"I don't know for sure, but I've never heard anything to the contrary. Jimmy is smart, and he moves around a lot. I'm not sure he can be caught."

  "Everyone can be caught."

  "You've never met Jimmy. He's like a shadow or a ghost. One minute he's there, and then he's gone, and it's like he didn't even exist."

  "But he's not a ghost. He's a human, a criminal, who will one day make a mistake."

  "Maybe so. But I don't think he's behind my gaslighting. It has to be someone else, possibly someone who was hurt by Jimmy. And perhaps I was involved." I paused. "There's something else I didn't tell you, Ethan. When I went into the office today, my video light on my computer was on. That can't be a coincidence either, right?"

  "Now that might be something you could get checked. If someone hacked into your computer camera, there could be a trail."

  "Who would I find to do that?"

  "An IT person at your work?" he suggested.

  "I can't bring this to work, not until I know what's going on. I can't give them a reason to cut me from the upcoming movie."

  He frowned. "Well, I have a friend who might be able to look at your computer."

  "Really? Do you think your friend could come to my office tomorrow? It's Sunday, and the office should be empty. It would be the perfect time to look at the computer."

  "You don't ask much, do you?" he said dryly.

  "I know. I'm asking for a lot of help. I'm just feeling a little desperate to get some control over what's going on in my life."

  "I can make a call. But then, I need to be done, Emily. I'm sorry. I just don't have the time to dig into this, and you'd be better off hiring someone. You need help."

  "I understand, and I appreciate all that you're doing for me." I paused. "You're a good guy."

  He smiled. "I try to be."

  "How long have you been a security guard?"

  "Awhile," he said vaguely.

  "Did you do something else before?"

  "I was in the Marine Corps. I did my stint and when I got out, I decided to do something else."

  "Like become a security guard."

  "Yes."

  "How long have you been working at the jewelry store? I thought I saw an older guy out in front last week. Or do you only work part-time?"

  "That was Stan. He had to take some time off, so I'm filling in."

  "Then it's a temporary job?"

  "Probably. I'm not making a lot of plans these days. I go with the flow."

  "I can't imagine what that feels like. I start every day with a plan. Which is why all these unpredictable events are maddening."

  "Having heard how you grew up, I can understand why you need control over your life. But control is a funny thing, isn't it?"

  "What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

  "It's mostly illusion. Even when you think you have it, you don't. There's always something unexpected that could happen. You can't plan for everything."

  I reflected on his somewhat dark words, on what little he'd told me about his life. "Did you see combat, Ethan?"

  "Yes. I was deployed several times."

  "Did you like being a Marine?" I asked curiously.

  "It was a growing experience," he said. "I probably should have thought longer about enlisting than I did, which was about a minute."

  "Really? It wasn't a lifelong ambition to be in the Marine Corps?"

  "God, no!" He shook his head. "I enlisted when I was eighteen because I wanted to get out of the house, out of our neighborhood, and there was no money to go anywhere else."

  "Where did you grow up?"

  "I think we've shared enough personal information."

  I was disappointed at the abrupt cutoff. "Hey, I told you my life story."

  "But I didn't ask," he said pointedly. Then he glanced down at his phone. "We also don't have time. Tom is here. I'll let him in."

  While I was relieved that the locksmith had arrived, I was a little sorry our conversation had been interrupted. I would have liked to know more about him. Not that it mattered. Ethan had made it clear that he couldn't wait to be done with my problems, and I couldn't blame him. I couldn't wait to be done with them, too.

  Chapter Nine

  As he went downstairs to let the locksmith in, I cleared the table. Ethan had finished eating, and I still wasn't hungry. Maybe later, I'd heat it up.

  When the men entered my unit, Ethan introduced me to Tom, a stocky guy with a big frame and a big voice. He gave my hand a hard, almost painful shake and then got to work.

  While Tom and Ethan were focused on changing my lock, I sat down at my computer and did what I always did when things got too muddled in my mind: I made a list. And this list was comprised of possible suspects. I started with Mitchell Gray, adding his wife, Tara, next to his name. I thought about who else had been with us in Australia, and added three more names from that trip, only because they hadn't been particularly welcoming to me when I'd taken over for Mitchell.

  Then I moved on to my company, starting with the top. Francine was my mentor. She wouldn't tear me down. David Valenti and Curtis Nolan barely had anything to do with me, and my stock had gone up with both of them after I'd proved my value on The Opal King.

  I looked at the next level of coworkers. Jonah was my peer but also one of my best friends. The other associate producers were all fairly new hires, no one who would have reason to dislike me. It wasn't like I'd jumped over any of them. But I wrote down all their names. And then I got to my assistant, Kaitlyn.

  I'd hired her three months ago, and while I thought her work was all over the place, she had a lot of enthusiasm, and we got along well. But it bothered me she'd had private conversations with Ashton that I hadn't known about, and that she had partied with him and his friend Liam last night. She had also spoken to Mitchell and told him about the lunch with Natasha. In addition, Kaitlyn had access to my computer, my phone, my purse, and my keys…

  My pulse sped up at the idea that Kaitlyn could be involved. She could have made a copy of my key. On the other hand, what would Kaitlyn have to gain by messing with me? I was giving her opportunities. It wasn't like I was keeping her down.

  Unless Mitchell had put her up to it? Maybe he was using her to get to me.

  I was still thinking about that when I realized Tom and Ethan were testing out my lock. I got to my feet and joined them.

  "All done?" I asked.

  "Yep," Tom said, giving me a smile. "You're good to go."

  "Thank you go so much. I really appreciate you coming out on a Saturday night."

  "My wife was happy to get me out of the house for a few hours," Tom joked. "She likes to catch up on her reality TV shows on the weekends and doesn't enjoy my doubleheader baseball games."

  "Is Kirsten still working in the ER?" Ethan asked.

  "Yes, and she loves it," Tom replied. "Speaking of jobs, what are you doing these days, Ethan? I ran into Landon a few weeks ago, and he said you were working as a bouncer somewhere."

  "That was a few weeks ago," Ethan said with a shrug.

  "And before that, you were working at a surf shop? When are you going to settle into something?" Tom quizzed, a somewhat worried gleam in his eyes.

  "Who knows? I enjoy mixing it up," Ethan said lightly.

  "You didn't used to," Tom said.

  "Well, I do now," Ethan replied, making it clear that he wanted Tom to drop it.

  "Okay, then, but if you decide you want some longer-term work, my brother-in-law's construction firm is getting busy. He could use some labor."

  "I'll keep it in mind. What do I owe you for tonight?"

  "Actually, I'll pay," I interrupted. "My door, my lock, my problem."

  Tom gave me a curious look, as if he wasn't sure what my relationship was to Ethan. Then he said, "Okay. How about twenty bucks?"

  "That's all?" I asked in surprise.

  "You get the friends and family discount."

  I should have told him that Ethan and I were not friends or family, but that would only necessitate explanations, which I didn't want to make. Since Ethan hadn't corrected Tom, I just said, "All right. If you're sure."

  "I am."

  I paused, suddenly realizing I had no cash. "I only have a credit card, or I could pay you on an app if you have one. My wallet was stolen last night, and I haven't been to the bank yet."

  "I've got this," Ethan said, pulling a twenty-dollar bill out of his wallet. "You can pay me back later," he added as I gave him an apologetic look.

  "I will pay you back, Ethan. And thanks again, Tom."

  "No problem. It sounded like you needed this done right away, so stay safe." He handed me two new keys.

  "I'm going to try," I said.

  "Ethan—don't be a stranger," Tom said. "Let's get a beer soon."

  "We will," Ethan promised.

  As Tom left, Ethan closed and locked the door behind him. "Do you feel better now?"

  "Much better, and I will not let either of these keys out of my sight."

  "Good idea."

  "So you were working as a bouncer before the security guard job?"

  "Yes."

  "Why did you stop?"

  He shrugged. "I got bored."

  "What will you do when the other guard comes back to the jewelry store?"

  "Don't know. Like I said earlier, I'm enjoying living my life without having a plan. I don't live to work. I work to live."

  "But what if there isn't enough work to pay for living the way you want to? I've been in that position. I didn't like it at all. I swore I would never end up with an empty bank account and not knowing where my next paycheck was coming from."

  "Your life is different than mine. And that's okay. I should get going. How are you feeling about being here alone tonight?"

  I was feeling worried and edgy, but I couldn't ask Ethan to babysit me. "I'll be okay," I said, trying to mean it. "No one has actually hurt me, not physically anyway…not even the guy who robbed me last night. They're just trying to mess with my mind. Right?"

  "Right," he said, but there wasn't a lot of certainty in his voice. "I'm not working tomorrow. The store is closed, so I'll give my computer expert a call and see if we can check out your computer while your office is empty."

  "That would be great. I promise not to ask for more."

  He smiled. "I don't think you should make that promise."

  "I know you want to be done with me, Ethan."

  "It's not personal. I like my life to be simple, and yours is very complicated."

  "I can't argue with that. Let's exchange numbers," he said. "I'll call you tomorrow and let you know what I find out."

  "Great."

  I gave him my number.

  He sent me a quick text, then said, "Good night, Emily."

  "Good night."

  He stepped into the hall, and I locked the door behind him, feeling a cold and somewhat familiar chill as he departed. I'd thought I'd left this feeling of dread and uncertainty in my childhood, that I'd taken control of my life. But Ethan was right. My control had just been an illusion.

  Shaking my head, I moved back to the computer, determined to get some control back. I needed to do something proactive, but I didn't know exactly what.

  As my fingers hovered above the keyboard, I found myself typing in Ethan's name.

  Nothing popped up, or at least nothing that had to do with the man I knew. There were lots of Ethan Burkes with active social media profiles, but not him. I probably shouldn't be surprised. He didn't seem like someone who would post photos of his life.

  When I added the word marine to my search, I got a hit on an article in the San Diego Journal about a shooting at a bar where a marine was killed, a man named Steven Harbison. A second marine, Ethan Burke, was injured. I gasped at that piece of information, then read on, feeling a sense of dread. The shooters had escaped and had not been identified. Anyone in the vicinity was encouraged to call in with any information. The article was five years old.

  I searched for additional updates on that shooting, but I couldn’t find anything. Obviously, Ethan had recovered. But I wondered what had happened and how that incident had affected him.

  Maybe that’s why he'd gotten a dark look in his eyes when he'd told me that control was just an illusion, that when you thought you had everything right where you wanted it, something unexpected could happen.

  Finding nothing more on the shooting, I went further back in time, eventually stumbling upon a photo of the two men taken when they were teenagers. They'd gone to high school together, played on the same baseball team, and apparently had ended up in the Marine Corps. Ethan looked young and carefree in the picture, but that had been before he'd seen war, before he'd lost his friend. He must have been devastated.

  I sat back in my chair, feeling guilty for spying on him. Ethan had helped me because he was a good guy, and here I was, digging into his life. My excuse was that I needed to know who he was because I'd told him so much about myself, but that wasn't completely true. I was just intrigued by Ethan and his story. But I needed to let him tell me the rest of it himself. Not that that would probably happen. He'd agreed to get his computer expert to look at my computer, but that was it. I was on my own after that, and I needed to be okay with that. He'd already done more for me than anyone else.

  I shook my head, annoyed with myself for getting caught up in Ethan when I should have spent the last hour looking into the other people in my life.

  My phone buzzed, drawing my attention to an incoming text from Cassie. Damn! She was persistent. I hadn't heard from her in ten years, and she'd texted me twice since the party.

  Alina said she can do lunch Tuesday. We're thinking Silverman's on the Sunset Strip. Can you join us at noon? We really want to see you. Please say you'll make it.

  I stared at the text for a long minute, not sure what to say. I had fond memories of Alina, and I wouldn't mind seeing her again. But I didn't trust Cassie, and I didn't like that they were suddenly back in my life again at the exact same time someone was working really hard to scare me.

  Cassie texted again: We won't take no for an answer, Emily.

  The more she pushed, the more I wanted to say she would have to take a no. But if she was the one trying to get back at me for something, wouldn't it be better if I played along?

  Jimmy had always told me to keep my enemies close. I didn't know if either of them was an enemy or just an unwelcome reminder of my past, but either way, I might as well play it out.

  I picked up my phone and texted: I'd love to do lunch. See you then.

  My reply was met by a smiley face. The emoji should have made me feel better, that this was just a normal interaction between old high school friends, but it didn't feel normal. Nothing in my life did.

  I went to my office at four o'clock on Sunday afternoon to meet Ethan and his computer expert. I'd tried to distract myself during the day with work, reading through two scripts that Kaitlyn had pulled out of the slush pile for my attention. What I really wanted to work on was the new draft of Aces High, but Roy wouldn't get that to me until tomorrow.

  When I arrived, I was surprised to see Jonah back in the conference room. I stopped in the doorway. "I thought you were going to Newport today."

  Jonah sighed, his usual smile missing. "Palmer and I had a disagreement. He decided today was not the day to introduce me to his parents."

  "Sorry." I gave him a sympathetic smile.

  He shrugged. "I'm thinking Palmer will always find an excuse."

  "Have you asked him why he's reluctant?"

  "He says his parents can be difficult, and he wants to find the right time for all of us to gather. But I'm good with parents. I don't know what he's worried about. It's like he doesn't trust me to use the right fork or something."

  "I'm sure that's not it." I didn't enjoy seeing Jonah down. He was usually the happiest person in the office, and the one individual I could count on to cheer me up.

  "We'll see," he said. "What are you doing here?"

  I hesitated, realizing I was going to need a reason for my Sunday afternoon meeting. "A friend of mine wants me to hear a pitch from a friend of his."

  "The old friend of a friend deal," he said, a knowing gleam in his eyes. "I thought you had a policy against mixing business and friendship."

  "I owe him a favor, so I said I'd hear his friend out. I thought it would be easier to do it today when I'm not busy with other things. Roy is supposed to get his revised script back to me tomorrow. And if it's all good, we'll be able to get going on pre-production and casting."

  Jonah leaned back in his chair. "I hear Ashton wants a role."

  My gaze narrowed. "Let me guess—Kaitlyn told you that. I'm beginning to realize she has a very big mouth."

  "She talks too much," Jonah agreed. "But she's excited about her job. Don't you remember how overly energized we were when we first started working here? We were constantly thrilled by every star who came into the office."

  "That's true," I admitted.

  "What are you going to do about Ashton? Will you let him audition?"

  "It won't be up to me. Ashton spoke to Mitchell about the role after the party Friday night. Since Mitchell will direct, he'll have the final say."

  "I heard Mitchell is now in charge. It should be your job, Emily."

  "Thanks for saying that." I sat down in a chair at the table as I waited for Ethan to text me when he was downstairs. "I wish Francine and David felt that way."

  "They're probably conflicted. They know you're good, but Mitchell is a power player."

  "I'm aware," I said with a sigh.

  "You may not want to hear this, Emily, but you might need to leave this company to get what you deserve. Francine, David, and Curtis consider Mitchell to be their "guy". He has made three films with them that garnered Oscar nominations. He will always be ahead of you."

  "Well, he can't direct every movie."

  "He'll get the big ones. And you won't get the smaller films, because you'll be assigned to help him look good."

  Jonah's words echoed my thoughts. But I'd been with Holly Roads Productions since I'd graduated from college. I'd never worked anywhere else. I was comfortable here. It was almost like a home, a family…albeit a dysfunctional family. But still better than any I'd had. "Francine has assured me I'll get my chance. And I believe her. She has always given me opportunities."