Shadows in the Curtain (Destination Billionaire Romance) Page 6

  “Who are you looking for?” a gravelly voice spoke near her ear, bristly hair brushing her cheek.

  Emmy let out an involuntary scream and jumped. She turned, surprised to see Shane standing much too close. She took a step back, but stopped when she hit the curtain. It wouldn’t do for her to fall onto the stage. There was no reason for her to be afraid—it was just Shane—but seeing that guy at the cemetery the other day had really pushed her anxiety over the edge.

  She shook her head. “No one. It’s just fun to feel the excitement from the audience before a performance.”

  He nodded, smiling shyly down at her. “You’re the best actress and singer I’ve ever heard.”

  “Well, thank you, Shane.” Emmy returned his smile. He was usually so shy around her he could barely speak. She needed to help him feel comfortable. He did an amazing job with the props and background; prop manager was definitely not a position she wanted to worry about replacing when James left.

  He licked his lips and glanced at the curtain as he spoke. “Do you think, um, maybe sometime, you and I could go get a bite to eat after rehearsal one night?”

  Emmy kept the smile on her face, not sure how to let this gentle man down carefully. He was kind, but definitely not what she was looking for. Josh’s image flashed through her mind. It would be hard for anyone to compete with him. Yet she couldn’t risk offending Shane when it was being announced tonight that she was taking over the theater.

  “Are you ready, Miss Doolittle?” Timothy swept close to her and offered his elbow, looking every inch the handsome gentleman in a vest, suit, and top hat.

  Emmy laughed, relieved to be swept from this predicament. “Yes, Professor.” She grasped onto his arm, trying not to notice Shane’s downcast face. “Goodbye, Shane. We’ll see you at the party.” She didn’t want to give him false hope, but she couldn’t just walk away without saying anything.

  Shane lit up. “Sounds good.”

  Timothy leaned in as they walked. “You need to discourage him. Have you seen how he watches you?”

  “No.” She was always in her own world when acting, but she should’ve noticed if he paid her extra attention offstage.

  “He’s got it bad for you, and it doesn’t help that you’re single now.” Timothy winced. “Sorry, Em. You’re just so oblivious to the way men look at you. Like you assume they only appreciate your artistic ability.” He shook his head. “I’ve tried to watch out for you, especially with Grayson gone.”

  Emmy searched his face, hoping it was her imagination that he looked hopeful. She loved Timothy as a friend, but it could never be anything more. “I really appreciate you being there and not being one who looks or asks me out.”

  Timothy swallowed and then smiled wistfully. “Wish I could say different, but you’re like a little sister to me.” His eyes darkened, but then regained their characteristic twinkle. “Of all the rotten luck.”

  “And you’re like a brother to me. Plus, I wouldn’t want to compete with all your female fans.”

  Timothy grinned. “What’s a guy to do?”

  “It must be hard.”

  He winked.

  They moved into position, and Emmy knew she needed more friends like Timothy, not men who wanted to take her on a date. She just wasn’t ready. She thought of Josh sitting in the audience. Okay, maybe she wanted one man to look, desire, and take her on dates.

  The performance pulled Emmy into another world as she became Eliza Doolittle. She knew personally how hard it was to be poor and downtrodden and then to rise to your full potential. As Eliza, the professor both inspired and infuriated her. Falling in love with him and having that love returned were not in her plans but couldn’t be helped.

  All too soon they took their bows and hurried to greet the crowd after the curtain closed. Though she’d given her whole heart to this performance, it had been in the back of her mind all night that Josh was out there, watching her. It added a level of intimacy and excitement to everything.

  She greeted all the fans who filtered past, wondering where he was as the crowd trickled down. She almost went up on tiptoes to search for him, but refrained. Had he left early? The bitter taste of disappointment obliterated the thrill she’d been experiencing. Maybe he hadn’t enjoyed the performance and didn’t want to face her. He might have been called away for an emergency; he or someone else could be in danger. She forced herself to keep smiling at the people who were gushing over her talent and telling her the theater would be nothing without her and her handsome co-star.

  Josh appeared at the very end of the line, a shy grin showing off his dimples and a beautiful spring bouquet in his hands. Her heart paused for a moment, then beat at triple speed.

  Timothy was still close by her side, his costume smelling stale and sweaty from multiple nights of wear under the bright lights without a dry-cleaning opportunity. He moved a bit closer. The spicy cologne he always wore to override the costume stench made her nose twitch.

  “He’s okay,” Emmy whispered out of the side of her mouth.

  One of the college students interning from Portland moved in on Timothy’s right and babbled about his talent. He cast a glance back at Emmy, but she was having a hard time focusing on anything but Josh’s smile.

  Josh offered her the flowers. “You were amazing. I can honestly say I’ve never really enjoyed My Fair Lady until tonight.”

  Emmy shivered at the feel of his warm fingers touching hers as she took the bouquet and smiled. “Thank you. I’m glad you came.”

  “So am I.” He stood there, his blue eyes admiring her, and his dimples on fine display.

  Emmy was in her own little world smiling back at him until Timothy cleared his throat. The girl with him suddenly fell silent. Emmy glanced around and noticed there were no other patrons in the building, and the entire cast and crew were watching them. “Oh, um. It was great to see you, but I probably should …”

  “I could, wait, maybe we could go to Mo’s and get a shake.”

  Emmy didn’t even like Mo’s, but she’d never wanted a shake so badly in her life.

  Timothy pushed against her arm. “The party.”

  “Oh.” She exhaled. “I’m sorry. We have a cast party. Closing night and all.”

  “Okay.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Maybe some other time.”

  “Definitely.” She was as happy with her impulsive response as he seemed to be.

  He gave her one more grin before striding out into the night. Emmy watched him go. Timothy pumped his eyebrows. “Maybe there’s one man who you don’t think of as a brother.”

  “No brotherly feelings at all for that man,” Emmy admitted as she kicked herself for not inviting Josh to come back for her after the party.

  Timothy stayed close by her side throughout the evening, making it easy to avoid any alone time with Shane. Emmy dreaded responding to his request for a date.

  Everyone cheered when James announced Emmy would be taking over the theater, then groaned when James admitted he was retiring to Florida. The entire night was just about perfect. If only she would’ve agreed to meet Josh after.

  12

  JOSH’S HEART THUMPED SO LOUD it made his head pound. Sweat poured down his back from his turnout coat. He raced toward the burning house, his partner, Axel, at his side. The crew behind them still hadn’t punched into the water supply and the people trapped in the house didn’t have time to wait. He slammed his ax into the door and jumped out of the way. The fire and smoke didn’t disappoint, billowing out to grab more oxygen before swooshing back in.

  Josh took some deep breaths from his air tank before motioning to Axel that he’d go first. He charged through the door. The flames licked his coat and devoured the furniture around him. Sweat trickled into his eyes. He blinked but couldn’t clear the stinging completely. He searched for any sign of life in the front room while Axel pushed through to the kitchen. Over the roar of the fire he listened for something human, and thought he heard a faint cry.

&
nbsp; He rushed in the direction of the cries, coming to a closed door at the end of a short hall. The door opened easily. Smoke layered the room, but thankfully no fire yet. He hollered to Axel before shutting the door to keep more smoke out. A young couple cowered on the floor next to a sleigh bed. The woman clutched a toddler, who screamed uncontrollably. Josh bobbed his head to them, yelling, “We’ll get you out of here.” Though he doubted they heard or understood a word.

  He glanced for an escape route. He couldn’t take them through the house without protective gear. The window was the only option. It was broken and the screen gone, but the decorative metal bars made it impossible to get through. Josh fumbled with the safety lever for a few seconds, awkward with his gloves, before realizing it was broken. He slammed the butt of his ax into it several times and pushed. Nothing.

  Blinking away the salt in his eyes, he glanced out at the backyard, wishing the rapid intervention team would get here. Smoke poured under the door and the temperature in the room was unbearable. He gave the family a reassuring nod, though he felt more panicked than he had in a long time. Where was Axel?

  Turning the ax around, he heaved it over his head and used every ounce of strength to smash the blade into the release mechanism. Sparks and bits of the shattered lever flew. Josh swung at it several more times, each hit damaging the lever more. He dropped the ax and pushed at the metal bars. They didn’t give. Oh no. Had he made it worse by banging on it?

  He braced his legs against the bed and shoved with everything he had. The bars groaned open. He said a silent prayer of gratitude and motioned for the family. They were already on their feet and ready to escape. Josh assisted the wife through first, handing her the little one. The husband nodded and coughed his gratitude before leaping after his wife.

  Josh breathed a sigh of relief and then turned to see the door still closed behind him. Axel was in trouble.

  q

  Emmy drove home from the theater, leaning her head back against the headrest. It was a great kind of exhaustion. They’d started rehearsals for Beauty and the Beast a few days after the last performance of My Fair Lady. Some of the cast would’ve liked a break, but it was summertime and they needed to have another play going for their busiest season. So far she couldn’t have asked for better practices. The children from Portland were delightful, and Kelton and Timothy made the entire production a lot of fun. She was happier than she’d been in a long time.

  Red lights strobed against the houses in the neighborhood she usually cut through to go home. Smoke billowed into the air above the roofline. She veered to go around, but suddenly thought of Josh. What if he was dealing with the fire?

  Her breath caught in her throat at the thought of him in danger. She shook her head. She shouldn’t care so much; she barely knew the man. But she pulled to the curb a few houses down from the controlled chaos. She walked quickly to the back of the crowd, trying to peek over shoulders and see what was going on. Even this far away she could feel the heat from the fire.

  Paramedics swarmed a young family wearing oxygen masks. The wife sobbed and clung to her toddler. The husband reached through the EMTs to pat his wife on the arm. Emmy exhaled. It appeared the home’s occupants had been rescued. The firemen were spraying the neighboring houses and the large trees in the yard, but not directly onto the house where smoke and fire poured through windows. Weird. She looked around for Josh but didn’t see him. The other fireman’s faces were somber. Shouldn’t they be happier that the family was safe?

  “That house is coming down,” one of them yelled at another. “We need to go defensive.”

  “Not until Campbell and Axelrod are cleared.”

  “I’m going in,” a third man yelled, pulling his face mask on.

  All the breath rushed from Emmy’s body. “No,” she cried out, not realizing she’d spoken aloud. The trusses swayed—one stiff shove and the roof would collapse. The sheeting had already buckled in several places, leaving gaping holes.

  A tall, dark head turned in the crowd, looking straight at her. “Emmy?” Kelton gestured, and she made her way to his side nearer the front of the onlookers.

  “Josh is in there?” Emmy asked.

  “That’s the word. He rescued that family and the dad thought he would follow them out. He must’ve gone back for his partner.” He gestured to one of the other firemen. “And the chief won’t let anyone go in after them.” He pounded on his chest. “Give me a suit. I’ll save the captain.”

  “No.” Emmy grabbed his arm, not wanting anyone else she cared about to be in harm’s way. Cared about? Is that what she was feeling for Josh? She couldn’t stand the thought of him suffering in that fire. Tears leaked down her cheeks just thinking about it. She started to pray quietly. “Please bring him out alive. Please.”

  A side window suddenly shattered, glass spraying the lawn. Emmy gasped. The fire was exploding windows. How could Josh possibly survive? A fireman sagged against the window frame. He flopped headfirst onto the grass.

  The other firemen doused him with water, then lifted him from the ground and carried him to the ambulance. They pulled his head gear off, revealing tight black curls. Not Josh.

  Where was he? Emmy wrung her hands together, praying, not knowing what she’d do if he didn’t appear.

  The air conditioning unit teetered and then plunged through the roof, causing a terrific bang and more smoke and flames to shoot up.

  Hands appeared on the window frame, then a head. The firefighter slowly climbed through and walked away from the house. They doused him with water, knocking him back a foot, but he regained his stance. He disconnected his air hose, then lifted his helmet and hood, revealing Josh’s handsome face and blondish-brown hair wet with sweat.

  Emmy cheered along with the rest of the crowd, yelling a little louder than everyone else, but this was a reason to celebrate.

  “Whoa, Emmy.” Kelton grinned. “Bit excited?”

  “Just glad he’s okay.” She couldn’t help edging to the front of the crowd, aching to hear his voice, wanting to push through the police caution tape and go to him. He told her at the lacrosse game that she could go to him if he got hurt, but she wondered if he’d just been trying to make her feel better. This was his field of battle, and she didn’t want to undermine him like she had Kelton.

  Josh didn’t seem to notice anyone but the police and firemen crowding in to hear what happened and the EMTs ready to administer first aid. The entire crowd quieted, listening in on his conversation, restless for news as well.

  “Pinned under a ceiling beam.” Josh panted for air as he talked to another fireman. Steam poured from his suit and skin. “Miracle I lifted it off of him and somehow got to the window. Got really disoriented.”

  “Someone’s been praying you safe,” the other man said.

  “Yeah.” Josh nodded and then looked directly at her. His blue eyes widened. “Emmy.” Her name came out like a reverent whisper.

  She smiled and gave him a stupid little wave. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  “Thanks.” He returned her smile with a tired one of his own before he was surrounded again and ushered to the ambulance.

  “What was that?” Kelton arched an eyebrow.

  “He’s been a … a friend to me.”

  “Just a friend?” Kelton chuckled, but didn’t make her answer. “He’s cool. I’m glad you figured it out. For a while you didn’t like him much.”

  “No,” she admitted, reddening at the thought of how rude she’d been to him this past year.

  “The dude is beastly. Saved a couple of us once when we were making acetylene bombs. He’s chill, didn’t get all preachy on us.”

  Emmy felt her heart melt a little more. Kelton thought of Josh as beastly, but to Emmy he was a hero and so much more.

  13

  EMMY HATED NIGHTTIME.

  Once her morning alarm went off, her day was pretty full. She woke early each day to exercise, would hold lessons all morning, practiced singing or her parts
at home or went for a swim in the afternoon, and then went to rehearsals in the evenings. The only time she was truly alone was at night. Before the notes and Grayson’s murder, she’d often forget to lock the doors at night. Now when she came home, she made sure every blind or curtain was closed, every deadbolt secured, and the alarm system armed. She used to enjoy reading before going to bed, but she now read with her cell phone in one hand, fidgeting at every sound and imagining frightening knife-wielding men. Eventually, her eyes would droop shut and she would be lost in sleep for a few short hours.

  At least it wasn’t Josh she imagined with a knife anymore. She smiled to herself. The little bit she was learning about Captain Campbell, she liked. She liked a lot.

  She sat on the couch, trying to read until she was sleepy enough to brave going to bed. A soft tapping came from the back patio as if someone was walking across it. Ice rubbed along Emmy’s spine. Instantly, her heart beat so fast she had to pant for breath. Was it the murderer? The man with the mask at the cemetery?

  She wanted to hide behind the sofa and call the police, but she wouldn’t overreact. It could be a tourist; they’d invaded her porch before. She forced wobbly legs to support her and tiptoed across the rug. Her cell phone dug into her palm. At the sliding glass door she flipped off the lights in the living room and switched on all the exterior lights. She jerked back the curtain, proud of herself, though she trembled violently.

  A tall man jumped from the patio stairs to the sand and darted across the beach. His large rain jacket billowed out as he ran, hiding his shape. A baseball cap shadowed his features.

  Emmy’s entire body shuddered. She watched through the glass until she was certain the person was gone, feeling as if her stare was the only thing keeping him running. If she lost focus, he’d come back. She quickly dialed 911. The operator assured her they’d send someone right over.

  The doorbell rang. Emmy jumped. The police couldn’t be that quick. She checked the lock on the back door, pulled the curtain tight, and flipped the inside lights back on. She gripped her cell phone as she hurried to the nine-foot wooden door and peeped through the sidelight. Josh shifted from one foot to another with flowers in hand. Relief washed over her. She turned the deadbolt and ripped the door open, grinning at him.