Close To Her Asian Billionaire

“I don’t get how they got in.” Carla picked her way through the wreckage. “This place needs a key card to get in and only residents have those. Everyone else has to be buzzed in.”

“Chances are they sneaked in behind someone who legitimately came into the building.” Luke leaned against the wall and folded his arms. “Who do you think did this?”

“Any amount of husbands I’ve caught in the act.” Carla replied. “Wives ditto. A few fraudsters…” She trailed off when she realized what Luke was implying. She faced him with her hands on her hips. “You think it’s something regarding Jason Liu.”

“It could be his people telling you this is what happens when you poke your nose into their business.”

But Carla was already shaking her head.

“Jason wouldn’t send someone after me.”

This was getting her confused. She couldn’t link the man who had kissed her and cared for her after a panic attack with this attack on her apartment. Only a psychopath would do something like this and Jason was certainly not psychopath.

“How do you know?” Luke demanded. “I know you’re going on dates with him but please be careful. He could su*k you in.”

“I’ve been warned about that once already.” Carla grunted.

“They could have a point.”

Carla groaned and ran her fingers through her hair. A headache was coming on and driving her mad.

“It’s not Jason.” She said again with certainty.

“Let’s hope that’s the case.” Luke looked like he didn’t believe her but he didn’t say anything. “Or you’re going to get into deeper trouble going out with him.” He took out his phone and swiped it open. “When are you talking to his employees?”

“I’ve spoken to half of them already. I’m going to start with the other half on Monday. And I’ll keep you updated.” She added when Luke opened his mouth.

Luke chuckled and put his phone to his ear, moving into the bedroom. Then Carla heard another phone going off. She dug into her bag and retrieved her cell. She didn’t recognize the number but that didn’t mean anything.

God, let it not be a cold caller at this time.

Nevertheless she answered.

“Carla Romaine.”

“It’s Joanie Oldham.” The woman on the other end sounded breathless. “Can you come and bail me out?”

“Bail you out?” Carla was confused. “Where are you?”

“I’m in jail. I…” Joanie sounded embarrassed. She spoke in a tiny voice. “I vandalized Richard Stevens’ car.”

Carla groaned. The damn woman didn’t know when to stay out of things.

“Joanie.”

“I’m sorry but he called me and started calling me every name under the sun. I got so mad I went around to have it out with him.”

“So you took it out on the car instead?” Carla pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. “What did I say to you the other day?”

“Yeah, yeah, just come and get me out of here.”

Then Joanie hung up. Carla stared at her cell phone, wondering what she had really got herself into. The bloody woman was going to jeopardize everything and she didn’t seem to care.

It was beginning to feel like she had more to worry about when it came to her client rather than the target.

*****

The cops were very pleasant. Carla knew several of them from previous cases and managed to have a few light-hearted moments with some banter as she signed the paperwork for Joanie’s bail. It raised the tone of the evening for just a short while.

But it went back down again when Joanie was brought out. She was wearing a green jumpsuit that looked far too expensive for her and high heels. Her hair was loose about her shoulders and her eyes were red, her make-up smudged. Exchanging a look with the custody sergeant, who gave Carla a sympathetic look, Carla strode over to the woman and took her arm.

“Come on.”

She virtually hauled the silent woman out to her car and bundled her in. Her blood was boiling as she went around to the driver’s side, watching Joanie buckle herself into her seat and stare out the window. She looked like she was being subjected to unfairness by everyone, believing everyone was at fault except for herself.

Carla hated those kinds of people.

It wasn’t until they were on the main road driving back to Miami Shores that Carla spoke.

“Did anything I said to you get into your head?” She demanded.

“I got a nasty phone call. What was I supposed to do?”

“Call the police. Say you’re being harassed.”

Joanie snorted and stared sulkily out the window.

“The police won’t do anything. He hasn’t issued any threats, just disgusting language. And he has money,” she sneered. “So he’ll be able to buy his way out of there.”

Carla ignored the jab at her cop friends. None of them would take a bribe and they wouldn’t be impressed by Richard Stevens’ wealth. Those men came down hard on those who tried to buy their way out.

“Then you should’ve called me. I would’ve done something. You don’t go over and get your own back by smashing his car up.”

“He deserved it.”

“And that justifies what you did?” Carla gritted her teeth, fighting back her temper. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. “You pull a stunt like that again and I’m dropping the case. You’ll have to find someone else to do it.”

She could feel Joanie’s surprise from her side of the car. Evidently Joanie hadn’t thought Carla would even consider walking away. A lot of people believed if they hired a private eye then that PI would do anything they said and get them out of trouble. Basically, a highly paid babysitter. Carla was not one of those people and she wasn’t going to deal with Joanie pissing about.

“Your boss said you’d do it.”

“There’s a limit to what I will do and you’re pushing it. Do something stupid again and you’ll be looking for someone else to find the proof you need.”

Carla didn’t like the thought of walking away when she wanted to help Jason, get him out of the mess he had ended up in unwittingly. But she wasn’t going to let Joanie dictate what she did.

“You’re just looking for an easy way out.” Joanie sneered at her. “Your boss also said you were looking to get out of any job he assigned to you.”

“That’s usually because I’ve ended up with a client who kept leering at me and expects me to sleep with him.” It was amazing Carla hadn’t brought several lawsuits of s*xual harassment on the man and the clients he forced her to work for. “This one isn’t on him. I’m not babysitting an unstable client.”

“I’m unstable?” Joanie shrieked.

“You must be if you don’t heed my warnings. Either that or incredibly stupid.” Carla glanced at Joanie, who was staring at her in amazement. Clearly she hadn’t expected Carla to argue back. Carla was not the hired help and she always made sure her clients knew that. “I’m dealing with it, Joanie, so keep yourself out of it. I don’t want anyone involved to figure out who hired me or you could be in trouble. You might end up seriously injured or dead. Do you understand?”

Nothing like a little scare to bring the reality home to someone. Joanie lapsed into silence. Carla glanced over and saw that she was slumped in her seat, arms folded like a stroppy teenager with a scowl as she looked out the window. For a grown woman she seemed to have the mentality of a spoiled child. Her parents had probably given her more free rein than she was supposed to have and she took advantage of it.

Carla didn’t lie down and roll over for those sorts of people. Not her style.

It wasn’t long before they pulled up outside Joanie’s condo. Carla put the handbrake on, leaned across Joanie, and opened her door.

“Now get in and stay in there.” She ordered. “If something happens you call me. Don’t deal with it yourself.”

Joanie didn’t answer. She simply climbed out, slamming the door hard. Carla didn’t bother with her tantrums. She drove away without waiting to see that Joanie went inside.

Against her professional attitude but tonight she really didn’t care.