Spotlight

by Traci Hunter Abramson

“It was nice for the studio to let us take a hiatus while the repair work is being done to the beach house,” Sienna said. “And I really appreciate you both staying for my break.”

  “We’ve enjoyed every minute.” Hannah patted her hand. “Though I think your grandfather may be spending too much time interrogating your boyfriend.”

  “I haven’t been interrogating him. I’ve been asking questions. There’s a difference.”

  “Right, Grandpa.”

  A knock sounded on the door, and Sienna stood. “I’ll get it.”

  Diligently she looked through the peephole before unlocking the door. Craig stood on the other side. “Hey, there.” She leaned forward for a good-morning kiss. “How are you?”

  “Great, actually.”

  A little surprised by his response, she smiled. “Well, that’s good.”

  “Better than good.” He continued into the room and closed the door before speaking to her grandfather. “He took the bait. We got what we needed.”

  A kind of dark excitement and anticipation exuded from both men. Her grandfather stood. “When are we springing the trap?”

  “Tomorrow.” Craig slid his arm around Sienna and looked down at her. “How would you feel about taking another day off?”

  “Another day off? Tomorrow is our first day back.”

  “Yes, and it will be one to remember.”

  * * *

  Craig trailed behind William as they approached the center of the action: the director’s chair. Marcus was chatting with one of his cameramen, and the screenwriter sat a short distance away.

  Marcus looked up and keyed in on Craig. He must have read the latest gossip articles about Craig dating Sienna because the first question out of his mouth was, “Where’s Sienna?”

  “Sorry. She overslept,” Craig lied. “She really wasn’t feeling well, and I’m not sure she can make it in today.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. She just had two weeks off to rest.” Flustered, he picked up a copy of the script, stared at it a moment, and threw it back down. “Now what am I supposed to do? Everything hinges on this next scene.”

  “Sienna thought you could have her stunt double stand in for her this morning. Since it’s a gun battle, she figured you could do without her until it’s time for close-ups. With any luck, she’ll feel better by tonight.”

  “That won’t work,” Marcus said.

  “Oh, really?” William stepped forward. “And why won’t it work?”

  Marcus turned on William and scowled. “What are you doing on my set?”

  “Sienna’s grandfather had some concerns about her safety.” Craig snatched a copy of the script sitting on Sienna’s chair. It didn’t take him long to find what he was looking for. “Hey, William. You were right.”

  “Right about what?” Marcus asked.

  “Adam’s character uses a different kind of gun than everyone else in the scene.” Craig tapped the script against the palm of his hand. “Interesting.”

  “What’s so interesting about it?”

  “Oh, we were just wondering how you were going to know which gun to give Adam to make sure he killed Sienna,” William answered for him. He stepped closer. “It must have been so frustrating that she kept surviving all of the accidents you helped stage.”

  “I didn’t stage any accidents. You were the one who said it was Carter.”

  “Carter started all of this craziness, but he wasn’t trying to hurt Sienna. He wanted Adam out of the way so he could take his role,” Craig said. “You were the one who kept changing their positions to put Sienna in danger instead. You figured if Sienna died on this set, it would put you on the map. You’d forever be known as the director who overcame great tragedy, the man who managed to record her demise from three different angles.”

  “You’re insane.”

  “I hoped I was wrong,” Craig said. “The last few days, I thought maybe I was being paranoid. Then I saw you put real bullets in Adam’s gun.”

  Marcus blustered. “I did no such thing.”

  “You did. You may have figured out how to get around the house’s security cameras, but the owner of the house gave us permission to install a little extra protection. This is what we found.” Craig retrieved his phone from his pocket and hit the play button to show a video. In it, Marcus could clearly be seen at the prop table switching real bullets for the blanks that had already been loaded.

  As soon as Marcus saw the image, he stumbled back several steps. “This isn’t happening.” He looked around wildly, his hand reaching for the loaded gun on the prop table right beside him. Craig didn’t wait for him to decide where to aim. He kicked his leg out, knocking the gun to the ground before Marcus could get a good grip on it.

  Marcus scrambled after it, surprising both Craig and William with how quickly he recovered it. He took a step back as he straightened, the gun now aimed at Craig. “Don’t think your little karate tricks are going to work on me. Four years in the army working demolition taught me a thing or two.”

  “I’ve never been a fan of the army,” Craig said, looking for any opening. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see people scrambling out of the room. He thought he heard someone calling 9-1-1, but that didn’t matter now. What mattered was getting this man under control without causing anyone harm. “Of course your plan was brilliant.”

  “Did you really call him brilliant?” William asked.

  “Well, yeah.” Craig nodded. “He saw on the house surveillance tapes that Carter had messed with the studio lights, and he must have figured Carter was also behind the car accident when Sienna and Adam were on their way back from LA. Instead of turning Carter in, he decided to use him. Sienna, she’s been famous since the day she was born. Her death would cause people to take notice. And certainly her father and sister would make sure no one forgot her.”

  William chimed in. “Which would mean no one would forget Marcus either, the man who filmed the movie when she died, a movie that included actual footage of her demise.”

  “I didn’t do anything wrong,” Marcus insisted. “It was all Carter and that friend of his. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Then why are you pointing a gun at us?” Craig asked, drawing the director’s attention again as William moved once more. “This isn’t the kind of fame you want. You want to be known for your talent as a director.”

  “It’ll never be the same again.”

  Craig heard the change in the man’s voice, the odd calm that came before the storm. Marcus waved the gun as though trying to pick his target. He finally settled on Craig again. “I never should have let you on my set.”

  “It is my fault,” Craig agreed, his heartbeat now quickening as he saw the sanity draining from the man before him. “I didn’t let Sienna die. I couldn’t.”

  William shifted one last time and pounced. He reached his hand out and grabbed the gun barrel, twisting it free of Marcus’s hand in one fluid motion.

  Craig followed up with a right hook, connecting with the man’s jaw and dropping him to the ground.

  William’s eyebrows lifted. “You didn’t have to hit the guy. I had him under control.”

  “I know,” Craig said. “But you didn’t let me hit the last guy.”

  “True.” William slapped a hand on his back. “I knew I liked you.”

  36

  Craig glanced up from his desk at the television mounted in the corner of the room, the next segment of news about to begin. Normally the sound was simply background noise. If something popped up that might relate to an area of intelligence they were working with, he would pay attention; otherwise the television was just there.

  When the newscaster for the eight o’clock news began speaking and the first segment included Sienna’s name, Craig’s focus heightened. He had seen plenty of news clips after the deck collapse and, more recently, a good number of segments on Marcus and his manipulation of Carter’s sabotage attempts.

  “And we caught another glimpse of Sienna Blak
e’s mystery man yesterday. Sources say he was instrumental in taking Marcus Aldridge into custody. We also heard rumors that he wasn’t a new member of Sienna’s security team but rather her latest boyfriend. Stay tuned for the latest in the unfolding saga of the Blake family and what is in store for them next.”

  “Looks like you’re famous,” Damian said from the next desk over.

  “At least the Blakes have been successful in keeping your name out of the press,” Tristan added.

  “Yeah. Lucky me.”

  “Hey, you’ve had more than your share of luck lately,” Tristan insisted. “In fact, the way things have turned out for both you and Sienna has been downright miraculous.”

  “You’re right,” Craig said. Hadn’t he thought the same thing himself? More than once, he had looked at the situations Sienna had survived, knowing she could so easily have been taken from this life. The Lord had protected her, and Craig had been lucky enough to watch the miracles unfold. But now what?

  He had been doing so well not letting himself dwell on her fame or public image, but with the constant news stories and increased presence of the paparazzi, it was hard to ignore it all. They hadn’t even been able to go out to dinner last night like they had planned because the press had been so invasive outside the hotel. Instead, they’d settled for room service with her grandparents. Again.

  He hadn’t been lying when he’d declared his love for her, but how could he possibly keep a relationship with her going? From what his teammates had told him, he had to expect he would be deployed often, and he knew her movies usually took at least three months to shoot, sometimes on location and other times in LA. Either way, they would likely have thousands of miles between them because of their careers.

  The office phone rang, and Damian picked it up. “Hey, Craig? Telephone.”

  Craig’s eyebrows drew together. Not once since coming to work with the Saint Squad had anyone ever called him on the office phone. Craig crossed the room and took the phone Damian held out to him. “This is Craig.”

  “Hey, Craig. It’s Charlie Whitmore.”

  “Hi, Charlie. What can I do for you?”

  “I’m sorry to bother you at work, but I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for Sienna. Words can’t express how grateful her family is that she’s safe.”

  “I was happy to help.” Craig leaned back against the desk and discovered Damian and Tristan had deserted the office, and he was now alone. A burning question surfaced, and he let himself follow impulse. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Of course.”

  “I know you went through something similar with Kendra. How long did it take for the publicity to die down?”

  Charlie chuckled. “It’s a pain, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “It isn’t easy being involved with a Blake,” Charlie said.

  “I guess it was only a matter of time before that part spilled out too.”

  “Actually, William told me a couple weeks ago that you two were dating. Not that he needed to. I had a feeling you were heading that way when I saw you together before my wedding.”

  “How have you managed it, keeping your career and being involved with someone who was born famous?” Craig asked.

  “It isn’t always easy, but believe it or not, when the family chooses to stay out of the limelight, they’re pretty good at it. The paparazzi are surprisingly easy to get rid of when you aren’t doing anything exciting.”

  “You’re an FBI agent. I’m a Navy SEAL,” Craig reminded him. “Our lives aren’t exactly scripted to be dull.”

  “Yeah, but we both work in secure government buildings.” He chuckled again. “If you really want to drive the press nuts, marry the girl and move into on-base housing where the press can’t follow. That would be fun to watch.”

  “Now you’re starting to sound like her grandfather.”

  “I remember being in your shoes. It can be terrifying, although I’m not sure which is worse, dealing with the paparazzi while trying to make a relationship work or facing William’s interrogations.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I gave it a few months. I figured if Kendra and I could make it work with our crazy schedules and we still wanted to be together, then our love must be meant to last.”

  “Sounds like good advice.”

  “Only kind I give,” Charlie said. “Kendra has a show coming up next month in Virginia Beach. I thought I might take off a few days and come with her. We’ll have to get together. It sounds like we have a lot in common.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “And, Craig?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Don’t let William scare you off. He’s just anxious for great-grandchildren.”

  “Great-grandchildren?” Craig choked the words out.

  “Like I said, don’t let him scare you off.”

  After Craig hung up the phone, he stared at it for several seconds, his mind still processing the conversation. How had he gone from wondering if he and Sienna could date successfully to thinking about marriage and children with her?

  He blew out a breath. William might be pushy when it came to moving along his agenda, but Charlie was downright sneaky. Craig liked him already.

  37

  Sienna woke up thinking about Craig. It seemed she always woke up thinking of him. When was this going to stop? She loved him, but she kept expecting something to change between them. Part of her expected they would grow tired of one another, but after all these weeks of her affections for him growing, she now wondered if it all might go the other direction.

  She could hardly believe they had known each other for five months any more than she could believe that today would be her last day of filming. The accidents and then the delays caused by hiring a new director had nearly doubled their production time, but Sienna hadn’t minded the extra months.

  It was time to move on to a new project, but so far she had been hesitant to commit to anything. She knew she was letting location play a huge factor in her decision, but she figured after everything she had been through at the beginning of this movie she deserved a little time off.

  She knew her desire to spend more time with Craig was the dominating factor in her refusal of two promising scripts being filmed in California. Her agent wasn’t particularly thrilled with her at the moment, but, she reminded herself, he worked for her.

  She gathered her purse and cell phone, expecting George to arrive any minute to escort her to the set. Her cell phone rang, and she saw her agent’s name illuminate the screen.

  “Hi, Bill.” She looked at her watch and did the math to see it was only four in the morning in LA. “What are you doing up so early?”

  “I received an offer last night that I want you to consider.”

  The little bubble of excitement warred with the knowledge that the day would come when she would have to leave Virginia Beach in order to pursue her career.

  “I thought I told you I need to take a few months off.”

  “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it’s long-term, steady work,” he said. “Sienna, I’m telling you, this could be the perfect fit for you. You’ll also like the fact that filming doesn’t start for six weeks.”

  Feeling the temptation dangling in front of her, she let out a sigh. “I’m listening.”

  * * *

  Craig stood at the edge of the action, so many emotions flooding through him. This chapter of Sienna’s life was now over, her movie complete despite the unique path to reach this point.

  His palms were damp as he considered whether she was ready to begin a new chapter, one that included him in her future. He knew she planned to take a few months off to spend time with him, but he was more concerned with what would happen after her planned hiatus.

  He glanced down at his watch; it was nearly eight o’clock, and the light was fading quickly. He worried that the filming wouldn’t end today as planned until actors and crew members let out a celebrator
y cheer, then Craig watched Adam and Liam hug Sienna in turn.

  He supposed it said something for his confidence in his relationship with Sienna that he no longer felt those jealous tugs when he saw her with her coworkers. He hoped that confidence would hold steady and prayed he wasn’t about to undo what they had already built.

  She saw him across the lawn and waved at him to join her. Already crew members were breaking down equipment, and talk of a party dominated many conversations. George stood a short distance from Sienna and nodded a greeting.

  Craig reached her, his nerves settling a little when he saw the warmth in her expression.

  “Hey, there.” She reached up and gave him a quick kiss. “Your timing is perfect.”

  “I heard you guys talking about a party. When is that supposed to start?”

  Several cast members laughed a short distance away.

  “I think it’s already started,” Sienna said.

  “Any chance I can steal you away for a few minutes before you join them?”

  “Of course, but I was hoping you would come with me.” She lowered her voice. “I may need an excuse to leave if they break out too much champagne.”

  “Understood.” Craig took her hand and led her back toward his car, knowing George would follow from a discreet distance. Craig saw the surprise on her face when instead of opening the door, he popped the trunk and retrieved a picnic basket. “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought you a little something to celebrate.”

  “That’s sweet, but you do realize there will be a ton of food at the party, right?”

  “Not like this.” He tried to fight back the nerves warring in his stomach. “I brought your favorite dessert.”

  Her eyes brightened. “Apple pie?”

  “Yep.” He took her hand again and led her down the lawn toward the back of the house. He had worried the party would spill onto the beach, but so far everyone seemed content to stay at the house where the food tables were set up.

  Determined to ensure as much privacy as possible, Craig led her away from the house, hoping the fading light would help mask their presence. He already knew the paparazzi were unable to make it onto the property, but he had checked their positions when he arrived to make sure their telephoto lenses couldn’t get an angle on them.