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“Not sure.”
“Follow me to my trailer so I can grab my things so we can get out of here,” I order, both of us jogging to my trailer and I run in to grab my cell phone and clothes. When I look at my phone to see if Jenna has called me, I see I have missed calls from both Chase and Robert, but not her.
“Mr. Harrington!” I hear my name being yelled while walking out of my trailer. “Is everything okay?” The same assistant from earlier asks while running toward us.
“I need to leave and tend to a family emergency. Please tell James I won’t be in tomorrow.” He confirms that he will give my message to the director then Chase and I head to my car. I bark orders to my driver to take us to Jenna’s and as soon as we get in the car, he speeds out of the lot.
“Where the fuck is her bodyguard, Harrington?” My jaw clenches at Chase’s accusatory tone of voice and I give him a scowl.
“I’ve been working on it for fucking weeks now, Chase. There’s no bloody bodyguard surplus store where I can just pluck one from a fucking rack,” I sneer while I pull out my cell phone and dial Mason’s number, Jenna’s new bodyguard.
I keep calling him until he finally picks up. “I need you here tonight,” I demand of him. “We had a situation with the paparazzi, and she needs protectionnow.” I give him Jenna’s address and tell him to meet me in the lobby of her building in one hour. After I hang up with him, I sit back and try to calm my fury.
“Why would Salari do this?” I question, not understanding his motives or what he thinks he would gain out of this.
“I honestly don’t know. I’ve never seen him pull anything like he did tonight.”
“Yeah, well he won’t get away with it,” I promise in a menacing voice. “Let me see the video.”
Chase unlocks his phone, taps on his photos app and starts to play the video for me. My jaw clenches and the more I watch, the more I grind my teeth to the point I’m surprised I haven’t cracked them. She was completely surrounded and on the ground like a wounded animal.
“There’s one thing though,” Chase comments as the video ends and he rewinds it to the beginning. “He never laid a hand on her. He will probably say she was drunk and fell because by the time I got to her, she was already on the ground.”
“What are you saying? That you think he’ll get away with this?” I ask incredulously because I will do everything in my damn power to make sure he pays.
“He might. Depends on how good his lawyer is.”
“No fucking way,” I snarl in disgust at the possibility of him getting off scott free.
“I’ve seen it happen before. Just trying to prepare you. You have enough evidence for a restraining order against him and all his cronies and that might be all you can get.”
We pull into the circle of Jenna’s building, and I don’t even bother responding as I jump out of the car. I can see Robert talking to Detective Andrews through the glass windows.
“Why are you down here and not upstairs with Jenna?” I ask as soon as I reach them.
“Because Jenna and Avery are asleep, and we don’t want to wake them.” Robert responds in a tired voice. His hair is disheveled as if he’s been pulling at it all night.
“I’ve got both yours and Mr. Wilson’s statements recorded, but tomorrow I will need to get Ms. Pruitt’s,” the detective tells Robert. He turns to me and shakes my hand. “Mr. Harrington, I’m hoping you’ll persuade Ms. Pruitt to press charges?”
“Ab-so-fucking-lutely we are pressing charges,” I confirm because there’s no way I’m letting these bastards get away with what they did.
“Very good. Then I will see you both tomorrow.” He nods at us and walks out.
“Why were you not with her when she left?” I demand, needing to know his side of the story.
He lets out a tired breath and rubs his eyes with his fists. “Jenna was ready to go before Layla and I were, but I was going to walk her home. She assured me that she was going to take a taxi and that she didn’t need me, because normally, there are taxis waiting right outside for patrons. I checked outside first and saw plenty of taxis and no paparazzi. Jenna went to the bathroom during that time and when she came back, we parted ways. But she must have changed her mind as soon as she got outside and saw no one was around. I decided to leave ten minutes later and that is when I saw the commotion a couple blocks toward her place and ran over.” He rakes his hand through his hair and when he glances back at me, it looks like he’s fighting tears. “I’m sorry, Cal. She told me she was taking a cab. I should’ve made sure and walked her out and watched her.”
I sigh out in frustration, put my hands behind my neck and look up at the ceiling before responding. “It’s not your fault, Robert,” I say in resignation, looking back down at him and lowering my arms. I know he feels like shit about it and is taking the blame. “You didn’t know she was going to change her mind.”
He swallows and nods but doesn’t look convinced. “I’ve never seen her like that,” he whispers and glances down at his hands. “She looked so small and fragile when Chase was carrying her. I’ve never seen her that scared in all the years I’ve known her.”
I close my eyes and clench my jaw, my hands balling into fists wanting to punch something…preferably Danny Salari. As much as I want to hurt that man for what he did, me being behind bars is the last thing any of us needs right now.
“This will never happen again,” I vow and look him dead set in the eyes. “Her bodyguard will be here any minute and I don’t fucking care if she doesn’t like it.”
Robert nods and says, “Good, I’m glad he’s finally coming.”
“I’m still going to keep Chase on even with the bodyguard,” I tell Robert, who looks uneasy at that news.
