12. Harley
harley
. . .
H e’s been following me for some time.
He thought he was being slick, but I made him the moment I first saw his face in the crowd of set workers.
I didn’t remember everyone’s faces and names, but I could tell when someone was trying to stay hidden.
After all, that’s how my whole life had been. Hiding in plain sight. Making people believe what I wanted them to.
It was easy to see when others tried to do the same. And failed.
I was almost sure he was a present from Laura.
I hadn’t been able to pick up everything from her conversation with the contractor, but I heard enough, even though I wished I could have seen it happen.
In hindsight, I shouldn’t have texted her about her being flustered. Along with the mention of surveillance in the contract, it tipped her off. It was stupid, but I couldn’t help myself.
It led to her finding the cameras the flower delivery people had left in her office, which meant I couldn’t put up any in her house now. Still, she didn’t know about the microphones already there, so I still had audio.
And the woman’s warning to Laura rang clear through my head.
People like her won’t be afraid of being hunted. She won’t even be angry, Laura. She’ll be excited. Trust me. You’re better off running away.
She might have been right, but Laura wouldn’t be getting away from me. Even if the words had scared her—which I highly doubted—I would find her wherever she went.
The draw to her was undeniable. Images of her took over my every waking moment. Even in my dreams I thought of her. Yearned to feel her against me.
We were undeniable.
She felt it too. That’s why she was making such big moves.
She’d had a sneak peek into the real me. And instead of running away screaming and hiding, she was retaliating.
The assassin had been right about something else too.
The more I saw the man in the corner of my eye, watching me, the more excited I got.
She was giving me a gift. A chance to let out the darkness inside me.
It wasn’t until about noon, when the random man disappeared, that the real excitement began.
I was in the middle of a scene, my co-star in front of me, the cameras behind her. They all saw it before I did, and that was the only warning I got.
Her eyes widened; her mouth opened as she paused in the middle of her line. The men behind the camera jerked to the side to look behind me.
Then I heard the screeching.
Everything moved in slow motion, and for the first time in my life, I felt like I might truly be at the end of my rope.
I turned around just in time to see one of the large trailers barreling toward us. That’s when the yelling started. Hands were grabbing us, pulling us away.
And yet I couldn’t move. Maybe it was shock… or maybe it was pure amusement. Excitement because I knew this was Laura’s doing. Even more excitement because I was right—there was darkness inside her too .
I was pushed to the ground before I had a chance to react.
The trailer ran into several cameras and other equipment, slowing down enough for me to get back on my feet and move out of the way.
The loud crash of it running into a wall ripped through the air.
I looked at the crashed hunk of metal, my eyes widening when I caught sight of someone slumped over the wheel.
It’s not the same man.
A laugh fell from my lips before I could even stop it.
Laura, Laura, Laura.
She wanted to deny it. Deny us .
This will be interesting.
I scrolled through my phone in the dark. Headline after headline of what happened on set were littered over every news outlet.
My accounts were blowing up with tags and mentions from everyone from concerned fans to large hate accounts. But all of it just seemed to strengthen my image. It had been some time since I had been this mentioned in the media, and in some twisted way, it was helping promote the movie.
Especially when images of me helping my co-star up were leaked.
Another gift Laura had unknowingly given me.
I hoped she was watching the news as well. I could imagine her sitting at her desk, the anger plain as day on her face.
She failed. Maybe for the first time in her life, she had truly failed.
That alone sent a burst of adrenaline through me. Because once she realized it hadn’t worked, she’d either try again or be forced to sign my contract.
I got her right where I want her. Even if Laura didn’t know it yet.
The turning of the lock caused my eyes to dart to the door. Light leaked in as a figure pushed the door open. I silently maneuvered around the open door to the bedroom, placing myself just out of his sight.
He didn’t bother turning on the overhead lights, having no idea I had made it inside his little den.
Is he an amateur? I didn’t know whether to be offended or amused that Laura had hired someone this incompetent to kill me.
He sighed and grumbled something under his breath, the sound of his booted feet against the carpet muffled.
Sirens from the outside leaked in along with shouting. The apartment itself wasn’t in the greatest of areas. Given the lack of furniture, it was probably just a throwaway for him. Even better. No one would find him for a long time.
My heart was pounding in my chest. Since the moment the truck tried to ram into me, I couldn’t wipe the smirk off my face.
I almost missed my chance in my excitement.
I grabbed the string from my pocket and looped it around his neck as soon as he closed the door. He tried to fight it, bucking wildly and flailing his hands around to attempt to claw at my face.
But he was too late.
When his body slumped against mine, I set my plan into action.