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Stonewall handed the phone to him. Kane examined the images with a critical eye.
Lexi had been sunbathing by the pool, a pair of shades hiding most of her face. Her skin glistened from a recent swim, hair wet and twisted to one side much as she’d had it a few moments ago. It took only a few more moments to recognize the terrace behind the pool and the bank of bushes beside it. After all, it hadn’t been that long ago that he’d considered hiding in them.
The photographs had been taken of Lexi while she had been at home.
And with that sudden realization, their reactions made even more sense.
Home was meant to be safe from prying eyes, yet it had now been invaded in the most terrifying of ways. If they could take pictures like these, what more did they have? Videos of the family or the famous actress in her most private moments?
And then there was the other very real concern: what if photographs and videos weren’t all they were after…
What if they really wanted to hurt the family?
“How did they get them?”Lexi directed her question at him, finally coming out of her daze.
Studying the slightly grainy images, he mentally did the calculations.
“From the position of the sun in correspondence to your terrace, I’d say with a wide-zoom lens from a West-facing vantage point.”
“So they weren’t actually on our property?” Stonewall seemed eager for this to be the case and Kane couldn’t blame the man: no one wanted to thinktheir loved ones were at risk.
“Impossible to say without further investigation but it’s highly unlikely someone would take the unnecessary risk of being discovered when you could do the same job — legally — from outside your fence.”
Technically, this was true, though taking the previous threats into account, the ones Stonewall had forbidden their company to speak of, he was more inclined to believe otherwise.
His answer caused some of the tension to leave Lexi’s face. She tucked a strand of loose hair behind an ear and licked her dry lips.
“If you hire my firm, the first thing I’ll do is to take a nice, long walk around the property with my dog, Bud. It’s amazing what traces people leave behind that a specially trained dog can pick up, traces that would otherwise be missed by a human.”
“Are we hiring more security because of this? But it only just happened. How did you know?”Lexi was quick to put two and two together.
Stonewall didn’t blink when he answered. “Your mother and I had already been discussing the possibility of changing our security, as wefelt it wasn’t up to scratch. I think today’s events have proven our concerns right.”
He paused, eyes sliding across the room to his wife. They shared a meaningful look before Mandy took over the conversation.
“With this new turn of events, I think it’s best if we hire a personal bodyguard for you.”
Lexi sat up straighter, looking even more startled. “No. I don’t need a bodyguard.”
“We’ll feel much happier if you have one,” Stonewall explained, spreading his hands wide. “Your mom already has her team, but I think we should both have our own now too.”
“It’s just some creep making a fast buck at my expense. How does this warrant my needing protection?”
The question hung heavy in the air. Kane waited for her parents to spill the entire story, but they stayed silent.
“We’ve given this a lot of thought, Lexi. I know it’s not what you want, but it’s better to be safe, don’t you think?” Mandy attempted to soften the blow.
Lexi’s shoulders fell, the wind knocked out of her. “But I’m no one. The only interesting thing about me is the two of you. No one would want to threaten me.”
The fact she thought this about herself spoke volumes, and cut Mandy to the quick. The movie star visibly flinched, though Lexi — staring blindly at the floor now — missed it. Mandy’s fingers interlaced on her lap, knuckles clenched in a death grip.
“That’s not true,” Mandy started, only for Lexi to shut her down with a look.
“Mom, please. I don’t need fake platitudes. I’m a grown woman and I don’t need a bodyguard. I can handle myself.”
“The matter has already been decided. I’m sorry you’re not comfortable with it, but now that the world knows your face, it’s a necessary step. We can discuss this again at a later date, but for now, this is happening.” Stonewall’s voice brokered no argument, and Lexi must have known it, as all the fight suddenly left her.
Stonewall forced himself to stand taller, assuming an air of control even if he didn’t quite feel it himself. While he was used to the odd catastrophe at work, trouble at home was something he’d not dealt with before. This was an entirely new and most unwelcome development.
