Milas rental for the week was a little beach cottage about half an hour from Ambers moms. Amber had quickly changed into her black denim jeans and Chelsea boots, a loose black tank top that opened at the sides revealing a sports bra, and her caramel locks giving her look the only colour it needed. She was casual and without being aware of it, incredibly attractive... a little on the dark and mysterious side herself, it was no wonder she had admirers but she could do without the murderess kind.
Ambers large car swung into the little driveway, a cute little cottage coming into view surrounded by colourful flowers, it was quaint and idyllic and oh it was Mila to a tee, right down to the large species of daisy's potted by the front door. Amber took off her shades and placed them on the neck of her top, letting them hang. She checked her phone "where are you going" from Detective Rosslyn who had clearly called her when the cop on their door had given her a heads up. Amber text her back "Milas" she wrote short and to the point.
Mila appeared in the doorway, her long dark hair hung loosely down around her shoulders, her lips were painted red, her large brown eyes lifting as she smiled. "Hi" she said with a little wave and Amber stepped fully out of the car, she shut the door behind her slowly and made her way to Mila apprehensively. "Mila" she acknowledged as she stepped up onto the porch. "Come on in" she gestured moving aside, her eyes trailing down Ambers torso as she passed her, finding her eyes lingering much too long on the flesh revealed by the open side of her tank top, she drew her eyes away, mad that Amber still pulled that intense physical attraction from her. No woman since had made her feel how Amber had, she was all consuming and years later even the scent of Amber as she passed by her made her feel things she shouldn't, reminding her of the scent of Ambers neck, a place she loved to kiss. "Stop it" she begged herself.
"Go into the kitchen I made some lemonade" Mila offered and Amber followed the hallway to the large kitchen that covered the back of the cottage, a mix of modern furniture and traditional brick walls. A table in the centre with a large jug of lemonade and two high ball glasses. Amber took the wooden backed seat opposite and pulled it out making a loud scraping sound across the tile floor. She sat down and Mila eased into the seat opposite, she looked pretty, all dolled up and TV ready almost, Amber looked around the room as if she expected a TV crew to pop out with a camera "is anyone else here" she asked and Mila smiled "I came with friends... they are out on the beach. I asked them for a few hours privacy" she replied eyeing Amber with her large deep brown eyes and releasing a sigh before she relaxed a little at Ambers sudden presence at her dining table, a moment she never thought she would see, especially since the reunion when they had all but said goodbye forever. Mila did love Amber, a fact she could not deny... even when she had a boyfriend, the boyfriend who was currently out on the beach, the actor she played opposite to on her TV show. Mila and Spencer had been a couple on and off for a while and just recently they were back on... Mila thought mostly a retaliation on her part to the feelings for Amber that began to return, she did like Spencer but god he missed some attributes that Mila found attractive... and he sure as hell was not alluring... not like the heavenly creature sat opposite her waiting for her to reveal what she invited her here for. Mila made a mental note to kick Spencer to the curb when they got home, this little teenage rebellion against her own heart had to end sometime, may as well be now.
"What am I doing here Mila" Amber asked getting a little irked by the silence, did Mila have something important to tell her or not.
Mila nodded "I was asked for an interview by Detective Rosslyn this week... I had no idea some of the things you and Sydney had been through and I was so sorry to hear what happened to you Amber, it sounded awful" she said looking to her sympathetically.
"It was" Amber replied and she took a sip of the lemonade sat beside her.
"Well it brought back up some stuff that I haven't ever told you... and it seemed a little similar, perhaps important to this case... I mean perhaps nothing but I felt I should share it anyway with Rosslyn. It kind of fit the profile"
"What did" Amber asked a little confused.
"She did" Mila replied.
"She...who" Amber asked.
"Do you remember at life on the lane they had lots of behind the scenes production and assistants running about night and day... we got used to some of them didn't we."
Amber nodded. "Yes some I still have on social media from back then"
"There was this girl... and I could kick myself for not remembering her name... but she was super young, perhaps eighteen and she worked the show as a little runner and assistant, sometimes we would have her on the trips just in the background fetching stuff or helping to set up remote shots for the camera crew. She was a niece of one of the production members I believe, anyway she was doing it for the summer before she went to college, English degree or something"
Amber was completely confused... "what does this have to do with me" she asked. She didn't remember the girl that Mila was talking about specifically.
Mila took a sip from her lemonade "She began to interfere a little at the end... perhaps the last six weeks. She would offer me direction before certain scenes and she took a huge interest in you, she seemed to only pop up when we were together, she ruined our last romantic meal before we left for Cabo because she dropped a case of wine on our table on the way by, she said it was an accident but I never believed her"
"I remember that" Amber said thinking back "it ruined my entire outfit. My white dress turned red" she remembered.
"After that we never got another moment together to talk without her hanging around. When we went to Cabo she seemed to manipulate our moments together, she gave me the wrong address for our beach day and sent me off on a wild goose chase to a beach two hours away. When I came back realising I was in the wrong place you guys had all gone off on the boat cruise from the beach and I missed out spending any time with you. Then my parents showed up and we had so much distance already that it was almost easier to let you go... like the world was against us anyway because no matter what I did she seemed to intercept me. I honestly thought she was just doing another job for production, manipulating the story line to be what they wanted... but I went to them when the show was over to complain... I felt like she verged on inappropriate as she had started sending me messages to not come to the press days, she got a little stalker like if I'm being honest and she scared me. They told me she was just a runner and on hand for assistance, she had no say on anything to do with production, infact they barely knew who I was talking about"
"God" Amber said taking a deep breath and leaning back in her chair "What did they do about her" she asked and Mila sat forward fiddling with her fingers a little anxiously "They told her she couldn't work on their team again as she unprofessional and obviously to quit contact with me"
"And did she" Amber asked.
"Oh she quit contact via her own phone but she sent me these awful letters for a while and I knew it was her because I still had the note she wrote me on the trip with the beach address on it... it was the same handwriting"
"What did they say" Amber asked concern etched on her brow.
"Stay away, Leave Amber alone or die trying to contact her...lots of wonderful letters like that... her obsession with you Amber it was insane... and of course we weren't in contact and so I didn't ever tell you but I did ask the show to let you know... to make sure you were aware of her"
"They didn't" Amber replied shaking her head. "But nothing ever did happen... I never heard from any girl"
"Not that you know of... Amber I gave those letters to Rosslyn... she seemed positive they had some relation to what's going on now... she mentioned Sydney had something similar"
"Mila are you saying this is one of the crew from life on the lane... it was ten years ago" she said disbelieving and shaking her head.
"Amber" Mila said reaching out for her hand "When I got home from the reunion last week my management had sent all my fan mail over, I go over it once a month or so. Well one of the envelopes ... it seemed familiar... it was her... she had warned me off the reunion... telling me to expect the worst if I went there for you... but obviously I didn't get it before, i don't look at my fan mail in real time"
"Are you sure it's the same person" Amber asked and Mila nodded "certain"
"And Rosslyn has this" Amber asks.
"Yes I gave her the letters today... she was going to call you with the results later tonight" Mila said removing her hand from the middle of the table and placing it back on her lap.
"Amber I think she's here... perhaps she's been around you this entire time" Mila said nervously and Amber met her worried eyes "what did she look like" she asks.
Mila rolled her eyes up in thought "she was petite, blonde hair...She literally did just fade into the background... she wasn't anyone who particularly stood out for any reason... a very normal looking young girl"
Ambers brows knitted together, her caramel hair fell forward as she leant on the table with her elbows and considered anyone in her life that resembled that girl. "Mila there isn't anyone I can't think of... and like I said I have never heard from this girl..."
"Oh but your wife has...and your first girlfriend has... Amber anyone you have ever been with"
"I don't think Marie did" Amber stated.
"Was Marie a girlfriend" Mila asked feeling a little jealous at the mention of another girl.
"Not really... we just slept together... it was more of a long term fling"
"Well that's probably why she didn't get hate mail... she hates girls you love... not girls you use" Mila retorted.
Amber ran her hand through her hair. "I wish I knew" she said feeling frustrated by this news, it didn't make it any easier to figure out... if anything it confused her more. "I need to find out her name" Amber said standing from the table "Rosslyn is on it" Mila Promised.
Amber looked back to Mila who was still sat at the table... "thank you" she offered "for telling me... and Mila" she said.
"Yes" Mila asked holding her breath a little to have Ambers full attention on her, her hazel eyes appearing golden with the downing of the sun outside the window "I'm sorry someone did that to you... because of me... I had no idea" she said regretfully "I would have got her to stop" she confessed.
"I know" Mila replied her voice full of emotion.
"I need to get back to my family" Amber said leaving the kitchen, Mila followed her to the door and before she could leave forever she grabbed her hand and Amber turned to meet her gaze unsure of what she was doing, and before she could react Mila pushed her body into Ambers, wrapping her arms around her waist in an embrace and leaning her chin on Ambers shoulder, her nose beside her neck, she inhaled her before she pulled away, she couldn't go forever without the memory of that scent. She parted with a small smile, afraid she would give herself away. Mila Navero the Hollywood star... infatuated with someone who could never be hers... when she could have had anyone she wanted.
"Goodbye Amber Rose Beaton" she said trying to hold back the emotion threatening to spill from her perfectly made up eyes.
Amber looked to her, she reached out and squeezed her fingers "Goodbye Mila Navero..." she said affectionately. "It's been a time" she said with a smile that made the hair on Milas arms stand up as she watched her walk away.
"Who was that" Spencer asked coming back into the house and seeing Mila beside the front door as she watched Amber disappear from view. Mila turned to him, the guy that every teenage girl had on their wall right now, the hottest male actor on TV. "That was .... the one that got away" she whispered as she walked by him, not a flicker of interest in this godlike man. He screwed his face up "what" he asked realising what she had said. Spencer was about to be free and single and there would be a million girls waiting for him... but Mila had woken up... she needed to go back to LA and get her life in order... she had to stop playing hetero when not on TV because it wasn't as it turned out, even in her DNA. Mila Navero was about to come out ... and the world would still keep turning... she would just be turning a lot more heads... a lot more female heads...
***
"Rosslyn" Amber asked as she picked up.
"Is it her" she asked. "This girl from production"
Rosslyn looked at the analysis of the handwriting in her hands "yes" she admitted.
"The same girl wrote to both Mila and Sydney" she confessed "but Amber we still don't know who she is... I have a team in LA now going through old production schedules and employment records... it's going to take a day or so to get this name... just hang tight we almost have her... we are so close" Rosslyn said feeling her heart beat faster as she thought about the capture and how satisfying it would be to turn up at her door and arrest her.
"Rosslyn this girl... this woman... she could be" Amber started but couldn't finish what she wanted to say because the thought was so terrifying.
"She could be anyone" Rosslyn finished "I know... she's had ten years... she could look completely different and have an entirely different identity" she added frustratingly "but not for long... we will have an ID, a face and a name in days... just go home and wait okay...this is good news Amber... it is I promise...because even if she's changed her name... she can't change her face... not entirely"
"Okay" Amber returned. "I trust you" she added before clicking off and driving back into the gated community to her family.
***
"We had cops here today looking for you" a lady whispered.
"What did they want" she asked.
"You... they want you... your ID... your info...girl why are the police after you what did you do" she asked.
"Did you get rid of it" she asked.
"The digital trace of you... yes... but they have the boxes of hard paper copies... it's only a matter of time"
"Let them get paper cuts... I'm about ready to bounce anyway...my life here is about done... I have one more thing to do... the final hurrah....Did you get the confirmation of the boat? Docked at four pm?"
"It will be there... what are you up to?"
"Don't ask questions...it's our only rule"
"See you on the other side then L"
"On the other side" she replied as a smile tugged her lips, a wicked smile... and she clicked off the line her eyes focusing on the revolver in hand, one bullet placed in the chamber at a time... "one...two...three...four...five...oops...I..left...your...wife...alive...six...seven...eight..nine...ten...
then I shot her dead again"