Synder led him over to an unfamiliar handsome man with silver-rimmed glasses. He was a bit banged up and sitting in a wheelchair, with a band-aid over his right brow and his left arm in a cast and sling. Uriel could tell that he was human, and possibly a beta.
“Mister Khray Wade, this is Uriel DeVine, the gentleman I was telling you about.”
“Mister Wade,” Uriel said, with a respectable nod.
“Please, call me Khray,” the other man said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. But it didn’t bother Uriel; the man was hurt, for goodness’ sake.
“Then please call me Uriel.” He looked at Synder and Kayne, conveying his questions with his eyes.
What the hell is going on?
All he got back from his friends was a smile.
“Synder and Kayne tell me you are a body double and a good one at that,” Khray Wade said.
“I think I do all right,” Uriel answered the man.
“So humble,” Mister Wade whispered, then looked out of the window. It was a couple of minutes before he spoke again. “Have you ever heard of Blue Lennox?”
“Isn’t he the guy who was a model, then a pop singer with some boy band, turned actor and producer?”
“You seem to know more than you’re letting on,” Khray Wade said.
"I have a friend who's a fan of the group," Uriel answered.
Orion was a big fan of Blue Lennox. Although Uriel sometimes doubled as a celebrity, he didn’t keep up with the latest news. Why should he care about who was sleeping with whom or what antics they were up to? He only took interest when he had to pretend to be one.
“Why did you ask me about him?” As soon as the words came out of his mouth, a thought came to him and he looked at his friends.
Is that who I’ll be doubling for?
They nodded, giving him the answer he was looking for.
“Uri, I forgot to mention that Khray is Blue Lennox’s manager, and tonight they were in a car accident,” Synder said.
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Uriel said to Mister Wade. "I'm glad to see you're doing okay."
Uriel knew that the news was contained, since there weren’t any reporters hustling and bustling outside the hospital, so he didn’t need to pull out his cellphone and scan the headlines on social media. He just needed to know what to do. Uriel would ask his friends later which connection they used to contain the news from getting out.
The move from California to Valleywood might have seemed sudden to most, but Uriel and his friends started planning it many years ago. All three bosses had their hands in different business investments where they were able to gain information for certain investigations as well as connections.
Valleywierd, the major theme park, for example, brought in a lot of guests, jobs, and revenue to the state. On the surface, it was built for family and fun, but it was an information hub. Many business deals went unnoticed by the residents and guests. However, that wasn't his intention when he'd built the park, it just worked out that way.
“I take it you were the driver?” Uriel asked.
“Yes.” Wade’s voice cracked when he spoke.
Uriel nodded, not sure what else he could say to comfort the man. He always left things like this to Synder who was more empathetic than he was.
“I’m guessing there’s more to the accident or you wouldn't want me to be Blue's body double?” he asked.
“You’re very perceptive, Mr. DeVine.” Wade smirked and looked down for a second, then back to Uriel. “I’ll explain things to you like I did to Kayne and Synder.”
Uriel nodded and sat across from his friends. “All right, let me hear what’s going on.”
“I wish it was a simple thing, a simple accident. Someone was trying to kill Blue, and they might have succeeded. He’s in a coma, and right now, the doctors aren’t sure when he’ll wake up. But whenever he does, he won’t be able to work for a while. He’s got a broken leg and arm.”
Uriel looked at his friends, who nodded.
