“There’s got to be something these girls have in common,” Chief Hammond said, the twitching of his foot giving away his agitation.
“We’re looking into it, sir,” Nick said. “So far we’ve come up with nothing apart from them all being models.”
“The media is all over that first one,” Steve commented. “At least they haven’t found out that the other two were models.”
“Yet,” Chief Hammond said grimly. “You can bet some snoop dog reporter will figure it out. Nick, I want you and Steve to put a team together. Figure out when and where he’s going to strike next. Let’s find this asshole and put him away. Dismissed.”
Chapter 2
Stepping out of the white stretch limousine with a confidence perfected after years of being in the public eye, Jayne Stapleton hoped she looked both graceful and elegant. It wasn’t easy in the skintight floor length gown and sky high heels she was currently wearing.
“Jayne. Over here.”
Jayne turned toward the waiting media, an automatic smile on her lips as the flashbulb went off. She posed again as more flashbulbs sparked around her, and despite the spots in her eyes her smile stayed firmly in place. The diamonds on the sparkling gown poked into the skin under her arms and her feet pinched from six-inch gold heels, but she ignored the pain as she glided down the long red carpet. Adam walked beside her and looked sinfully handsome as always. After six years, she should be used to his beauty. They were the perfect couple, proven by the popularity of the countless photo shoots they’d done together.
“When are you going to run away with me?” She turned to meet his eyes and laughed intimately.
“And leave all this?”
He grinned back as the cameras clicked excitedly in the background. The crowd buzzed around them. Were they a couple? Weren’t they? So far the tabloids hadn’t been able to determine anything for sure. Jayne planned to keep it that way for as long as she could. Despite her best efforts, pictures of them would be splashed across every tabloid and gossip magazine announcing their non-existent engagement for the millionth time tomorrow. While they’d never been a true romantic couple, it was fun pretending they were for the benefit of the press. Both had their own reasons for the deception and so far it had worked out perfectly.
Taking her arm, Adam led Jayne closer to the entrance where they were waylaid by a journalist covering the event.
“Jayne and Adam,” she said into a microphone branded with the Gossip Tonight logo. “Lovely to see you both here, together.”
“We’re happy to be here supporting the Dolphins,” Jayne said. “It’s just disgraceful how they are kept in captivity. I for one will never go to Earth’s Oceans theme park again.”
“Right you are my dear,” Adam said. “Dolphins are such intelligent creatures. It’s a shame humans have been so cruel to them.”
“We all are so glad to see you both come out in support of such an important cause,” the GT reporter, Lisa something, said. “But I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t point out that this is the fifth event you two have attended together in the past month. Is there something more I should know about your relationship?”
Jayne laughed coyly and glanced up at Adam to see him gazing lovingly down at her.
“Nothing we’d like to share at this time,” she said, a big fake smile plastered on her face.
“You’ll be the first to know if there’s something to report,” Adam said and taking Jayne’s arm again, led her away from the reporter and toward the entrance.
Once they were inside and seated at the table they shared with three other celebrity couples, Jayne heaved a sigh of relief. The evening wasn’t over yet, but the hardest part had gone smoothly. She hated talking to reporters. Put her in front of a camera and she could pose like the professional model she was, but talking to reporters always made her nervous. She always felt like they’d be able to discover the secrets she was desperately trying to keep hidden. The biggest secret was her relationship with Adam. Why did it have to be anyone else’s business anyway?
“Can I get you a drink?”
Jayne looked up at Adam and nodded gratefully. “White wine spritzer would be great.”
Adam walked over to the bar and then she turned her attention to the rest of the room. Other celebrities and people with money to burn clustered around tables and crowded the dance floor. The other couples assigned to their table hadn’t arrived yet so Jayne spent a few minutes speculating who might be joining them. She didn’t have long to wait.
“Hi Jayne”
“Rocko.” She was delighted to be sharing a table with another model she’d done a cover shoot with a few months ago. Standing, she air-kissed him and then turned to greet his partner, Matt.
“I haven’t seen you guys in a while,” she said.
“I know,” Rocko sat next to her, propping an Armani suit clad elbow on the cream-colored tablecloth and resting his chin on his perfectly manicured fist. “So tell me, have you managed to change your single status since last we met?”
“You always want to know the latest gossip,” Jayne said with a laugh, picking up her water glass. “It’s still just me and Adam.”
“How sad.” Rocko looked disappointed. “When is he going to come out already?”
“You know how he feels about that.” Jayne looked over to where Adam was heading their way, carrying their drinks, and wondered what was taking him so long.
“Adam doesn’t want to lose his fan support.”
“That’s bullshit,” Matt said, stabbing the air with the toothpick he’d been using to eat fruit. “Nowadays it doesn’t hurt your career, in many ways it actually helps.”
“If he stays in the closet too long, it’s just going to piss off his fan base when he finally does come out,” Rocko agreed.
Jayne sighed. She’d had this conversation with Adam a million times. She agreed with Rocko and Matt in some ways, but supported him. Adam’s coming out was long overdue, but he was frustratingly stubborn. It was his career, so she kept her mouth shut. Unfortunately she wasn’t sure just how long his secret was going to stay secret, especially if other people kept finding out. Rocko and Matt had kept quiet so far, but it was only a matter of time before they did or said something to reveal his secret.
“That’s for Adam to decide,” she said. “Besides as long as he’s ‘dating’ me, I don’t have to worry about men who won’t take no for an answer. There’s something about dating a five-time Tae Kwan Do national champion that keeps men from bothering me.”
“God, he’s hot,” Rocko said and took a sip of his martini. “Those biceps alone are enough to make me want to–”
“I don’t want to hear your sick fantasies about my best friend,” Jayne said holding up a hand to stop him and laughed. “He’s like the brother I never had. Ew!”
Rocko and Matt looked at each other and joined her laughter. They’d known Jayne and Adam for a few years and while they weren’t close friends they had gone out together as a foursome a few times. It hadn’t taken them long to discover Adam’s secret and they’d been after him to come out ever since.
“Hey boys,” Adam sat next to Jayne, setting her drink down in front of her. “Are you trying to corrupt her again?”
“Always,” Matt said with a grin. “The question is, can we corrupt you?”
“Promises, promises,” Adam smiled back.
Jayne took a sip and watched the two men thoughtfully. It seemed