Hollywood Blackmail by Jackie Ashenden Page B

and they’re well known, I don’t think that’s going to work.”
    Ash paused by the door into the clinic and held it open for her. “You have a better plan?”
    “Actually I do. Follow me.”
    She set off down the corridor, walking purposefully, and he couldn’t help grinning as he followed. Even all those years ago she liked taking charge, getting things in order. Her bedroom had been a monument to tidiness and neatness. Such a contrast to the chaos of the Misty Mansion and her mother’s life.
    Looked like some things hadn’t changed.
    Down the corridor a little way was a door. Lizzie paused outside it. “Wait here,” she said. “I won’t be a moment.”
    A minute later she came back out with a jacket and cap. “Put these on.” She held them out. “Ramon’s just about as big as you are so it should fit.”
    He looked at the clothing. “Security guard? You’re kidding me.”
    “We’ve had security outside since last night. The press will have gotten used to their presence by now so they’re not going to look too hard at a guard escorting me to my car.”
    She had a point. He shrugged off his leather jacket, handed it to her, then put on the security guard jacket. It was tight across the shoulders but it would do. He put on the cap and his shades. “How’s that?”
    The look in her eyes flickered. “It’ll do. But those bandages on your face are pretty obvious.”
    “Good point.” He thought a moment. “Let me call Sam. See if we can’t arrange a diversion to make sure there aren’t any press hanging around the staff entrances.”
    “Like what?”
    He gave her a grin. “You’ll see.”
    A couple of minutes later, a decoy car and look-alike organized, Ash followed Lizzie as she did her handover and talked things over with her colleagues. He got a couple of surreptitious glances but no one approached him, giving him a few moments to observe her doing her job.
    He kind of got now why Helen hadn’t been happy when he’d told her that Lizzie would have to remain with him for the next few weeks. She was obviously very good at what she did. But try as she might to disguise her responses to him with professionalism, he knew he got to her. She could pretend she was cool, calm, and in control all she liked, but the fact was he still affected her. Her responses to him back in the cottage had told him all he needed to know about that.
    Fifteen minutes later, Lizzie got her stuff—a small backpack—from the staff locker area and began to lead him toward the staff entrance. “We’ll go out this way.” She raised a brow. “Your diversion happening yet?”
    Ash dug his phone out of his pocket and checked the screen. Sure enough, there was a text from Sam telling him to stand by. “Any minute now.”
    Five minutes later, the sounds of shouting echoed through the corridors. “What did you do?” Lizzie asked.
    “Decoy car and look-alike. Come on, we’ve got about five minutes before they realize it isn’t me.” He moved in front of her as they approached the door. “Security guard goes first.” Pushing it open, he took a look outside. The staff entrance was to the side of the building where the staff parking lot was, out of sight of the main entrance, and it looked like the coast was clear. The diversion had obviously attracted anyone staking out side entrances.
    He gave a cursory scan around at the trees and bushes surrounding the parking lot to make sure, but there were no telltale glints of sun off camera lenses there, either.
    “You’re good to go,” he said, stepping aside to let her out.
    Ash followed Lizzie to her car, which turned out to be something small and white and Japanese. Typical. This was just the kind of car he’d thought she’d drive.
    “You really drive this heap?” he muttered as she unlocked the doors.
    “We can’t all have Ferraris, you know.”
    “I don’t drive a Ferrari. I drive a—”
    “A Bugatti Veyron? Yes, I know. Which you bought after you crashed your