Spotlight

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  “Are you serious? It’s freezing!”

  “Trust me.”

  She pulled the jacket off, and he took it from her, pleased to see the lining was white. He turned the jacket inside out and handed it back to her. “Here, put it back on.”

  “Do you really think changing the color of my jacket is going to help me go unnoticed?”

  “Can’t hurt.” Craig pulled her hood up over her hair. “This should help.”

  She pursed her lips, considering. “Actually, that might work.” She pushed the hood off long enough to tuck her hair behind her ears so it was no longer visible. “I don’t suppose you have any sunglasses, do you?”

  Craig pulled his sunglasses out of his vest pocket and handed them to her.

  She slid them into place. “Aren’t you just a Boy Scout?”

  “Hey, Eagle Scout all the way.”

  “I should have known.”

  He put his hand on her back and nudged her toward the hotel. “Come on. Let’s see how well you blend in.”

  “Shouldn’t we wait until after dark or something?”

  “We could, but I doubt you want to stand out in the cold that long.” Craig pointed at the lowering sun. “Besides, twilight can be a great time to sneak in. The photographers will be looking right into the glare on the water.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Watch and learn.” Craig gave her a cocky grin and continued toward the hotel. By the time they reached the edge of the grounds, the sun was burning low in the sky, its rays reflecting off the water.

  Craig kept his hand on her back and gauged the best angle to get lost in the fading sunlight and shadows. He chose the door at the back of the hotel that led to a beach café. He imagined during the summer the café would be filled to capacity this time of night, but in the off-season, like many other beachside businesses, it was closed.

  They entered the rear doors, and Craig turned to the left, guessing he would find a stairwell somewhere near the corner of the building. He kept his voice low. “What floor are you on?”

  “Fifteenth.”

  “Hope you’re ready for a workout.”

  “Not really.”

  Craig looked at her, surprised, then noticed her holding her side. “Are you okay?”

  “Still a bit sore from the accident.”

  “Today’s accident or yesterday’s?”

  “It’s so wrong that I have to clarify,” she said. “Both, I guess.”

  “Come on. We can go up a couple flights, and then we’ll catch the elevator from there.”

  “Okay.”

  Craig found the stairwell door and opened it for her. Once they were inside, he asked, “Do you want me to carry you? I can give you a piggyback ride.”

  “That’s sweet, but I think I’ll be okay.”

  Sienna took the first few steps slowly, and Craig shook his head. “Have you been hurting this whole time? I never would have had us walk so far had I known.”

  “George had me take some pain meds earlier today. They must be wearing off.”

  Craig waited until they reached the first landing before he reached out and put a hand around her back. “Hold on. There’s no reason for you to make it worse.” He leaned down and scooped her feet out from under her.

  She let out a little squeak of surprise. “Craig! I’m fine, really.”

  “Great. Let’s keep you that way.” Craig climbed up the first few flights of stairs, debating briefly when he reached the fourth floor. He imagined the guest rooms would start somewhere around the fourth or fifth floor, but he decided not to take a chance of exiting into a common area and kept going.

  “I feel ridiculous,” Sienna said as he continued upward.

  “Why?”

  “Hmmm. Let me see.” She tapped a finger to her chin. “I’m wearing sunglasses indoors, my jacket is inside out, and you’re carrying me up an obscene number of stairs.”

  “Fifteen flights isn’t bad. Now, if we were talking about more than twenty, we might be in trouble.”

  “I thought we were going to take the elevator partway up.”

  “No need. I was only going to do that so you wouldn’t have to walk so far.”

  They were nearing the tenth floor. “Aren’t you tired of carrying me yet?”

  Craig considered for a minute and decided she’d given him an opening he couldn’t pass up. “Maybe I do need a break.”

  He stopped at the landing between the ninth and tenth floors and set her down, one hand remaining firmly on her back. He saw the surprise in her eyes when he caged her against the wall and lowered his lips to hers.

  The kiss was brief, but it sent his pulse racing. He tried to keep the mood light. “Yeah, I feel much better now.”

  Sienna rolled her eyes, but he saw the humor dancing there. “You know, I can probably walk the rest of the way.”

  “Probably,” Craig agreed and promptly picked her back up.

  “You do realize George isn’t going to be happy if he comes back and finds you in my room.”

  “I’m not coming in unless he’s there anyway, but my guess is that he and Brent are already here.”

  A few minutes later, Sienna unlocked her door, and Craig’s guess was confirmed. Brent and George both sat in the dining room area, a laptop open in front of them displaying the latest news.

  24

  Sienna went straight to her bedroom to retrieve her bottle of extra-strength Tylenol while the men started talking about how to proceed. She was pretty sure she could have made it up a couple flights of stairs, but she was extremely grateful she hadn’t needed to.

  With every heartbeat, another streak of pain shot through her, the stiffness in her back also causing her discomfort. She swallowed her medicine and took a few moments to change into a pair of sweats. Once she was more comfortable, she headed back into the dining room.

  Her suite really was a bit excessive for one person, but for the moment, she appreciated the convenience of having a living room and a dining area because George, Brent, and Craig were now using the dining area as an office. The second bedroom remained untouched since George was currently staying in the room across the hall, but she wasn’t going to complain to the studio about having too much space. Many times over the years she had stayed in economy hotels where she would have considered a chair a luxury.

  Though she had hardly made any sound, Craig looked up the moment she entered the room. His eyes narrowed. “Maybe we should take you to urgent care and see if we can get you some pain medicine. It also wouldn’t hurt to have them check out that shoulder.”

  “You already looked at my shoulder,” Sienna reminded him.

  “Yeah, but I’m not a doctor.”

  “I’ll be fine. I took some Tylenol a minute ago.”

  Craig didn’t look convinced, but he stood and pulled out the chair next to him. Stiffly, she lowered herself into it.

  “I talked to your director before we came back over here,” George told her.

  “And?”

  “He’s going to redo the schedule to give you a couple days off.”

  “How is he going to manage that?”

  “They’ll focus on the scenes with Adam and Carter.”

  Brent slid a piece of paper across the table to her. “In the meantime, can you give Craig and me a rundown of the cast and crew?”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Anything that might give us a clue as to who might want to cause you harm.”

  “I can’t think of anyone.”

  “What about Liam?” George asked.

  Craig shifted beside her. “Who is Liam?”

  “Liam Rickman,” Sienna said. “He’s playing a supporting role.”

  “He’s playing a supporting role now,” George clarified. “Rumor had it that Liam was up for the lead until Marcus found out Sienna was interested. Liam wasn’t too happy to be demoted.”

  “Yeah, but that kind of thing happens all the time,” Sienna said. “And besides, he�
�s always been really friendly to me.”

  “I’m confused. How is it possible that a man and woman would compete for the same role?” Craig asked.

  “It’s not very common, actually,” Sienna said. “This movie was originally written for two male leads, a mentor and his rookie partner.”

  “But Liam and Adam are around the same age.”

  “Yeah, but apparently Marcus was looking for more of a draw for the younger viewers. When he found out I was interested in the movie, they changed it to make it a man and woman so they could introduce a romantic element that would appeal to a wider audience.”

  “The screenwriter couldn’t have been too happy with that,” Craig mused.

  “It’s hard to say. Screenwriters go through changes all the time, sometimes daily. It’s part of the job.”

  “Let me ask you this,” Brent began. “If you were unable to complete the film, especially at this stage, what would happen?”

  Sienna didn’t like where this was going. “Marcus would have to replace me.”

  “Would he go with Liam or someone else?”

  “This early on, with the scenes we’ve shot, he’d probably go with Liam because they wouldn’t have any lag time on their production schedule.” Sienna thought through the script as a whole. “Most of our scenes so far have been from the early part of the movie. If they had to, they would kill off my character and beef up the role of another character or change the ending story line altogether.”

  “Sounds to me like Liam is a suspect,” Brent said.

  “But you said the brake lines were cut on the car that almost hit me. I don’t think that’s something Liam would know how to do,” Sienna said. “He’s not exactly known for being into cars or anything, and he wouldn’t have had access to the car before it was brought here today.”

  “Maybe not, but it doesn’t mean he couldn’t have paid someone to do it for him.”

  “This sounds so farfetched.” Sienna leaned back in her chair and instantly straightened when a muscle spasmed in her neck. She reached up and started kneading it.

  “You okay?” Craig asked.

  “Just stiff.”

  “Here. Let me do that.” Craig stood and pressed firmly on the spot she had been holding.

  Pain and pleasure mixed, the first fading as the muscle loosened. Craig continued to massage her neck and shoulders, all the while analyzing her coworkers with George and Brent.

  Sienna was starting to think she might slide bonelessly to the floor when Craig finally gave her shoulders a final squeeze. “How’s that?”

  “Much better. Thanks.” She looked up at him, proving her statement to be true when she didn’t wince with the movement.

  “Are you up for going through this right now?”

  “Yeah. Tell me what you want to know.”

  “Everything. You never know what might be important in figuring out who is behind this string of accidents.”

  * * *

  He surfed one website, then another, each mention of the accidents plaguing Sienna Blake giving him a brief sense of satisfaction. The attention was like a drug. The moment he finished devouring an article, he craved more.

  The latest accident had been beautifully scripted, if he did say so himself. The players hadn’t been exactly who he had planned, but everything had worked out in the end. Most importantly, no one would ever think he was anything besides what he appeared to be.

  He read one article, searching for familiar names, delighting when he found the ones he wanted to see. His mind churned with possibilities, the doors that would undoubtedly open with the new publicity.

  If an almost accident could bring this much attention, he could only imagine what a real tragedy might do for him. His mind spinning, he let himself consider. His day was coming. Soon he would be able to achieve his destiny.

  * * *

  “What do you think?” Craig asked Brent as they walked down the beach toward his car.

  “I think you have good reason to be worried,” Brent said. “George said the car hadn’t been driven for several days, so it could have been sabotaged anytime.”

  “I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around a motive.”

  “That’s what worries me the most. From what Charlie told me, when a stalker was after Kendra, it took some serious resources to figure out who it was.”

  “Great,” Craig muttered.

  “Hey, at least their suspect list is primarily limited to those who are authorized to be on the set. George will call in some help to work through those names. If we get lucky, this will all be over before she has to go back to work.”

  “Let’s hope so.” Craig replayed Brent’s words in his mind, a little surge of jealousy surfacing. “What kind of help is George calling in?”

  “Don’t worry. I think you’ll approve.”

  * * *

  Sienna woke to a throbbing sensation in her shoulder and neck. She moaned, struggling to sit up so she could reach the Tylenol and the water glass on the night table.

  “Sienna, honey? Are you okay?”

  Sienna thought she must be dreaming. Why else would she hear her grandmother’s voice?

  Her bedroom door opened, and she saw light spill into the room from the hall. To her disbelief, her grandmother stood in the doorway.

  “Grandma? What are you doing here?”

  “We were visiting friends in Boston when we heard what happened. Your grandpa and I drove down to make sure you’re okay,” she said. “I assume you don’t mind if we stay in your spare room.”

  “Of course I don’t mind. I’m glad you’re here.” Sienna grunted as she sat up straighter.

  “Here, let me get that for you.” Hannah hurried into the room and turned on the bedside lamp. She handed Sienna the half-full glass, then uncapped the medicine bottle and handed Sienna two pills.

  As soon as Sienna downed the pills, Hannah took the glass from her and sat on the edge of the bed. “You try to get some rest now. Your grandpa and I will be in the next room.”

  Gingerly Sienna settled back onto her pillow, grateful when her grandma pulled the covers up for her so she didn’t have to reach for them herself.

  When her grandma stood and started for the door, Sienna called after her. “Grandma?”

  “Yes, dear?”

  “Thanks for coming.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetheart. Try to get some sleep.”

  Sienna closed her eyes and tried to think of something besides the pain—like what an incredibly good kisser Craig was. She smiled slightly at the thought, the memories of him carrying her up the stairs making her smile more fully. As she started to drift back to sleep, thoughts of Craig overshadowed the terror of the day, and she miraculously found peace.

  25

  Craig walked down the hall toward Sienna’s room and considered how much had changed in the past few weeks. Instead of enduring George’s glaring looks like he had after their first encounter, Craig now had the man’s cell phone number programmed into his phone. He reached Sienna’s door and lifted his hand to knock. That was another unexpected development: George’s willingness to let him come to Sienna’s suite—supervised, of course.

  Craig expected George to answer, but instead, Sienna’s grandfather stood across the threshold when the door swung open.

  “Mr. Blake. I didn’t realize you were in town.”

  “Please, call me William. Mr. Blake makes me sound old.”

  “William it is, then.” Craig followed him into the living area, where Sienna’s grandmother was sitting on the couch. He greeted her and asked, “Where’s Sienna?”

  “She’s in her room.” Hannah stood. “I’ll let her know you’re here.”

  “Thanks.” Craig watched her walk across the room toward one of the bedroom doors and became aware of William staring at him. He turned to face the older man.

  “Craig, I have to say I’m disappointed in you.”

  “Sir?”

  “I noticed my granddaughte
r still doesn’t have a ring on her finger. You’ve been engaged for weeks now, and still no ring.”

  Craig tried to read the older man’s serious tone, certain there must be some underlying humor there. Or maybe he was going senile and didn’t remember the engagement was fictional.

  “Sir, I thought you were aware that the engagement wasn’t real,” Craig said tentatively.

  “That was then.” William crossed his arms over his chest. “My son may have been relieved when he found out Sienna’s engagement wasn’t real, but I don’t share his sentiment.”

  Craig knew Sienna’s parents were going to be told the engagement was staged, but he hadn’t heard anything since. He still wasn’t sure where this conversation was going. “I’m not sure I understand.”

  William’s stare didn’t waver. “I heard the two of you have been seeing each other since Kendra’s wedding.”

  Sienna walked in, moving more slowly than Craig expected. “Grandpa, leave him alone.” She came farther into the room. “Craig, ignore him. He’s obsessed with finding me a husband.”

  “I’m confused,” Craig said.

  “So is he.” Sienna motioned to William. “He keeps forgetting arranged marriages went out of style a long time ago.”

  “Just trying to make sure my favorite granddaughter is taken care of.”

  “I’ve been taking care of myself for some time now, thanks. Besides, last time I saw you, you said Kendra was your favorite.”

  “The girl was days from her wedding. I had to dote on her a bit, didn’t I?”

  “If you say so.” Sienna didn’t take a seat on the couch. Rather, she chose a straight-back chair by the dining room table.

  Craig’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Have you seen a doctor yet? You’re obviously still in pain.”

  “Actually, Grandpa insisted on having a doctor come in this morning.” Sienna shifted back in the chair, taking care not to move too quickly. “He said the same thing you did.”

  Craig looked at her skeptically. “Are you really going to be able to work tomorrow?”

  “They’re rewriting the script to put me in a sling after the accident. That way it won’t look odd when I’m stiff.”