31. Audrey
31
AUDREY
“Any reason lover boy isn’t guarding you?” Spencer asked, keeping his voice low as he guided me onto the plane.
“Because he’s freaking out,” I answered calmly, nearly tripping on the top step that was just a tad higher than the one before.
Spencer grasped my arm, cursing under his breath. “Shit, sorry I didn’t warn you.”
“It’s fine. I’m not going to break.”
Until I admitted to the studio what was really going on and started using the proper walking stick, I was going to have more issues. It was just a fact of life.
“What do you think the chances are that they’ll let me fly the plane?” I asked, my lips twitching in amusement.
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s going to happen.”
“You never know,” I chuckled. “I always wanted to fly a plane in a movie. I guess that won’t happen.”
“Right over here,” Rae called out, leading us over to the back end of the plane. “Here are your parachutes.”
I took mine, my eyes flashing to hers in excitement. However, it was Spencer who wasn’t so thrilled about her words.
“What would we need a parachute for?”
“Let’s just say the company has a record for having extremely bad luck when flying.”
This was so awesome. Not that I wanted to go down in a plane crash, but jumping out of a plane was on my bucket list. Doing it with a bunch of ex-military badasses? That would top the list.
“But this is just a precaution,” Spencer hedged.
“Of course,” Rae said immediately.
“Hey, I’m all for this. Sign me up,” I said happily.
“Stop that,” Spencer hissed. “That’s bad luck.”
“To wish for excitement? Spencer, let’s be serious. This is not the most dangerous thing we’ve ever done.”
“And we don’t need to push the boundaries.”
“Don’t be a Debbie Downer,” I complained. “This could be my last chance to do something like this, and I will not back down just because you’re scared of a little turbulence.”
“Turbulence?” he snapped. “No, I’m not scared of turbulence. I’m scared of crashing. I’m scared of falling to my death because the parachute doesn’t open.” He turned to Rae. “That could happen, right?”
She shrugged. “It could, but really, what are the chances?”
“One in a thousand,” FNG called out. “I’ve had a little experience with this.”
Now, that was interesting. I strode over to him, bumping a seat along the way when I didn’t exactly see it right beside me. “Tell me about your experience.”
“Really?” he asked like he didn’t believe I really wanted to know.
“I’m dying to know.” God, what I wouldn’t give to have some excitement in my life before it all withered away.
“Well…what did you want to know?”
Ooh, that was a good question. “What’s the most exciting thing you’ve ever done?”
“No,” Thumper groaned. “No, we’re not doing this. No more stories.”
Slider walked past me carrying bags, blatantly ignoring me as he stowed all the luggage. That was okay. I knew he had things to work out and took no offense to his attitude. I could see it coming on from the moment he saw me burn my hand. He was freaking out. Imagine if I told him I was going blind?
I chuckled to myself at how much he would freak out.
“Well, I’d have to say the most thrilling thing I ever did was when I was in Russia,” FNG continued.
“With Boris?” Fox asked, taking a seat and tugging me down beside him.
I allowed it, lifting my arms as he strapped me in, my attention one hundred percent on FNG. I couldn’t believe he had been to Russia.
“Ivan,” he corrected. “Geez, you’ve met the man. Anyway, we were hunting for food in the dead of winter. It was a cold, bitter day. Just a single breath could freeze your lungs if you weren’t careful.”
“Then why the fuck would you go outside?” Thumper asked, taking the seat across the aisle from me.
I spun around, looking for Spencer. “Hey, come listen to this!”
“Nope, I’m good back here.”
Rolling my eyes, I turned back to listen to the story. It was so exciting. I made movies, but he lived this.
“Anyway,” FNG continued, “The snow was hard, crunching beneath our feet as we crossed the frozen tundra in the early morning light. Not a single creature dared move when they heard Ivan moving. It was as if they already knew he was there to end their lives.”
I heard a muffled dismissive noise, but ignored it, fully enraptured in his story.
“We hiked for miles into the forest until icicles were stuck to our noses and our limbs burned from the exertion. The climb was not for the faint-hearted. We set up post in a tree, waiting for hours for any sign of wildlife. I was so cold, I nearly fell into a dreamless sleep.”
I frowned at that. “A dreamless sleep?”
He snapped his gaze from drifting off to meet my eyes. “I would have been dead.”
“Oh.”
“Anyway, I could feel my heart slowing with every minute that passed, and then, as if a sign from God that I needed to hold on, gunfire sounded in the distance. I forced myself to move. Blood started to flow again just as two men raced through the forest below us, followed by an army of soldiers. I knew instantly what I had to do.”
My eyes were wide as my heart thumped in my chest. Of course, that could have been from the plane taking off, but I chose to believe it was his story. “What did you do?” I whispered.
“I climbed down, dropping into a crouch beside Ivan. We had the same idea. We needed to save these Freedom Fighters.”
I felt like I was missing some information, but I listened intently, not wanting to miss anything else.
“Ivan and I snuck up behind the army, taking out a few of the soldiers on foot before taking over two of the snowmobiles.”
“In the army?” Thumper asked.
“It’s a thing,” FNG snapped. “Have you ever been in the tundra of Russia? This is how you get where you’re going! Anyway, I got on the snowmobile and took off, grabbing the machine gun that was strapped to the back. I was firing as I flew through the trees, just barely avoiding the bullets flying back at me. I hit a snowbank and went airborne. My body hurtled through the air, catapulting me onto a nearby tank. The hatch opened and a Russian stuck his head out, yelling at me as a rifle appeared. I ducked just as I thrust my arm forward, shoving the barrel of the rifle away. Shots pinged off of trees as we broke into the clearing. The guns were firing at the Freedom Fighters, and I knew I had to do something to stop the tank, so I slammed my fist into the soldier’s face and hauled him out.”
“I was about to toss him from the tank when I saw the grenades and knew what I had to do. I grabbed one, pulled the pin, and?—”
“Wait a minute,” IRIS cut him off. “You were on a tank in the middle of Russia, in the forest, and you just cut through the trees with no problem?”
FNG narrowed his eyes at him. “Are you calling me a liar?”
“I’m just saying, a tank driving through a forest would be quite a sight to see.”
“Then maybe you should have been there to see it,” he snapped. “As I was saying, just as I pulled the pin, another soldier burst through the hatch, grabbing me by the throat. I struggled with him, fighting for every last gasp of air, knowing if I didn’t kill the men in the tank, those Freedom Fighters would die. I flung the grenade down the hatch and prayed I survived the blast. It was just my luck that another man was climbing out as the grenade went off, blocking the worst of it from us.
“I heard Ivan shouting as my vision dimmed. I was losing air fast. This guy was choking the life out of me. But in the distance, I heard Ivan telling me we were approaching the cliff. I slammed my fist into the man’s jaw and twisted just in time to see we were just yards from falling over. I slid my knife from my boot and thrust it into the man’s gut just as we started to tumble over the cliff. And just as I went airborne?—”
“FNG, get your ass up here and take over while I puke!” Max called out.
“That’s my cue,” he grinned. “We’ll finish this later.”
My jaw dropped as FNG got out of his seat and rushed up to the front, leaving me and everyone else with a story that not only hadn’t been finished, but was also at the worst possible place to leave us hanging.
“But…what happened?” I shouted, really pissed that he didn’t tell us the ending.
“Typical FNG,” Fox huffed. “You know, he hasn’t finished a single story since his return. And I think out of everyone, I deserve to hear how it ends. I was the only one who believed he was alive. I had that whole campaign going. Hell, I even slapped his face on milk bottles,” he said as he pulled out a bag of Funyuns. “Want some?”
“No thanks.”
“Good. I don’t like sharing.”
I ran my fingers over the parachute, wondering if I’d ever get the chance to use it. After hearing FNG’s story—well, most of it—I was more determined than ever to live to the fullest while I still could.
“Would you stop already?” Spencer groaned.
“I’m just saying it would have been nice to hit a bird or something. Why couldn’t that happen when I was on the plane? I was ready to go!”
“Do you really want to risk death just so you can jump out of a plane?”
“It’s called an adrenaline rush for a reason,” I argued. “And people do it all the time.”
“Would you two stop it?” Baldy snapped. “We’re just about to arrive at the Markham estate. I would think you’d be more interested in speaking with your stepfather than arguing over whether or not you got to jump out of a plane.”
I kept my mouth shut as I burned a hole in the back of his skull with my eyes. Yes, I was giving him leeway because he was freaking out, but that would only go so far. I had no desire for him to resort to his old ways of treating me like he did when he first met me.
“I know everything I need to know about stepfather number five. Thank you very much.”
“What’s his name again?” Spencer asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He never did care for meeting Ginger’s husbands.
“Carl or Clement. Something like that,” I mumbled.
Baldy turned around, quirking an eyebrow at me. “It’s Clint.”
I rolled my eyes at him. God, he was being annoying. “Sure. It’s Clint.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Spencer asked again. “Won’t it be painful?”
I’d already dredged up all the pain the night I found out Ginger was dead. Now I was ready to put this behind me. I had too many other things on my mind. I had to move on.
“What’s painful is having to meet yet another stepfather in person. Unfortunately, she didn’t divorce this one before she died. It would have saved me the meeting.”
“That’s a little harsh,” Baldy muttered. “She might have loved him.”
“She might have loved the previous four or even my father, but somehow, I highly doubt it. The only thing she ever really cared about was their money.”
“She’s rich on her own,” Rae said beside me. “She didn’t need their money. She was probably lonely.”
I really hated it when people tried to justify Ginger’s actions to me. They didn’t have to live with her growing up. I was there every time she fell in love and brought a new man home. I saw her date hundreds of men and flash that smile for the camera, hoping to make the cover of every magazine just so she could be in the spotlight again.
As we pulled to a stop, Rae filled us in on how this would go. “We’ll go ahead of you and make sure the area is clear. Only once we’re satisfied will we allow you to enter the premises.”
“You think Clint is somehow involved in our kidnapping?” I said incredulously.
“Not really, but it’s not something we can discount,” Rae said.
“So, we just wait here.”
She nodded. “It won’t take long.”
Something passed between her and Baldy before he exited the vehicle. She left, too, leaving us with Thumper. I watched IRIS get out of the other vehicle with the other team.
“What are they doing?”
“Securing the perimeter,” Thumper answered.
This was all so crazy to me. I still didn’t understand why anyone would want to kidnap me. “If someone really wanted money from us, why didn’t they just threaten us or something?” I mused.
“Because they knew we wouldn’t give in,” Spencer muttered.
“I wouldn’t have. You would have handed over your life savings,” I retorted.
“That’s because I’m not interested in dying young.”
I chuckled at how easily he gave in. “What are you going to do when you meet the love of your life and she’s being held hostage by some crazy guy? Are you going to protect her or run for help?”
He thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. “Probably cry and beg. I think that would be the most effective route.”
“Why’s that?” Thumper asked.
“Because I’d make them uncomfortable. No one likes to see a man cry. The way I figure it, whoever is holding my wife hostage would be so terrified of the man with snot running down his face that he’d let my wife go and run for the hills.”
Thumper grunted in amusement, then shoved his door open. “We’re clear.”
“Thank God. I have to pee,” I muttered, stepping out of the vehicle. I stretched my arms over my head and took in the sprawling landscape around us. At least Ginger lived someplace nice before she died. Although, I doubted she appreciated the gardens very much. She never was one to look at a flower twice unless it was delivered to her dressing room.
Spencer took my hand in his as he led me up the brick path to the front door. Trying to focus on everything around me was already giving me the beginnings of a headache. I liked it better when I had less to take in. But as much as I didn’t care about Clint and his fancy house, I also wanted to know where Ginger lived before she died, and that had me straining my right eye to see everything I could.
“Slider’s watching you,” Spencer whispered.
“Does he look mad?”
“No. He…he looks nervous.”
That was interesting. I wasn’t sure what he had to be nervous about. It wasn’t like I was asking him to meet the in-laws. I snorted to myself as Spencer whispered about the upcoming steps. Even though I could see them coming, the lines were blurred considerably, making it difficult to navigate where to step. I turned my head to the side, pretending to admire the grounds so that if I tripped, it would appear I just wasn’t paying attention.
Spencer was used to this. It was a routine we pulled whenever we were in a new place with people around, watching our every move. But we wouldn’t have to pretend for too much longer. This would all be over in a matter of days. Spencer already set up a meeting with the lawyers for tomorrow.
“Audrey, we should talk—” Baldy started.
“What the hell?” Spencer said, sucking in a harsh breath.
I pulled my gaze from Baldy just as I felt Spencer’s hold on me tighten painfully. My eyes flicked to where his hand tightened around mine, and then I heard her voice.
“Audrey? Well, come in. Don’t dawdle outside.”
If the world wasn’t already fuzzy and out of place for me, I would have thought I was about to pass out. The world did seem to tilt slightly, but Spencer had a firm hold on me, and I was pretty sure Baldy reached out and grabbed my arm to steady me.
Closing my eyes, I shook my head slightly, replaying that voice again in my head. It couldn’t be her. It wasn’t possible. But when I opened my eyes, the little bit of her face I saw made it impossible to deny.
“Ginger,” I said, my breath rushing out in a large whoosh.
She laughed. Actually fucking laughed, clapping her hands like this was all so fucking hilarious. “I know. I know. It wasn’t the best way to get you here, but it worked!”
It worked. This was all a ploy, but why? Why the hell would she want to get me over here? She was that desperate to see me that she faked her own death? It didn’t make any sense.
“Maybe we should take this inside,” Baldy muttered, his voice just sliding over me gently. I shivered at his touch on my arm as he guided me inside. I swear to God, it was like I was unable to move on my own. I had two men beside me, both of them moving me forward like I was an invalid.
The thought made laughter bubble up inside me. Hell, that wasn’t too far off. No. No, I was not an invalid. This was an impairment, but it didn’t make me incapable of living life. Crap, I needed to get my shit under control.
Before I knew it, I was being shoved into a seat, and Ginger took the one across from me. I didn’t need to see her to know she had one leg crossed over the other, and her foot was bouncing daintily as she rested her arms across her knee.
“I don’t understand why you’re not dead,” I went with.
“It’s nice to see you, too, daughter. Is it really that much of an inconvenience to see me again?”
“Yes,” I snapped. “I was sort of in hiding.”
And before she ruined everything, I was getting along quite nicely with Slider. He wasn’t avoiding me and acting like his presence would be the end of me.
“Well, that’s precisely why I had to fake my death. Woody called and?—”
“Woody?” I asked, my back already up. “Why would Woody call you?”
“Because he needed to finish with this film and you just disappeared.”
“Yes, because people were trying to kidnap Spencer and me,” I told her incredulously.
Not that it mattered to her. I already knew what she was going to say before the words were out of her mouth.
“That silly little thing? That’s good publicity.”
“That’s a good way to get killed,” Slider snapped, injecting himself into the conversation.
I caught the swivel of her head and could already imagine the purse of her lips and the judgmental look on her face. “And who are you?”
“Her protection,” he snapped.
“Then you’re no longer required here,” she said, dismissing him as if he were nobody. “As you can see, we’re perfectly safe inside the house.”
“No,” I said, leaving no room for arguments. “He stays.”
“But—”
“He’s here for us, and I say he stays.” My gaze slid to Slider, and I thought I saw the hint of a smile on his lips, but it was hard to tell at this angle.
Ginger was quiet for a moment, but I knew it wouldn’t last forever. “Now that you’re here, perhaps we should call the studio.”
“And why would we do that?”
“Because they’re the ones who suggested I get you out of hiding.”
I felt Spencer stiffen beside me as the air in the room turned cold. “They did what?” Spencer asked.
“Well, it’s not that difficult to understand. You were holding up production with these silly requests. They have a job to do, and just because of your condition?—”
“Ginger!” I snapped, already regretting the fact that I let Slider stay.
“What condition?” Slider asked, his voice filled with confusion.
“It’s time to leave,” I said, getting to my feet.
Ginger stood, scoffing at my anger. “You’re acting like this is my fault.”
“It is your fault. You never should have listened to Woody!”
“You never should have lied to him about going blind!” she shouted, dropping my personal information like a bomb.
I sucked in a breath as Spencer grabbed my arm and started dragging me toward the door. I could see Slider out of my peripheral, taking up my right side, and the anger on his face was undeniable. I barely took two steps out the door before he had his hand wrapped around my bicep and was guiding me down the steps.
Fury swept through me with every step I took. No one was supposed to know about my condition until I was ready to reveal it, and it had nothing to do with being ashamed or wanting to hide it from the world. I had to keep it hidden for Spencer so he didn’t get sued because of his contract. We lied to the studio, and they would know as soon as word got out.
The back door of the SUV opened and I was shoved inside. Spencer got in the other side, shooting me an apologetic look. Slider followed, not taking the front like he had before.
“Drive!” he ordered. Then he spun on me and I could feel his heated gaze washing over me. “You lied to me.”
“I did not?—”
“You fucking lied to me!” he shouted.
I flinched back, tucking myself against Spencer. I wasn’t scared of Slider really, but his anger was unhinged at the moment. “I did not lie to you,” I said calmly. “It wasn’t your right to know.”
“Know what?” Thumper asked. “What the hell is going on?”
The SUV pulled out into traffic and we headed down the road. I had no idea where we were going, but it wasn’t like I could ask right now. Slider was on the verge of throttling me.
“You should have told me. I had a right to know.”
I laughed at that. “Really? You had a right to know? Why’s that?”
“Because of what we are to each other!”
It was interesting that now I meant something to him. “What we are to each other now, or before when I was in your bed?”