Page 143 of Nothing Special X: The Last Stand

Cassidy stepped out first, pain flaring across his shoulder as he straightened, then turned and gave Xander his hand.

Xander took it. For a brief second, he tightened his fingers around Cassidy’s.

Then Xander was out.

He didn’t shrink, duck his head, or try to rush off. He stood beside the Hummer, lifted one hand toward the fans behind the barricade, and gave them a genuine smile as the questions began flying.

“Xander, were you shot?”

“Did your bodyguard die?”

I’m standing right here, dumbass. Cassidy hovered within inches of Xander, scanning the hell out of the crowd.

“Do you know who’s targeting you?”

“How long before the sequel’s done?”

“Xander, look this way!”

Xander didn’t answer, instead he waved and blew kisses at the fans swaying rainbow flags and posters of support.

He wore dark jeans, a pale shirt beneath a fitted jacket, Prada sunglasses, hair pulled back from his face with just enough product to look gorgeous in an unfair way.

Cassidy leaned closer, pushing his palm harder into Xander’s back. “No stopping. No autographs.”

Xander’s mouth curved faintly. “Mmm, bossy.”

“And no distracting me.”

They crossed towards the stage building in a tight, clean formation.

Inside, the studio had tried to pretend it was a normal filming day.

It wasn’t.

The crew gave Xander a wide berth. The director spoke too brightly. The movie extras in the upcoming scene kept glancing toward Xander when he wasn’t looking. Set assistants near the buffet table were whispering then stopped when he glanced in their direction.

But Xander was gracious as always, greeting people by name and asking about their families. He thanked the extras and the cast for being so understanding and patient. He took a little over two hours in wardrobe and makeup, then stepped onto set when called and became someone else completely. Cassidy had seen Xander act before, but today he watched him through different eyes.

Xander was his.

He delivered take after take and received direction without ego. Reset without complaint. Hit his mark every time, even when the room went quiet after one scene landed harder than they’d expected.

Cassidy’s pride swelled until it pressed against his bruises.

By late morning, Xander was performing so effortlessly it was as if nothing chaotic was happening in his life, and the set began to move at a more normal pace.

At lunchtime people had stopped tiptoeing around him, and the cast and crew were back to laughing and playing little pranks.

But his security never relaxed.

While Xander filmed an interior scene at the end of the day, Cassidy asked one of his trusted men, Kellan, to take point while he went into the security office for a short break.

He needed a few minutes to stretch and pop a couple of Tylenol. He snatched a Gatorade from the buffet table, and noticed God standing outside, staring hard at his phone.

Day was beside him. Ruxs and Green had come in from their exterior rotation, replaced with more of his men. Tech and Steele leaned against the wall a few feet away with their arms crossed.

No one was joking.