Around me, people laughed and drank as the DJ cranked an upbeat remix of an old The Heavy track that got people whooping and cheering. The display of merriment felt obscene, as I stood bereft. It was all hopeless. RJ was right. It was not like I could call the police. Noah had said Ralf used AI to alter my document; it probably looked like something entirely different, making my claim even harder to prove. So, what, did this mean my dream was lost? All that work, just gone?
I needed Elliot. I needed his calm voice telling me everything was okay. I tried to call him, but the phone rang out to voicemail.
“Elliot, something’s happened,” I said. “I have to get Sol to the airport, but Ralf has out-Ralfed himself and I don’t know what to do. Can you call me?”
Chapter Thirty-Four
“You’re quiet,” Sol said with a yawn. She’d spent much of the limo ride fighting sleep and as much as I had enjoyed getting to know her this past week, I was impatient to get back to the party and to find Elliot. He hadn’t replied to any of my messages and my mind was racing as to why that might be. The traffic had been intense as we left New York and Naya was fretting we would have to reschedule the flight.
“It’s been a big night,” I muttered.
“I’m not sure how much longer I can do this,” Sol murmured, as the taxi entered the airport gates.
“What do you mean?” I said in alarm.
“Not so much acting as … this.” She gestured around her. “The relentless travel, the cameras … I never see my family.”
“I’m sorry.” My own struggles took a back seat.
“Oh, no, don’t be.” She stretched. “Don’t get me wrong, I thank my stars that I get to do what I do every day. That’s why I think if I can set up my own company, it’ll be better for me.” She turned those luminous eyes on me, suddenly looking very young. “What do you think?”
“Sometimes, you have to think of yourself,” I said, “because if you don’t, you get left behind.”
Sol looked at me, her eyes soft. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said with a broken laugh that wasn’t enough to dislodge the leaden lump weighing on my heart.
The car pulled up on the runway, but Sol grabbed my hand. “I’m not getting on that jet until you tell me what’s going on.”
Naya got out of the car and waited, visibly stressed. I shook my head. “Everything is fine.”
Sol’s eyes narrowed. “Lucita…”
“Okay, okay!” I threw up my hands. “TheTwin Rosespitch Janice received was stolen from me. I told RJ, hoping he’d help but he couldn’t give less of a shit.”
“Whoa whoa whoa,” Sol said. “Start from the beginning.” I explained as quickly as I could and the more I spoke, the fierier her eyes became. “Cabron,” she uttered when I finished. “Ralf can’t do that.”
“Well, he has,” I said. “And what’s worse is RJ has a point. Can I prove it? I mean, say Noah’s admission makes a difference. Would anything happen to make it right? Probably not.” I buried my head in my hands. “I’m such an idiot.”
“Hey.” Sol dragged my hands away from my face. “Ralf is, like, a straight-up thief. You did nothing wrong. Did the studio make any decisions yet?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Hmm.” Sol continued to nibble on her lip. “Interesting.”
“Sol.” Naya leaned her head into the car. “We have to get you on the plane.”
“Ugh. Fine. Sorry.” Sol rolled her eyes at Naya then turned back to me. “Well, Lucie. It’s been my pleasure to work with you.”
“And you.” Perhaps it was the rage simmering through my veins or the deep, echoing sadness that my New York adventure was about to end that sparked my next words, but I took a deep breath. “Sol, if you do start your company and need someone to … I don’t know, help? Please consider me. I’ll be a runner, a PA … anything.”
She wrapped her arms around me. “You’ll be the first person I call.”
Touched, I hugged her back. “You need to get going,” I said, my mouth suddenly full of fragrant hair. “You’ve a busy few days coming up.”
“Hey.” She pulled back, regarded me sternly. “I’m never too busy for my friends.”
“Sol, we really gotta get wheels up,” Naya said, hopping impatiently from foot to foot.
