AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After some vague explanations, I finally send Ozzy away. He has to return to the arena for the game and has no choice but to leave. Not thirty seconds after he's out the door, my phone buzzes with angry but concerned texts from Ryan. Thirty seconds after that, Tyra calls.
"Hi, Tyra," I answer with a sudden wave of exhaustion.
"Is it true?"
"We don't know yet," I sigh, rubbing my temples. "I can't think of anyone else who has a grudge against me. Holly is calling a friend in now to come to look at it."
Holly is on her phone with Payton. As a police officer, she would know what to do in this situation. Hopefully, she can help.
"Have you spoken to Randy at all recently?" I ask.
"No," she sighs. "Ever since the news broke about the hush money and controlling personality, he's basically been blackballed in Hollywood. He's lost all his clients."
Tyra hesitates for a minute before continuing.
"There's more," she says grimly. "When I found out Randy was paying people off, I had my new manager go through my finances to see where he got the money. Randy's been stealing from me. There's a warrant out for his arrest, but the police can't find him."
"How much?" I ask. My stomach is in knots. This is so much worse than I could have imagined.
"Over the last five years, he's stolen over three million dollars. He passed it off as charity donations and fraudulent tax payments."
Three million dollars! That amount of money blows my mind. I've never seen that type of money outside of random figures on paper and bank statements. Why would he need that much cash?
"Where did it all go?"
"We don't know," Tyra continues. "I've always suspected Randy has a drug problem, but it's Hollywood. Lots of people use drugs, and I never said anything. When I started working with Randy, I was young and stupid, trying to make my way in an industry that chews women up and spits them out, and afterwards, I didn't see a point. Randy was always an asshole, and I didn't want to make things worse."
"Okay, so let me get this straight. Randy is missing, he has a warrant out for his arrest because he's embezzled over three million dollars from you—how rich are you that you don't notice that much money missing?—he may or may not have a drug problem, and it's possible that, in his unhinged mind, I'm to blame for all this?"
Tyra goes silent on the phone. She doesn't need to answer. It was a rhetorical question.
This is insane! At first, I thought Randy was just a sleazeball, but now that I know he's embroiled in illegal shit, who knows what the hell he'll do next. This is so fucked up.
I think I'm going to be sick. I hang up the phone with Tyra clutching my stomach while sitting at my desk. We've sent everyone home except Holly and Spenser, hoping he can describe the delivery guy that brought the box to our office.
Moments later, Payton Kane and another two officers in uniform stroll into my office. She's in street clothes, most likely because she does undercover work. Payton has an incredible ability to blend in with her surroundings, especially for someone who looks like she does. She's tall and fit, with a fantastic rack that often works to her benefit when dealing with men.
When she worked here, Holly and I thought she was a complete blonde ditz. It wasn't until after she revealed her identity that we realized everything we thought about her was false, including her hair colour. Payton has reddish brown hair that she pulls back into a messy ponytail and light green eyes with flecks of gold.
She takes one look at the black box on my desk and nods to her partners, face commanding and stern.
"Thank you for coming, Payton," I say, giving her a small hug that she returns. Her solidness and strength are comforting. She has a no-nonsense air about her and a way of making people feel safe.
"Any time," she smiles. "Although, maybe we can skip the threats and unhinged men next time."
I laugh awkwardly before sitting down with her. She takes notes as I describe everything that's happened here today and every interaction I've ever had with Randy Johnson.
Payton and her team carefully take the box, the rose and everything else and place them into evidence bags. After it's all done, she comes back into my office and sits in the chair opposite me.
"You two ladies are beacons for trouble," she jokes lightly. When we don't say anything, she continues. "Look, try not to worry. We'll have police dressed in street clothes around the building at all times. There are already police all over the city looking for this asshole. We will find him. Until we do, you have my number. Call me for anything."
Payton gets up and gives us both a hug before she leaves.
Holly is worried. So am I, but I will not let Randy Johnson turn me into a scared mouse and dictate my life.
Grabbing my things, I stand, nodding for Holly to follow me. It's time to leave. We have a hockey game to win.
13?
