Suddenly she remembered that night with new clarity, remembered how Lucas had put her in the horrible position of having to fight off her boss’s sexual advances. Had her memories of that night been skewed all these years by her romantic yearnings?
He’d victimized her because she admired him and felt his wife had been bad to him. What had Sara been thinking? Who was she to avenge Lucas Steel’s supposedly broken marriage by letting him use her? Why should one transgression of marital vows be matched with another?
She wanted to retch. Was everything she’d believed about Lucas Steel all these years a lie? How had she fooled herself that she loved him?
David had torn back the curtain and revealed the awful truth. Lucas's behavior with her was a deliberate, repetitive way he had of using young women sexually. A game, in fact. There was nothing sincere about his supposed feelings for her, his need of her that night because his wife had been unfaithful to him. That night, Sara had excused the pass he made by telling herself he didn’t really want to be unfaithful to his wife. But it was a lie.
Perhaps Lucas lied to himself. Wasn’t Hollywood built on lies? On illusions? How could she blame the people who lived in her world for making up their own little games? Even if she got hurt in the games? Wasn’t she playing, too? Wasn’t she equally to blame?
It could have been so much worse. She could have succumbed to his wiles, meekly and willingly. How would she have lived with that memory?
Suddenly, David Connor opened the bathroom door.
Chapter 21
“You’re okay,” he said, looking relieved.
She recovered from her shock enough to ask, “How did you get in here? I locked the doors.” At least she was still fully clothed.
He held up a credit card. “In my rebellious teen years, I was briefly part of a gang that burglarized our middle-class suburb.”
“You were a gang member?” The thought amused her even in the midst of her orgy of self-blame.
David grinned. “I had an extremely short criminal career. An FBI agent lived in our neighborhood. She caught us mere hours after our first caper. Our parents grounded us for the rest of the year, plus we had to do community service. But I did end up knowing how to use a credit card to get through a cheap conventional lock.” He smirked.
She smiled faintly. “You’re trying to make me laugh.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you. I don’t fancy myself as a destroyer of illusions, but obviously, tonight I’ve done exactly that.”
His sympathy made her lose control. “The follies of the past,” she said, tears trickling down her cheeks.
“You weren’t the fool, Sara.” His large, gentle hand touched a tear, wiping it away. “You aren’t to blame for being played by a master.”
“The thing is,” she said, gulping back sobs, “I wanted him to make love to me, even though I resisted. I’ve loved him desperately for six whole years. I came here hoping we would finally become lovers.”
“Then you believe me?”
“Yes, I do.” She turned off the faucet. “I suppose I should confront Lucas and ask him if you’re telling the truth. I’m not sure Lucas would confess, though.”
“He’s not a man who spends much time being honest with himself, or anybody else.” David shrugged.
She asked, “Did Lucas do this because of his rocky marriage?”
David frowned. “Don’t make excuses for him. Nobody forced Steel to marry a woman well known for her sexual freebooting. I loved her, but I don’t have any illusions about what she was.”
She put one hand to her forehead tiredly. “I feel absolutely sick.”
“I burst your bubble. Sorry, but he doesn’t deserve your devotion.”
She compressed her lips. “I’d already decided I didn’t love him anymore. His behavior since I got here has been scary. Volatile.”
“You mean our little dustup? A fistfight isn’t a big deal. Clears the air.”
“Fine for you, maybe.” She recounted every instance of a violent temper she’d witnessed since arriving. “And don’t forget, he almost burned down his own house with both of us in it, after disabling the smoke alarms.”
He blew out a breath. “When you put it that way, yeah, Lucas has become a menace.”
She rose. “I need my coffee.”
They returned to the kitchen. The coffee was nasty by now. She threw it out and settled for a cup of herbal tea while he ate her piece of cake.
Finally, she said, glumly, “Let’s keep working. I don’t feel like sleeping, anyway.”
They returned to the editing booth and silently got to work.
Hours later, despite looking in every file, they hadn’t found the complete film.
“I give up,” Sara said. “A significant chunk is missing.”
“The files must be in here somewhere,” David said.
“I don’t think so, although maybe I’m simply too tired to find them,” she said blearily. “We’ve tried every single file.”
“Then I’ll re-shoot what’s missing. Write around Jen if necessary.”
She could tell he wasn’t happy about it. Neither was she.
“Might as well.” She shrugged.
“I’ll bet Lucas has more files,” David said, his hands clenched.
“Maybe he does. I’d rather not see him for a while.” She shuddered inwardly at the memory she’d mostly been able to block out of her mind the last few hours. “Nor am I in any mood to play Lucas's power game and beg him for more files.”
“Can’t say that I am, either,” he said, standing up and stretching. “I’d rather punch him out again, on your behalf.”
“Thanks, but it’s not necessary.”
He put an arm around her. “I’m sorry I revealed that your idol has feet of clay.”
“Don’t be. It’s better I learn I wasn’t so special after all.”
“But you are, Sara. Don’t put yourself down.” David’s arm tightened. “To name one quite impressive quality, you aren’t totally wrapped up in your own ego all the time the way so many people in the film business are. You genuinely care about others.”
She moved restlessly away from him.
“Okay, then,” David said, accepting her rejection without visible annoyance. “Since there’s no more reason to stay here, I propose we move out of Steel’s house as soon as my trailers arrive.”
She worried her lip with her teeth. “George sent me to stay here. But I’m sure he’d understand.”
“So it’s settled. We’re leaving here as soon as the trailers arrive.”
A ray of morning sun penetrated the room. Dawn was breaking. She threw up a hand to shield her weary eyes from the brightness. After so many hours of looking at the computer screen, she’d forgotten this room even had a window.
“Time for my morning run,” David said.
“You’re kidding.”
“Rigid running schedule, rain or shine. It can be a drag, but it’s what my career demands.”
“I’m exhausted. I need a long nap,” she said. “How about we reconnoiter around lunchtime? I can’t think straight now.”
“Deal.” He surprised her by giving her another hug, and a light kiss on her lips. Before she could react, he let himself out.
She turned off the lights and dragged herself down the hall to the bedroom wing. Once in her room with the door locked, she threw herself into the bed. She was out cold immediately.
Chapter 22
By lunchtime Sara felt human again. She called George but got no answer. She lingered in her room as long as she could. She wasn’t eager to see Lucas today, now that the scales had fallen from her eyes.
David had the right idea about moving out of this house. Since Lucas kept refusing to cooperate, they’d have to work around him, anyway. Why bother to live in his house as semi-enemies? His violent temper was a constant threat. She wouldn’t put it past him to try to destroy whatever work she did on the files. Before she’d left the editing booth early this morn
ing, she had copied them again and tucked the flash drive into her shorts pocket. She refused to leave her work’s safety to chance.
Leona had set the lunch table with sparkling grape juice for all. There was no sign of any wine or liquor, for which Sara was grateful. Lucas claimed he wasn’t a heavy drinker, but who knew if that was a lie, too?
“Hey.” David arrived, freshly showered and looking as golden as ever.
“Hey, yourself,” she said, smiling.
Lucas walked in and saw her expression. “You two are lovers already? You always were a fast worker, Connor. Especially with my wife.”
“We’re not—” she started, but David put a hand on her arm.
“Don’t bother,” he said. “You’re a prick, Steel.”
They sat down, the air suddenly tense.
“Lucas, where is the footage from the last day of shooting?” she asked.
His expression turned thunderous. “Do you expect me to keep the death of my wife on a loop on my personal computer? Is that why you’re asking?”
She took a breath and held it, then answered. “I don’t mean that part of the footage. I’ve asked you before about the last few days of filming. Where are those files?”
“I don’t know. If I did, I wouldn’t tell you, anyway.”
She turned to David. “Why are we here?”
“Beats me.”
“Then perhaps we should leave Lucas to enjoy his solitude, and arrange to stay at the new location shoot site.”
“Wait a minute,” Lucas interjected, frowning. “You’re filming new footage?”
“According to what we know so far—correct me if I am wrong—there are half-a-dozen desert scenes that never were filmed,” she replied in an even tone of voice.
He flung himself back in his chair, acting cocky. “They can’t be done without Jennifer.”
“Sure they can, Steel.” David practically sneered at his rival. “We’ll use a body double, for starters.”
Sara added, “We can use CGI for the face, and then we’ll have someone imitate her voice and pass it through a sound treatment that will match it to the way she spoke. No one will even notice a difference. The technology exists.”
His eyes lit with rage. “I won’t have it. I won’t allow you to fake this film.”
“You could come up with the real footage,” David proposed. “Then we wouldn’t have to rewrite the ending.”
“Rewrite the ending?” Lucas practically shouted. “No way. I absolutely forbid you. I have script control.”
David’s voice was hard. “Not anymore, Steel. If you don’t play ball, it becomes entirely my game.”
Lucas leapt up and tried to throttle David, who batted him away.
“Chill, dude. What the hell’s wrong with you?” David adjusted the collar of his tan polo shirt and frowned at the older man.
Aghast at Lucas's lack of control, Sara backed away from the table. “I—uh, excuse me.”
She ran to the kitchen, and told Leona what had happened. “Is Lucas on any kind of drugs, do you know?”
The older woman shook her head and continued rinsing a large pot in the sink.
Sara said, “His behavior is getting freakier by the day. I’m worried.”
“You and your young man keep provoking Mr. Steel. What do you expect?”
“We’re trying to do the right thing, trying to finish the film. That’s all.” Sara sighed. “But Lucas refuses to cooperate.”
“Look at it from his point of view. He’s lived here alone now for five years. Once the threat of a trial was over—oh, I heard all about it from Sheriff Logan—Mr. Steel didn’t have to talk to anyone or think about that miserable movie.”
“George Ross—my boss, called him many times. He came to visit, too.”
“Yes, but Mr. Steel was able to turn everyone else away, and coax his old friend to lay off, too.”
Sara said, thoughtfully, “Then I show up, arguing with him and pleading with him to finish the film. And I don’t stop arguing.”
“Then the young man arrives,” Leona said, aiming a significant look toward the dining room.
“More pressure,” Sara said.
“Competition.” Leona added, “I’m no psychiatrist, but most people don’t behave well under pressure from others. A man used to being his own boss will fight.”
“You’re very wise. I hadn’t seen what damage we were doing. I’ll talk to David about backing off.”
“First, sit down here and eat your dessert.”
Sara did. A few minutes later, as she was polishing off the last crumbs of an apple tart, David walked in.
“Thanks for abandoning me with the madman,” he said, only half-humorously.
“I’m sorry. I got scared.” Leona had gone into another room, so Sara repeated what the older woman had suggested to her.
David nodded. “The guy’s going to crack all over again if we keep this up. Next he’ll try to murder us in our beds.”
“You think we’re in danger? Seriously?”
He gave her a look. “What do you think?”
She sighed. “I had such high hopes when I came here. I hate to tell George I’ve failed.”
“We’ve got most of the film. That’s success. We can re-shoot the rest, or CGI, or whatever. What we told him.”
“Which made him leap for your throat.” She shook her head. “He scared me.”
“Man’s head isn’t on straight. Too much desert sun.”
“And no interns to boost his ego.” She found she could smile about it.
“Good girl.” He rubbed her shoulder in a consoling gesture that made her whole body tingle. “Let’s move out of this house today.”
“You stayed with Leona and her husband before. But if we leave here, that’s out.”
“I’ll call Sheriff Logan, see if he can recommend a good place within a hundred miles to stay tonight for both of us.” He smiled at her. “Separate rooms, I promise.”
“I’ll pack my things.” She wasn’t sure if they’d stay in separate rooms for long. Or if she wanted separate rooms. A lot had changed in a few days. David was very appealing, and he treated her as an equal. Even when she was nasty to him that first evening, he was respectful. Lucas had blown hot and cold from the first moment of their reunion. Since that night, he’d been hostile and obstructive. Wanting a man to value and treat her well shouldn’t be a crazy fantasy. She had lived in dreams for too many years already.
She made short work of clearing out her personal items. As she waited for David to come collect her, she noticed a noise outside getting louder and louder. A plane flying very low? No, a helicopter. She went to a window and looked out, but couldn’t see anything. When she cranked open the glass, the noise was intense. Someone was buzzing the house in a helicopter. Could it be a gossip reporter? Would a reporter dare to trespass and land?
She closed her window and ran to the front door. Leona was already there, barring her way with one arm.
“Don’t go out,” she said. “If it’s a reporter, I’m calling the sheriff.”
Sara looked at the older woman in admiration. “How do you know so much about how to deal with the media?”
“I used to be in show business, a long time ago. I know the drill about privacy.”
Sara nodded. “That’s weird, but it makes perfect sense, too.”
“Housekeeping is an easy job, most of the time,” the older woman said, with a touch of wry humor.
“When there aren’t any troublemaking guests,” Sara finished for her, embarrassed at all the drama her job assignment—more like a mission—had caused. “Sorry.”
The copter landed on the wide concrete patch in the center of the driveway circle. Of course. That’s why it was paved, and had painted markings. Why hadn’t she put two and two together before? She’d seen a helicopter on that very spot the night of the fire. Why hadn’t she hired a helicopter to get her here, instead of a lame Jeep that broke down on her?
The pilot tur
ned off the rotors. Only after they ground to a halt did the passenger alight.
George Ross.
Chapter 23
“Oh, my god,” Sara screamed. “What’s he doing here?”
She flung open the door and ran to him. George was teetering a bit already in the blazing heat.
“Are you crazy?” she cried. “Come inside right away.”
With further cries of surprise and concern, she half-dragged her mentor into the cool entrance hall. Leona went to greet the pilot.
“Lucas. David. Come quickly. It’s George,” Sara cried.
“Sit down here,” she urged, tugging him onto the bench by the front door. He sat. He didn’t look well. He was still wearing his heart monitor in his front pocket. The wires to the electrodes discreetly disappeared between his shirt buttons. Otherwise, he looked like any extremely thin middle-aged man. But in his case, his fashionable baldness was due to chemotherapy.
“Don’t fuss over me, girl,” he said, trying to act his usual gruff self. He visibly did not have the stamina.
“Oh, George,” she sighed. “Did you run away from the hospital?”
“I did.” He leaned his head against the wall behind him. “Don’t scold me too much. The docs can’t do any more for me. There was no reason to stay.”
“George,” Lucas greeted him. “You look terrible. Sara wasn’t exaggerating after all.”
“Did you at least bring a nurse with you?” she asked, unable to keep her anxiety for him at bay.
“I brought a doctor.”
“Of course,” she subsided, bemused. “Why not?”
“Good idea, man,” Lucas clapped him on the back. “I could use a doctor myself. The last few days I’ve been half off my rocker.”
Sara turned and stared at him.
Second Chance Reunion Page 13