Chapter 20

20

W e watched as the medevac helicopter flew off with Hyde. He had indeed survived the fall. Maybe. Too early to say for sure.

Turns out we had a vampire on the med team, and he'd had no issue scaling down the cliff side like a monkey and pulling heavy rubble off Hyde's prone form. He'd sliced his own wrist and dribbled his blood into Hyde's mouth. May have saved Hyde's life.

As much as I disliked Hyde, I couldn't help feeling guilty that I hadn't pushed harder for safety gear. If I'd just—

"Hey." Kade nudged me with his shoulder. "I don't know what you're thinking, but knock it off. He chose not to wear the gear. That's not on you."

Sure felt like it. Especially since the coin had tried to warn me. Since I hadn't told Kade about it, I said nothing.

The sound of the chopper trailed away and was gone. The crew began disbursing, a hush over the set. Jabril strode our way.

"Summers, need to see you in my trailer pronto." He waved toward the ski lift.

Uh, no. I pointed at the ATVs. "I'll ride with some of the crew and meet you there."

Kade examined my face. "I'll go with you."

"No, Savage, we have things to discuss." Jabril stared Kade down.

I could tell Kade wasn't going to give ground, his alpha side bristling, and after today, I couldn't handle more tense scenes.

"It's okay." I squeezed his forearm. "I appreciate the gesture, but I'm fine."

I held his gaze for a long moment, willing him to not make this day any worse.

He reluctantly nodded, squeezed my hand. "Can we talk later?"

"Of course."

He seemed satisfied with my answer and moved off with Jabril toward the lifts.

I snagged a ride with two camera operators who were schlepping some equipment back down the trail. A cramped and bumpy trip down, but at least I wasn't dangling in the air. They were even nice enough to drop me off in front of Jabril's trailer.

"Good luck!" one called. "For what it's worth, I think you're the right guy for the job."

I waved as they pulled away.

Right guy for the job . . . Oh. Oh, no. With the tragedy, I hadn't given a thought to what would happen to Hyde's role. I swallowed. I'd have to turn Jabril down. Even with Rory and Ali's help, I couldn't manage a whole movie. And two roles were physically exhausting, even without my issue. The added stress was exhausting, even when I managed to sleep.

I closed my eyes, took a steadying breath. When I opened them, I gasped. Fire everywhere. An inferno shooting toward the sky, blocking out the light with an inky blackness. I opened my mouth to shout a warning, but then it was gone. Just winked out of existence. What the hell? I spun around. A few crew members loitered, talking after a long, traumatic day.

"Did you see that?" I called, waving my hand where the blaze had been.

"Excuse me?" one asked. "You looking for Jabril? He's in his office."

Okay, then. Had to be the stress making me see things. Right. I steeled myself and knocked on the trailer door.

"Enter!" Jabril called out.

So I did, stepping onto an honest-to-God shag carpet. A white leather divan sat in one corner with a huge bowl of grapes and an enormous hand fan sitting next to it. A stick of heady incense made me want to sneeze, and since I'd last entered, he'd hung a giant, round mirror above the divan, and a small video camera set-up made the whole thing look like a 1970s porno set. I mean, what the actual fuck?

Jabril and Kade stood behind a large collapsable table Jabril was clearly using as a desk, bent over a laptop. Another table took up a side wall and bottles of wine and spirits covered it from corner to corner. Had to be a hundred bottles. Not the same brands I'd seen when I'd last been here a few weeks ago. How much did the man drink?

"Summers! So glad you could make it." Jabril grinned, his teeth looking a little sharp in the low lighting.

"Well, you did tell me to meet you." I tried not to fidget. Difficult since my stomach flip-flopped like butterflies doing cartwheels.

He brayed as if I'd told a hilarious joke. Kade's face remained more impassive, but he seemed . . . pleased.

After Jabril wound down, he indicated I should take a seat.

"I prefer to stand, thanks." I stuffed my hands under my armpits so I wouldn't be tempted to bite my nails.

"Have it your way." Jabril shrugged. "I've got good news for you, kid. You're getting star billing. Eimeret is yours."

I tried to keep my expression neutral, but my face muscles didn't seem to care what I wanted, spasming in what had to be some combination of panic and dread.

"I—"

Kade rounded the desk and stepped into my space. "What is it?"

He reached for me, caught himself, and pulled back.

"Congratulations, Summers!" Jabril came around and clapped my shoulder. "This is quite the coup. A complete unknown getting such a plum position. The media will eat this up."

"Idon'tthinkI'mrightforthejob," I wheezed out in one breath. There, I'd said it. Now they could move on, look for the right casting.

Jabril's thick brows beetled. "What the hell you talking about, Summers? You're the only guy for the job."

"Jiz—" Kade began.

"No, it's settled." Jabril slashed his hand through the air like a guillotine. "All he has to do is sign. It's his ticket to A-list."

"Actually . . ." I took a steadying breath. "Thank you for the opportunity, but—"

"Teremie Michael Summers, you'd better not be undoing all my hard work, you hear," a familiar disembodied voice came through the tinny laptop speakers, her soft southern lilt unmistakable.

"Sheila?" Oh, God. They were talking to my agent. For a moment, my vision swam. This couldn't be happening. Sheila Levi was a whole other level. Like a honey-coated bear trap in human form.

"You bet, sugar," she said. "Hey, Jiz, turn me around for a quick sec, would you? Let me talk to my client. Alone. Your offer scrambled his brain, and he needs a moment to adjust to the idea, bless his heart."

Jabril gave me what I could only describe as a feral grin. "Sure thing, Sheila. Lovely doing business with you."

"Aww, aren't you sweet?" The sound of air kisses.

Jabril spun the laptop in my direction. And there she was. Tiny, dressed head to toe in Chanel, her hair coiffed in a style a 50s housewife would have envied, her makeup perfectly applied.

"Teremie, sweetheart, don't just tower over me. It's rude."

I automatically sank into a chair.

"Let's give them a moment," Jabril nodded to Kade.

"T, do you want me to stay?" Kade asked. "It's been a traumatic day. You don't have to decide right now—"

Sheila cleared her throat. Loudly.

I would have laughed if I wasn't the one in the hot seat. Here I was, shaking in my boots because of a five-foot-nothing brunette, while a six-foot-five wolf shifter was offering to protect me. How was this my life?

"No, it's fine," my voice trailed off.

"You seem to say that a lot." Kade took a step toward me.

"You heard the man," Sheila said through the screen. "I know you've got that whole protective alpha wolf thing going on, but Teremie's an adult and my client. He'll be just fine. After all, it's only little ol' me." Her smirk gave lie to her words.

I nodded and forced a grin. "It'll be great to catch up."

Better to get this over with.

Jabril practically sprinted for the door, stopping only to grab a bottle from the side table as he banged out of the trailer. Kade took halting steps, looking repeatedly over his shoulder like he'd stay if I asked. And I wanted to. But this wasn't his fight. And I didn't know where we stood at the moment.

I waved and kept my grin in place. Once he'd stepped out and the door shut behind him, I dropped the act, spun back toward Sheila, and gripped the edge of the desk.

"You have to get me out of this! You're my agent and—"

"Whoa, doll, take a breath."

I did. And a second. I needed to approach this calmly.

"Lord, is that a mirror hanging on the ceiling?" she asked, leaning forward on the screen. "You know what? I don't wanna know. As long as you or Rory don't end up on that particular casting couch, we're good. And if y'all do, don't tell me. Plausible deniability."

"What? No. We wouldn't. Sheila—"

"Here's the thing, Teremie. Truth talking now. You're going to take this part. You'll thank Jiz for giving you this role, and you'll do your job. You'll nail it, and it will launch both you and Rory into the stratosphere. And you and yours truly will make a lot—and I want you to look at my mouth when I say this." She pointed to her rose-red lips. " A lot of money."

"Sheila, I can't—"

"You will."

"Will you please let me talk?" I snapped.

She raised a sculpted brow and pursed her lips. It took everything I had not to squirm in my seat. After a tense moment, she waved a hand with a perfectly maintained manicure, a diamond tennis bracelet sparkling on her petite wrist. "Go ahead. Tell Sheila what the problem is, and we'll solve it together."

"It's too much. Look, before his accident, Hyde mentioned the production found another backer."

She nodded. "The ink's barely dry on that contract."

"Right. So that means they have a bigger budget and should be able to look for the right actor to play Eimeret. That's not me. I can't take the pressure." Not a lie.

"Pressure? Oh, honey. You think that's pressure? Let me tell you what pressure looks like. Putting aside all I've done for you and Rory, and how loyal I've been even after the ‘Teremie the Cheater' scandal, let's just lay our cards on the table, hmmm?"

Those butterflies tumbled in my belly again, and I had to ball my hands into fists so I wouldn't shrink back from the blow she was no doubt about to deliver.

"Yes, there's fresh capital coming y'alls' way." She held up a finger. "But." She raised a second finger. "It's not unlimited. And I don't know if you've noticed, but the Upper Peninsula isn't exactly California. It's got a real limited summer. Real limited. One of the snowiest parts of the U.S. Did you know that?"

I shook my head, a sinking feeling in my chest.

"Had to look it up myself. So, say you reject the golden ticket—something we both know isn't gonna happen—but say you do. What do you think happens to production? It grounds to a halt, that's what. Now, let's just say they can find a new actor for Eimeret in record time. Bring him in, get him fitted, have him find his place with the cast, and re-record the earlier scenes, the whole shebang." She held up a third finger. "That still pushes the schedule back a minimum of several weeks. And we know it will be more. So, then, the film can't be finished by the end of summer. Know what that means?"

I shook my head.

"I'm fixin' to tell you." She raised a fourth finger. "They'll have to scout and move to another location. That's cost prohibitive at this stage."

"Okay, but—"

"Not finished. Mind the manners your mama taught you." She tapped a nail against the computer screen. "Know what happens when something's cost prohibitive? Backers decide to cut their losses. Especially when a production is floundering. This one's already had some issues running late and going over- budget, and now losing their one A-list star. They were lucky to attract any new funding. Won't happen if they have to move. You know how many films start and never get made? More than you wanna know." She made a boom gesture with her hand.

"Oh." I could feel the bear trap closing in around me.

"And what do you think that would do to your role? And what about Rory? You want him to go back to small guest spots on streaming series with nothing to show for this experience? And I saw those pictures of you and Kade. Don't know what's going on there and don't wanna know. But it's clear you're at least friends. Talked to his agent last week. Hear Kade's aiming to be back on top. You want to tank his chances? Plus, he's invested a lot of personal money into this production. Doubt he'd appreciate you being the one to make it all crash and burn. And that's not even all the crew who are counting on this job to—"

"Okay. You win." I held up my hands in surrender, my shoulders slumping. "I'll do it."

She smiled, and it looked so innocent. "Great. Knew you'd do the right thing, Teremie. You've always been such a team player. Jabril printed the contract, and it should be right there on his desk."

I pulled the contract and a pen slowly toward me, my hand shaking.

"Go ahead, honey, sign it. I'll wait."

I walked out of Jabril's trailer, a man going to the gallows. I'd signed it. Like signing my own death warrant.

Jabril's face lit up when he saw me and held up the bottle. Champagne. "This calls for a drink. Let's celebrate."

I grimaced. Celebrating was the furthest thing from my agenda tonight. Though alcohol might be warranted.

"Thanks, Mr. Jabril, but I'm really tired. I'm going to head back to the yurt and sleep."

"Yurt? Oh, yeah. Once we've packed up and cleared Hatcher's possession out of his cabin, you'll be moving in there. You can decide whether you want to take McMahon with you. Sure you won't stay for that drink?"

"I'm good, thanks. You enjoy it for both of us." I walked off before he could insist. Kade was nowhere in sight. That . . . hurt. I shouldn't have assumed he'd wait around for me, but somehow I had. Not sure why, since we'd been all but strangers for the last three days.

I rounded a bend and ran nose first into Kade's chest. Like hitting a brick wall.

"Oof." I stepped back.

"You okay?" Kade reached out and steadied me. His touch felt as electric as every other time, and I had to fight my body not to melt into him.

I cleared my throat, stared at the ground. "I feel like you ask me that a lot."

He tipped my chin up so I met his gaze. "Maybe one day you'll answer truthfully when I do."

A muscle ticked in my cheek. "Few people would care for my genuine answer."

"I do."

Prickling behind my eyes was my cue to go.

"I . . . I appreciate that." I shook him off and stepped around him, setting a brisk pace, though not quite a run. Didn't want to look like I was running away. Newsflash: I was running away.

He fell into stride beside me. "T, wait. Please."

It was the note of pleading that did me in. My feet slowed against my will.

"What?" I asked, doing my best to keep my voice steady.

"Have dinner with me."

I halted in my tracks. Wasn't expecting that. "Like at the cantina?"

"No, I'll order in, and we can talk at my place. Looks like you could use a friend tonight."

"Thought we were supposed to stop fraternizing off set." I crossed my arms.

"I don't think Hyde can claim wrongful termination at this point." He swiped a stray lock of hair off my forehead. "There's no reason for us to stay away anymore. Unless . . . that's what you want."

No, it wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to crawl into his lap and snuggle in. Play with his hair. Have him pet me like a cat. But since I'd just been run over by a steamroller named Sheila, I was feeling a little raw at the moment. If I went back to his place, I'd spew all my fears and frustrations his way, and no one wanted to hear that. I needed to say ‘thank you, but not tonight.'

I couldn't make my lips form the words.

His nearness made my knees weak, and his strength drew me like a moth to a flame.

" Is that what you want?" he asked. "For me to stay away from you?"

I shook my head.

"Then have dinner with me." He reached out and took my hand. "Please."

Another ‘please.' My resolve crumbled. "Okay. But I should warn you, I'm not good company."

He gave me the gentlest smile. "These last three days have been . . . rough. Believe me, I'll take you however I can get you."

I blinked. Uh. "Really?"

He snorted. "Don't tell me you didn't notice how moody I was. I won't believe you."

And against my will, my lips twitched. "Well, maybe a little."

He barked a laugh. "Ha! You mean a lot. I hated not being around you."

And suddenly, I didn't feel quite so bad. "It's a good thing we're having dinner together, then."

"Yeah, it is."