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“You should talk to Nolan… oh look! There he is. He’s on his way over here.”
Sure enough, the director strode from his trailer to the tent while looking down at his phone. When he glanced up and saw the look on my face, he slowed.
“Don’t throw a hissy fit, Finn. You’re better than that,” he said in a dry voice. “The scene needs to happen, and tonight’s our best chance with the weather and the helicopter’s availability.”
I stayed a thousand times calmer than I felt. “When did you decide to add another scene to my already packed call sheet?”
“This isn’t about you. It’s about production. More goes into getting the shot than just one of the principals. Surely you know that by now.”
His was one of those toxic personalities that relied on gaslighting. People like Nolan Trainor thrived in Hollywood, and they were treated like gods which only served to make them even more unbearable.
“I do know that. Know what else I know? You can’t get the shot at all without the principals.” I kept eye contact and willed the specter of Chip Clover away. I needed Nolan to see Finn Heller the adult actor staring back at him, asserting my rights as a man and an equal. Regardless of the reasons for casting me in this role, he had chosen me for it. And I wasn’t going to be treated any less than any other principal in a big-budget film.
Before Nolan had a chance to open up his mouth and tell me where to shove my rights assertion, the whoop of a police car split the evening air around us. An Aster Valley sheriff’s vehicle skidded to a stop in the gravel parking area nearby, throwing up a cloud of dust. All of the cast and crew who were still around at this time of night turned to watch as the sheriff of Aster Valley stepped out and approached us under the tent.
He did not look happy. And now, of course, was when my eyes began to sting.
Declan’s voice was deep and commanding. Professional. “Finn Heller, you need to come with me.”
My nostrils flared in irritation. As much as I wanted to see him, this was none of his fucking business. I was handling it myself. I needed another asshole fighting my battles for me like a damned hole in the head. I’d just been accused of not being in charge of my own shit, and now here he was trying to save the world for me.
While it was sweet as hell, it was piss-poor timing.
“What for?” I demanded. The people around us looked back and forth like they were at a tennis match.
His eyes hardened. “Do you really want me to share the particulars with everyone here?”
He seemed to be referring to… an actual police matter?
“What happened?” I asked, feeling my anger slowly replaced by concern.
“You were identified as the unauthorized driver of Mrs. Brainthwaite’s vehicle on multiple occasions by multiple witnesses. I need you to come with me and answer some questions.”
What the fuck was he talking about? I’d just been on the phone with the man not twenty minutes before, and now he suddenly thought I was a… car thief?
I threw up my hands in disbelief. “Why the hell would I steal the woman’s car? I drive a—”
“I’m well aware of what kind of car you drive. And I’ll allow you to come clear everything up at the station.” His eyes were more intense than they’d ever been before. “Get in the vehicle.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. This is insane.”
“Are you refusing to come with me voluntarily?” He moved his hands to the cuffs on his duty belt. Hypothetically, would it be weird if I admitted to popping a semi? I didn’t. Obviously. But… but I kinda did. Just a little.
I glanced over at Nolan, who eyed both me and Declan suspiciously. He was between a rock and a hard place. Was he really going to call the sheriff’s bluff and risk Aster Valley arresting one of his principal actors on set? Or was he going to admit defeat on his dangerous night climbing scene and let me go clear things up at the station?
Nolan pierced me with his gaze. “Don’t say a fucking word until our lawyer arrives. Do you hear me?” He reached for his phone without waiting for my answer.
I glanced back at Declan and felt the familiar twist of excitement in my gut I got when he was near. How fucked-up was I when the man excited me even while quasi-arresting me?
I let out a breath and tried to shove the concerns about Nolan and my mother to the “later” box in my head and lock it down tight. The same went for the Kix situation.
“Slap the cuffs on me, Sheriff,” I said, holding out my arms and meeting his eyes with a dirty challenge.
