Chapter 10

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Rest In Pieces (Raven Soul MC Book 1)

Candice Wright

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AMITY

" Y ou're going to stand on a horse?"

"Yep."

"A moving one?"

I look over my shoulder at Nevaeh and see her face has gone pale.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Here, sit down," I say, dragging one of the folding chairs over.

"No, I'm fine. I'm okay," she mutters as she sits down, but I'm not sure if she's trying to convince me or herself.

"Relax. I've done this stunt before, and I've actually done it with this horse. Jasmine is a sweetheart and just as well-trained as I am. You've gotta trust me when I say I know what I'm doing."

"I do trust you. I just can't help but think of all the injuries you've had over the years."

I lean down and press my forehead against hers. "This is who I am, Pippin, and I love it. I know it's hard for you, so I totally don't mind if you want to go back to the RV and wait for me to be done."

She takes a deep breath, and I pull back to look at her.

"No, you're right. I'm just being silly." She stands up and smooths down the front of her shirt. "I'm going to watch you kill it out there."

"You sure?"

"Yep. But I reserve the right to throw up later."

"I'll keep that in mind." My lips twitch.

As much as I want to comfort her, I have to prepare for the stunt. I can't afford to have my focus pulled because that shit will get me killed.

"Okay. Well. I'm going to go get you a drink and something sweet for when you're done, and the adrenaline's worn off."

"Sounds good."

I watch her walk back to the RV as someone clears their throat behind me, and I turn to find Jack, the stunt coordinator, standing there.

"Is she okay?" He nods toward Nevaeh.

"First time on set. Knowing what I do and seeing what I do are two totally different things."

"My wife was the same way."

"It get better?" I ask as we walk to the pasture where the scene will be shot.

"Not even a little. She threatens to divorce me at least once a week, blaming me for each and every one of her gray hairs."

I wince. "Yikes, sorry."

"This life isn't for the faint of heart, but for an adrenaline junkie like me, it doesn't get much better."

"I know what you mean. Plus, we get to do a bunch of shit we'd normally get arrested for."

He laughs loudly, drawing the attention of the director, Stefan, and Monica, the lead actress.

"Very true."

"Jack, Amity," Stefan calls, waving us over.

"I was just discussing the scene with Monica. She's fleeing from a group of bandits who are hot on her tail and closing in, so I want you going flat out, Amity."

"No problem."

"We'll walk through it first so you know where the markers are. The first marker is where I want you to slow the horse and stand. The second marker is just a few feet away from the first. That's your cue to jump and grab the tree branch. I've got a couple of crash mats set up around the tree. I can edit them out later, but the ride itself is going to be the dangerous part, especially when you stand."

"I know. Don't worry. It's a stunt I'm familiar with, though I usually have to throw myself to the ground, not up into a tree." I chuckle.

Monica glares at me. "Did you follow the meal plan I sent you? You can't look fat on screen if you're my body double."

Jack tenses beside me but keeps his mouth shut, knowing, like I do, that we're expendable and Monica's not. He doesn't need to worry, though. This isn't my first rodeo.

"I did, but I lost a few pounds, and I'm already a size smaller than you, so I needed to bulk up. Thanks, though," I tell her and smile as Jack chokes down a cough beside me. I turn to Stefan. "I'll start the walk-through with Jack and leave you two to talk."

I link my arm with Jack's and lead him over to the trail, stopping to give Jasmine some love first. "Hello, beautiful." I scratch behind her ear as she sighs.

"I've never seen a putdown like that before." Jack laughs. "I'm still not sure if she thinks you were insulting her or giving her a compliment."

I laugh. "Thanks. I've honed my skill over the years," I say, stroking my hand down Jasmine's neck. "When I first started in the biz, it was like being back in fucking high school with all the mean girls. But as I got older, I realized that these beautiful women that everyone loves are just as insecure as the rest of us. So, I toughened up and got better at handling them, but I never let anyone push me too far where I risk getting blacklisted."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I know the men aren't as bad as the women, but?—"

I snort, interrupting him. "Don't be so sure about that. Some of the biggest divas I've ever met were men." I give Jasmine one last stroke before heading toward the first mark with Jack beside me.

"I've run into a few myself," he agrees, "but at least men are straight up about it. Women are catty and sneaky, backstabbing—" He snaps his mouth shut and looks at me, his cheeks turning pink.

"The wife's really giving you a hard time, huh?"

He groans and nods. "Still, it's no excuse. I'm sorry. I swear I don't hate women, even though it might've sounded like it."

"You don't need to apologize to me. I get it. Like you said, this job and relationships don't really go together. They either freak out about the danger I put myself in or feel emasculated because I'm a stuntwoman."

"I apologize for my sex. We're idiots."

I snicker. "I don't know, Jack. I think you're pretty cool."

He puffs up at my words.

"But just so we're clear, I'm not sleeping with you, or the director, the boom guy, or the lead actor. I don't mix work with pleasure, but I do collect friends like other people collect fridge magnets. As far as I'm concerned, you can never have too many."

"Friends?"

"No, fridge magnets," I deadpan, making him laugh again.

"Alright, friends it is. And just so you know, I wouldn't sleep with you anyway. The sad truth is, I still love my wife, even though she hates me."

"I'm sorry."

"It's my own fault. She warned me, and I didn't listen."

I don't say anything else because what else is there to say?

I stop when we reach the first marker, a neon yellow line on the ground that's easy to spot from a distance. I look around, checking the ground to see how uneven it is and if there are any potholes or roots to watch out for, but it looks pretty clear.

"This looks good. As long as Jasmine cooperates, I shouldn't have any problem getting to my feet when I reach the marker."

"That's what we figured. The second marker is there," he says, pointing to the nearest tree. "The ground's pretty much level the whole way there. But after the second mark, it gets pretty bumpy. So if you need to abort the stunt, jump off onto the mats or sit back down in the saddle."

"Okay, no problem. You think I can do a walk-through with Jasmine? I just want to get her familiar with me again and me with her."

"I don't see why not. Whatever they're talking about over there is getting pretty heated."

I turn and see Stefan and Monica arguing.

"As long as it doesn't involve me, I don't care," I say, turning back to Jack.

We spend a few more minutes going over the stunt before I wave goodbye to him and head back up the trail.

I walk back to Jasmine and give her another stroke before checking that the saddle is secure. Gathering the reins and saddle horn in my left hand and the back of the saddle with my right, I put my foot in the stirrup and pull myself up onto Jasmine's back. With a firm grip on the reins, I make a clicking sound with my tongue and press my heels into her sides. Jasmine starts walking, and I shut out everything else as I focus on her movements.

She's been in a few movies now, which sounds crazy when you think of a horse being a movie star, but it's true. She's used to the noises, bright lights, and dealing with a crowd of strangers. Hell, she even manages to put up with bitchy actresses without taking a bite out of them, which is a skill in itself.

We walk through the scene, and I take everything in, familiarizing myself with every detail while Jasmine and I get used to each other again. Everything feels good and comfortable, but I don't let myself become complacent.

After running through the scene once more, we head back to the holding area.

When we stop, I rub my hand along Jasmine's neck. "Such a good girl," I praise her as Jack walks over with one of her handlers.

The girl smiles at me before offering Jasmine an apple. "How'd she feel?"

"Good. I'm ready to go when Stefan is."

Jack looks over to where Stefan was standing and sees that he's alone now. "Give me two seconds," he says before heading his way.

I slide off Jasmine and hand the reins to the handler as I spot Nevaeh approaching.

"Wow, she's beautiful."

"I know," I say with a smile. "You know that's the one thing I miss when it comes to having an RV—not being able to have a horse."

"One day, though." I give her a look, and she continues. "I know you love your job, but you already said that retirement comes pretty early for stunt people. And no matter how hard you wish it, eighty-year-old you probably won't be getting many gigs. You know, unless there's a need for badass grannies that I'm unaware of."

I laugh as she passes me a bottle of Gatorade. I take a sip and hand it back. "I like to think I'll be on to my next big adventure by then."

She sighs. "You're never going to just retire like a normal person, are you?"

"Now, where's the fun in that?" I smile.

She shakes her head just as Jack and Stefan walk up to us.

"Amity, are you ready to do a run-through before we get you in costume?"

"Yep, absolutely."

"Excellent." He turns to Nevaeh and frowns. "You. I don't know you."

"Nevaeh is my assistant. She makes sure I'm all set and ready to go."

"Ah, well, good." He looks around and then bellows, "Get ready for a run-through. Anyone not needed, get off my set."

I give Nevaeh's arm a squeeze, her cue to move away. She nods and heads off, leaving me to listen to Stefan run through everything he wants once more and how he wants me to do it. I nod and listen as Jack takes over, pointing out the best and safest ways to perform the stunt without injury.

Once everyone's ready and in position, I mount Jasmine and block out everything around me. I visualize every move I'm about to make, every action down to how I breathe, and as soon as Stefan shouts "Action," I'm off.

Jasmine responds beautifully, racing across the dirt and grass at breakneck speed, her hooves kicking up a cloud of reddish dust. As we approach the first marker, I gently pull on her reins, signaling her to slow down just a touch before I release them and hold onto the saddle's horn. This saddle has been modified, making it easier to place both feet on it. Once I'm centered, I ease myself into a standing position.

I keep my eyes on the upcoming marker, using my core to maintain my balance. As soon as we reach it, I move swiftly, jumping up to grab the branch. I bang my head against it, but my grip holds firm, even as I feel the rough bark dig into my hands.

Jasmine continues to gallop away from me until Stefan yells, "Cut!" I drop down to the ground and check out my hands.

Jack walks over, looks at my hands, and whistles for someone.

"We'll get you cleaned up real quick, and I'll see if I can find a pair of flesh-colored gloves. I don't know how many takes we might have to do. No point tearing up your skin if we can avoid it."

"Thanks." I let the set medic lead me over to her station, where she uses a pair of tweezers to remove a few splinters from my hands before cleaning them up and applying some ointment.

"Most of the stunt crews I've worked with complain when I patch them up," she says, making me jump. "Sorry, I'm Mary, by the way."

"Amity. And don't worry about it. I was in a world of my own." I smile as I clench and unclench my hands, feeling no residual pain. "When I first started out, I hated needing first aid too. I thought it made me look weak."

"What changed your mind?"

"I'm not sure it was any particular incident, though there have been a few times over the years that first aid has been a lifesaver. But honestly, I think it was just getting older and caring less about fitting in that made me realize I was being an idiot. Cuts left unattended could easily get infected, and injuries left unchecked could lead to more serious injuries. And for what? I wouldn't be able to do my job. It was stupid, really."

"Well, maybe if they see you here with me, they won't be so reluctant to come to me, too."

I look over my shoulder to see where she's looking and see Henry, Jack's assistant, talking to a couple of the newer stunt guys I don't really know. I've never worked with either of them before, and I can't remember their names for the life of me. One of them seems okay—he pays attention, is pretty quiet, and has a certain intensity that shows how much he wants this. The other guy's cocky—the kind of cocky that borders on reckless. I make a mental note to be cautious around him before turning back to Mary.

"I have a funny feeling you'll get your hands on them eventually. One of them, at least."

She chuckles as Stefan walks over.

"Everything okay?"

"Yep, nothing too bad. How did it look?"

"Fantastic. Do you think you could do it exactly the same way without slowing the horse down?"

"Now that I've run through it, yeah."

"Excellent."

"Do you want me to get into costume now?"

"Yes." He looks at his watch. "Can you be ready in thirty minutes?"

"As long as hair and makeup are ready for me."

"Great." He nods and walks away.

Turning, I head over to where Nevaeh is standing, noting that she looks a little green.