Spotlight

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  Craig drew his weapon, rolled over, and aimed. And stared down a nightmare. For one terrifying moment, all he saw was a petite woman with dark hair. Then he focused on the eyes—not Sienna’s eyes but Renee Merdigall’s, the lone female hostage. She stood at the edge of the doorway he had been watching a moment before, terror etched on her face and a gun pointing over her shoulder at him.

  “Brent!” Damian’s voice carried through Craig’s headset, but all he could think was he had to move. Craig rolled over again, a gunshot sounded, and a second followed.

  Craig both felt and heard the bullet whiz by his right ear, pieces of the road spraying up from the impact. He sprang to his feet and saw the hostage on the ground, blood splattered on her neck and shirt. It took him a moment to realize Brent must have taken a shot from his position on the roof across the street.

  Part of his brain registered the commands Brent was issuing to the rest of the team, instructing Seth and Tristan to rush the front of the building the captors apparently now occupied. Damian had his weapon drawn and was using a car parked in the alley for cover as he worked his way to the far side of the doorway.

  Still out in the open, Craig rushed forward until he was against the wall a few yards from the hostage. Now no longer a target, Craig took a split second to assess the situation. He could see now that his would-be assassin was on the ground. Renee Merdigall moaned and tried to sit up.

  “I’m going in for the hostage,” Craig announced.

  “Stay out of the line of fire. We don’t know who else is in there,” Brent told him.

  Craig reached the hostage as another burst of gunfire erupted. Though his heart was pounding, he reminded himself that he had to trust his teammates. He focused on the woman before him. “Are you hurt?”

  Her eyes were dazed, and she looked like she was in shock, but she slowly shook her head. That was all Craig needed to know. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the doorway and up against the side of the building. “I have Merdigall. She’s uninjured.”

  Voices came through the headset but not in response to his words.

  “Target down. Second hostage secured,” Seth announced.

  “Where’s the other one?” Brent asked.

  Jay immediately responded. “Two heat signatures in the center of the building. Could be a closet.”

  “Damian, you take the back entrance. Craig, stay with your hostage and cover the back.”

  “Coming in.” Damian emerged from the far side of the alley and headed for the doorway.

  Craig stood, peering in the window to his left. Just as Damian reached the entrance, Quinn called out. “Targets moving. Heading toward the rear.”

  Through the glass, Craig saw an interior door open, one man holding another around the throat, a gun in his hand. Before he could utter a warning, Damian reached the door.

  The second Damian came into view, the gunman shifted his aim as well as his body. With the hostage now shifted away from him, Craig didn’t think. He reacted.

  His gun hand came up, took aim through the window, and fired.

  17

  “Seth and Damian, sweep the building,” Brent ordered. “Quinn, cover us while we secure the hostages.”

  Craig knelt next to the two men and the woman who now sat at the edge of the alley and tried not to think about the other man lying a short distance away, the man he had killed.

  “Thank you,” the man beside him whispered. “Thank you for saving my life.”

  Craig didn’t turn to look at him. He didn’t want to see the blood spatter his shot had left on the man or the reminder that if he had missed, the hostage could have died instead of the captor. The sickness in his stomach threatened to rise up in his throat. He swallowed hard, desperate to maintain his composure.

  “We’re clear,” Seth announced.

  “Let’s move,” Brent commanded.

  Within moments, six of the seven SEALs were visible in the alley. They formed a wide diamond, with Craig and Tristan taking the center and the hostages walking between them.

  Craig knew they were fortunate that all three hostages were mobile. They had come in prepared to take them out on stretchers if necessary, but now they could keep their focus on any potential threats.

  Half a mile later, they reached an open field beside an abandoned school. Quinn finally appeared behind them when their helicopter approached.

  Two minutes after the chopper touched down, they were loaded and on their way again. Craig looked at the ground below, his mind still trying to process that he had killed and nearly been killed in the space of four minutes. He had survived, he reminded himself. They all had.

  He glanced at the hostages, again struck by Renee Merdigall’s resemblance to Sienna. Grateful that Sienna was safely in Virginia, Craig closed his eyes and tried to focus on the future in the hope of blocking out the recent past.

  * * *

  Sienna didn’t know what she had been thinking when she’d agreed to dinner with Adam. Her first instinct to decline had been right on. The whole meal had been awkward and filled with long pauses and stilted conversation. Adam apparently had had a different experience in their time together. He had asked her out for the past three days straight since that first night.

  She was running out of excuses, and he wasn’t giving up. Agreeing to be his date to the Oscars was supposed to be a publicity stunt, but apparently Adam thought dating for real was in their future. What she wouldn’t give to have Craig show up right about now. Unfortunately, she hadn’t heard from him since her first day of filming.

  “Have you figured out what you’re going to tell Adam when he asks you out today?” George asked, both hands on the steering wheel of their rental car.

  “He might not ask me out again,” Sienna said from the passenger seat. “Maybe three refusals in a row will clue him in that I’m not interested.”

  George glanced sideways at her. “I don’t think he’s getting a clue.”

  “I hate to say it, but I’m really not looking forward to the Oscars this year.”

  “It’ll be fine. Your dad already made arrangements for you all to sit together. That will keep it from getting too awkward.”

  Sienna let her head fall back against the headrest, her eyes wandering to stare out at the ocean. She watched the waves rise and fall. They were much smaller than those she was accustomed to seeing in the Pacific.

  It was odd, she mused, how oceans could look so much the same and still have their own unique shades of blue, their own rhythm. She supposed it was a lot like people. Adam looked a lot like Craig. They were both tall and toned; both had dark hair and were attractive in their own way.

  Admittedly Adam had more of a pretty-boy look, while Craig’s features were more chiseled, but all in all, if they were standing next to each another in a crowd, they would both be noticed. And if she had to choose one to talk to, there was no contest. Quite simply, Adam bored her.

  When Sienna didn’t respond, George asked, “Do I need to run some interference?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe,” she said. “I guess I don’t have much choice at this point but to be direct and tell him I’m not interested.”

  “I get the feeling this may be a new experience for him. I think he actually believed you yesterday when you said you had to wash your hair.”

  A chuckle escaped her. “He really is clueless, isn’t he?”

  “It’s the same thing we see all the time. Sometimes people in the spotlight start believing the hype and forget they’re human.”

  “I have no delusions about my humanity. I’m starving.”

  “You ate an orange twenty minutes ago.”

  “Key words: ‘twenty minutes ago.’” Sienna pointed at the upcoming intersection. “That smoothie bar we found is right up there.”

  “What happened to wanting to get to the set early today?”

  “I forgot to consult my stomach.”

  “Craft services will be ready for us when we get there.”
>
  “Yeah, but they won’t have smoothies.” She batted her eyelashes at him dramatically. “Please?”

  George huffed out a breath. “Fine, but call it in so we don’t have to wait.”

  Sienna smiled, then pressed call on the number she had saved in her phone two days before. She put in her order, pausing to ask George, “Do you want your usual?”

  “We found the place three days ago, and we already have a usual? This is so wrong,” George muttered. Then he shrugged and said, “Might as well.”

  Sienna chuckled and passed on the rest of their order.

  George made the turn into the parking lot. “You know the drill.”

  Sienna nodded and pulled the hood of her sweatshirt up over her hair, her sunglasses already shading her eyes. She handed him cash and settled back to wait for him to retrieve the order.

  Two minutes later, he reemerged with a smoothie in one hand and a breakfast sandwich in the other. He took a bite of his food before opening the door and handing the smoothie and a straw to her.

  She took her first sip. “See? Wasn’t this worth it?”

  “Maybe,” George said. “But don’t blame me when makeup gets mad that you aren’t early.”

  “Are you kidding? They’ll be thrilled that I’m not trying to eat a donut while they’re putting on my lipstick.”

  “Oh, the challenges of being a big star.”

  Sienna smirked at him. “Yeah, like you’d be willing to let someone put lipstick on you.”

  “Somehow I don’t think your makeup artist has my color,” he said wryly.

  Sienna laughed. “Come on. Let’s go see how many people you can catch trying to sneak onto our set today.”

  “You can laugh.” George started the car. “I’m the one your dad lectures every time someone tries. Three different attempts yesterday, and not once did the studio’s security guards catch them.”

  “What can I say, George? You’re the best.”

  “If they don’t get me some help soon, I’m going to be exhausted.”

  “Sounds like they’d better get you some help, then.”

  * * *

  “You look exhausted. Did you manage to get any sleep?”

  Craig looked up from his food and saw Damian standing in front of him, a tray from the ship’s mess hall in his hand. “Not really.”

  “You okay?” Damian set his tray down at Craig’s table and took the seat across from him.

  “I guess.”

  “Did you already talk to the ship’s shrink?”

  “Yeah. Passed through that okay.” Craig’s mood lightened slightly when he thought of that particular interview. “The doc did think I might be a bit delusional though.”

  “What made him think that?”

  “He had read through Brent’s after-action report, and he asked why I had hesitated to go inside the building the hostages were being held in.”

  “That’s a pretty normal question. What did you say?”

  “I told him the whole situation felt like it was right out of Sienna’s movie script.”

  “And?”

  “He’s not buying the idea of me going out with Sienna Blake.”

  Damian chuckled. “Okay, I have to admit that if I hadn’t seen you with her, I wouldn’t have believed it myself.”

  “I can understand that. When I think of her last name, even I have a hard time reconciling my Sienna with the person in the movies.”

  Damian’s eyebrows lifted. “So she’s your Sienna now, is she?”

  “That’s not what I mean. The Sienna we know is a real person.”

  Damian steered the conversation away from Sienna and back to the heart of Craig’s sleepless night. “Sienna isn’t what’s keeping you up at night. What’s bothering you? Still freaked out by your near-death experience?”

  “I guess that’s part of it. No amount of training prepares you for someone trying to kill you, but it’s more than that. I still can’t believe I took the shot when that guy aimed at you.”

  “If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”

  “If I’d missed, one of the hostages would be dead right now.” Craig drew a deep breath and let it out fast. “I let instinct take over, but I keep wondering if it was the training that helped me hit the target or if it was pure luck.”

  “The rest of the guys will tell you God’s hand was probably involved.” Damian smeared strawberry jam on a piece of toast before looking back up at him. “Whether you believe that stuff or not, I like to think if we trust our training and trust our team, everything will turn out the way it’s supposed to.”

  Damian crunched into his piece of toast. “Of course, what do I know? I’ve only been doing this six weeks longer than you have.”

  “Thanks a lot,” Craig said sarcastically.

  “Anytime. So tell me. What’s really going on with you and Sienna?”

  “That’s a question I need a little more time to answer. I’m hoping we get stateside again soon though. I hate not being able to talk to her.”

  Damian looked up from his food and studied Craig for a brief moment. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

  “What?”

  “You’re already sunk.” Damian grinned. “I hope she feels the same way.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  18

  “Sienna!” Adam waved at her from across the enormous living room in the beach house they were using as their set. Inwardly she cringed at the thought of letting the guy down gently. If this didn’t stop soon, she was going to have to be more direct, something she’d rather not do since they would be working together for the next three months.

  “Sienna!” Someone else called her name. This time it was Carter’s voice carrying across the room.

  Happy to use her father’s old friend and colleague as a distraction, she passed under the bank of lights strung overhead and moved across the room to embrace him. “I was wondering when you were going to show up. I thought you were going to be here on our first day.”

  “Directors don’t worry much about old-timers like me being here for rehearsals. My first scene won’t shoot until tomorrow.”

  “Coming by to get a lay of the land?”

  “Exactly.” He shifted his attention when Adam approached. Carter extended his hand. “You must be Sienna’s new leading man.”

  “That’s right,” Adam said with a hint of possessiveness.

  Sienna managed to keep her smile in place. “Adam Pratt, this is Carter Wells. Carter, Adam.”

  “Good to meet you,” Carter said with his typical charm. “I’ve been looking forward to working with you. Your career has certainly been fun to watch so far.”

  “Thanks.”

  Carter turned his attention back to Sienna. “Sienna, do you have the shoot schedule for today? I haven’t received my copy yet.”

  “My assistant should have it.” Sienna looked around. As if on cue, Toni crossed the room toward her. “Toni, this is Carter. He needs a copy of today’s shoot schedule. Could you get one for him?”

  “Of course. I’ll take care of that right now,” Toni said. “Miss Blake, can I get you some breakfast or anything?”

  “I’m fine for now. Thanks.”

  Toni nodded and spoke to Carter. “I’ll get that schedule for you.”

  “Thank you.” Carter watched her cross the room once more to search out the desired information. “It looks like you trained her well.”

  “Actually, she came that way,” Sienna said. “My regular assistant had to stay behind in California for some family issues. The studio hired Toni to fill in.”

  “The studio does like to take care of its stars.”

  Sienna gave him a wry smile. “You should know.”

  Her phone chimed, indicating a new e-mail. Though she didn’t have any reason to think it might be from Craig, she excused herself anyway. She had been trying since he left not to worry, but her efforts had yet to be successful. “I’m going to leave you two to get better acquainted.
I believe you have a scene together tomorrow.”

  Sienna headed for a chair by the wide bank of windows overlooking the Atlantic and pulled her phone out of her purse. She opened her e-mail, her heartbeat quickening when she saw Craig’s name illuminated on her screen. She clicked on the message and read the short note:

  Sienna,

  Sorry this is the first time I’ve been able to send a message out. I hope everything is going okay with you. Not sure yet when we’re heading back home, but it should be soon. Looking forward to seeing you. Don’t eat too much apple pie without me.

  Craig

  Sienna’s smile bloomed. The message was simple enough, but the most important thing she wanted to hear was in front of her in black and white. He was planning on coming home soon, and he wanted to see her again.

  “Miss Blake, they’re ready for you in makeup.”

  “Thanks, Toni.” Sienna followed her assistant toward the makeup room and wondered how she was going to manage to stop smiling long enough to let the makeup artists do their work.

  * * *

  He saw that private smile of hers that made him know she was keeping secrets again. He knew her so well. So much better than she could ever understand.

  Adam Pratt took the seat beside her as the makeup artists prepared them for their first scene of the day. Adam put his hand on her arm, a brief show of affection. So that was how things were now. It was too bad, really. A developing relationship between Adam and Sienna could cause complications, but there was nothing he could do about that now. If he was lucky, he might even be able to use this new tidbit in his favor.

  His plan was in place, and nothing was going to hold him back. Today was another new beginning, another step toward reclaiming the past he had worked so hard to earn.

  * * *

  Sienna kept her smile in place even though she was cringing inside when Adam ran his hand down her arm. She really had to find a time to talk to him. Maybe once he realized she had no romantic interest in him, they could get past this touchy-feely thing he had with her and could become friends.

  The makeup artists had completed their tasks, and she and Adam would have a few minutes before the cameras were ready to roll, but they already had their microphones on, and Sienna did everything she could to keep her personal business private. Any number of people could hear anything she said right now, and unfortunately, there was always someone around who was ready to trade a story to the tabloids for a few bucks.