Except the person who walked into the trailer wasn’t Xander.
The brown-haired man who had been talking to her mother earlier stepped inside and pulled the door closed behind him. Hands behind his back, he pushed the lock on the doorknob.
The click sounded too loud in her ears. “What are you doing in here?”
“You know you’ve been waiting for me to get you alone.” He had a gleam in his eyes that made her uneasy, and she was already freaked out that this guy was in her trailer.
“Where’s my security guard?”
“I’m afraid he had to be taken care of. I couldn’t get close to you otherwise. Aren’t you glad I was able to handle him?”
Nausea filled her and she was worried about Rhodes. “I’m sorry. I meet so many people … can you remind me of your name?”
“How can you not remember my name?” he shouted, a red flush of anger filling his face.
Oh, shit. Oh, shit. She did her best not to let her fear or panic show. “I’m sorry.” She held up her hands. “I should know your name. It’s…”
“Curtis.” He spoke in a more even tone. “Don’t make me lose my temper, Sasha. It’s not good for either one of us. We’ve worked on three movies together. I drove you back to your trailer in Vancouver. That was our first meeting. You couldn’t take your eyes off mine in the rearview mirror.”
She blinked, trying desperately to remember so she didn’t set off his temper again. Why would she have been looking in that mirror unless…
“The day I ended up with a black eye.”
She’d had a staged fight scene and she’d ended up with an elbow to her face. She’d been so worried about bruising for filming the next day, she’d kept looking at herself in the mirror. And this man, Curtis, had taken it as interest that hadn’t been there.
“Yes! I knew you’d remember our connection.”
She let him keep his assumptions while she tried to find a way out of this mess. Rhodes was incapacitated, but there was still Jared and Xander who could come by any minute. She just had to keep Curtis talking.
She rubbed her palms, damp from nerves, against her slacks. “I’d like to get some air, Curtis. Can I do that?”
“No.” And without warning, he pulled his hand from behind his back and revealed he was holding a serrated knife with a gleaming tip.
He walked toward her.
She stepped back and her calves hit the edge of the couch cushion. He kept coming and soon he had a hand around her waist, the knife in the other hand.
Oh, God. She bit back a sob.
“I’m going to keep the knife between us and we’re going to walk off the set. My car is right behind the trailers. Don’t say a word or yell.” He nudged her side with the knife to make his point.
The prick of the blade against her soft chiffon top hurt but she refused to react.
“Did you hear me?”
“Yes.” She nodded, doing her best not to tremble or show fear. At the first opportunity, she would take her chances and escape.
“Then let’s go.”
She braced herself, but before she could take a step, the doorknob turned, making the same noise as earlier. “That’s Xander. He’s the only one who would just walk in.” Or try to.
“Sasha?” Xander called out. “Open up. It’s me.”
Before she could respond, Curtis slammed a hand over her mouth, gripping her skin tightly. He covered her nose and mouth, making it hard for her to breathe.
She squirmed against him, and he reminded her of the knife by holding it against her side. She stilled immediately.
“Sasha!” Xander sounded worried.
Spots flitted in front of her eyes from lack of oxygen. Dammit, she didn’t want to faint and leave Xander to deal with the crazy man on his own. She caught sight of the snack table with the water pitcher nearby.
She kicked out her foot, knocking over the table. The metal pitcher and glasses crashed to the floor, shattering and making enough noise to be heard outside.
* * *
Xander was pissed and needed to take a walk. He wasn’t sure if his anger was directed at Sasha for being unable to commit to a simple weekend away or at himself for building up expectations when he knew better. She’d talked a good game about learning from the past, but when faced with a choice, she couldn’t make a decision. She’d said she needed time, when in reality, she wanted to weigh all her options first and choose the best one for her career.
He wasn’t so self-absorbed that he didn’t understand why she needed time. But his ego, which she’d damaged once before, and his heart, which, dammit, he’d given to her again, weren’t ready for the end.
“Xander.”
He stopped and turned to see Jared coming his way. “Why are you here and not with Sasha?”