Walking to where I hid my phone from myself, I mutter, “Yup.” I don’t even want to turn it on because I can’t stand finding out that she hasn’t called again. Shoving it in my back pocket I scan the mess everyone left behind and cross to Mary’s couch, flopping onto it. “Great job today.”
When he doesn’t respond I find him staring at me like he’s a friend. “Max, seriously, you okay?”
“No.” Wincing I close my eyes and rub them some more. “I’m hung up on a girl. But she apparently doesn’t give a shit about me. So that’s fun.”
He zips his camera bag. “This is why I love being married. Never have to worry about that again. The wife won’t mind if I come home a little later though. You want to grab a drink?”
“I gotta clean up here. Early shoot-time in the morning, too.” Blinking I realize, “Oh, wait, we have a day off tomorrow.”
“Mandatory. Wanna take me up on it then?”
Sighing I shake my head. “No, but thanks. This is her friend’s apartment. I need to make sure it’s nice before I leave.”
“It’s Natalie you’re hung up on?” His eyebrows lift and he clucks his tongue against his teeth. “She’s a looker. Wondered why she hadn’t shown up.” He carries his bag to the door and mumbles, “Surprising though that she didn’t reciprocate.” This catches my attention.
“Why do you say that?”
“I thought she had a thing for you.”
“Wait, stop. Did you?”
He glances back. “Yeah. She couldn’t take her eyes off you for long when we were interviewing crew members. You should have seen the glow in those babies when you hired a woman engineer and boom operator! I thought she had it bad for you.” Sighing, “Guess I was wrong,” he heads out and shuts the door behind him.
This gives me enough hope to turn my phone on. Sometimes a man just needs a drop.
Maybe this time there will be a message from her. A text. Even a go-fuck-yourself, so I can finally stop wondering if I’m ever going to see her again. My screen lights up with messages from family, even one from my crazy cousin that lifts my eyebrows. I type a quick text back to her, “Of course I’ll marry you guys. Be honored.”
A knock catches my attention and I hurry to see who it is. “Hello?”
A man’s voice comes through from the other side. “Max?”
Unlocking it, I recognize Alan. “You don’t have to knock at your own home.”
“Didn’t want to interrupt if you were still filming.”
“Come in. What am I talking about? You don’t need an invitation. Sorry, I’m a little out of it. But thanks so much for this space. It’s perfect.”
He nods, dark eyes scanning the room but not landing on anything until he turns to me. “Anybody else here?”
“They all left. I’m just cleaning up.” As I start back on the task he grabs my arm.
“Max, I need to talk to you,” he says, somber as he releases me.
“Oh shit, I’ve been calling her too much. She’s pulled the plug on the rest of our shoot here, hasn’t she?”
He blinks at me, confused. “Who, Natalie?”
“Yeah, look, I’m sorry. I’ll stop. Just can’t understand why she vanished on me, the film, after all that…hard work. But I really need two more nights here. The rest is crucial.”
He shoves a hand in his back pocket, the other waving, “No, stop, it’s not about the film.”
My chest explodes as I grab his arms and rasp, “Is she hurt? Did she get in an accident?”
“She’s in trouble. There was no accident. Just a miscalculation when it came to her job. She’s in with the mob or something.”
“What?” I grimace in confusion, stepping closer to him. “Are you serious?”
“Deadly. They’re following her. Threatening. She’s not allowed near you.”
He launches into what his wife told him. I drown in it, asking questions, demanding answers. He tells me everything he knows until l’m pacing and wondering what the hell to do.
“How did you let me spend all night shooting when you knew this was going on?”
“Natalie insisted we didn’t break up your schedule. She said you put your life’s savings into this.”
“That’s just money! This is a person we’re talking about! This is Natalie! Where is she?”
“Max?” Natalie’s voice spins me toward the door as it clicks shut. Vulnerable and filled with regret, she’s standing with Mary, who I’ve only seen in photographs until now.
I rush to her and cup her face in my hands. “This is why you didn’t show up?” She nods and I envelope her in my arms, kissing her and rasping against her shaking lips. “I’m going to help you. Don’t be scared.”
“I don’t know what to do. I’m scared,” she whispers.
“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” Turning to her friends I nod to Mary. “I’m Max Cocker.”
“I know who you are,” she says. “And I know the connections your family has. Help my friend.”
“I’ve gotta make a call.”
CHAPTER 32
N ATALIE
A t the knock on the door, Mary, Max, and I stand up as Alan walks over to ask, “Who is it?”
“Jason and Justin Cocker.”
He opens it immediately, letting in the identical twin brothers. Justin, the one we all know well, is dressed in a suit like every photograph or broadcast I’ve ever seen him in. That’s how I can tell which is Max’s father. Jason dresses more hip like the successful music producer he is.
Meeting his son halfway he locks onto me. “Are you Natalie?”
“Yes.”
He scans the faces of my friend and her husband. “And you are?”
They introduce themselves. Nobody shakes hands.
Max explains my situation. “You see why I couldn’t say it over the phone.”
His father and uncle nod at the same time, blonde and silver-haired reflections as they face one another. The retired Senator grumbles, “This is that situation I told you about. With my son.”
Max’s dad nods. “When you stepped in and helped Paige.”
“It was her brother, but yes,
