Chapter 6 #2
"If that video drops before the start of production, the studio will panic, pull me from the film. They'll recast with someone safe, someone who won't risk controversy. The story will get watered down, sanitized."
"And if you withdraw voluntarily?"
"Same result, but at least I control the narrative. Say it's health issues or scheduling conflicts." She stood, brushed off her jeans. "Either way, this story doesn't get told the way it should be."
I studied her face in the fading light. No performance now, just raw honesty. This wasn't the Kit Lord I'd googled briefly before dinner, the one with the carefully managed public image. This was someone else. Someone real.
"Katherine." Her name came out without thinking.
She tilted her head. "Not Kit?"
"Kit's the Hollywood version. The brand. You're not performing right now, so you're Katherine."
A smile ghosted across her face. "My dad called me Katherine. Never Kit, never Katie. Said Katherine was a queen's name and I should wear it proudly."
"Smart man."
"He died when I was fifteen. Right before my career took off. Sometimes I wonder what he'd think of all this. The movies, the fame, the complete loss of privacy."
"He'd be proud of you fighting for this role. For understanding it's bigger than just another part."
"We should head back before they send a search party."
The walk back felt different. Comfortable silence instead of awkward quiet. Our shoulders bumped occasionally, but neither of us pulled away.
"Can you stop them?" she asked as we turned onto Jase's street. "The blackmailer?"
"I need more data. The RAT's sophisticated but not perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, leaves signatures. I'll find theirs."
"You sound certain."
"I spent twenty years hunting people through digital footprints. Nation-state actors, terrorist cells, criminal networks. One person making deepfakes? They'll slip up."
We reached the driveway. Through the window, I could see the kids clearing the table while Jase and Angelica loaded the dishwasher. Domestic chaos, but the comfortable kind that came from practice and love.
"Ready to go back in?" I asked.
"Into the madness?" She laughed, and I realized I liked the sound. Not the practiced Hollywood laugh from dinner, but this real one. "Lead the way."
Tyler nearly knocked us over as we opened the door.
"Ms. Lord! Ms. Lord!" His face was bright red with excitement. "You're Natasha Blade! From Quantum Strike!"
Katherine's Hollywood smile snapped back into place. "That's right."
"That's my favorite movie! Do you really know how to fight like that? And the motorcycle chase, was that really you? And in the sequel when you jumped off the building?"
"Some of it was me. But I had Helen. She was an excellent stunt double for the really dangerous parts."
"Do you play the game? Quantum Strike Online? I'm really good at it. I'm ranked in the top thousand!"
"I've played a few times."
That was clearly an understatement based on the slight smirk she tried to hide.
"Can we play? Please? I live right next door. I can get my PlayStation in like two minutes!"
"Tyler," Bonnie warned. "Ms. Lord is a guest, not your personal entertainment."
"It's fine." Katherine glanced at me, mischief in her eyes. "I could use some mindless fun."
Tyler was out the door before Bonnie could object. He returned in what seemed like ninety seconds, PlayStation and controllers clutched to his chest like treasure.
Fifteen minutes later, the living room had transformed into a gaming arena. Tyler, Amber, and Lachlan sat on the floor in front of the TV. Katherine had claimed the ottoman, controller in hand, that Hollywood facade completely gone. She looked relaxed for the first time all day.
"Best of three," Tyler announced. "Me first!"
The game loaded. Some first-person shooter with graphics that hurt my eyes. Katherine selected her character, same one from the movie apparently, based on Tyler's excited squealing.
The match started. Tyler came out aggressive, all offense. Katherine played defense, learning his patterns. He got first blood, started talking trash. Amateur mistake.
She picked him apart methodically after that. Headshot from across the map. Grenade around a corner he thought was safe. A knife kill when he got cocky and rushed her position.
"How?" Tyler stared at the screen showing his defeat. "I'm ranked top thousand!"
"Lucky, I guess." Katherine's innocent tone didn't match her satisfied expression.
Lachlan went next. Lost faster than Tyler but laughed about it.
Amber took the controller like she was accepting a challenge to single combat. She'd been watching, learning. Lasted almost ten minutes before Katherine ended it with a spectacular aerial attack.
"Again!" Tyler grabbed his controller. "Best of five!"
They played three more rounds. Katherine won every time, but barely. Just enough to keep it interesting, to let them think they had a chance. She was playing them as much as the game, maintaining their engagement without crushing their spirits.
"You're really good," Amber said with grudging respect. "Like, really good."
"One more?" Tyler begged.
"School tomorrow," Bonnie said firmly. "Tyler, your mom's probably wondering where you are."
The kids groaned but started cleaning up. Tyler reverently packed his PlayStation, still staring at Katherine with hero worship.
"This was the best night ever," he told her solemnly. "Will you be here tomorrow?"
"Maybe."
After he left and the twins were sent to start homework, I found myself on the back porch with Katherine while the others finished cleaning up inside. She'd stolen a beer from the fridge, and took small sips while staring at the darkening sky.
"You liked playing," I observed.
"As soon as the game came out, I bought a PlayStation. I played for days." Even in the dim light I could see her blushing.
She glanced at me. "You planning to watch Quantum Strike now?"
"Already started downloading it while you were playing."
"It's terrible. Fun, but terrible. The plot's held together with make-up and stunts, and my character wears completely impractical outfits for combat."
"But you learned real tactics for it."
"Method acting." She took another sip of beer. "Plus I've always been competitive. If I'm going to play a superhero, I want to actually be capable of the things she does. Within reason."
The back door opened. Angelica stuck her head out. "We're heading back to the hotel. You ready?"
Katherine stood, handed me the half-finished beer. "Thank you. For the walk. For pulling me out of the chaos. For not treating me like I'm made of glass."
"You're not made of glass. Glass doesn't survive fifteen years in Hollywood."
She smiled, that real one again. "Goodnight, Code."
"Goodnight, Katherine."
She followed Angelica inside. I heard goodbyes, Bonnie insisting they take leftover lasagna, the kids begging Katherine to come back and play more games tomorrow.
I stayed on the porch, finishing the beer she'd abandoned. Through the window, I watched her hug the twins goodbye. They'd already adopted her, like they'd adopted me. The Drakos family had that effect, pulling people into their orbit whether they planned it or not.
My phone buzzed. A text from Roan at Onyx.
ROAN: Got a meeting set up with you and Hart Laramie tomorrow.
I typed back a thanks, then double checked that Quantum Strike was available on my phone.
I thought about Katherine's face when she'd talked about Passing Through Jordan. The passion there, the purpose. Someone was trying to take that from her, and they'd been planning it for months. Patient. Methodical. Personal.
I got up from the porch and made my way inside. Time to hit the sack and watch a movie. I tried to tell myself it was necessary for the case, but I’d never been good at lying to myself.