When she finally wrapped up the interview, she left with one chilling question. “Nolan, are you adding extra security to protect your cast and crew in light of the situation Finn found himself in last night?”
Nolan looked into the camera with his serious face. “Nadine, our cast and crew are like family, and we take their security very seriously. We regret Finn was put into such a dangerous situation last night by the very law enforcement group who is supposed to protect us while we’re on location in Rockley County.”
My entire body stiffened in response to his harsh implication. I opened my mouth to cut in, but he kept talking.
“Obviously we do not blame the sheriff’s office for last night’s events, but it has brought up the need for us to revisit our security measures even here in a seemingly safe place. Of course, we will provide the best personal security possible to our valuable cast and crew while we are here.”
Was he going to assign us some kind of bodyguard? There was no way I wanted someone following me around when the events of last night were so clearly a one-off situation rather than the norm.
Before Nadine could end the interview, I added, “According to the Rockley County Sheriff’s Department, the violent crime rate is twenty-eight times lower in Aster Valley than the national average. What happened last night is not indicative of anyone’s safety here. It was a single event perpetrated by an unhappy person. I feel completely safe on the streets of Aster Valley, especially under the watchful eye of the Rockley County Sheriff’s Department.”
As soon as we were off the air, I let out a whoosh of air. I was exhausted from lack of sleep, nerves, and trying to keep smiling while everyone seemed to want to dig a salacious story out of me.
Nolan patted me on the back. “Good job, buddy. I like the humble citizen routine. Very Chip Clover. Works perfectly with your reputation. Keep it up.”
I wanted to ask him if he was really going to step up security, but I didn’t trust myself not to get into an argument if his answer was yes. Instead, I thanked him and headed for my trailer. Logan and Crystobell were there waiting for me, and Kix was on the phone a few yards away.
“You all set?” Crys asked with a big smile. “Nolan looked happy after the interview. It must have gone well.”
I nodded. “I think so. Listen… are you doing your own stunts in the avalanche scene?” I already knew she wasn’t doing her own climbing in the one climbing scene she had, so I was curious if the “authenticity” bit Nolan had hyped only referred to me.
She laughed her famous throaty chuckle. “Are you kidding? Darien would kill me.”
Darien VanNyke was her agent, but there’d been rumors for at least a year that they also lived together as a couple. They supposedly kept it quiet to maintain her “available” image as a sexy single woman, but anyone in the industry who’d ever seen the two of them together knew she was about as single as a handcuff.
I glanced at Logan. “And you?”
“I do all my own fighting stunts,” he said. “But that avalanche shit is no joke. I’m not interested in being anywhere near the pyrotechnics. My cousin lost two of his fingers shooting off fireworks when he was a kid. No, thanks.”
Kix ended the call and strode over to us. “If I had the chance to do it, I’d jump on it in a heartbeat. Think of all the ass you could get.”
Logan huffed and shook my shoulder. “As if this pretty boy has trouble getting ass back home in WeHo. Not sure he needs his gonads blown off to get whatever dick he wants.”
Kix laughed. “Point taken. Maybe you should back out of it, Finn. No point in risking this face.”
He reached out to pinch my cheek, but I batted his hand away. I was this close to canceling my plans and returning to my chalet to hide under the covers until my courage returned. But Kix’s next words changed my mind.
“I wonder if we’ll run into the sheriff and that deputy up at the Roadhouse again tonight. Surely they’ll be there having congratulatory drinks, too. Finn can buy them a round in thanks for not getting his nards blown off last night.”
The fear in my gut turned to more normal nerves at the thought I might get to see the sexy sheriff again at the bar.
“Can everyone stop referring to my nuts, please?” I muttered, turning to head to the parking area.
There was only one person I wanted thinking about my balls tonight, and god willing, he’d be at the bar.
He wasn’t.
After we’d been there an hour and I’d had to spend most of that hour fending off pushy fans, I overheard a server telling the bartender he wouldn’t be able to rely on the sheriff’s help closing the bar tonight.