“Evie!” Dante rushed over. “I heard you were on set. I…didn’t know you were coming. We haven’t cleaned your trailer yet. I wouldn’t go in there. Let’s get you right to hair and makeup. I gotta figure out some things.”
“Clean it? It wasn’t dirty when I left.”
“Yeah, but then Sebastian threw a fit and... Ah, let’s just move on. Don’t even think about it.” He grabbed my shoulders from behind and directed me toward makeup. I wasn’t happy, but I was tossed into a chair before I could investigate further. The stylists made small talk as they curled my hair. They asked about Antoinette and offered their condolences, but then we moved on to the normal things we’d chat about, and I felt a sense of relief. While my heart would never go back to how it was before they’d killed her, I could pretend for a little bit that it hadn’t been my fault.
I was sent to wardrobe, where they seemed unsure of what to put me in. I stood around awkwardly until finally someone handed me a set of black lace lingerie and a red silk robe. I’d forgotten that last week we were supposed to start the sex scenes. I slipped them on, but as I started out of the room, I heard commotion nearby and stopped.
“If she’s here, change it back.” Sebastian’s voice. He was mad at something or someone.
“We can’t. I just spent an hour on the phone with producers trying—”
Cautiously, I scooted forward to peek around a column. He was standing with Dante, waving his arms furiously. Dante looked utterly exhausted with his lead star.
“Sebastian—”
Sebastian turned and kicked a mop bucket. It went flying as he continued his tantrum. Dante saw me, and his eyes widened. He shook his head slightly, and I backed up, attempting to hide. However, Sebastian had seen Dante and spun around, catching sight of me immediately. His expression was...
Like a psycho killer’s.
He stormed over to me, stopping inches from my face, his boots nearly on my toes.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded.
I took a step back, putting my hands up in innocence. “What do you mean? I’m— I’m—”
“Last time I heard, you dropped out, left town, ghosted me again.”
His words boiled my blood. I straightened my spine, narrowing my gaze at him.
“My agent was murdered, you asshole. I was her only family. I had to get her body. That’s where I was,” I spat.
He shook his head.
“Yes. You justhadto run to her. Take off, no warning, no explanation, into a potential trap. You’re so naïve, Evie.”
He spun around and pointed to Dante.
“Don’t make me do this.” He shot a glare my way. “I’ll walk out of this studio and never fucking return again. Bye-bye, millions.”
“Sebastian,” Dante sighed. “We don’t have a choice.”
My jaw dropped. What was going on? Did he not want to do the scenes anymore?
“You signed a contract. It’s happening,” Dante said firmly.
I stood back and watched the director and his star fight.
I didn’t fully understand why Sebastian was so mad, other than the fact that I didn’t call him. I had no obligation to tell him where I was going or what I was doing. I’d told my work, and of course, the video had been all over the news. I just didn’t get it. His anger felt entirely selfish.
Maybe it was.
I realized, as I watched the pair scream at each other, that I purposely hadn’t tried to find alternate ways to contact him. The day before I left, I’d had some major emotional changes I was struggling to come to terms with, and the idea of being near Sebastian was difficult for me. If I saw him while in active grief and dealing with such a traumatic event, there was a chance I’d confess my growing feelings, and he’d convince me to stop my quest for revenge and simply stay with him and his dogs forever.
I couldn’t do that.
If I did, Antoinette would have died for nothing. I didn’t know who had taken and murdered her in cold blood, but it was clear they were connected to the six men on my list. Now, I wasn’t just killing to avenge my mom. I was killing for Antoinette as well.
My attention came back to reality when Sebastian turned toward me. I looked over, and he shook his head.
