Fuck.
“What?” she asked me. I started to say the phrase that I’d longed to say to her every day since she showed back up. The phrase I said in my head every time she walked by. The very thing that would make her pull away from me, but I forced the iconic movie line away from my lips and replaced it with a more melancholy, more singular quote. The line fromScreamwould just have to wait. For now, I quotedThe Bride of Frankenstein.
“I’ll make sure we’re together forever.”
Chapter 41
Sebastian
The Celebrity Sighting
“This will end in a bloodbath,” the masked figure said to the camera before stepping to the side and putting a bullet into Antoinette’s brain. I’d watched the video over a hundred times, analyzing each and every frame. Who had done such a heinous thing, and why had they done it the way they had?
I spent my day off thinking of every possible scenario. This kill order had to have come from Elliott Bradley—the top dog in all of Hollywood. But there was no way it was him, or any of the others on Evie’s list, in this video. They’d hired the masked man. They were smarter than Evie gave them credit for. Sure, we’d taken out the first three relatively easily, but that was only because they were glorified frat bros. But the next three? They were going to be much harder.
I gave up trying to figure out who the masked man was. Instead, I focused on the one thing I couldn’t make heads or tails of. Why had they taken her all the way to Michigan? You’d think if they were driving Evie to run to Antoinette, they’d have done something once she got there, but they let her take Antoinette’s body with no issues. She’d returned unharmed, albeit emotionally destroyed. Needing her to finish the movie was a bullshit excuse for keeping her alive. Everyone was replaceable.
They’d tried to replace her. They gave me the ultimatum: stay on set and keep my job, or walk away and be fired from the franchise I helped build. I walked out, fucked my Final Girl until she saw stars, then came back to set to take my punishment. Only, there was none. Dante and Skye had both fought with the producers to cut the scenes with Skye and me, and much to my shock, it worked.
The movie wasn’t canceled, I still had a job, and Evie remained my Final Girl.
Since Antoinette’s murder, she’d spent a lot of time with Skye and me, alternating evenings. When she was with me, she cried a lot. I gave her the space to do so. I only wished I’d been able to do the same when Lita was killed. She’d left so fast, I hadn’t had time to even say goodbye. We’d left the funeral, and the next day she’d blocked my number. I had to hear through the grapevine that she’d moved to Michigan to live with an aunt. It was all so odd and hurtful.
I didn’t tell anyone, even Evie, that I was doing my own little investigation into the video. I looked into who owned the building Antoinette was found in, along with where she’d been when she was taken. I wasn’t sure if I was getting anywhere, but I had to try, for Evie’s sake.
The next day, I was on set, lunch was called, and I went out to take my break. While on my way to my trailer, I bumped into someone unexpected.
“Sebastian Shaw, what a surprise!” Elliott Bradley, of all people, saw me from across the lot and started over, outstretching his hand when he grew close.
I stood there awkwardly and let him come to me. When our hands touched, he squeezed hard before letting go.
“Hello… How do you know who I am?” I asked, surprised. While it was safe to assume Fred had told him before he died, it was still odd for an A-lister to recognize a working actor like me.
“Step-Devil? How could I not? You were great in that. I told my agent we should get you on one of my shows. MaybeWhat Movie is That?The fans would love that.”
I scanned through my mind, trying to recall the show he was talking about. He hosted or judged so many of them. It was hard to keep track. “Yeah, sure. Sounds fun. Have your agent call mine.” I tried to move on, but he put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. He kept his smile plastered on his face, but his eyes turned ice cold.
“Hold on. We’re not done here. I’ve seen you in the tabloids. You and Lita Reyes’s daughter, huh?”
I nodded. “Yes, we’re dating.”
“Right, dating.” He winked. PR relationships were no new thing, although most, like mine and Evie’s, were secret. “I’vedateda time or two during a film. How’s that going?”
“It’s great, actually. I think she’s a wonderful person.”
“Good boy. Your PR coaching was worth the money.” There was an awkward silence, and then he pursed his lips. “She’s something, ain’t she? She reminds me of her mother—feisty, smart, sexy.”
I cringed. This man might possibly be her father. Hopefully he wasn’t, but he could be. I scanned his face, searching for traces of Evie in him. It was difficult, as Evie resembled so much of her mother. Elliott was traditional Hollywood handsome with a Latin edge. Strong facial structure, eyes and hair the same dark shade of brown that was almost black. He had a tall build and broad shoulders, presumably washboard abs. I wasn’t all that different from him. I just came in a different style. It was on the tip of my tongue to mention that he shouldn’t be calling his potential daughter sexy, but then it hit me. He’d been testing me. He wanted me to react.
He wanted to see what I knew.
I bit back the words and nodded.
“She’s talented. It’s been an honor working with her.”
“Oh, I’m sure. A legacy? Lita was an extraordinary actress. She could tell a story so convincingly, she would have everyone enraptured and hanging onto every word as if it were the truth. She once told us a story so well, she had tears streaming down her face, and the men at the table with their wallets out, ready to give her the world, only to find out she’d just told us the plot ofEvil Dead.”
He clicked his tongue and shook his head.
