behind the wheel. The car was weaving from side to side; it looked as if he’d smashed the front in.

  Crazed with shock and grief combined with fury, she yanked open the driver’s door.

  Matt fell out, drenched in blood.

  She stared at him in horror. “Oh my God!” she screamed. “You bastard—you killed Tony, didn’t you? OH MY GOD!”

  • • •

  Word had spread that Shelby Cheney was on her way to New York. There were doze
ns of photographers and TV crews at the airport awaiting her arrival.

  Shelby was silent as airline officials met her at the plane and shepherded her through the media crush. She’d already arranged with Pete that they should not be seen together, and he’d promised to call her at the hospital. The last thing she needed was a photo of her with Pete. It would infuriate Linc even more.

  She was escorted out to a waiting limousine, where Linc’s publicist, Norm, waited for her. Norm got in the limo with her.

  “How is he?” she asked, full of concern.

  Norm shook his head, his expression gloomy. “It doesn’t look good, Shelby.”

  Silently she slumped in the seat, covering her eyes with her hands. “What happened, Norm? You have to tell me.”

  “The situation was out of control. Linc was hanging out with that model, Allegra. She was obviously a very negative influence.”

  “Where was he when he collapsed?”

  “At an after-hours club. They called an ambulance, but by the time they got him to the hospital, he was in bad shape.”

  “And now?” she asked, holding back tears. “How’s he doing now?”

  “I told you, not good. His sister’s at the hospital waiting for you.”

  “Will I be able to see him?”

  “It’s up to the doctors,” Norm said, unable to look her in the eye. “I’m trying to control the press. They’ve turned it into a feeding frenzy. You can imagine.”

  “I’m sure,” she said quietly.

  “The driver’s going to take us around to a back entrance. We’ll sneak you in that way.”

  She nodded silently as the limo sped into the city.

  “When we get out of the car, put on your sunglasses and move fast,” Norm instructed. “I’m sorry we have to do it this way. I’m sure there’ll be paparazzi staked out the back too, so be prepared. They know you’re coming.”

  The price of fame. No more privacy. Everything was chronicled, it didn’t matter how painful.

  “We’re here,” Norm said, as the limo finally pulled to a stop. “Head down and let’s go.”

  She put on her dark glasses, pulled her jacket tightly around her, got out of the limo, and made a run for it, with Norm holding on to her arm.

  Two cops were waiting to assist her as a pack of journalists and photographers surged forward, yelling for a comment.