“You.You just suddenly seemed to chill out.”
Lauriegave Sasha a squeeze and a grin.“Well, it's about time, isn't it?We're here now.Everything's fine.”
Sashaleaned into him.He felt a little different, the pace of his strideunfamiliar, but Sasha was used to his shifts, and what price a manwho would walk with him into America with an arm around his waist?If Laurie had decided to let his brush with the CBP go, Sasha couldforget it too.Such amnesias had come easy, in the strange dreamstate in which he'd moved and functioned since the wedding, sincehis sudden surrender of control.“I'm sure you're right,” he saidagreeably.“There's six billion people in here, and neither of ushas a clue where we're going, but...”
“Wait a second.”Laurie stopped and raised a hand.Underneaththe departure boards, a lean blonde woman was anxiously scanningthe crowd.Suddenly she focussed.She turned to snap something ather companion, who continued his struggle to extract a can from adrinks machine until she slapped him and pointed.The two began tocross the hall, the young man rubbing his arm.Laurie set off tomeet them.“I’m disappointed.I thought she’d be holding up a signmarkedWelcome, helplessBrits.I recognise the guy with her, don’tI?”
“I do too, oddly enough.”Sasha knew Libby—enough to thoroughlydislike her—from their meetings regarding his visa over the pastweek or so, but he hadn’t paid much attention to theBlood Mooncinematrailers.“Isn't there one sort of sidekick vamp, a trainee whokeeps letting the side down?”
“Because he can't bite humans.That's him.”Laurie smiled atthe approaching pair.“Hi, Libby.And this is Bailey Price, isn'tit?”
Theyoung man looked surprised.He took Laurie's outstretched hand andshook it eagerly.What had he expected—British hauteur?Libbylooked apprehensive too.Well, Laurie couldn't blame them, giventhe performance he'd turned in at Ealing over the past couple ofweeks.There was no need for that now.Provided everything was inplace exactly as he had demanded, he could afford to be nice.Henodded at Bailey, actor to actor.“It's a pleasure to meetyou.”
“Oh.You too.”Bailey pushed fair hair off his brow—juststopped short of tucking a strand of it behind his ear.Sasha bitback amusement.That had taken even less time than usual.Baileyvisibly melted at Laurie for a moment longer, then gave an oddnervous twitch.“I'm sorry you only got me,” he said.“For yourwelcome committee, I mean.Wesley or Nicole should've come,but—”
“Wesley and Nicole are busy,” Libby interrupted him brusquely.“Good to see you at last, Mr Fitzroy.Price, this is Mr Fitzroy’sassistant, Sasha Petrica.”She stuck out a cursory hand in Sasha'sdirection.“I gather you had trouble at immigration.”
My assistant!Laurie swallowed hard.He only had himself to blame.That was how he had sold Sasha tothem.I love him, and he's being stalkedby Romanian thugswouldn't have cut it atall.A work ticket had been the easiest way to get him in—and Sashahad agreed, but to hear it coldly stated was a shock.“Just aroutine check,” he said, avoiding Sasha's eyes.“Look, it's been along flight.Can we get going?”
“Yes, of course.”She hooked a hand through Laurie's arm andset off with him.“Your personal effects have all been sent aheadto your accommodation.I must say, it wasn't easy to find you ahouse in that particular development.”
“But you managed?”
“Yes.It's unprecedented, though.Mr Brett expects a great dealfrom you.”She slowed her pace when Laurie did, followed hisanxious glance around him.“Oh, don't worry—your other requestshave been put into place as well.”
Sashatrailed them at a few yards’ distance, Bailey at his side.Baileyclearly felt he'd drawn the short straw, but was too polite to sayso.“Sorry the CBP hassled you, man.Those dudes arefascists.”
“Not really,” Sasha said mildly.“They were quite decent to me.Just doing their jobs.”
Bailey chuckled.“Quitedecent...Man, you sound soBritish!”
And you sound as if you were brought up by Keanu Reeves onthe set of Bill and Ted.Sasha restrainedhimself.There was something disorganised and sweet about Bailey,as if he felt more of a stranger here than Sasha did himself,trailing along in the wake of his boss and the new star ofBlood Moon.And if he wasthe sidekick vamp, it could only be in contrast to the twoflamboyant leads—he was poignantly handsome, almost pretty, brighthair shading long-lashed hazel eyes.“I'm from Romania,” Sashasaid, trying to make conversation.“To English people, I don'tsound very English at all.”
“No way.That's so interesting.”
Itplainly wasn't.Bailey was watching Laurie with the fixity of newlove.Sasha had seen this happen too often to mind, and heshouldered his rucksack and carried on philosophically through thecrowd.There was something lonely about watching the Laurie effectthis time, about being outside that charmed circle.InvoluntarilySasha glanced down at himself, a check that he did stillexist...
Glassdoors slid aside.The air-conditioned cool evaporated and heatseized him in a huge fist.A sky whose intensity of blue he hadnever imagined rose up and over him.A five-lane highway—World Way,leading onto Sepulveda Boulevard, he knew, although the label onthe map meant nothing in the face of this dazzling reality—roaredten feet away from him, palm trees waving in the dust.Ripplingheat-haze distorted the horizon, tawny shimmering brown againstsapphire.Sasha stumbled, buffeted by the crowd, and he smiled inrelief as Laurie's arm went round him again.“Wow.”
“Incredible, isn't it?”
“Well, it's...hot.”Sasha pulled himself together.Laurieexpected more.“Yes.It's amazing—a different world.”
“I told you you'd love it.We both will.”Laurie hugged himdistractedly.“Libby, what’s going on over there?”
Shefollowed his gesture.“Oh, shit.”
An oddmovement had begun among the people on the kerb.Mostly they werewaiting, trying to hail cabs, but as Sasha watched, still dazzledfrom his first look at a Californian sun, a mob of teenage kidssprang out from their ranks.They began to run.
Libbypoked Bailey between the shoulders.“Car!”she commanded him, as ifhe'd been a dog, and Bailey darted down the steps and into thestream of yellow cabs and airport shuttle buses.He dodged aspeeding motorbike and frantically waved at a long silver Chevysedan which had been hovering by the drop-off bays.The car cutshark-like through the chaos of incoming traffic.“You two,” Libbyshouted, rounding on Sasha and Laurie.“Fitzroy—assistant—with me,now, and don't let any of them touch you.”
Lauriepushed Sasha ahead of him.The Chevy had halted, its passenger-sidedoors open.For a second Laurie thought there was no driver, thenlaughed at his parochial Brit's mistake and dived for the backseat, chivvying Sasha in first.Libby threw herself into the front,and only then was Bailey allowed to stand down from his guard dutyand scramble on board, almost landing in Laurie's lap.“Oh, sorry,”he said, without a trace of contrition, as the driver—uniformed,expressionless and, of course, on the left—put the Chevy into gearand pulled out.
Bailey took his time over untangling, but Laurie scarcelynoticed.He was staring out through the rear window.The roadbehind them was alive with running, shrieking kids.Just for asecond Laurie thought he heard a chant ofDevlin, Devlinbeing thrown after thecar.But Bailey played a character called Calvin, didn't he?Thatwas close enough, in a hot city wind.He chuckled.“That's some fanclub you've got going there, Bailey.They love you.”
Libby twisted round from the front seat.She'd perched a pairof sunglasses on her sharp nose and was coldly unreadable.“Oh,Christ, they're not forhim.”
Baileylooked miserable.Laurie frowned.“Well, I've only just got here,”he said.Taking hold of Sasha's hand—making a gesture of it whenthe movement attracted Libby's glower of disdain—he smiledreassuringly into Sasha's anxious gaze.“Must be for you, then,handsome.”
