“Unless they fire me.”
Blake chuckled and handed a book back to the woman before taking a DVD box with his face and a roaring forest fire on the cover, and scrawled his name on it. “I don’t see that happening. Not after tonight.”
Merrick shrugged. “Just doing my job.”
“Modest, too. I like that,” Blake said before handing the DVD back and shaking the man’s hand.
“You just have to know how to talk to people.”
Blake chuckled as he signed. “Yeah. Like breaking some dude’s nose and sticking his knife into his car.”
Merrick grinned. “That was to make sure I had his attention.”
Blake chuckled again. “Oh, I see.” He handed a scrap of paper back to someone in the crowd. “Kind of like my mother. First the slap on the head, then the discussion about what I did wrong.”
Merrick nodded with a grin. “Yeah, something like that.”
They moved down the line together, Blake signing and shaking hands, murmuring his thanks for the fans turning out to watch. Merrick couldn’t believe the difference between him and Poppy. Blake seemed to actually enjoy talking with the crowd and shaking their hands.
Merrick smiled as the women ogled Blake. He was no expert in male beauty, but judging by their reactions, he was making their panties wet. Whether it was because he was a big movie star or the way he looked, he didn’t know.
They continued down the line until a PA arrived. “Blake, you’re needed on set,” the man said.
Blake nodded, signed a few more items, then stepped back. “Thank you, everyone,” he said, then faced Merrick. “And thank you for getting this entire messed up production back on track.” He gave Merrick a slap on the shoulder then turned and followed the PA back to the crew area.
Chapter Four
Merrick mopped his face, wiping away the sweat before it could run into his eyes. It was September, but it was still hotter than hell, with temperatures climbing into the nineties during the hottest part of the day. There was a nine o’clock call this morning, which meant he’d only had three hours sleep last night by the time production wrapped, and he was feeling it.
He wandered over to the craft services table where a selection of snacks, fruit, and, most importantly, water was available for cast and crew. He reached into a bucket of ice with large bottles of water, pulling one out.
“I’m sorry. Those are Poppy Landrieu’s water. Water for the crew is in the cooler over there,” the woman tending the food said, pointing to the large cooler at the far end of the tent.
“Then tell her I said thanks,” he replied as he cracked the lid.
“You don’t understand,” the woman said, as she waved her hands frantically, trying to prevent him from opening the bottle. “The Rain water is for Poppy exclusively. The regular bottles are for everyone else.”
Merrick hoisted the bottle in silent thanks and walked away, taking a deep pull.
“Didn’t craft services tell you the Rain water was mine?” Poppy demanded as she stomped up a few minutes later while he stood under a tree. It was quiet at the moment and the Harlequins were seeking what shade they could find.
“Yeah. Thanks for sharing,” Merrick replied.
“Don’t drink it anymore. Drink the regular water.”
“Did you pay for it?”
“What?” Poppy asked.
“The water, did you buy it yourself?”
“None of your business!”
Merrick smiled at her. “Since you didn’t pay for it, my agreement with Taylor was we had access to what food and water we needed. If you don’t like it, buy your own damn water.” He finished the bottle and sighed as if it was the most refreshing thing he’d ever tasted.
She stared at him a moment then her face hardened and she turned and walked away. He didn’t give a shit what she wanted, but that didn’t prevent him from watching her ass swing as she stomped away.
A few minutes later a PA appeared. “The Rain water bottles are reserved for Poppy’s use. Don’t drink those.” She handed him another bottle of the regular water.
Merrick looked down at the woman. She looked distinctly uncomfortable. “Can you give Poppy a message for me?”
“Sure.”
“If she wants her Rain water back, tell her to come find me about twenty minutes and I’ll piss in her mouth.”
The woman gaped at him. “I…can’t tell her that!”
He smiled at her. “Then have her come over here and I’ll tell her myself.” He chuckled as the woman looked around as if she were trapped. “Don’t worry about it. Tell her you told me.”
The woman smiled, nodded in gratitude, then scurried away. He shook his head, then opened the water the PA brought him and poured it into the Rain bottle, just to piss Poppy off.
***
“Cut! Good take, everyone!” Will said as a tone sounded to let everyone know they were between takes, then turned to his PA. “I’m going to break for lunch, then I want to setup for the close ups. We’ll start with Blake.”
Patricia nodded and made a note. “What time?”
Will thought about it. Now that the Harlequins were on crowd control and they didn’t have problems with the gawkers, they were actually ahead of schedule today. “Make it an hour.”
“Twelve-thirty? That’s fifty-five minutes from now.”
Will nodded and rose from his chair and grimaced as he straightened out his kinks.
“We’re breaking for lunch until twelve thirty,” Patricia said into her walkie.
Blake walked up behind Merrick as they picked over the items for lunch. “Tom told me about you and Poppy’s water.”
“Tom?” Merrick asked.
“My PA. They gossip among themselves. I also heard what you told Leslie.”
“Was that the girl Poppy sent over to slap my hands?”
Blake chuckled. “Yeah. I don’t envy her being attached to Poppy.”
They reached the end of the line. Merrick noticed the Rain bottles were set on the ground and behind the table, out of easy reach. He started to reach into the big cooler, then noticed Poppy glaring at him, so he stepped around the table and picked up a Rain bottle, holding it up in thanks as Blake chuckled again.
“You’re going out of your way to piss her off, aren’t you?”
“Yep,” Merrick confirmed as Poppy’s face hardened even more as she glared at him. “What’s up with her? Will and Taylor said she starred in a hit movie and television show that gave her the big head. Is that all there is to it?”
Blake nodded as they moved to a table under an umbrella. “She’s had it easy. That’s not to say she doesn’t have acting chops, because she does, but very few people are fortunate enough to land their first role in a hit television series, become the star even though they were cast as a secondary character, then transition into film and have their first movie be a monster mega hit. She did.”
Merrick grunted in understanding. “What about you?”
Blake grinned. “I’m one of the less fortunate. I’ve been acting for more than twenty years, since I was twelve, playing bit parts here and there on television and in bad low budget movies. I got my break with Smokejumpers a few years ago. I’ve done a couple of action movies since, but Smokejumpers was my big hit. Have you seen it?”
Merrick grinned. “Sorry, can’t say I have. I’ll check it out. What part did you play?”
Blake puffed out his chest and struck a heroic poise with his fists on his hips. “I was Danny McKay, heroic fireman and savior of women and kittens!”
Merrick snickered. “Women and kittens, huh?”
“Well, woman. You know the type of movie. Boy meets girl, boy risks life to save girl but is too late, boy is heartbroken and blames himself for her death, boy finds another girl later and saves the day in a daring rescue to make up for his past sins, and everyone lives happily ever after. Still, it made a lot of money, over four hundred million, and put me on the map. The sequel is hung up in preproduct
ion because of the script, but I’ve agreed to come back if they can get it green lit.” He grinned as he picked at his food. “I have to tell you, though, after filming that movie and talking to the guys who fight forest fires for real, I’ll never look at a camp fire the same way again. Those guys have balls dees big,” he said, affecting a stereotypical Mexican accent and holding his hands two feet apart. “Big brass ones.”
Merrick laughed. He really liked Blake. “From firefighter to cop.”
Blake sighed dramatically. “I’m cursed to pay heroes. What about you? What do you do when you’re not running security on a movie location?”
“I build houses.”
“Really?”
“Really. I own a framing company with a half-dozen crews.”
“Framing. That’s the guys who build the walls and stuff, right?”
“Yeah. We come in after the foundation is laid and put up the walls, ceilings, floors, and roof. All the rough carpentry to dry the house in.”
“You still swing a hammer?”
“Sometimes, if we get in a pinch, but not much anymore. Too busy arguing with contractors, inspectors, and shit like that. Nothing is ever done fast enough or cheap enough to suit the contractors, and the inspectors are even worse. We had one inspector try to fail a house because we had gaps on the subflooring panels. That guy was a real piece of work. I made him show me where in the code the ⅛-inch gap we leave to prevent the floor from bucking wasn’t allowed, and he couldn’t do it. Another example of someone educated beyond their intelligence.”
Blake chuckled. “I know some guys like that. The movie industry is full of them.”
Merrick was about to respond the building industry was, too, when he noticed a man walking around and peering into the prop car. There was something about the way he was acting that didn’t feel right. “Excuse me a second,” he said as he rose.
Blake rose and followed Merrick as he approached the pudgy man. He wasn’t wearing a pass. “You’re not supposed to be here,” Merrick said.
“I know,” the man said, smiling at Merrick. “I figured since filming had stopped, nobody would care if I wandered around so long as I didn’t touch anything.”
“You can’t be on the set, location, whatever. You need to step back behind the barricades.”
“Okay,” the man agreed. “But can I get Poppy’s autograph? I run her biggest fan site and I’m her number one fan.”
“I’m sorry, she’s busy.”
“I don’t have to talk to her! If you could just give her this to sign, I—”
“No, I’m sorry. Wait behind the barricade and if she decides to sign autographs, you’ll get your chance then. How did you get past the barricade anyway?”
The man smiled. “I got here early and slipped through before the barricades were set up then waited over there out of the way. All I want to do is have a chance to talk to Poppy and tell her—”
“I’m sorry,” Merrick said talking the man’s arm. He didn’t resist and Merrick led him back to the barricade.
“But you don’t understand,” the man protested as Merrick led him along. “I have to see her! I need to tell her how much I appreciate her movies. I’ve seen every episode of Pool and I’ve seen Fallen Petals about a hundred times! She was fantastic in that. She should have been nominated for an Oscar. I drove down from Colorado to watch her work and maybe have a chance to talk to her. Please, if I could just speak to her for one moment! I have something to give her!”
“Step behind the barricade, but I’ll tell you what I’ll do. What’s your name?”
“Charlie. Charlie Harton.”
“Okay, Charlie. I’ll let her know you’re here, okay? That’s the best I can do.”
“Okay! Thanks! That’ll be great! Be sure to tell her I’m her biggest fan and I run allaboutpoppy.com.”
Merrick nodded. “Don’t cross the barricades again and don’t try sneaking in. We’ll be watching for you the next time.”
Chrlie nodded as Merrick turned away.
“Very well done,” Blake said.
Merrick grinned as they walked away. “That guy needs to get a life.”
“Are you going to tell Poppy?”
Merrick grinned at him. “What do you think?”
Blake smiled. “That’s what I thought.”
“We’re not supposed to speak to the talent unless we’re spoken to first, right?”
As they began to sit down, Blake barked out a laugh and pointed. The Rain bottle Merrick had left at his place was gone, replaced by a regular bottle of water.
Merrick chuckled as he sat and cracked open the bottle. “She’d determined, I’ll give her that,” he grinned.
Blake and Merrick finished their lunches, talking about this and that, Blake explaining some of the common terms Merrick had heard as the crew went about the business of shooting a movie.
“Blake, you’re needed,” Tom said as he paused behind him.
“Work, work, work,” Blake said with a grin as he rose from the table. “It’s been nice talking to you, Merrick.”
“Same here. I’ve got this,” he said when Blake began to collect his trash. Blake nodded in thanks, then turned and followed his PA. Merrick watched the two men walk away, finished his water, then rose, gathering up the trash and tossed it into the nearby can. He walked back to the caterer’s table and stepped around and hefted the smaller cooler of ice and water.
“Where are you going with that?” the woman asked as he turned to walk away.
“My men need water.”
“That’s Poppy’s water! Take the other!”
Merrick paused and looked at the large cooler. “Nah, that’s too big to carry. This’ll do. Thanks.”
“Wait! Wait, you can’t take that!”
Merrick ignored her as he walked away then down the line, allowing his brothers to pull bottles out until it was empty. He returned, put ten more bottles into the cooler from the larger one, and carried it back to the barricades, making sure everyone who wanted water had some. After everyone had water he returned the cooler, loaded it with bottles from the larger one, and placed it back where he found it.
“Thanks,” he said to the woman with a smile and a nod before walking away again.
Chapter Five
“Did you get this?” Merrick asked as he showed Jason the email.
“No. What’s Abana want?” Jason asked, shading the screen of Merrick’s phone with his hand so he could read the email. “What’s he talking about?” he asked when he was finished.
“I have no idea.” Merrick looked at the email again. “We can’t move the shipment up, can we?”
Jason shook his head. “No way. It’s already on the water. It’ll be in Corpus Christi in a couple of days. Figure a day in customs, then we can get it to him. But he wasn’t supposed to take delivery for, what, another thirty days?”
Merrick reread the email. “How the hell did he lose so much hardware? And, more importantly, why does he think we had anything to do with it?”
Jason shrugged. “Damned if I know.”
Merrick nodded and began to type a reply. “Let me see if I can find out what the hell is going on. Why the fuck did this have to happen now, when we’re tied down with this shit?”
“It’s been pretty quiet today. Maybe we can start pulling back.”
“Maybe,” Merrick muttered as he stared at the small screen and typed with his thumbs. “But it’s Sunday and only the second day. Let’s see what happens tomorrow before we claim victory.” He finished typing and pressed Send. “Let’s see what Abana has to say. Maybe we’re just not reading his email right.”
The two men looked up as a woman approached, and Merrick dropped the phone into his pocket out of habit. “Mr. Capra, Will wants to see you.”
“It’s Merrick, and okay. Lead the way.” He looked at Jason and shrugged then followed the woman.
She led him to the edge of the crew when a voice cried, “Lock it down!”
She put her hand in his chest and placed her finger to her lips just as a tone sounded. “Speed!” someone else called from his right.
“Action!” Will said. Merrick took a step the side and watched as Poppy and Blake had a lengthy discussion about something, a long boom with a fuzzy mic held over their heads as they slowly walked, a camera rolling along with them on tracks. When the tone sounded again and the crew began to move, the woman cut a weaving path through the crew.
Merrick: Harlequins MC Page 3