Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
KIT
“ I t’s so nice out. Can we stay outside a little longer?” I ask Rafe. I’m laying on a picnic blanket in the sun while he broods next to me. Rafe isn’t laying down because of course he wouldn’t do that where people can see him. I lift my sunglasses and look at him when he doesn’t answer. He’s busy scanning the production lot like he thinks someone’s about to come running out of the trees at us.
I guess it’s fair, given what happened last night.
“We’re safe, Rafe.”
His dark eyes come to mine and he shakes his head. “Not yet, but soon.”
“Soon what?” I ask and sit up, all thoughts of the sun or how to get my morally black boyfriend to lay down next to me flying right out of my head. Whenever he talks like that it isn’t good. He hasn’t killed anyone since we’ve been together but I’ve seen the darkness in him bubble up to the surface.
There was the time one of the security guards at a club patted my ass. Rafe went after him with just a quick “He’ll learn in a minute.”
“Learn what?” I’d called after him but Grant had just wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me up to the bar with him.
“What’s he going to learn?” I asked Grant.
“That you can look all you want but don’t touch, sweetheart.”
The next time I saw the security guard he was being supported by a friend while he held his arm to his chest and limped out of a side exit.
Rafe has the same look on his face as he did the night he taught that security guard a lesson. “Hey, answer me, please.” I rise up on my knees and cup his face in my hands so he has to look at me. “Stay with me. I’m here.”
That does the trick and the dark look in Rafe’s eyes abates. He shifts back and focuses on me like I asked him to.
“What’s going on?”
Rafe answers me immediately. “Grant went to find the photographer.”
My stomach drops and I swallow hard. “Why?”
“We need more information.”
I bite my lip and look down at my hands. The sunshine feels wrong now. It’s too bright, too hot. It's been weeks since I’ve felt this warm and I want the shadows back. The rain and the clouds. I take in a shuddering breath and squeeze my hands together.
“He’s going to kill him, isn’t he?” I whisper.
We’re far away from everyone else. In the back corner of the lot with the trees to our backs, enough room that no one will hear me, but I can hardly say it. Oh god. What does that make me? I threatened Jasmine yesterday and here I am shaking at knowing that Grant is probably killing someone right now.
“Yes.”
“He’ll get caught.”
Rafe snorts and turns his face up to the sun with a smile. “Grant is a lot of things but he won’t get caught over something that small. It’s just one photographer.”
“How do you know? Have you heard from him?” I go right for my bag and dig out my phone. There’s no messages from Grant. When I search his name on the internet I don’t see any horrible stories saying he’s been arrested for murder.
This is good.
I sigh and stare at my phone before I drop it onto the blanket beside us. It’s not like I can text him when he’s off murdering someone. Knowing my luck, my text will be the thing that gets him caught so I sit back down next to Rafe and worry.
“He’s fine,” Rafe says and tips my chin back so I’m getting a face full of sun like he is. “Did you put any sunscreen on?”
“What?” I ask, because I don’t know how to process that. “Did I what?”
He squeezes my chin and I wince. “Sunscreen. Did you put it on?”
I huff out a laugh and bury my face in my hands. “You’re worried about sunscreen?”
“I’m not having you get skin cancer.”
I make a face but I answer when he looks at me. “Yes, I put some on earlier.”
“Better not be lying to me, shy girl. You know what happens when you lie to me.”
The last time I lied to Rafe it was over who I was texting at one in the morning. It was one of the supporting actors trying to get me to meet him for drinks. From the typos, I knew he was drunk and I didn’t exactly reply to him but Rafe did catch me in the act of reading and blocking.
I’d told him it was Alana because I hadn’t wanted the actor to end up cut to pieces. Rafe had turned my ass red that night. Not even Grant had stopped him when I’d sobbed. He’d watched.
“This is what happens when you lie, sweetheart. This hurts us more than it hurts you.”
When it was all over, I’d flipped them off and ran to the bedroom to hide. All that had gotten me was another round over Rafe’s knee, but when he was done he’d taken me to the bathtub to soak and cry it out while he held me.
That had been two weeks into us dating, one since we’d moved into the apartment together. I hadn’t lied to them since.
I dip my head when I feel Rafe’s eyes on me. I wonder if he’s thinking about the last time I lied like I am and my cheeks go hot. “I know. I swear I’m telling the truth.”
Rafe watches me for another second before he nods. “I believe you. Now, come here and stop worrying about that dumb bitch.” He holds out an arm to me.
“Grant is not a bitch. Don’t call him that,” I say and move into his side. “You should talk nicer about each other. You know I don’t like it when you fight.”
“Shy girl, I love you,” he tells me and I feel my heart speed up. There’s no universe that exists where I don’t get flustered over hearing Rafe tell me that he loves me, “but Grant and I are never going to get along.”
“Not even for me?”
He frowns but sighs. “We make it work for you,” he says and I want to call him out about the other night. I heard them together. I’ve heard them together before, but when I brought it up to Alana as proof that they didn’t hate each other, she laughed and shook her head.
“Sweetcheeks, that’s called a hate fuck. Just because the sex is top tier doesn’t mean they’re going to play nice and get along. Them hating each other just makes the hate fuck that much better.”
“You’ll come around,” I tell him, because I’m nothing if not an optimist. Even if it’s foolish, I’m not going to give up on Rafe and Grant loving each other as much as I love them. In my perfect world we’re a happy throuple. One that might be prone to outbursts, but we’re in love.
All of us .
“He’s your boyfriend, too,” I point out sullenly.
Rafe chuckles and pulls me into his lap. “Boyfriends are assholes. Everybody knows that.”
“You’re not an asshole.”
He smiles at me and leans down so our faces are close together. “I’m not, but that’s only to you. You’re the only one that gets that,” he whispers. When he tips my face up to his I close my eyes and kiss him. It’s a slow kiss. Sweet, soft, gentle. Exactly the kind of kiss that I write about. The kind that I dreamed of having all for myself and Rafe gives it to me gladly.
“Rafe,” I whisper. My eyes are closed but I can feel his smile against my lips.
He slides his fingers through my hair and I open my eyes when he taps my nose. “You’re the only one I go soft for and that means Grant gets shit-talked. He’s an asshole.”
I roll my eyes and push his shoulder. “You’re going to give in. I’m not letting this go. I mean it.”
Rafe opens his mouth and I brace for whatever he’s going to say but that’s when I hear the crunch of feet on gravel behind me. Instantly, I duck my head and grab on to Rafe’s shoulder to get off his lap. I’m straddling him with the way he has me, one leg on either side of his hips with my back to whoever is approaching, but when I try to move he grips my hips and keeps me where I am.
“Rafe,” I whisper but he ignores me.
“What is it?” he asks the person behind me. I try to move again and Rafe squeezes my hips in warning. “We don’t hide, shy girl. You want us all in love? Stop trying to hide it. You get me?”
I start to protest, to try and tell him that it’s not about hiding. It’s about the fact that we’re on site and I’m the writer and he’s one of the leading stars and that me straddling him isn’t exactly professional, but I snap my mouth shut when he glares at me and resign myself to being seen where I am. I don’t really feel like paying for it later. I look over my shoulder to see who’s speaking and recognize one of the director’s assistants, Jane, I think. She’s nice, mostly quiet and focused more than the others. I like her.
She looks nervous right now and wrings her hands while she gives us an apologetic look. “I’m sorry for interrupting your down time Mr. Burdock and Ms. Salazar. I, uh, there’s been a development that we thought you should know immediately.”
My heart rate spikes and I break out into a cold sweat. The only thing on my mind is Grant. Oh god, what if something happened to Grant? I want to ask if it’s him but I keep my mouth shut. Rafe is better at thinking on his feet than I am.
He tilts his head to the side and nods at her. “What’s happened that’s so urgent? You know I’m off limits when I’m between takes.”
Jane swallows hard and I jab my elbow into Rafe’s side. “I, ah, there’s been sort of a photo leak,” she says it all in a rush, like if she says it fast enough then Rafe won’t keep mouthing off to her.
I feel bad. I know he’s intimidating. I was scared of him too, the first time I saw him.
“Sort of? How can there be sort of a photo leak and of who?” Rafe asks. I don’t know why he asks. I know who it’s of, even without hearing Jane say it.
“Um, Kit. I mean, Ms. Salazar. They’re all of her.”
I feel sick but I’m glad it’s not about Grant.
“ Motherfucker, ” Rafe growls and I pat his shoulder blindly before I push myself hard enough that I’m able to turn to face Jane. Rafe keeps an arm around my waist and holds me tight with my back against his chest.
I clear my throat. “It’s okay. I swear it is,” I lie when I feel Rafe shift like he’s about to get up to follow Grant’s example and go on a murdering rampage. Is one photographer a rampage? I give Jane a reassuring smile because she looks like a ghost. Pale and faint.
“It’s okay,” I say again, because Rafe’s energy is going dark. It feels heavy and like he could tear the world apart with one wrong move. Rafe tenses and I know he’s about to move but I can’t let him.
Grant is already out there doing God knows what. I can’t take both of them on the loose. I can only take so much. I’ll lose my shit worrying over both of my boyfriends on a homicidal rampage.
“Was it from last night?” I ask and grab his thigh, pushing down to keep him where he is. I turn my head and whisper, “ No murdering ,” while Jane clears her throat and shuffles her feet. Poor thing. She looks like she wants to be anywhere but here and I get it. I was just straddling Rafe and now he’s got murder face.
Jane looks up, confused at my question. “Last night?” she asks. “No. I mean, I don’t think so.”
“Were they taken from a restaurant?” I ask, not letting Rafe take over. It’s better that I do the talking. “I would have been wearing a gold dress. Ah, it was strapless.”
Jane shakes her head. “No, it wasn’t from last night but it was from…” her voice trails off and I wince when Rafe barks out, “From where?”
“Here,” Jane tells him and clears her throat. She looks around the lot and then sighs. “Well, not here,” she says and gestures around us with a grimace.
“Where, Jane?”
“I mean, the photos were taken from the production lot and on set. Some of them were from hair and makeup, too. A couple were, um, of you sleeping.”
“ Shit ,” I whisper.
The only place that I ever sleep is in Rafe’s suite. Grant put up a fuss but the couch in Rafe’s room was like a cloud and it was closer to set, so I fall asleep there often and easily. Whoever took the photos had gotten into Rafe’s suite.
Oh god.
I shake and I hate that I do. I want to be strong. I want to be electric and fierce, the way I was when I had Jasmine on her knees. But as much as I try to reach for that version of myself, there’s no bringing her out. I cower when Rafe looks at me and turns my face into his shoulder.
“I feel sick,” I whisper.
“Are you telling me someone got into my fucking suite? Is that what you’re telling me?” Rafe snarls and I grab his arm when his voice rises. “I was brought here with the understanding that my privacy was not to be compromised and you’re telling me someone is taking photos of my woman? ”
I shiver when I hear him say ‘my woman’ but I do my best not to dwell on it, especially given the circumstances. A psycho is stalking me. It’s one thing when it’s my boyfriends, but other than that?
No fucking way.
“It’s not her fault,” I remind him. “You know it isn’t. They sent her because she’s not responsible. Don’t yell at her.”
Rafe glowers but the second his eyes come to me he backs down and sighs. “I’m sorry.”
“Not me. Her.”
His dark eyes flash but he does as I ask. “I’m sorry, Jane,” he says and I’m surprised that he knows her name. I didn’t think he would but I should know better. Rafe pays far more attention then he lets on.
“I, ah, it’s okay.” Jane gives us a weak smile and her eyes are on me when she speaks. “The producers know this has been getting worse and the director is about to lose it over someone leaking photos. They want to move production to stop this.”
My eyes widen. “We’re moving locations?”
She nods. “Yeah, they want to find a new location. Smaller crew–just the essentials and have them rotate on a weekly basis.”
I shake my head, trying to make sense of the plan Jane is laying out. Something like that would take resources. It would definitely increase the budget for the film and increase the filming time.
“What? Why would they-”
“Because they want to figure out who is leaking the photos,” Rafe interrupts, wrapping his arm around my waist. He gives me a squeeze and nods. “I like it. They’re doing it because they can’t risk someone giving first looks at scenes and fucking up the release. When are they going to move us out?” he asks Jane.
“ASAP,” she says and jerks her thumb over her shoulder. “They sent me to get you and to see if you could get a hold of Grant. No one can right now, not even his agent. They were hoping that because of your, er, close relationship that you would have better luck.”
Rafe sighs and pulls his phone out as he rises to his feet, dragging me with him. “Yeah, I hear you. I’ll get our idiot boyfriend on his way back here.”
Jane blushes at Rafe’s words but he doesn’t even register it as he hits Grant’s contact and holds his phone up to his ear. It’s only a second later that he’s speaking to Grant. “Get your ass back to the lot. We’re moving out.”
I hear Grant’s muffled voice and Rafe replies, “It’s to keep Kit safe. More photos dropped.” Grant doesn’t answer. Instead, I just hear silence and I know he hung up. Rafe nods at Jane. “Let’s get moving. He’ll be here.”
Jane gives us a tense smile and turns on her heel. “I’ll take you to the producers. They have a location in mind but the director is going to have the final say, I think.”
“He better not make us camp. I hate camping,” Rafe mutters.
I smile and slip my hand into his. “I like camping.”
He falls silent and then looks down at me. “Yeah?”
I nod. “Yeah. I used to camp a lot in college but I haven't in years.”
“What do you like about camping?” Rafe asks me and again, he’s intense and focused but it’s different. There’s no coldness to him, no razor sharp focus when I know he’s going to try and take someone’s head off. He’s smiling at me warmly with the kind of soft look in his eyes that reminds me that he’s obsessive, but he’s obsessed with me.