“Sure will. Hey, Vik?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s security like at these studios?”
“I’m not sure which one you’re on, but the one Sullivan worked at, security was shit. No measures were in place to offer any real protection. They had tons of cameras, but the guards were not trained to actually defend worth a shit.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.”
“His home wasn’t any better. Mason had to go install a decent security system for him.”
“I’ll call you once I get all the details from Shay and let you know if we have a case or not. You might need to pull some bodyguards for her. Security here is fucking useless, from what I’ve seen so far.”
“I’ll check assignments when I get into the office. I’ve got to go and help Sara feed the twins before she throws the hair dryer at me.”
Max laughed and said his goodbyes. He knew Sara Kincaid quite well, so he knew it wasn’t an idle threat. Not that she’d hit Viktor with it. The woman had come from an abusive marriage and would never willingly hurt someone even in jest.
More and more people rolled into the already full parking lot. He was a little surprised there were so many up and about this early in the morning. It was only a little past five. He knew the news stations were usually in by four because he’d worked a case for them, but he’d assumed a film studio wouldn’t be working until at least seven or eight.
A golf cart came speeding around the edge of the parking lot. The guy driving it was dressed in khakis and a red polo. His blond hair was styled smartly, and the sunglasses he wore hid his eyes. He was dressed for LA, not New York. Fucking preppy asshole.
He might not be an ass, but Max didn’t like him. The guy just rubbed him the wrong way. Appearances spoke a thousand words, and this guy just gave him an asshole vibe.
He stopped the golf cart and hopped out, keeping his sunglasses on. See? Asshole.
“Are you Mr. Sheridan?”
“I am.” Max didn’t bother reaching out his hand for a shake. He doubted the prissy ass would know what to do with it.
“I’m Kevin, Shay’s assistant. If you’ll come with me, I’ll take you to hair and makeup. She’s getting ready to start filming.”
“This early?”
“Yes.” Kevin gestured toward the golf cart, and Max got in. The thing didn’t fit him very well. While he wasn’t as massive as some of the guys at KSI, he wasn’t small either. He had some bulk to go along with his five-eleven frame. Not quite six feet, but he was imposing all the same.
When he wasn’t flirting. He wasn’t the broody one of the KSI team. He enjoyed having fun and teasing everyone around him.
When it wasn’t five in the fucking morning and he was running on an hour’s worth of sleep. He was a grumpy pants when that happened.
“Do they let just anyone through these gates?” he asked as they passed through the open gates in the wall he’d assumed led to the back filming areas. There was a guard there, but he didn’t stop them for credentials on their way through.
“Yes. They do a lot of tours, and people are coming and going all day.”
“No one’s even asked for ID?”
“They have to provide that to get through the main gate,” Kevin explained as he navigated the very crowded area behind the gates. “Once you’re in, that’s about it.”
“So, no real security behind these gates, then.” Max said it more to himself than to the assistant. This place was a security nightmare. No wonder Viktor sounded so disgusted on the phone.
“We have security roaming through the sets, of course, and they’ve also ramped it up around Shay as well after the break-in at her apartment.”
“I thought it was a house?” Desi had specifically said house.
“No, it’s an apartment here in New York. I think she has a house in Virginia where she grew up, but she’s rarely there.”
He filed that little nugget of information away and settled back to watch the area as Kevin drove him to meet the soap opera diva.
Shayna Moore idly scrolled through Instagram as she waited for Jay to finish her hair. She always insisted on makeup first. It was how her mama taught her to do it, and it was how she did it at home. Work should be no different. Most of the actors didn’t care one way or the other, but she did. It was a quirk that helped to earn her a diva status.
She was as far from a diva as you could get, though. She didn’t make too many demands and did everything she could for the crew if they needed something.
“Girl, I wish I had this hair.” Jay sighed as he curled her dark brown locks. Shay thought about highlights, but she didn’t want to damage her hair. Besides, it glinted red in the sunlight. That was enough for her.
“You wouldn’t when you had to try to tame it all by yourself.” She had thick, thick hair with a tendency to kink up and get frizzy in the heat. Her hair could be a nightmare to deal with.
“Bitch, please.” Jay waved the curling iron at her. “I’d deal.”
Jay was one of her favorite people. The gay man loved feminine things, but he’d throw down if necessary. She’d seen him knock out an asshole who’d called him some not-so-nice things and tried to lay hands on him. The man had serious muscles. A lot of idiots ignored that he was gay. Jay told her he worked out to deal with said idiots.
“I’ve been thinking of cutting it.” She laughed at his gasp of horror.
“You do and we will no longer be BFFs,” he warned as he finished with the curling iron.
“You’d still love me.” Shay shook her head so the loose curls cascaded around her.
“You keep telling yourself that.” Jay glanced at the notes the director had given him for Shay’s appearance. She was to be maid of honor for her on-screen sister today.
She glanced at her watch. Kevin should be back any minute with Desiree’s brother. She was nervous as a cat whose tail was in close proximity to a rocking chair when it came to meeting him. She’d seen him in pictures, and her best friend talked about him all the time. So much so that Shay felt like she knew him already. Which was probably why she’d agreed to talk to him about her stalker.
Something she’d been trying not to focus on.
But after yesterday, there was no other option. The man had gotten into her apartment and her house back in Virginia. Her home!
A fact no one but the police knew about, thankfully. Soap opera stars didn’t garner the same type of press Hollywood stars did.
“So, who is this man you’ve got coming to see you that has you so nervous you’re biting your lip?” Jay started pulling her hair up as he talked.
“I’m not nervous.”
“Girl, please. You can lie to everyone but me. I’ve known you too long.”
She was nervous, a fact she’d already admitted to herself. Shay had a bit of a crush on Max Sheridan, even though she’d never met him. He was a gorgeous man, and Desi constantly talked him up. His little sister probably had him on a pedestal, but still, she made him sound like the best thing since TikTok.
The door to the makeup trailer opened, and Kevin came in, followed by the man she’d only ever seen in pictures. Emerald green eyes swept the trailer and came to rest on her. His hair brushed the collar of his flannel shirt. A cowboy hat rested rakishly on his dirty blond hair. The dark scruff he wore made him all the more rugged. She swallowed. Several times, barely keeping from wetting her lips. He was just as beautiful in person as he was in pictures.