Action

“Well, that’s only going to happen if this is a success. If this whole thing bombs, I won’t get anything and that doesn’t sit right with me.”

“Nothing is going to bomb. I’ve put a lot of hard work into this. It will be a success.”

“Whatever you say. But it seems to me that you need me more than I need you.”

He heard shuffling people moving around.

“I think we should spend some time together, over dinner, nutting out the details of my share of the action.”

Jack scowled into the darkness. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he knew one thing: Davy shouldn’t go anywhere with this guy.

“I don’t think we need to do that,” she said. Jack smiled thinly. “I think we’ve gone over everything.”

There was silence. Jack thought they’d left the room for a minute.

“You know,” the guy said. “You should be a little friendlier towards me. After all, without me your project is going nowhere.” There was a pause. “If I’m unhappy there is no knowing what I would do. One phone call, Davina, and your dream would be over. Why don’t you think about that,” the guy said, “while I go whip the amateurs into shape?”

A door closed. The talking ended. Even after everything he’d heard he had to fight the urge to run back to the house and rescue Davy. It was that magnetic field again. Pulling him in. Jack peeled his white knuckles from the steering wheel, took a deep steadying breath and looked at Andy.

“Still think I’m imagining all this?”

Andy looked grim.

“You recording this?”

“Yep.”

Andy flicked open his phone.

“Hey Sue, you know that background search I asked you to do, but said there wasn’t any hurry.” Pause. “Yeah, well it’s a rush job now.”

He flicked his phone shut. Jack tried not to look smug.

“Seems you were right, Jackie boy,” Andy said.

Jack knew there were unsaid words at the end of that sentence. He meant – you were right this time.

“I need to find out who that guy w

as,” he told Andy.

“Yeah, sounds like he’s connected to a bigger operation.”

Jack frowned. It took him a second to follow what Andy was saying.

“Maybe,” he said. “But I don’t like the way he was talking to Davina. Sounded like some sort of threat to me. She could be in danger.”

Andy stared at him for a minute before a slow grin lit up his face.

“Yeah, you’re right. She might need some protection.”

Jack nodded. He couldn’t see what was so funny.

“Exactly. I’ll keep an eye on her until we figure this out.”

“I bet you will,” Andy said with a shake of his head.

Davina sat down at the kitchen table with a thud. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. She knew getting Disgusting Derek involved was a mistake but she’d gone and done it anyway. All she could think of was her precious movie and getting it finished on time. Now her problems had ballooned. She felt dirty just thinking about him. Her dad had always warned her about cutting corners to get her dream, he said some things weren’t worth what you had to pay for them. She was beginning to understand what he meant.