The Movie Star and the Spy (The Secret Billionaires #5)

Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

T he man was targeting Julian.

The man with the gun.

Instinct took over, reflexes responded, as Cheyenne pummeled into Julian, to knock him over before a discharging gun did it for her. Although he far outweighed her, she had learned techniques to topple most guys.

Julian Starcroft was not most guys.

Instead of going down, he caught her easily, then crouched down, bringing her underneath him, protecting her from the bad guy. She tried to rise, but he pinned her easily underneath him. “Stay put,” he ordered as he twisted around. He kept an arm down to secure her.

Damn. Why couldn’t she extradite herself from his grip?

She continued struggling but to no avail, finally halting when the futility of her actions became clear. Since she couldn’t see beyond the mountain that was Julian, she listened to the rapid conversation, preparing for another gunshot. However, no discharge sounded, and the original chaos at her scream had turned into light banter and relieved laughter. And finally, after an eon or two, Julian released her arm.

Cheyenne shot up, automatically reaching for the gun at her waist, only too late remembering its absence. She didn’t know what was happening, but someone needed to take charge. “They have to get away from him.” Cheyenne started toward the man with the gun, when Julian decided to do something no one else had done since she was a little girl. He picked her up.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, kicking and screaming. “I have to get back there. Put me down!”

People turned and gawked at them. “Ignore us,” he commented. “We’re just practicing a scene. This is the part where I carry her off.”

Cheyenne twisted and squirmed, fighting to extricate herself from his grip, but no technique in any of the three martial arts she studied seemed to work on the guy. “Let go of me!”

Others watched with bemused expressions, obviously enjoying the impromptu performance. In seconds she found herself hefted past three security gates, across a wide lobby and through several hallways to a door with a bright gold star and Julian’s name emblazoned across it. He kicked open the door and “helped” her in.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she snapped when he finally placed her down. “Do you know it’s a crime to mess with an offi… a person? This is kidnapping. I have to get back there.”

“No, Destiny, you don’t understand.” He matched her moves, easily stopping her. She was a trained professional ? how was he managing it? “Everything is all right. He’s an actor, and the gun is a prop. Don’t you recognize Joe Struthers?”

Oh crap.

Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap.

“Joe Struthers?”

“One of the villains in the film.”

It was an unforced error, a mistake borne of years of crisis training. “He was pointing a gun.”

“And he gets paid a lot of money to do it.” Julian’s voice was cautious, emotionless, suspicious . “He won an Academy Award last year for pointing a very similar one at someone else.”

Fantastic. She had just “saved” Julian from a toy gun-toting, Academy Award-winning actor. How could she explain that? I’m sorry, but my police training kicked in and I wanted to save you? Oops, but it reminded me of my last hostage situation? My apologies, but pivoting from an undercover cop to an actor is harder than it looks? She would go for offence instead. “Why did you carry me? And don’t think I didn’t notice your amusement.”

“Sorry about that.” His smile said he wasn’t sorry at all. “I did it to avoid you getting kicked off the film. The director has a very short temper when it comes to his cast. If he knew you freaked out at a prop gun he might decide to replace you with one of the other, saner extras.”

So he hadn’t set out to humiliate her, but to save her. She should have recognized the actor, seen the gun for the prop it was. She turned away from him, and for the first time, noticed the posh surroundings. And wow .

Overstuffed couches and throne-like chairs dotted a carpet so thick you literally sank into it. It smelled like Starcroft’s spicy cologne, sharp and overbearing, with a whiff of chocolate from a platter of fresh brownies. Gleaming awards (was that an Oscar?) graced cherrywood bookcases while dozens of photographs hung on the walls, pictures of Julian with other A-listers, politicians and even a certain silver-haired queen. Cheyenne’s gaze snagged at a picture of Julian and a distinguished older man. Both sported Oscars, matching grins and a connection to her they didn’t realize.

“The renowned Charles Sanders. That was his third, or was it fourth, Oscar?” Julian walked next to her.

She swallowed. She shouldn’t ask. Shouldn’t even care. Definitely shouldn’t mention that Charles Sanders was the one actor she did know. “Are you close to him?”

“Very close.” Julian traced the picture. “I never knew my dad, but Charles is like a father to me. He was the star on my first film, and mentored me through it all. He’s been a great friend ever since. I wouldn’t have made it this far without him.”

“I see.” Her throat tightened.

He paused, glanced between her and the photograph. “You don’t know him, do you?”

She’d sooner admit she was an undercover cop. “How would an extra know a big star like that?” Before he could respond, she stepped to the next bookcase. Numerous awards gleamed next to the photographs, including plaques from charitable organizations, several of which bore the Starcroft name, and trophies from martial arts tournaments.

So that’s how he overcame her moves.

Julian tracked her. The suspicion – and challenge – never left. “What’s this really about? Why did you go all action hero back there?”

Cheyenne exhaled. What could she say that wouldn’t give her away? “I was in a situation with a gun. A robbery.” Now that was true. Last week, in fact.

Julian’s eyes flashed with shocking vehemence. “Did someone hurt you?”

“No, but there was a chase.” She chased the robber, that was. “And the robber got caught by a veteran cop.” Her. “Thankfully no one got hurt, but it was scary. I think my reaction might be a delayed response to that situation.” Now that was just a lie.

Julian seemed to accept that. Thank goodness, one problem solv? “So how did you almost take me down?” He broke into her relief parade. “I recognized the technique right away and would have succumbed if I hadn’t studied martial arts. Where did you train?”

Cheyenne opened her mouth to respond, closed it swiftly. Too late – his smug smile proved she’d already given him the information he sought. The corners of his mouth quirked up. “I thought so. We should compare techniques sometime. I am curious, however. A black belt is almost a necessity for an action star, but you don’t seem to be pursuing those roles. What made you decide to study?”

This undercover mission was rocketing to a box office bomb. She was going for dimwitted and promiscuous, not female action star. How could she stay in character without denying the obvious? “It’s just a hobby.”

“I don’t think so.” He leaned in. “You’re far more than you seem. What are you hiding?”

Her name. Her job. The true reason she was here.

Everything.

“Now you’re being paranoid.”

“Or I’m right.” The low timbre of his voice revealed his power. “I keep tabs of everyone on set. Three photographers snuck onto the set of my last movie. One of them even managed to get into my dressing room.”

She just stopped herself from asking what the reporter had seen. “If I was a photographer, do you think I’d willingly play body double?”

He shrugged. “Photographs of me go for a lot of money. Some people might be willing to go to great lengths to secure them.”

Breathe. Stay calm. Do not arrest him. “I would never pretend to be a body double for some ill-begotten pictures. I would only let someone touch me if I really wanted it.” What had she just said? “I mean I would only do it for my career,” she amended hastily. “For my acting career.”

Julian smiled like a fox who had just stumbled upon the national henhouse convention. Yet soon it faded. “The eight hundred guys you hit on earlier would say differently. Or I may be underestimating.” He grimaced. “You even cozied up to Franklin. Sheesh, Destiny, he’s been married longer than you’ve been alive.”

He had her there. The victims had been approached by a variety of men, which made the police believe the true mastermind hired male extras as recruiters for short periods of time before moving on to others to cover his tracks. The only constant was the perpetrators were always male, thus any and all men, no matter their age, appearance or demographic, were potential suspects. “You’re accusing me of hitting on a married man who’s old enough to be my grandfather?” She blew a wisp of hair from her eyes. “I’m just friendly.”

“This is beyond friendliness. Did you feel the same chemistry with them as with us?”

This kind of talk was even more dangerous. “What chemistry?”

He stepped closer, storming her personal space. “You don’t feel it?”

“Nope.” Yes. Now she stepped closer, and then somehow they brushed against each other, as attraction flared, flamed and then engulfed her. It beckoned her closer, closer, closer…

Excited chatter sounded from outside, the high-pitched voices of female cast members conversing about Julian. She reeled back as reality returned. Stark loss fired at the broken contact, illustrated by Julian’s expression, a painting of undeniable passion with brushstrokes of confusion. Her breath hissed loud as she cycled between him and the door, considering and recycling strategies to emerge unscathed. She was here to hit on as many guys as possible to discover a criminal mastermind, not go all the way with the one man who clearly wasn’t one.

She needed time to regain her focus and conduct her mission, and she couldn’t do it while staring at a body chiseled by a master artist. With no better plan and no time to formulate one, she chirped, “Well, gotta go.”

“You’re leaving?” Incredulity deepened his voice, set to the timbre of rampant suspicion. With every action, she fed his distrust. Yet she was a strong woman and would regain control of the situation. What excuse would he believe?

Fortunately, none were necessary. “You’re right.” Julian grimaced, stepping back. “I’m sorry. Despite what the tabloids say, I don’t usually move this fast. I’m simply not accustomed to women like you. Why don’t we just talk?”

The urge to accept his offer was nearly inescapable. Yet she needed to end their conversation before one wrong word outed her as an imposter.

“Unless you’re ready to practice more?”

Practice? Why yes, please. What a great idea. Plan: approved. Wait, no. Practice led to places she couldn’t afford. She had to extradite herself before she traveled back to those places, took the grand tour and set up a homestead. Garbled explanations hadn’t worked, time for some brains.

The window into the hallway revealed a few dozen extras ? female extras – the source of the conversation, which had saved her earlier. Before he could say more, she pivoted. “Hi ladies,” she called out, hoping they could hear through the partially open door. “Today’s your lucky day. Mr. Starcroft loves helping aspiring actresses hone their acting skills. Whoever is interested can give an impromptu performance right now. He’ll critique each one personally.”

The women gasped, shrieked in excitement. One almost fainted.

Time to put the final nail in the coffin. “And by the way, he has brownies.”

All of them came running toward Julian.

“I’m going to get you back for this,” he whispered.

No doubt.

Still he had no choice but to let her go as the hordes descended, as the women redeemed their once in a lifetime offer to audition in front of the mighty and great Julian Starcroft. Cheyenne immediately pivoted, cutting a path to the door. She refused to run ? fleeing just wasn’t her style ? but she needed to get away. She strode through the door and the set, passed the security gate and entered the open lot. She power walked through the busy walkway, barely hesitating as she passed several recognizable faces from television and screen.

A commotion sounded from behind her. Her breath lodged in her throat as Julian strode toward her with a determined expression and even more determined steps. How had he gotten away so quickly? Even in a lot filled with stars, he stood out, as people whispered and pointed, cell phone cameras playing a clicking symphony. He paid them little notice, however, instead catching her eye. He moved faster.

Cheyenne broke into a light jog. She wasn’t running away, of course. She really needed a little exercise. She dared a glance back. Julian was still walking, but with his longer stride he was catching up.

She jogged – okay ran – to the exit. Fortunately, leaving the set was far easier than entering with its multiple security checks and formidable guards, and she emerged into the sun-splashed pathway seconds later. She threaded through the swarming tourists, who hoped for a glimpse of an actor who would dare leave from the busy main entrance instead of one of the more hidden exits. Of course, no one noticed her, and she slowed to a walk as she joined the sidewalk crowd, to avoid drawing attention. She had travelled approximately twenty feet when a scream splintered the air.

Automatically she turned, once more reaching for a weapon that wasn’t there. She swore under her breath, but still pivoted towards the noise. Even without her weapon, she could help. Of course, heroics outside the studio would blow her cover, but if life and death were involved, she wouldn’t have a choice.

Several women screamed again as people clustered into a haphazard circle, surrounding something. Cheyenne broke into an all-out-run, but soon she slowed. No one was hysterically fleeing or screaming in terror, and instead of frowns and fear, excitement buzzed electricity through the air. She stopped as the source of the commotion became visible.

“It’s Julian Starcroft!”

“Julian, I love you!”

“Are you single?”

“Marry me!”

“Please sign my?”

Oh my . Was it legal to ask someone to sign there ? A grin stretched her lips, as Cheyenne backed out of hearing range. How could they get so excited over a mere glimpse of another human being, a man they didn’t even know? He may be handsome, but he most certainly hailed from mortal roots.

Cheyenne walked away at a more relaxed pace, as her heart evened and her breathing slowed. Starcroft might have escaped a bevy of aspiring actresses, but no way would he extradite himself from the ever-growing mob. Yet as she glanced back, she hesitated. The circle had grown many layers thick, and he was no longer visible through the thickening crowd. Her smile faded. She had wanted to slow him down, not put him in danger.

She halted. Inhaled uncertainty, exhaled resignation. She couldn’t just leave him.

Yet just as she took a step back, a dozen guards raced out of the studio, propelling people back and fighting their way to the middle. Cheyenne backed away once more, her escape, no matter how temporary, successful. Her relief didn’t last long, as a single question emerged.

Why was he so determined to follow her?

Why was he so determined to follow her? Julian pretended to listen to the monologue of possibly the worst actress who had ever graced the face of the Earth. Thank goodness he was on the last of the forty-four extras he’d agreed to critique. After a brief break to pursue Destiny, he’d returned to fulfil her impromptu promise. Of course, he could have said no, but they’d been so excited and hopeful, he couldn’t disappoint them. They were unfailingly sweet, and he tried to be as nice as possible. It wasn’t their fault a sly, way-smarter-than-she-let-on sneak tricked him into doing this so she could escape. Soon, Destiny would learn her escape was only temporary.

Several of the extras did possess real talent, enough for him to recommend them, and he’d already decided to pass their names along. No reason not to give a chance to those who deserved it.

“Thank you, so much, Ms….” He looked down at the paper beneath him. “Ms. Cole. I’ll be sure to pass your name along to any directors you’d suit.” The young woman bobbed her head and flashed a rather stunning smile, which somehow didn’t seem nearly as bright as that of a certain fleeing extra. Still, with her looks, she could do well as a model. He made a mental note to mention her to the agency.

“Ladies, thank you again for coming.” He stood and rubbed his hands together. “I hope we can do it ag… I mean I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow. Right now, I need my special method to prepare for tomorrow’s role.”

The women nodded solemnly. He tried to keep his expression serious as they filed out, but they looked at him with such sincere gratitude, a genuine smile emerged. A recommendation from him could mean a lot for their careers. Maybe listening to aspiring actors occasionally wouldn’t be a bad thing. A certain grey-haired director with multiple sci-fi hits had given him a chance, after all.

Zachary appeared at the doorway as the last woman exited. “Are you sure you want to go in there?” she whispered to him, loud enough for Julian to hear. “He’s about to start his special method to prepare for his role.”

The sides of Zachary’s lips quirked up, but he nodded. “That’s why I’m here.” Sighs of envy swirled as Zachary shut the door behind him. He raised an eyebrow. “Special method?”

Grinning, Julian opened the mini-fridge. “Regular or light?”

“Ahhh. Hit me full force, buddy.”

Julian removed a pair of beers and tossed one to Zachary, who caught it easily. Two pops and hisses later, they each enjoyed a long swig. Zach swirled his glass. “So what’s with the woman?”

“What woman?”

Zachary grinned. “The one you carried off like a caveman, the same you tried to chase down.”

“I didn’t chase her down.” But actually he had. And that carrying off like a caveman thing – yeah, that happened, too. “I can’t believe you heard about that.”

Zachary shrugged. “Everyone’s heard about it. I heard the janitors discussing it.”

“No comment.”

Zachary held a hand to his heart. “I’m getting the paparazzo treatment? That hurts.”

Julian took another drink of his beer. “It’s not like I’m holding back. There just isn’t anything to tell.”

Zachary lifted his glass. “Now you’re just lying. I’ve never seen the great Julian Starcroft off his game, but today you were losing by fifty points in the first. I think it’s because your new body double is running offensive for the other team.”

“That’s ridiculous.” And so true. “Destiny doesn’t distract me at all.” I’d be less distracted by a Tyrannosaurus rex materializing out of thin air and asking for a beer. “Do you share all your romantic pursuits with me?” Do dinosaurs like regular beer or light?

His friend laughed at the thin attempt to change the subject. As successful actors, neither had to worry about finding women to date. Now finding the right person – that was as difficult for them as anyone else. Julian straightened. “I have nothing to hide.”

Zachary leaned forward. “Since nothing is going on with you and Ms. Dane, maybe I’ll get to know her better. She seemed pretty friendly back there.”

A dragon’s fire lit in Julian’s chest. “Get to know her better?” he responded slowly.

“Sure, why not? Since you’re not interested and all.” Zachary lifted his beer.

Julian suddenly had the urge to hit something. Something with a smirk and silky hair. “That’s not a good idea.” He tried to make his voice light; instead he sounded like the Grim Reaper. On a bad day.

“No?” His friend raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

If he threw something at him, he could always claim he was rehearsing for the movie. They might believe him. I’m sorry, but I just had to practice that microwave-tossing scene.

“She’s flirting with every guy on set.” Zachary temped him to throw that microwave. “She seems to be looking for new friends.”

“She’ll be stopping that.”

Wait, what?

Even if he could get her to stop, it was not his role or right to do so. Yet the urge to do so was nearly escapable.

Zachary raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? How do you figure?”

“Because–” Julian halted. How did he know that? Was he planning on stopping her?

Yes.

“Because you like her.” Zachary toasted his beer.

Far too much. Julian took an extra-long gulp of the smooth liquid. “Didn’t I say no comment?”

“Yeah, but I’m your best friend, and it doesn’t work like that. Besides, I tell you everything about my love life.” Zachary grinned. “Since Ms. Dane is obviously taken, even if she doesn’t realize it yet, I was thinking about getting to know Ms. Cole a little better.”

Julian frowned at the memory of the beautiful, sweet and yet slightly naive extra. “She’s not like the sophisticated women you’re accustomed to.” Although his friend liked short-term casual flings, the ladies always understood the situation. “Isn’t she a little quiet for you?”

Zachary held up both hands. “I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong. I’d actually like to get to know her better. Literally.”

Julian waited for a punchline that never came. “You’re kidding. Do you actually want to settle down?”

“I’m not picking out minivans, but I may be ready for more.” His grin faded into seriousness. “Miss Cole seems like a mighty fine place to start.”

Julian lowered his drink. Zachary never seemed the type to want a deeper relationship. He was the stereotypical perennial bachelor, the guy who liked women a little too much to settle for just one. But people change – they want more. Destiny snagged his thoughts again. Did he want more?

It was ludicrous. He’d only known the woman for a short time, way too early to be thinking about what was real or not. One thing was certain: she was an enigma, and he didn’t like unsolved mysteries.

“Thinking about Destiny again, huh?”

This time he didn’t deny it. Despite her hesitancy, she was determined to play the role of vapid starlet, a role that included him. He’d happily take part.

And while he was playing hero to her heroine, he would learn more about her. He would uncover the true woman behind Destiny Dane.