Necessary Detour by Kim Hornsby Read Free Book Online Page B

infinite. Goldy’s whereabouts was anyone’s guess, although several articles speculated she was at a penthouse in Nassau. She smiled to hear that her decoy’s efforts were successful. Days earlier, a bellboy had seen Goldy sneaking into the private elevator at the Atlantis Resort. Sightings of the rock star were coming in from all over America and even Europe, but Nassau ranked number one for Goldy sightings. With reason.
    The Goldy decoy was paid to sneak up to the penthouse, order room service discreetly three times a day, and wait for further instructions. “At least I’m not paying her for nothing.” Elvis wagged his curly tail and Nikki laughed as he danced around the kitchen. “I’m told she looks a lot like me in the blonde wig.”
    She grabbed her cell phone and informed her security company to go ahead with plan B—flying the decoy to a private island in the Keys with two bodyguards and a staff of four. “Tell her to pack up.”
    Staring out the kitchen window to her garage, she considered simply taking the car out for a drive. The walls were closing in around her even with her daily boat rides. The thought of the press’s possible presence in Louisa Lake seemed to lose all credibility on a glorious day at the lake. Shakespeare didn’t seem so horrid in the sunshine either. The FBI was confident he’d be in California. She hadn’t heard anything for a while. Who knew if he was obsessed with other celebrities? He might have a whole ring of famous people he was threatening.
    On impulse, Nikki called Agent Gateman at the FBI for the latest report. “Anything new?”
    “Nothing.” He sounded almost cheerful. “I’ll make an educated guess that he’s probably less motivated after the announcement of your retirement. But we haven’t closed the file.”
    Next, Nikki called her publicist, Phyllis.
    “All is well. Things are dying down already,” she said. Phyllis didn’t believe the strange neighbor was anyone threatening. “Maybe he’s a biographer, but someone’s bound to write your story eventually, darlin’.” Nikki cherished Phyllis’s casual take on catastrophes and always felt better after a conversation with her.
    A disguise would take care of any lingering fears and allow Nikki the freedom to enjoy her trip to town. After all, costumes had always allowed Nikki to attend normal events like the movies, restaurants, taking Quinn to the fair. The curly brown wig was still in the duffle bag in her bedroom. The fat suit too.
    Elvis’s reaction to the wig was comical and Nikki laughed out loud. “It’s Mommy, silly boy.” She’d been transformed into a different woman. One baggy dress later, Nikki grabbed sunglasses and headed to town before noon, before any residual September tourists hit the town for supplies. A car ride would do as much for her attitude today as summoning a personal bodyguard from her L.A. roster.
    Anyone watching the road into town would have seen a lady in a black car pull into Barney’s Gas Station shortly after nine o’clock and slide to a stop at pump number four. The other bays were empty. Nikki contemplated using her debit card to avoid having to go inside the store with cash. No, no cards, just in case they were traced. She paid in the convenience store and hurried outside to fill her tank.
    It was a postcard-perfect day in Louisa Lake and Nikki closed her eyes to let the heat of the morning bathe her face while she pumped her own gas. This was yet another simple pleasure she hadn’t done in awhile. Hearing a car pull up to the next island, Nikki first turned her back then looked over and saw the familiar blue Chevy truck. Dammit. When Pete stepped out, her first thought was that he might be following her.
    He kept his back to her and Nikki was able to stare. Jeans fit him well. He had broad shoulders, nicely muscled arms. He whistled a tune from the radio, watching the highway as he pumped his gas. This was the man who’d kissed her, his lips softer than