As soon as the call connected, before Alex could say anything, Riley spoke. “Hey Alex. Listen, I’ve been thinking about our arrangement a lot the last day or so and I don’t think it’s going to work out.” She took another breath. “Even if I was okay with biting the hand that feeds me, I’m not even getting any information that would be of any value to you. It’s a waste of that half million you say you’ve got set aside for me, and the role. If you’re not getting anything out of this then there’s no reason to keep going. I think we should just part ways on this and let—let fate figure it out.” She paused; Alex didn’t say anything and for a moment, Riley wondered if somehow the call had gotten disconnected in the midst of her monologue.
When the silence got to her she continued. “I’ve been feeling really guilty about it from the beginning, and I guess—I mean, I know you’ve got a role you’re willing to promise me, but it just seems wrong to go about getting ahead that way, and even if it takes me another five years of tiny jobs, I’d rather go ahead and do it my way—the honest way.” Riley felt lightheaded, her knees rubbery as the last of the words tumbled out of her; she couldn’t think of anything else to say.
Once more the silence dragged on, filling Riley’s ears. She looked at the screen, certain that she’d somehow gotten disconnected, but the timer on the call showed that Alex was still on the line. Her heart started beating faster in her chest, and Riley sat down heavily at her table, dreading what Alex would have to say in response to her confession.
“I’m sorry you feel like you’re not useful to me,” Alex said, his voice utterly level, and Riley’s stomach twisted inside of her. She knew Alex well enough after dating him for longer than she should have to feel uneasy at the fact that he was reacting so coolly. “But I don’t want you to make any rash decisions, Ri-Ri. I think you can be useful to us.”
“I just don’t think so,” Riley said. “I mean—I haven’t been able to give you any worthwhile information yet, and you’ve been checking in every day. You probably know more about the production than I do, and you’re not even on the set.”
“Before you make up your mind, I’d like to meet with you. I have something I’d like to show you.”
Riley looked down at the tabletop, frowning as her sense of dread increased.
“When do you want to meet?”
“Tonight,” Alex said quickly. “I’d like to meet with you as soon as possible. I’ll text you a location.”
Riley pressed her lips together and debated agreeing to the meeting for a moment. She wanted nothing less than to meet with Alex, but Riley was certain that if she refused, he would find a way to make it happen—even if that meant sacrificing Riley’s current job in the process. It would be just like him to roll up on set and make sure everyone knows who he is before finding me, Riley thought.
“Okay,” she said finally. “I’ll meet with you tonight.”
“I look forward to it,” Alex told her. “It won’t be anywhere fancy; don’t worry about dressing up.”
Riley said goodbye and ended the call, finally releasing the breath she’d been holding in a sigh. Suddenly she wasn’t sure if she could even keep breakfast down if she somehow managed to force herself to eat it.
THIRTEEN
As Riley parked in the lot outside of the tiny, run-down diner at the address that Alex had sent her, she thought bitterly that it was exactly the kind of place that she would expect someone like him to go. Greasy, probably failed at least three health inspections in the last ten years, and I’ll bet that the bathroom is out of paper towels more often than it has them.
Riley took a deep breath, telling herself that she would just go straight in, find out what it was Alex wanted to show her, make it clear that she was formally backing out of their deal, and make her exit.
She had dressed carefully for the meeting, picking an outfit that looked—to her eyes at least—more professional than sexy; clean and straightforward. She’d twisted her hair into a tight bun, and put on some makeup, thinking of it as a kind of war paint.
Riley stepped through the doors and looked around, surprised at how crowded the diner was; the impression she’d gotten from the exterior was borne out by the smell of hot grease and frying meat that greeted her at the door. She spotted Alex sitting at a table in a corner, away from the flow of traffic, and straightened her back and shoulders. She told herself once more that she wouldn’t let herself be swayed no matter what Alex had to say, and started towards the booth he was sitting in.
Before she even sat down, Riley spoke. “Look—nothing you have to say is going to convince me to change my mind,” she said, keeping her voice as firm as she possibly could. “I’ve made my decision, and I’m not going to go back on it.”
Alex raised one eyebrow slightly and glanced around the room. Riley took a moment to look him over; he looked out of place in the diner with his tailored suit and expensive jewelry, but Riley knew that beneath the flashy exterior, he was no better than any other lowlife.
“Have a seat,” Alex said smoothly. “I’m not going to keep you very long.”
Riley hesitated for just a moment, but told herself that since she’d agreed to the meeting, she owed it to Alex to at least hear what he had to say.
“Fine,” she said, sitting down on the bench across the table from Alex. The cushions were worn, little white threads poking up out of the false leather in a few places.
Alex glanced around the busy diner once more before taking something out of his pocket. Riley recognized it as a digital recorder, and her heart began to beat faster.
“I think you’ll find this very interesting,” he said, smiling in a way that left Riley torn between disgust and anxiety.
Alex pressed play. For a moment there was a murmur of confused sound, and then Riley heard her own voice. Her cheeks burned as the playback continued and she recognized exactly what it was: Alex had recorded the conversation where she had formally agreed to become his mole on the Galaxy Wars set. Her voice was crystal-clear, but Alex’s was disguised somehow, unrecognizable. It was obvious what she was agreeing to—she had let Alex goad her into being exact as to what she would do, and what she would get paid in return.
When the recording ended, Alex slipped the device back into his pocket.
“Technology is so convenient,” he said with a sleek, confident smile before his face fell into serious lines. “I think you probably catch the drift of this already, but just to be clear: if you try and back out on me, I’m going to leak this to all the right people. If you thought it would ruin your career for people to find out that you became a star by selling out a production company, imagine how bad it is when you’re a nobody.”
Riley stared at Alex in horrified silence, trying to wrap her mind around his threat. Somehow, the possibility of him blackmailing her had never occurred to her. Are you really surprised? She clenched her teeth, her hands tightening in her lap. You know exactly what kind of snake Alex is. It should have been obvious that he’d do something like this. You should have insisted on meeting him in person, making sure he wasn’t recording it.
She took a quick, deep breath, trying to think of a way to salvage the situation. “Honestly, I don’t even know why you’d bother,” she said, shrugging. “I mean, even if I don’t back out it’s not like I have anything valuable to give you. No one ever tells me anything.”
For a moment, Alex stared at her; the next instant he laughed out loud, throwing his head back. “Your acting skills are really underrated,” he said, smiling as he finished with a few guffaws. “Do you really think I don’t know who your new boyfriend is?” Riley felt cold all over and then felt as though she’d been pitched into a pot of boiling water as the blood rushed into her face. “I fully expect you to take advantage of your new position with the executive producer; I couldn’t have asked for a better chance to get privileged info.”