Page 73

‘Nahhhh!’ exclaimed Patrick, as if the idea were repugnant to him. ‘I’m one of the actors. One of the guards!’

‘A guard?’ Caleb and Hannah barked at the same time.

Caleb seemed to gather his composure first. ‘That’s a stunt performer role.’

‘Jackson and casting have given me a trial. Only way to see if you’re up to the challenge is to try it, right?’ Patrick shrugged as if stunt work were as easy to get into as being a social influencer. Which Hannah already knew Patrick had also fallen into by accident.

Patrick was the king of blagging; she dreaded to think what he’d said to worm his way on set. His skills were probably as solid as their relationship had been.

Running a hand through his dark brown hair, he grinned at Hannah. He had piercing blue eyes and a handsome face – she’d give herself that much credit at least. She’d fallen for an arsehole, but at least he’d been an attractive one. However, now his looks left her cold and most definitely dry. Really, what had she ever seen in him?

‘And thanks, Hannah! If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t even be here! Right, best go check out my digs!’ He waved his set of cabin keys in the air like a trophy. ‘See you at dinner!’

A terrible dread settled low in her stomach and, without a word to Caleb, she marched back to the welcome desk.

‘Can I put it on the record, right now. That I did not recommend that man!’ She jerked her index finger towards Patrick who was already waving hello to people, as if the film were a biopic of his own life.

Kirra blinked and then folded her arms and leaned back in her chair with a relieved sigh. ‘Thank fuck for that! I was beginning to think I’d misjudged you. Greasy prick somehow got in touch with casting and Jackson. Started saying that you’d invited him to join you as an extra. I only heard about it because I had to rewrite all the fucking risk assessments last night.’

‘I did not invite him!’

‘Well, not sure how it happened, but he seems to get on well with Jackson and managed to wing himself a spot in the stunt crew. Liability if you ask me! His CV was a load of prank and stunt videos from his channel – most of which were done in the last couple of weeks. But Jackson liked how he had such a big following on social media and said it might help with production.’

‘Help himself more like,’ grumbled Hannah. She’d bet her entire thirty thousand – yes, she’d gone up – followers that Patrick had agreed a collaboration, or ‘collab!’ as he called it, with Jackson. She’d seen him do it countless times; he’d done it with her too, although she’d not been savvy enough back then to realise it.

Pat would take someone with unique content and then use them to build his own brand and following.

At first, she’d thought it was brilliant. Patrick was charming and enthusiastic. Tagged her on all his posts, and she even gained her first five thousand followers because of it. Afterwards, she’d realised her mistake; all of it had been posted onto his feed. She was only a guest on his channel, providing free content for him. He’d called her his girlfriend, done cute videos with her, agreed to move in. But then, when things had slowed down and she was no longer of any use, he’d disappeared with a ‘This is going too fast, babe!’

He was doing it again with Jackson’s stunt co-ordinator business, and she supposed she should warn Jackson about him before he got his claws in too deep.

‘Where’s Jackson?’

She was surprised when Caleb answered for her. ‘He’ll be at the location. Blocking out the fight sequences in preparation for tomorrow.’

‘Maybe I’ll see him at dinner,’ she said thoughtfully.

‘Good plan. Let’s put our stuff in our cabin and get settled.’ He grazed her fingers subtly to reassure her. ‘Don’t worry about him, okay?’

‘Okay,’ said Hannah, but she glanced back to try and see Patrick in the crowd.

Should she be flattered that she’d become popular enough on socials to be used by him again? It was a sour thought.

She peeked a glance at Caleb as he pulled their luggage out of his truck. At first, she’d thought he was like Patrick – that she had a type and that type was loud, charming jokers who could manipulate everyone around them.

When she’d fallen for Patrick, had it been because he reminded her of Caleb?

Somehow, seeing him side by side with Patrick, she realised they were nothing alike. Yes, Patrick was charming, fun and reckless. But he didn’t have Caleb’s depth. He was shallow and weak, and she’d simply been hypnotised by his charisma and arrogance. Two things she’d never had.

The man who was helping to carry her luggage and who took controlled risks for his job was nothing like the greasy idiot guffawing with the stern AD.

He’s still going to leave you, she thought miserably.

She’d accepted the conditions willingly because sex with Caleb was so amazing. Perhaps she had been hypnotised – or ‘dick-notised’ would be the more accurate word. Her type was dangerous.

She was going to be heartbroken when it ended, but like a lemming she was still going to jump.

Chapter Twenty-Nine