Page 140 of Tactically Acquired

“Mother,”Audrey said as she entered her house.

“Audrey, what are you doing here?”

“I came because I need help, and you’re the only one I can count on.”She spun around and faced her, putting on the show of her life.“The studio knows about my contract and I think they tried to kill me.”

“Oh, nonsense. Why would they do that?”

“Because I can’t make action films anymore. With my eyesight as bad as it is, I would be a liability on the set, and they know it.”

Her mother completely disregarded her, walking away and leaving Audrey to fend for herself. She turned and hustled after her, walking right into a high table and knocking over a vase.

“Shit. I’m sorry,”she said as she bent over to pick up the pieces.

“Forget it, Audrey,” I muttered, worried she would cut her finger.

“It’s nothing, Audrey. Just forget about it.”

But she didn’t walk over to help her daughter from getting cut by the vase. My dislike for this woman was growing by the second. She really had not a single care in the world for her daughter. My confidence in this working just shot up eighty percent.

“Mom, I need you to help me convince the studio that this was all a misunderstanding.”

“But you knew this would happen. I’m not sure what you want me to say to them.”

“Just tell them to back off. They’ll listen to you. You’re Ginger Leigh!”

The fact that she even had to suck up to her mother for a fake reason really grated on me. It wasn’t until Rae clamped down on my arm that I realized I was growling at the screen.

“Darling, I’m not sure they would listen to me. It would take an awful lot of convincing.”

“They tried to kill me. They tried to kill Spencer,”she argued.

Her mother sighed heavily, clearly annoyed with the whole thing.“I suppose I can try. What would you like me to do?”

“Tell them I’ll meet them anywhere they want. I can pay back my salary on the last movie. I’ll do more promotions for the upcoming film if they’ll just back off.”

“And what are you going to do in the meantime?”

“I have to run by the set. There are documents there that I need to get. It would prove that they were trying to kill me. If I get them, I need you to keep them safe for me. Can you do that?”

“Of course, darling, but?—”

“I have to go. Please, when I get these documents, I need you to lock them up tight. They’ll be worth a fortune.”

I could practically see Ginger’s eyes flashing dollar signs through the camera. She hurried Audrey out the door, but it was the way she looked at her daughter that had me disturbed. She was taking the bait, alright. There was no such thing as loyalty to her daughter.

“Well, that’s that,” Rae sighed. “Now we wait for the inevitable.”

“She’s going to flip on her daughter and call the director,” I muttered. “She’s going to cash in on that payday and tell them where her own daughter is headed. I could kill her right now.”

“Save it for the ending,” Thumper reminded me. “We still need her.”

We did need her, but when this was over, Audrey was never going to talk to her mother again. I’d make sure of it.

37

AUDREY

I walked through the doors of the studio with Spencer, taking careful steps. I had played this part well, worrying about my next move, wondering if someone was here to kill me. Only this time, someone might actually try to.

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