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Teddy Fay flicked his gaze to the rearview mirror and grimaced. The gray sedan was still following him.
Returning his attention to the blacktop ahead, he searched for a turnoff to another road he could use to help him lose his tail. But there wasn’t even a wide enough spot where he could pull over. For as far as he could see, the road in front of him was squeezed between the rise of a mountain slope on one side and its descent on the other.
When he glanced again at the mirror, he caught sight of the fear in his own eyes. Fear that this lonely mountain road would be where he died.
He squeezed the steering wheel and shook thethought away. He couldn’t let them win. Would not let them win.
He glanced again at the car in the mirror. “Go ahead. Give me your best shot. I will not let you get to me today.”
With renewed determination, he pressed down hard on the gas. For the first time since he’d realized he was being followed, the gap between the other vehicle and his grew instead of shrinking.
If he could, he would have gone even faster, but knew if he did, the force of a turn might send him crashing into the hillside or flying over the drop-off.
He rounded another ridge, hoping this time he’d spot a turnoff he could use to escape, but the twisting road continued as far as he could see.
He swallowed back his fear. “You can do this. You have to. For them.”
He leaned toward the steering wheel, his eyes glued to the road ahead just as the other car came into view behind him.
“Cut.” Peter Barrington’s voice came through a speaker mounted under the dash of Teddy’s car. “I think we got it, Mark.”
The tension in Teddy’s face vanished. “Excellent. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”
Teddy released the steering wheel and leaned back.His car was being towed behind the camera vehicle that had been filming him, and he’d only been pretending to drive.
Handling the mountain road on his own would have been child’s play. But, alas, today he wasn’t Teddy Fay, but rather Academy Award–winning actor Mark Weldon, one of his three main identities. The other was that of film producer Billy Barnett.
Thanks to a talent for altering his appearance, honed during years spent in the CIA, only a select few knew that the three men were one and the same.
This trip up the mountain was Teddy’s and the crew’s fifth of the day. On the first three, a cameraman had been in the seat beside Teddy, filming close-ups and shots of the pursuing sedan. During the last two trips, Peter’s crew had been focused on capturing exterior shots. Peter was the film’s director, and the only director for whom actor Mark Weldon worked.
The film was calledStorm’s Eye.Its plot centered on a man named Tyler Storm, who’d spent most of his life on the wrong side of the law but was now trying to make amends for his past deeds. Peter had written the part of Storm with Mark in mind, a lead role to celebrate Mark’s status as a major award winner.
The camera truck towed Teddy’s car into a dirt parking lot where several other production vehicles waited, aswell as Peter, who was standing behind the television on which he’d been watching the camera feed.
When Teddy climbed out of the car, he gave Luke Reed, the man in charge of the rig carrying Teddy’s sedan, a nod. “Thanks for not driving us off the cliff.”
“They have to pay extra for that.”
“Then I’m thankful we have a cheap producer.”
“Ha, I’ll tell Billy you said that when I see him.”
“Trust me, it’s not anything he doesn’t already know.” Teddy smiled to himself. If only Luke knew. When Teddy reached Peter, who was reviewing what they had shot, he glanced at the monitor. “Everything look good?”
“See for yourself.”
Peter pressed a button and the footage from the last trip up the mountain began to play. Teddy had no ego when it came to his acting. All he wanted to do was a good job. When he watched himself, he did so rationally, looking for how he could improve his performance.
The direct shots of Teddy were full of tension and worry, while the footage of the pursuing sedan had the right sense of urgency he knew Peter was after. As he watched, he picked out a few moments in which he felt he could have done a better job, but he was pleased overall.
Peter smiled as the playback ended. “I’d say you’re starting to get the hang of this acting thing.”
“Maybe someday I can make a living at it.”
“It’s always good to have goals, even for you.”
