AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I crack my knuckles, pick up my needle, and bend back to my task. My life is fine. I don’t need to chase heartbreak or financial insecurity. I’ll keep my feet on the ground and work toward my goals and one day my life will no longer be this lonely slog through day-to-day existence. My caution will pay off with a hot, faithful, kind accountant boyfriend who will make sure that when I’m ready to jump and turn Wild Things into something bigger, I can do it.
The wardrobe supervisor, who everyone refers to as Cruella, walks about the room, but I ignore her, even when she hovers over my shoulder.
“This needs to be redone. It’s sloppy.” She points to two inches along the neckline with a bony finger, waiting for me to nod before she moves on.
When she leaves the room, I let out a string of obscenities.
Mariko, the wardrobe coordinator, laughs and comes over. “Apparently,” she says in a hushed voice, “Cruella overheard Selena complaining about the vermilion gown last week.”
Selena is the director, so that will have stung Cruella’s pride.
“They only got one take of the alley scene before the dress snagged something and tore. It happened three more times and Julien had to sew it up quick each time so they could keep going.”
Poor Julien. At least he works well under pressure. I’ll take my hours of slow beadwork over the cast and crew breathing down my neck.
Mariko is called away and I sigh at the silk dress. The beadwork is fine, but Cruella will know if I don’t redo it.
A door crashes open somewhere to a collective hiss—Cruella demands serenity and whoever barged in is going to cop it from her.
Not my concern, I tell myself as I spend a handful of seconds undoing hours of work.
“Mina!” a deep voice calls out, edged in a panic that slices through my calm corner of the workroom.
I jump, scattering seed pearls everywhere as I spin around, heart in my throat.
Nic’s eyes lock with mine. His skin is pale, and he’s out of breath as he pushes toward me. He’s still in costume, I note, but the rest of my brain has gone fuzzy because there’s only one reason Nic would ever visit me at work. It’s my nightmare.
Everything slows in the worst way.
“No,” I tell Nic, tears burning behind my eyes. Don’t.Don’t say it.
He doesn’t hear me. His voice is strangled, holding back emotion. “There was an accident on set. Timothy—”
My heart stops beating.
He can’t be gone. No. Not Timothy. He’s unstoppable.
Mariko shoves my handbag and phone at me. Nic pulls me to my feet, yanking me toward the exit. My phone slips from my numb fingers, smashing onto the floor. He curses, bending to pick it up, and shoves it back into my hand. Strong hands grab my shoulders and Nic’s gray eyes are suddenly in my face. “Do I need to carry you or can you walk? We’ve got to go, the driver’s waiting.”
Timothy’s alive. There’d be no reason to rush if he were…if he were…
“Go!” I shove Nic and that’s all he needs to take off through the warren that is this particular corner of the studio. “How bad?” I ask, matching his pace.
Nic looks at me and the terror in his eyes saysbad. After that, I lose myself so all that registers are flashes. Nic barking at me to buckle my seat belt. Nic’s muffled voice as he speaks on the phone. The wait is agony, the traffic thick like honey, my head buzzing with bees.
I turn my phone on, half expecting a message from Timothy, explaining this is a mistake.
My screen is cracked and there’s nothing from him.
Chapter six
Mina
Somehow,wemakeitto the hospital. My broken phone rings as we hurry through a corridor. It takes me a few tries to answer it thanks to the cracked screen. I’m desperate for it to be Timothy, calling to tell me it’s all a mistake, he’s fine—it was someone else. Or he’s pranking me and he’ll jump out yellingGotcha!Even though he would never do that to me.
“Mrs. Foley?”
I don’t know the voice on the phone. I don’t know the number. It’s not Timothy. My heart sinks and bile rises into my throat. I must say something as Nic leads me down the corridor because the voice on the phone keeps talking.
