Playing His Game Part 21

"We finished early this morning." His mouth twisted. "Going to invite me in, or does your sugar daddy not allow visitors?"

"I don't want you in here." Mya started to close the door.

Bobby pushed against the wood and gained an inch at a time until he had forced his way inside. He took the door from her grasp and slammed it. "You b.i.t.c.h!"

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"What did you tell Scarpeti?"

She shook her head. "I don't know what you're babbling about. Now get out of here before I call the

police."

His smile was cold. "You can't 'cause there's no phone here."

"I have my cell phone."

"I deactivated your service a couple of days after you left me."

"You told me to leave." Mya pushed the hair out of her eyes and wondered why she had bothered to

counter his statement. It wasn't like she hadn't wanted to leave him. "Whatever. Just go."

He grabbed her upper arms in a tight grip. "What did you tell that b.a.s.t.a.r.d?"

"Nothing." Mya tried to pull away, alarmed by the anger that emanated from him.

"Liar." He shook her. "You musta told him something. He said he didn't like how I treated you, and he'd

heard s.h.i.+t about me."

"You didn't get the part?"

"No."

Mya wrenched her shoulders free. "I've only met him once. He figured out what your game is, Bobby.

You can't blame your failure on me. I won't let you anymore."

Bobby slapped her. "I didn't fail," he screamed at her. "This is your fault. You're going to fix it."

"I can't. I had nothing to do with it." Mya cradled her stinging cheek. She backed away when Bobby

lunged at her. "I'll scream this place down."

"These condos have thick walls." He smirked at her. "Roni and I viewed an empty one in this building a

couple of weeks ago. The realtor was quick to point out the level of privacy. We really considered it, but in the end, I decided I couldn't live in the same building as you and your lover."

Mya whimpered as she tried to put more distance between them. When her back hit the wall, she cried

out. Bobby lunged forward and pressed his face into hers. "Let me go."

"You have to fix things. I need that role."

"I didn't do anything."

"Stop lying." Bobby slapped her again. "I'm not leaving until you undo whatever petty thing you've done."

He pinched her arm. "And you may not leave at all unless you get this sorted out. I've got hours."

"My parents are expecting me. Carly knows where I am."

"Nice bluff, but I know you wouldn't go back to that h.e.l.lhole with lover boy here in L.A., waiting in the wings." Bobby pulled a cell phone from his pocket and punched in a series of numbers with so much force the phone warbled. "Talk to Scarpeti." He thrust the phone at her.

She took it reluctantly. Nothing she could say would change the director's mind. Her only hope was to dial Roarke's number instead. She whimpered when Bobby pressed his cheek against hers so he could hear the conversation, making it that much more difficult to reach Roarke.

Roarke had just gotten out of the pool when he heard the phone in the house ring. He dripped water behind him when he padded into the kitchen to lift the receiver of the nearest extension. "h.e.l.lo?"

"Mr. Thomas, this is Katie Winslow."

"Hi, Katie."

"I wondered if I could show a couple around the condo on Monday?"

He forced back a twinge of regret. It was time to put it back on the market. He had no further use for the place, and the memories would be too bittersweet to revel in. "Yeah, that's fine."

"Excellent. Can you be there at one?"

"You need me present?"

"I think this couple will make an offer on the spot. It will facilitate the process if you're there. I like to

have someone around anyway, but the current tenant said she would be gone by Monday."

Roarke frowned. "Current tenant?"

"Yes. She said she was going home today, and the rental term was ending."

"What did she look like?"

There was a pause before she answered, and she sounded uncertain. "She had long red hair. Quite

pretty. Young..."

"Mya." Roarke's mouth moved, but no sound emerged. "She was going home? Did she say where?" To Bobby's or back to Was.h.i.+ngton?

"No, Mr. Thomas. Just that she would be gone later today."

"I have to go."

"What about Monday?"

"I'll call you back." Roarke dropped the phone back onto the cradle, then hurried upstairs to slide his feet

into sandals and throw on a t-s.h.i.+rt. He didn't even bother to change out of his swim trunks before he rushed from the house and slid onto the cloth seat of the Lotus. He didn't notice the unpleasant dampness from his shorts as he sped through the afternoon traffic. He focused on his arrival at the condo before Mya left for good. He had to know why she had stayed there, and why she wanted to go home. Most of all, he had to know if they had a chance.

When he screeched to a stop at the curb in front of the building, Roarke yanked the keys from the switch and slid from the car. He didn't remember to engage the alarm as he ran into the building.

"Mr. Thomas." The security attendant smiled at him.

He nodded at the young lady. "Do you know if the tenant in my apartment has left yet?"

She shook her head. "Not that I know of. Her visitor hasn't come down either."

"Visitor?"

Her smile turned feral. "s.e.xy guy with long blond hair and a ripped body."

"Bobby," Roarke snarled as he hurried to the elevator. Why was he here? Had he come to plead with Mya to take him back? Had Roarke wrongly a.s.sumed Mya had left the jerk?

The elevator seemed to creep up the floors, and Roarke barely resisted the impulse to continuously press the 14 b.u.t.ton. When the doors finally opened, he sprinted down the hall to his apartment and fumbled with the key as he ran.

To his surprise, he found the door unlocked. His anger and confusion started to fade as he grew concerned. Roarke pushed opened the door and entered the living room. He froze, and his eyes widened at what he saw.

Mya lay on the floor. She appeared to be unconscious. Her face was covered with blood, and her hair was sticky with crimson splashes. Bobby paced around her while he sobbed into his cell phone and babbled about Mya's scheme to ruin him, then begged the other person to stay with him anyway.

A red haze pa.s.sed over Roarke's eyes, and he threw himself at Bobby. He knocked the phone from his hand as they both fell onto the carpet, inches from Mya. He grabbed a handful of Bobby's tank top to lift him. "What did you do to her?"

Bobby's eyes darted around. "Nothing. I found her like this."

Roarke's fist slammed into his face. "I should kill you."

Tears spilled from Bobby's blue eyes. He pressed a hand to his the cut on his mouth in an attempt to

staunch the flow of blood. "Don't hurt me," he mumbled through his hand and swollen lip. "I have an

audition Monday."

Roarke fumbled for the fallen phone and grasped the edge of it to pull it closer. He heard a frantic voice on the other end of the line and hung up on her. His hands shook as he dialed 9-1-1.

"What are you doing, man?" There was an edge of panic to Bobby's voice.

"Calling an ambulance and the cops."

He shook his head at Roarke. "No, please don't. They'll put me in jail."

Roarke hit him again. "You're lucky I'm letting them deal with it." As Bobby sagged against the carpet,