The Bailey Brothers Box Set- the Complete Trilogy Read online

  Jennifer led the way through the house and up the stairs to the guest room. Inside was a large double bed, neatly made up with soft cotton sheets. Ace dumped the box unceremoniously on the side table along with his gym bag of belongings. She proceeded to show him the adjoining dressing area complete with lounger and a floor-length mirror.

  “If you need to freshen up before we start the day, your bathroom is the second door to the left in the hallway. I’m just going to make breakfast. Care to join me downstairs afterward?”

  “What is the plan for the day?”

  “I’ll tell you over breakfast,” Jennifer smiled and headed downstairs, leaving him to unpack and get ready for the day ahead.

  The smell of fried bacon and scrambled egg reached the patio where it mixed with the chlorine from the pool. Jennifer had just finished laying down the dishes when Ace walked out the double doors. Her jaw almost hit the ground. He may have looked tasty in his plain t-shirt and jeans, but he looked mouthwateringly delicious in a suit. Head-to-toe in black he blended in perfectly with her other bodyguards. No one would notice the difference.

  Except me. Knowing someone that hot is going to be by my side for the rest of the day is going to drive me wild. Lord knows, how I’m going to focus on acting today.

  “Is this appropriate?” he looked uncomfortable in this new outfit.

  “A bit overdressed for breakfast but for the rest of the day, spot on! Please have a seat. Food’s ready and we have a busy day ahead of us.”

  It took her by surprise when she went to sit down and found Ace pulling out the seat for her. She smiled in appreciation and he nodded, taking his seat opposite her. He piled his plate high with eggs and bacon, wolfing it down as though he hadn’t eaten in weeks. In contrast, Jennifer nibbled on the corner of her toast and examined him from the side. She couldn’t figure him out. He seemed like such a tough guy, but the way he acted around her and talked to her with respect, showed he wasn’t just brawn and no brain.

  “What’s the plan for today?” he managed to speak between shoveling food down his mouth.

  “I’ve got to get on set early today as makeup has to ‘bloody’ me up for the final scene with Lucifer. That’s going to take a couple of hours in itself. Then, if everyone listened to the direction from yesterday, we should have the battle wrapped up by mid-afternoon. I’ll have my assistant come meet me on set afterward to deliver my outfit for the charity gala in the evening. Oh, I just realized! Have you brought a tux with you?” Jennifer looked up from her ramblings.

  Ace wrinkled his nose, “Sorry, I didn’t realize we would be attending any events. It would be better to keep me out of the spotlight, I don’t want your stalker identifying me.”

  “You have to go. I’m their mystery guest for the night, and I had this scheduled since months ago. At least you’ve saved me from finding a date.”

  “You want me to be your date for the event? That would draw a lot of attention.”

  Jennifer blushed. She hadn’t thought about it but of course, in the line of work she presumed Ace was into, he wouldn’t want his face plastered all over the papers.

  “It's fine, you don’t have to be in the pictures. Once the vultures start gathering, just stay a few feet away and they’ll hardly notice you. If anyone asks we’ll just say you’re my cousin.”

  Ace grunted and nodded his approval before continuing to eat. Once breakfast was complete, he helped gather the plates and put them in the dishwasher. Afterward, she excused herself and went to get dressed while he waited in the lounge.

  She would usually wear jogging bottoms and a loose t-shirt to the studios, but with Ace downstairs, it made her think twice. Digging out her designer jeans and a tight-fitting vest she scurried over to her lingerie drawer. Clearly, the comfy granny pants and old bra weren’t going to do the trick. She found a lacy pink set, usually only selected for date nights, but today felt different.

  What are you doing, Jen? He’s never going to see your underwear. He’s your glorified bodyguard. Get a grip, woman! On the other hand, would it really hurt to try? I’m a young single actress with nothing to lose. After all, he’s hired to help me… maybe he can help me in more ways than one.

  Jennifer giggled to herself as she dressed. These jeans did wonders for her ass – both lifting and rounding. She would have to thank the designer personally if she managed to score with Ace.

  Smoothing the creases out of her outfit, she turned on her heel and walked from the room, back downstairs to the handsome hunk of a man waiting for her. He leaned casually on one elbow on the top of the couch, his other hand preoccupied with flicking mindlessly through his phone. Would someone like that even have social media accounts? It seemed unlikely that he would feel a need to be connected to the world.

  She caught his attention with the jangling of her keys that she grabbed from the bowl in the lobby. How she longed to put her comfy sneakers on to rest her feet from the usual aching annoyance of heels, but she couldn’t give up on her outfit so easily. Digging into her shoe cupboard, she managed to find the perfect thigh-high boots and pull them up over her jeans.

  Ace wandered through the archway into the lobby, and she just caught a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth as admiration of her outfit choice. As she opened the door, she could practically feel his eyes burning into her bottom. The discomfort of her clothing faded away as she noted his attention on her. Today was going to be interesting.

  Chapter 3

  ACE

  Noise filled the air in the studios as assistants ran wild trying to fulfill the crew’s needs. Scripts were scattered over the set, wigs spilled out of a box in one of the dressing rooms, and the catering zone looked as though a bomb had hit it. The studio was buzzing with life but Ace had never felt so alone in his life. He was practically invisible to all these film making fanatics. Just the typical bodyguard standing wait over his precious starlet.

  Talking of Jennifer, she had banished him from the dressing room while she was getting put into character. He still managed to examine every new face entering the room, regardless of the fact that security at the studio’s perimeter monitored every visitor on site. You can never be too careful in a situation like this.

  Ace scanned the room from outside Jennifer’s dressing room door. The controlled chaos appeared to be centered around one man in the eye of the human tornado. He was sitting in what could only be a director’s chair. That must be David.

  Leaving Jennifer prey to her makeup artists, he ambled over to the director. He caught a few eyes catching on to him as he strolled towards the center of attention, but most identified him as a low-important nobody and went back to their manic tasks. David looked up from the script he was scrutinizing and his eyes widened in recognition.

  “Ace, I presume. Joe told me to look for the big tattooed hunk of muscle,” his voice was raspy, as though he had just smoked a full pack before he had even gotten into work.

  Ace examined the man in front of him. He seemed wealthy enough, wearing a top designer suit with a custom tailor fit. He wouldn’t go wrong with a few sessions at the gym, judging by the size of the beer belly barely contained underneath his plum shirt. Thinning hair, badly bleached teeth, and a thin goatee added to his overall look. The yellowed fingertips and constant gum-chewing confirmed Ace’s suspicion of a serial smoker in his presence.

  “Correct. I presume you know why I’m here, and the twins will keep you updated on my progress in this placement. Any information you may have regarding this case would be extremely useful.”

  “I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you much. I only found out about Jennifer’s ordeal a couple of days ago. Due to her fame, it could be anybody who’s obsessed with her. I thought it was an overly avid fan, but judging by those notes she showed me, I’m not so sure. Whoever it might be is absolutely obsessed with her. I’m not sure if you’ve gone through all the notes yet, but they are scarily detailed about her personal life.”

  “I haven’t had a chanc
e to get through it all yet, but I’m hoping it will give me a clue as to who might be behind it all.”

  “For someone who claims to have so much appreciation of her, he’s sure showing it the wrong way. The poor girl can hardly sleep most nights and she’s been on edge. I’m glad the twins sent someone like you round. Promise me you’ll keep her safe?”

  “That’s what I’m assigned to do.”

  Keep her safe? The writer of the notes was certainly delusional, but would he actually harm her? Why does David think he will?

  Ace eyed the man suspiciously before returning to his prime spot outside her dressing room. He was just about to continue his examination of the room when he heard a loud crash and Jennifer screaming his name.

  Without a thought, he threw open the door and came sprinting in. Jennifer was curled up on the floor, trembling like a leaf while holding a dainty blue envelope in her hand. From the state of her, he already knew it was another letter from the fucking creep. How had he managed to slip by in the few minutes he had spent talking to David? It must mean that the guy was here, watching for his moment. It also meant the guy had seen him. Not good.

  Ace came hurling out his thoughts as Jennifer started to cry. The crew took the hint and swiftly left the room, closing the door behind them as he bent to pick her up off the ground. Her face was drained of color and tears silently flowed down her porcelain cheeks. He scooped her up from the floor. She barely weighed a thing. He placed her gently on the couch, keeping an arm around her shoulders while she fought her emotions to calm down.

  Without asking, he pried the envelope from her grasp and slipped it into his jacket’s inner pocket. There was no need to cause her even more pain right now. As her breathing steadied, guilt flooded Ace’s senses. He had only been a couple of hours on the job and the perv had already managed to outmaneuver him. All it took was just a few minutes of leaving her side. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.

  “How did he get in? Did you see him?” Jennifer finally managed to mumble.

  “I’m sorry, Jen, but he must have slipped past when I was talking to David. I wanted to find out what he knew, but the guy had to have been watching and took the moment to deliver the letter. Did you see anyone enter the room?”

  She seemed to slip from defenseless little lamb to aggressive lioness in a matter of seconds.

  “What? You mean you left the door? Does no one take me seriously! This guy is stalking me. I told you he would take any moment he could to get to me. I thought you were meant to protect me. If this is the best David could get, then what hope do I have?”

  The wave of anger appeared to bring color back into her blanched face. He hadn’t seen this fiery side to her yet in their acquaintance and, despite it being deserved, he felt oddly attracted to her at that moment. Maybe she wasn’t just a hopeless princess after all?

  “I’ve already apologized. It was a lack of judgment on my behalf to leave the door unguarded. I won’t let it happen again.”

  Jennifer’s face seemed to soften, “I shouldn’t snap like that. I’m sorry, Ace. I’m just stressed. I was just waiting for the artists to start work on me, and I looked down and saw the envelope. I don’t even know how it got in here. Everybody I recognized coming into the room were crew members.”

  “But there were people you didn’t recognize?”

  “Well, of course. There are new assistants and interns every day. Nobody is constant in the movie business unless you staple yourself in here. Most of these people are wishing for a big break that will never happen. I guess I got lucky… although sometimes I think of it as more of a curse.”

  Ace raised his eyebrow and was about to speak when there was a knock at the door. Jennifer called out for them to enter and in flooded a swarm of people, concern plastered over their faces.

  “Jen, baby, what happened?” cooed a flamboyant man grasping a clipboard.

  “Cheryl said you were flooding the room with your tears. And she calls me the drama queen,” cawed a woman dressed in a dazzling pink jumpsuit.

  Ace stood up as the flock crowded in around here, keeping them at arm's length. David stood out like a sore thumb, his arms crossed, seemingly unaffected by the ever-increasing mob entering the room. He locked eyes with Ace momentarily before turning to the congregation and waving them sternly from the dressing area. Reluctantly they trickled away, leaving just a few members lingering at the outskirts of the space.

  “Are you able to continue?” David brushed Jennifer’s shoulder affectionately.

  “Of course, don’t worry. Nothing happened, just a brief moment of hysteria!” she gave a watery smile for the benefit of the unknowing members left in the room.

  “I’ll get the makeup crew back in to finish up and I’ll see you on set in one hour,” the director strode out.

  A young woman stepped forward clutching a coffee cup to her chest in one hand, a box of tissues in the other.

  “Here, Jen. I thought this would calm your nerves. Seth wanted to go through the script with you, if that’s okay?”

  A scrawny man standing in the corner nodded over at her nervously, as though frightened, she would jump out her seat and attack him. He had a limp mustache clinging to his sweaty upper lip and hair flopping over into his eye in a teenage fashion. Couldn’t be more than 25, Ace guessed. A floral shirt tucked into brown shorts were his bizarre fashion choice of the day.

  The last unaccounted figure in the room consisted of a slightly muscular man, his hair tied neatly in a black bun on his head. He wore a smart shirt, jeans and pointed boots and his emerald green eyes didn’t leave Jennifer for a second, not even when the assistant spoke.

  Another one to add to the suspect list. Although if we were adding people just on the way they stare at Jennifer, I would be on it too.

  Jennifer readjusted her dressing gown and spoke softly, “Of course, Seth, what do you want to go through?”

  Seth looked at Ace anxiously before speaking timidly, “Well, we are tweaking the ending slightly. We’ve added a couple of lines where he confesses his love to you. We thought it would add a bit more depth to your relationship before you take your life to join him in Heaven. It’s only a few minor changes, but I’ve got a copy of the script here for you.”

  “Thanks, Seth. I’ll have a look at it while the girls get me into character. James, anything I can do for you?” she turned her attention to the green-eyed man while Seth placed the script on her dressing table and scurried off.

  “Just wanted to check you’re alright,” he glared at Ace, “I noticed you’ve upped security around here. Everything okay?”

  Ace stared back blankly at James; he wasn’t going to give him an ounce of emotion, but he got a bad feeling from the guy. Jennifer raised from her seat and gave James a hug. Ace felt a stab of jealousy watching this man snake his arms around her waist. He wondered what Jennifer’s body would feel like pressed next to his.

  “Everything’s fine. It’s just with the ending of filming there’s an increased paparazzi presence around here, and I’m a little bit jumpy. You know they all want that little slip-up to spread across the front pages.”

  They released from the embrace, “You know I’ve got your back, Jenny. You don’t need to pay for muscles. I’ll sort these assholes out. Just say the word.”

  Jennifer giggled and swatted at his shoulder.

  “I’m pretty sure David can’t spare his right-hand man right now. Not with the finishing touches. Go work your magic on set. I’ll be out soon.”

  James squeezed her hand before turning and standing in front of Ace. Too close for comfort. He looked him up and down before silently striding from the room.

  It was just Jennifer, Ace, and the assistant left in the room now. The assistant looked in her early twenties, her curls entwined with gold highlights to compliment her tawny skin. She was clearly uneasy with Ace’s presence but held her own in front of her boss.

  “I’ll have your evening gown delivered after the shoot. I’ve rented
a tux for Mr. Bailey, and I will have that sent at the same time, if that’s okay, sir?” she looked at him for approval.

  Ace nodded and let the girl leave, a soft scent of roses following her. Jennifer smiled at him before picking up her chair from where it had fallen on the floor. That explains the crash at least. She gently placed herself in the chair and brushed loose hairs from her face. As if by magic, the makeup team appeared and started to fuss around her. Ace excused himself and went to resume his place outside the door. This time he wouldn’t make the mistake of moving and would personally monitor every individual entering and leaving the room.

  Once the rush of people into the room ebbed away, he pulled the envelope from his jacket pocket. On the front was the name ‘Jenny’. He opened the envelope carefully, making sure not to tear it so the contents were preserved. His calloused fingers opened the letter and he started to read:

  Dearest Jenny,

  Why do you fear me so? Soon we will be together and everything will be perfect. You don’t need new bodyguards when I protect you from the world. We’ll be etched into eternity, our love unmatched by any. There is nothing in this universe that will keep us apart. I will be with you soon, my love.

  Love forever and always,

  M x

  M – Exactly the same sign-off as the other letter he had read. He would have to read through the others tonight after the gala to ensure the rest were signed the same. He couldn’t be certain it was just one person acting alone. For them to have slipped through both studio security and his own guarding, they would have to have had some inside help. Once again, Ace glanced around the room, and his sight landed on James. As though the man could feel his gaze on him, he looked up from the documents he was reading and locked eyes. Even the look seemed like a challenge to Ace. James butted his chin out defiantly and went back to examining the papers in front of him. Who was this guy?

  Ace grabbed one of the assistants dashing past and pulled him to the side.