Josh crept stealthily after them, waiting until he was close enough to make his move. He leant forward and covered Alicia’s eyes with his hands - stopping her in her tracks.
“Now then, little lady,” he said in a thick American accent.
“Josh!” Alicia squealed and spun around to throw her arms around him.
“Damn, I thought my accent was better than that.”
“Two days in a row… you must be worried.”
“I promised Jacky-boy I’d swing by.”
She hugged him again. “I’m so glad you did.”
“I can’t stay long.” Josh grinned down at her. “I’m on my way to Italy.”
“You didn’t mention it.”
“There’s a lot going on. Let’s…”
“Get coffee?”
Josh nipped the end of her nose playfully. “Yes, let’s grab coffee and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Alicia turned to Brad then, smiling apologetically. “Sorry, you know Josh though, right?”
“We met yesterday…briefly.” Brad held out a hand. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Likewise.”
He had to bite down on a wave of jealousy when Josh swung an arm around Alicia’s shoulders. Instead of dwelling on the unwanted emotion, he made a sweep of the area. They were alone for now.
“I was hoping to catch up with Sarah,” Josh said, gesturing towards one of the seats beside the refreshment table. Brad had no choice but to sit.
“She’s not here yet. You could always catch up with Mia instead.”
He pulled a face. “I’ve been trying to avoid her all morning. She’s a little too eager - if you know what I mean.”
Brad laughed, which earned him a stern look from Alicia. “Don’t encourage him.” She turned back to Josh. “I thought you liked her?”
“I do. But I prefer things a little more casual.”
“I don’t know what to do with you?”
He held up his hands in surrender. “Come on, Brad, back me up here. Some women just cling on too tightly. They can’t all be like our Al here.”
“Oh, don’t pull out that card,” Alicia said. She seemed genuinely shocked he wasn’t serious about the relationship, perhaps even a little worried.
“When it comes to commitment, we are the same you and I.” Josh looked ready to go head to head on the subject.
It made Brad uncomfortable. It wouldn’t normally affect him, but they’d dragged him into their conversation, and whether a willing participant or not he felt the need to contribute.
“All relationships are difficult,” he said, hoping to change the subject. “It’d be no fun if they were easy.”
Josh turned to him with interest. “Tell us more.” The grin he flashed looked like trouble.
“Nothing to tell, I’m just trying to prevent a fight.”
Alicia chuckled and put her hand over Josh’s. “Behave yourself, and whatever you do, don’t tell Sarah yet. She had the relationship pegged from the beginning. I haven’t won a bet in some time.”
“That’s just cruel. You can’t make a profit out of my misery!”
Brad gave up and sat back to watch them fight it out. He knew Sarah was on her way in, he’d heard the traffic on his two-way.
He was only half listening as Josh talked about his new project. He was thinking about Sarah’s arrival, keen to observe a change in the dynamic to find out how Alicia interacted with a close female friend.
Helen had been unable to bond with women - she got nothing from them. He wasn’t testing Alicia exactly, but he couldn’t help hoping he could chalk up another difference between them.
He saw the moment Sarah arrived on set, watched her saunter towards them. He liked her easy grace, something he hadn’t picked up on during their first meeting. Her appearance screamed class; the way she dressed, how she moved. There was an air of sophistication about her that was impossible to fake.
“Hello, stranger,” she said in Josh’s ear, making him jump in surprise.
Now that’s how it’s done. Brad resisted the urge to smile.
“Sarah! You’re early.” Alicia left her seat to give her friend a hard hug.
A throaty chuckle bubbled to the surface. “I got things wrapped up earlier than I thought.”
She turned to Josh who was now looming over her. “I had a feeling you’d be here.” She kissed the cheek he offered. “And you,” she said, turning to Brad. “Are a sight for sore eyes - welcome, it’s good to see you again.”
“It’s good to see you too.”
With a little nod, she looked back at Alicia. “Before I forget, you owe me money.”
“Damn. How did you find out?”
“I see and know all.”
“Bullshit,” Josh coughed into his hand.
Alicia stared at him in surprise. “You already told her?”
“She badgered it out of me.”
“Speaking of which…I think things are about to get interesting.”
They followed Brad’s gaze to see Mia approaching the group with obvious pleasure.
“Oh, oh.” Josh gave Alicia a quick hug. “I’ll talk to her before I leave. I should be around tonight so give me a bell.” He kissed Sarah on both cheeks. “Behave yourself.”
Brad extended his hand when Josh turned his way. Mia was almost upon them.
“Nice meeting you, Brad.”
“Yeah, it’s been fun.”
Alicia’s lips curved as she watched Josh steer Mia away. “He thinks he’s a Casanova but he’s not. He respects women too much to play games.” She thought of everything he’d done for her. “He’s a good friend. He’s the reason I found Jack again.”
“I agree that Josh moved things along a little, but you would have found each other eventually.”
Brad looked across at Sarah as she spoke. He caught the fierce loyalty that went beyond friendship. It was akin to the camaraderie within a troop. There’s more than one kind of battlefield.
“I imagine it was an emotional reunion,” he said, curious despite his efforts to step back.
Sarah’s eyes twinkled at the memory. “They stood there, holding each other like the world was about to end. Seriously, I had to drag them apart.”
Alicia laughed as she gave Sarah a playful shove. “She did not. It was just-”
“Something you wanted to do as a child – to hold on to him.”
She turned to him in surprise. “Yes. That’s exactly how it felt.”
“Is that part of the training - amateur psychology?” Sarah asked.
“Let’s just say I know how it feels and leave it at that.”
Sarah immediately wished she could take it back. The information she’d gathered jumped into her head, pulsating like a giant reminder of what she’d forgotten. It didn’t happen often.
Brad had lost his own brother. He was a police officer and had been killed in the line of duty.
“Sorry. That was insensitive. I should have made the connection.”
“Not usually. But since you looked so deeply into my past I have to say yes, you should have seen it.”
Sarah smiled sheepishly as Alicia looked from one to the other, trying to figure out what was going on. “I think I missed something here.”
“Don’t worry; I’m sure Brad will fill you in.” Sarah gave him a pointed look. “But it’ll have to wait. Right now you’re late.”
Alicia checked her watch. “You’re right. I’d better head across.”
Brad stood as she did, holding back a few steps so that Sarah could join them.
He preferred when he could keep a little distance, or the professional part of him did. The other part was replaying the kiss, and trying to remember the reasons they couldn’t do it again.
***
“So, what’s he really like?”
Sarah was swinging in circles on her chair so that Alicia’s face appeared and disappeared on each turn.
“Who?”
She stopped the incess
ant movement to give Alicia a narrow eyed stare. “St Nicolas! Who do you think I’m talking about?”
“You’ve met him – twice. You tell me.”
“Evasion tactics aren’t going to work so you might as well spill it.”
Alicia caught Jerry’s attention in the mirror and rolled her eyes dramatically. A dark brow shot heavenward; he didn’t like to get involved. Jerry had been her stylist for three years; a bad hair day wasn’t an option when he was on board. His discretion was legendary – he had the morals of a priest.
“And you can stop dragging Jerry into this. He has enough on his hands today.”
“Meow!” Alicia didn’t need a translation of her friend’s responding gesture. “Okay, fine. He’s professional, dedicated and versatile. He…” She let go of a laugh when Sarah began to yawn. “Oh, who am I kidding – he’s funny, charming and he has the control of a saint. He does have a tendency to over-react when his so-called code is threatened, but I think being around me is a code breaker in itself!”
Before Sarah could react to that Jerry was leaning forward to whisper confidingly in her ear. “He has all the women around here in a flap. I’ve had more requests than I know what to do with.
Sarah wiggled her eyebrows. “Are those private requests, Jerry?”
He blushed and went back to pulling tongs through Alicia’s hair.
“He’s good at blending into the background. When I’m on set I hardly notice he’s around.”
Sarah snorted. “Now you’re being ridiculous.”
The chuckle died in Alicia’s throat when she saw Stuart and Brad in the mirror behind them.
Stuart met her eyes in the glass. “I need to talk to you.” The urgency in his tone was impossible to miss.
“I’ll step outside for a moment. It’s about time for a fag break anyway,” Jerry said, shuffling his feet nervously.
“Jerry, this involves you too. I’d appreciate it if you could refer to one of the officers outside. We have to evacuate the studios.”
Jerry blinked as he processed the information. His face was a mixture of hope and panic - hope that Stuart was joking. It took only a moment for his instincts to kick in. He dumped his tools, gave Alicia’s shoulder a gentle squeeze and headed out.
Stuart didn’t waste any time. “We’ve had a bomb threat. The Emergency Management Officer has called for an immediate evacuation of all personnel.”
“Oh God.” Alicia had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. “It has something to do with him, doesn’t it?”
“It’s a possibility. I need you to go with Brad now, okay?”
Alicia nodded, taking Sarah’s hand as they followed them out.
“Do you need any help?” Sarah asked, shocked at the chaos around them.
“I think we have it covered. You go with Al, and I’ll keep you posted.”
Alicia saw a sea of concerned faces everywhere she turned. She tried not to feel a sense of guilt that it was all happening because of her.
Justin was already waiting for them. He ushered her into the jeep with Sarah following close behind. The urgency in the air scared her. It felt surreal, like they were shooting a scene.
She saw Brad communicate with the car behind, instructing Justin to exit using the planned route.
“It’s going to be all right,” Sarah whispered, sounding strong and solid beside her.
Alicia nodded but didn’t respond. She was too busy watching the organisation going on around them.
A dozen shuttle buses were lined up to escort the majority of their crew off site. She was amazed at the military precision in which they were being guided through the process.
The team within Lundwood Studios were no doubt thankful that they had additional expertise at hand.
“This could be a ruse to get close to her, keep your eyes open.”
Alicia turned towards Brad. The command in his voice was unmistakable. “Do you really think it’s him?” she asked.
“I don’t believe in coincidence. I suspect it’s a test to find out what resources we have and how well organised.”
“If that’s true our buddies at the station need to be more cooperative,” Justin said, expertly weaving in and out of the action.
“Are you having an issue with them?” Sarah was surprised at the idea.
“No. Justin’s feeling a little sore because we don’t have complete control. He doesn’t play well with others.”
“That’s not true, BM, I always share my toys!”
“I suppose if he wanted to get in and snoop around, now would be the time to do it,” Alicia mused.
“I think that would be too risky. If our guy’s smart, he won’t put himself in plain sight.”
“But you think he’s watching.”
Brad looked at her through mirror. “Yes, I think its all part of his plan.”
Sarah shook her head. “There should be cameras rolling. I can’t help but see the uncanny resemblance to the script. It scares me.”
“I think that’s the point. He wants to create drama, and he’s pulling out all the stops.” Alicia felt surprisingly calm now that she knew things were under control.
“Then for god’s sake, change the ending to your movie.”
She laughed. “I doubt this has anything to do with my writing skills. Unless the writing team want all the credit and are prepared to blow me up to get it.”
“That’s not funny.”
“Yes it is.” She squeezed Sarah’s hand.
“Home, sweet, mobile home,” Justin said to Brad, grinning as he pulled up behind an RV. It did look deceptively like a motor home, though she suspected it was extensively modified.
“Let’s go and meet the team.” Brad jumped out and walked around to Alicia’s door. He stood to the left, shielding her with his body as he pulled her down to the street.
The two CPO’s following were already in position. Justin joined Brad, standing on her right so she was boxed in.
She tried to turn but Brad’s hand was pressed into her lower back. “What about Sarah?”
He turned his head once, surveying the scene behind them. “It looks like she’s on crowd control. The press got wind of this pretty quick.”
“They probably had a little help.” Alicia stepped into the RV and took a moment to adjust. The first thing she noticed was the equipment banked along the wall in front of her – the array of monitors confirmed her hunch that it was a mobile base of operations.
She let her eyes sweep all the way round to a plush seating area at the back, currently occupied by a group of people she could only assume were Brad’s team. All eyes were on her.
“These are my people,” Brad said, gently pushing her forward.
She counted five expectant faces – they made an intimidating audience.
“Don’t you ever sleep?” she asked JJ. He didn’t look like a man who’d been on duty all night.
“I have an appointment with that bunk as soon as we’re through here.” Alicia followed his gaze to the bed above them. “But as the big man isn’t going to introduce us let me do the honours.” She looked back at JJ with a smile, her eyes automatically falling to his left when he motioned towards the petite woman at his side. “This is Susannah.”
“It’s lovely to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Alicia motioned to the others. “All of you.”
“It’s good to meet you too, sugar. You’re certainly keeping our boy on his toes.” She had a low, husky laugh that somehow suited her slight frame.
“They’re doing a great job – all your boys.”
The woman on JJ’s right swung an arm around his shoulders. “You’ve just made Jon’s day. He’s a fan. But I’m sure Mr Fix-It here already told you that.”
“This is Ellen, by the way,” JJ said, pulling a face that had her howling with laughter. “The name’s nothing original, we’ve just earned various names during our career and I’m Mr Fix-It.”
“Even though he couldn’t fix his way out
of a paper bag.”
Alicia looked at Ellen, sensing she was the joker of their family.
“That doesn’t even make sense - fight your way out of a paper bag I get, but fix, nah that’s just-”
The person sitting at the other side of Ellen raised his hand to cut JJ off. “Okay, you two, we get the point.” He smiled at Alicia. “I’m Tommy…the Peace Maker, and this,” he said, pointing with his thumb to the woman on his left “is Liz, aka Mother. As you can see we have our work cut out for us.”
He had a soothing voice, rich and confident – perfect for his role.
Brad saw his opportunity to step in. “So, that’s our team, add Kel and Justin and it makes us eight.”
“You just missed Kelvin, on the big screen anyway. We went ahead without you,” Susannah said. “I’ll catch you up later.”
“Do you always meet like this?”
Susannah looked at Alicia, pleased that she was showing an interest. “We have a daily team briefing. Some of us are more present than others.”
“Present and accounted for,” Justin said as he pushed his way in with Sarah in tow.
After they’d listened to Sarah make cooing noises at all the equipment, they made room for her at the table. It didn’t matter that they’d only met her once, she fit; she always did.
Alicia felt a sense of security akin to family – it was like coming home. It was also as chaotic and rambunctious as any gathering.
Sarah’s seat was barely warm before the door opened again. This time it was a handsome stranger. Though not part of the team, Alicia could see he too felt completely at home.
She watched with interest as his eyes swiftly roamed the room before honing in on Susannah. The air should have vibrated around her from the sheer force of his gaze alone. He was clearly bewitched, and from the look on Susannah’s face, the feeling was mutual.
“Charlie, to what do we owe the pleasure?” Brad stood to make room – if anything the space looked smaller.
“I need five minutes of your time.” He didn’t elaborate.
“Who’s that?” Sarah whispered. She was also watching Susannah closely.
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