Panic (Rook and Ronin 3)

I’m not broken. In fact, I’ve never felt so together in my entire life. I have everything going for me. I’ve got money, a cool job, friends, a place to live… I have it all. And I’m pretty sure my damsel-in-distress moments are over.

So if that was the reason he liked me, I’m gonna figure this out pretty fast.

I’m not convinced that Ford’s characterization of Ronin is correct. I mean, Ronin has said over and over that he thinks I’m strong and brave and I’m not getting the liar vibe off him. Not at all.

But still.

I’d rather know sooner than later if this is the case. I don’t want to ignore the warning signals that things are going off track and then wake up three years later and realize I wasted my time—it’s over.

I check the clock and realize I have to get downstairs to help out with the casting, so I pull on some jeans, a t-shirt, and a little zippered hoodie just in case I get cold. I slip out into the hallway and see Antoine and Elise standing down at the end of the hall in front of their apartment.

“Rook!” Antoine calls. “Ellie is going back to bed. Can you check the girls in today?”

I walk over to them and look down at Elise. “What’s wrong?” So far she’s had a pretty easy pregnancy, but she’s practically green this morning.

“Just queasy, that’s all. I need to go back to bed for a little bit, I’ll come help later.”

I take her hand and pat it gently. “I can do it, Elise. Just go rest.” I turn to Antoine. “Ronin and I can handle it, Antoine.”

“Are you sure?” he asks doubtfully. “There are hundreds of girls already lined up.”

I shrug. “Well, it’s a casting call, not anything life-threatening. We’ll manage. Just go relax, you guys.”

I don’t have to say it again—they are outta there. I smile as I go downstairs. The front door is still closed but everyone is already busy. Ronin and Roger are chatting over some notes when I walk up to them.

“Antoine said I can check the girls in since Elise isn’t feeling well.”

Ronin turns to me quickly. “What’s wrong with her?”

I take his hand. “She’s fine, just morning sickness.” I smile up at his worried face. I think it’s cute he worries over Elise so much. He’s really gonna be a fantastic uncle. When Elise told us after we came back from Sturgis Ronin was so happy he could hardly contain his excitement.

“You sure? I’m new at this baby stuff, I worry about her.”

“Antoine’s with her. If she needs help he’ll come tell us.”

He thinks about this for a few seconds and then puts his arm around me in a casual embrace. “OK. Billy!” he yells. “Show Rook how to check in girls up here and you can do first cut downstairs.”

Billy nods and I kiss Ronin real quick and head over. Billy is fussing with a laptop that is set up near the door. He points to it. “OK, Rook, it’s pretty simple. When they come up you check them in in groups of five. We put out an international casting call, so we will have hundreds of girls outside today. I’ll choose which ones can come up for a group interview and give them a number bracelet.” He points to the computer. “Then you fill in the form with their names and stuff, then hit enter. Ronin and Roger will get it over at the set”—he points to the large black partition segregating us from the interview section of the studio—“and they’ll send you a message when they want you to send them over. Then it’s just lather, rinse, repeat. Got it?”

“No problemo,” I answer back.

“OK,” Billy says, checking his phone. “It’s five minutes to nine now, so I’ll go start choosing and then send them up one at a time. Check them in as they come because pretty soon there will be a lot of girls lining up on the stairs.”

I salute and he heads down to the street level. The computer is set up on a tall cafe table and there’s a stool for me to sit on. But I take advantage of the silence and wander into the kitchen and grab a cup of coffee from the massive automatic machine, then make my way over to the computer table and wait for the first girl to arrive.

It takes five more minutes before the main door whooshes downstairs and the first girl’s heels click up the stairs. I bet she is a nervous wreck. I know I would be. I picture myself as I made my first trip up these stairs and I barely recognize that girl in my memory. I’m lost in my own recollection of weakness and fright when the girl comes into view.

I’m not sure what I expected, but this was not it. The girl is a few inches taller than me, which is saying something because I’m five foot nine, and her hair is long and naturally blonde. It’s got streaks of brown in it, like people pay salons hundreds of dollars to replicate, and her eyes are a striking blue-green. Blue-green. Who has blue-green eyes? She is so beautiful I’m almost speechless. I swallow. “Hi, I’m Rook and I’m gonna check you in.”

“I’m Océane,” she says. Her accent is French. I have to turn away to stop the sneer. What did I expect? Antoine has beautiful girls walking around here every day. I’m one of them, actually. But even though Billy said they put out an international casting call, I guess I just expected Denver girls to show up. I take a deep breath and start checking her in, trying my best not to worry about Ronin being around all these beautiful women for the next few months while I’m up in the middle of f**king nowhere prancing around in my t-shirts and jeans, picking up parts for Spencer’s bike shop and playing extreme croquet in the snow with Ford.