Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88057 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88057 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“Chief!” Avery came jogging up. He was one of our new hires, and his earnest manner made him a favorite among our clients, even if he did tend toward the clueless at times. “I think I found a break in the fence line.”
“Show me.” I’d want to check it out no matter what, but I couldn’t deny being grateful for the excuse to leave the conversation with Duncan in my rearview. I followed Avery up a rocky outcropping to where we’d installed temporary fencing. This was technically private property. The network had rented the beach house and associated land for the day, but we still needed to be extra cautious with maintaining security—and secrecy—while filming the finale. Ambrose and the writing team had kept the season-ending cliffhanger under such tight wraps that even a fair portion of the crew had no clue what the ending scene would be.
Avery showed me a gap in the temporary fencing—a spot where one roll of plastic had ended and another started, creating a small opening.
“Doubt a person could fit through, but we’re going to keep alert,” I told Avery as I straightened after examining the gap. “Let’s do a full sweep. Tell the others. Look for anything off.”
“Yes, sir.” Avery launched into another run, heading toward Malik, another newer hire who radiated unflappable energy and cool confidence. Pretty much Avery’s polar opposite, but they worked surprisingly well together.
We fanned out, searching the perimeter and working our way through the various trailers and tents. Down on the sandy strip of beach, the next segment of filming was underway. I spotted two of the lead characters as well as the actor who played Bishop. A couple of extras were scattered around on beach towels and chairs. Zeroing in on the extras, I crept as close as I dared. Nothing out of the ordinary—
Wait. There. One of the extras didn’t fit—a skinny kid in black jeans and a silver T-shirt, which were hardly beachwear, but it was the way the kid was crouched under an umbrella that truly gave me pause. His body language was too alert. And rather than a towel or beach bag, a large piece of white paper or posterboard lay at his side.
Damn it. Keeping my gaze trained on him, I hurried toward the director and production crew at the opposite end of the beach. But then the kid reached down, and something silver and metallic glinted in the bright sunlight. No time. Had to act. I sprinted toward the umbrella.
“Cut,” someone bellowed right as I tackled the kid, pushing his arm up and back. He yowled but didn’t release his grip on what had turned out to be a small antique-looking pistol. Damn it.
“Drop it.” I increased the pressure, and the kid ratcheted up his struggle.
“It’s not loaded,” he whined.
“Don’t care. Drop it.” I pinned him more securely, tightly gripping his wrist. I didn’t want to break his arm, but I’d rather that than risk him firing the damn thing. No way was I trusting him on it not being loaded until I verified it myself.
Duncan and Avery sped over, two of our other guys close behind them. Between the three of us, we got the kid subdued and the weapon secured.
“Check it,” I told Avery.
“Empty. Doubt it’s been fired in decades.” He shook his head. He wasn’t much older than the kid on the ground, but his disgusted tone made him seem decades wiser. “What the heck were you thinking, kid?”
“It’s my great-grandpa’s. I just want Bishop to end up with Cole. Not Tricia. See my sign. I wasn’t going to hurt anyone. I just want the showrunners to hear from the real fans.”
Duncan retrieved the piece of poster board, which was painted with huge red letters. “No Tri-shop. Bish-le forever.”
“I just wanted someone to listen to me.” The kid sounded on the verge of tears as a crowd gathered around us.
“That’s not how you do it.” I did a quick scan of the crowd, looking for Ambrose. Of course, he and Cressida were right there at the front of the semi-circle. Wide eyes and mouth open, he was clearly horrified as he held Hercules to his chest. I hoped his horror was for the situation, not for me going all wrestling match on the suspect. I’d hate to scare him, but I would have hated it more had I not acted.
Law enforcement arrived on the scene and hauled away the still-yodeling kid after taking statements from the crew and me. Filming resumed at last, crew working to make up lost time. The evening sun dipped over the ocean before I had a chance to speak with Ambrose alone. After the filming wrapped, there had been loud cheers, and inside the beach house, craft services had served up a giant cake with the show logo.