Rapture (Renegades 7)

Zahara’s heart gave one good hammer against her ribs. But then she thought of Lexi and Jax, and her stomach started to somersault again. There was no way she and Chase could be in a room together and hide their feelings for each other. But maybe that was okay. Maybe it was time to come out of the closet, so to speak.

“I’ll be there in an hour.”

She disconnected, nervous about the reaction of her closest circle when they found out she and Chase had something going.

In the airport bathroom, Zahara changed her clothes, prettied up her hair, and grabbed an Uber into the heart of the city. By the time the car pulled up to the Omni, nerves knotted her belly. Excitement, anticipation, fear.

She thanked the driver as she got out, then stood on the sidewalk a second to get her head right before heading inside. The room was crowded. A buffet took up one wall, a bar set up against another.

Zahara spotted Lexi and Jax first, so she started that way.

“Hey, beautiful people.” Zahara greeted them both with a hug while continuing to sweep the crowd for Chase. “What’s been going on?”

“Connor got his first tooth,” Lexi told Zahara, beaming over her godson’s milestone. She looked as stunning as always, her blonde hair down and curled, her body draped in one of her own creations.

“The kid’s drooling everywhere.” Jax’s grin for Lexi told everyone in the room exactly how much he loved her. He turned his gaze on Zahara. “Filming went well?”

“Very.” With no sign of Chase, she refocused on Lexi and Jax. “So what’s this amazing offer?”

“I was approached by Paramount about a franchise they’re developing,” Jax told her.

“The Burned movies?” she asked. “The one with the burned CIA operative?”

“Exactly. They’ve cast Despina Segal as the lead.”

“Really? Good for her. That’s amazing.”

“It’s also amazing for you,” Jax said, “because they need a stuntwoman.”

“Jennifer Colby usually works with Despina.”

“Turns out Jennifer’s going to need surgery for that back injury she’s been nursing.”

Zahara grimaced. “Oh no.”

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sp; “Despina asked for you,” Lexi said.

Zahara pulled in a shocked breath. “Are you serious right now?”

Their combined grins could have powered a small city for a month.

“Completely,” Jax told her.

Whoa.

“This is big, Z, I’m not gonna lie,” Jax said. “They’re patterning the movies after the Bourne franchise, and they’re willing to sign you for three movies over the next six years to do the stunt work for Despina. At top dollar.”

Zahara’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit.”

“Exactly,” Lexi said, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

Zahara had just won the stuntwoman lottery. A job of this magnitude could set her up for the rest of her life. Fulfill her lifelong dream of never depending on a man for financial security. It would give her a killer income doing the work she loved at a level that would put her front and center in the industry. “I’m…speechless.”

“That’s going to have to change pretty quickly,” Jax said. “They want an answer by Monday.”

“Yes,” Zahara blurted. “The answer is yes.”