Jason Dourif.
He sat a few rows ahead of us, off to the side. The movie had started, but instead of watching, I found myself staring at the back of Jason’s head. He couldn’t be more than midfifties, yet his hair was ghost-white, and his fake tanned skin had gone leathery, aging him up. Having given the paparazzi what they wanted outside, Sebastian left me alone to stew in my thoughts during the film. He sat beside me politely, making no moves that suggested intimacy beyond colleagues.
Halfway through the movie, Mr. Dourif stood and climbed over the other guests. Thankfully, I’d taken an aisle seat. I stood quickly, excusing myself, and followed him out of the theater. He didn’t notice me at first, so I pretended to go to the other bathroom and then waited. When I saw the men’s room door open, I came out of mine and bumped into him.
“Oh!” I feigned surprise.
“Why, hello there,” Dourif chuckled, his hand instantly finding my waist to steady me. He had a Southern accent I couldn’t quite place. He let me go and stepped back. “I know you.”
I fought back a grimace. “You do?”
He looked me up and down, lowering his glasses to leer better. “Sure do. You’re Lita Reyes’s daughter. Evelyn.”
“Evie,” I corrected.
“Right, Evie. I remember when you were just a little thing.” He chuckled. “I used to come over to visit with Lita. You remember your ol’ Uncle Jason?”
I chuckled uncomfortably. I did not.
“My mom had lots of friends.”
“That she did...” The way he said that, paired with how he was looking at my chest, made me squirm. He tore his eyes from my dress and looked back up at my face. “Well, consider me just plain ol’ Jason Dourif, talent manager.” He offered his hand, and after I shook it, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and rocked on his heels.
“You know, while I love my clients, I wasn’t a huge fan of this movie. It’s why I excused myself halfway. Didn’t want to fall asleep!” He laughed loudly.
I glanced at the doors, glad they’d been shut before the film started. He was a loud speaker.
“You do pictures?” he asked.
“I’m starring in my first one currently.” I looked down, playing the bashful, new-to-town actress.
“Is that right? I saw you with ol’ Sebastian Shaw. You doing aSimon Saysfilm? What are they on now,Simon Says Six?”
“Six Six.”
He didn’t catch the joke. I suspected he wasn’t actually listening to me. He just wanted to keep me here.
“You two together?” He licked his dry lips and wiggled his white eyebrows.
I forced back a grimace. “No, we’re just friends.”
“Good! It’s never good to mingle with your coworkers. Smart girl, just like your momma. She did her minglin’ outside of work hours.” He tapped his temple and pinched his lips together, seemingly in thought. “Where you going after this?”
“Home, presumably.”
He laughed and reached for me, patting my shoulder when I moved away.
“Nonsense. I’m having an after-party. You and Sebastian-boy come on over. It’s an open bar, and we got some good music. Drugs? I got all of ’em. We have a whole lotta fun at my parties.” He dug into his pocket and pulled a card from his wallet.
I held back an eye roll. A business card? Who still used those? He handed it to me, and I read it quickly.
“Come around sometime tonight. We can catch up, now that you’re grown. I’d love to get to know how little Lita grew up.” He winked and grabbed the door handle, opening it and stumbling back inside.
I stayed out for a moment, taking in what had just happened. I was disgusted but...excited. I’d just got an invite to my next kill’s house. I tucked the card into my cleavage and hurried back to the movie. I squeezed Sebastian’s hand and was finally able to focus on the film, which wasn’t half bad.
After the movie, I remained by Sebastian’s side as he networked. He introduced me to everyone, and while my mind was elsewhere, I probably made some connections.
“You okay?” Sebastian asked as we finally got into the limousine. “You’ve been glossy eyed for hours.”
