He retrieved the script from his trailer and as he came back out, a flash of orange caught his eye. Mac began running toward the soundstage where Magic Hour was being shot. He turned the corner and stopped in his tracks.
Flames engulfed the building.
Hurrying away, he pulled his phone from his pocket.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
Mac spit out the address of the studio and the location of the soundstage, letting the operator know the fire was large and spreading. He disconnected and rushed back to his truck, quickly driving to the front gate and notifying the guard on duty that firetrucks would be pulling up any minute.
Then he punched in a number and waited as it rang.
“Hello?”
“Sydney, it’s Mac. You better get down to the studio. Our sets have just gone up in flames.”
CHAPTER 15
Keely applauded enthusiastically as Scarlett returned to their table. As her friend slipped into the chair next to her, Keely grabbed her hand.
“I’m so proud of you,” she whispered.
The dapper head of LA Today made a few closing remarks and the evening officially ended. Rhett wrapped Scarlett in a bear hug, congratulating her again.
“You’ll be the most famous Corrigan yet,” he proclaimed.
Scarlett said, “I doubt that, big brother. And your jacket pocket just buzzed against me.”
Keely reached for her clutch when she heard her own phone vibrating. As she opened it, she saw Cassie grabbing her cell.
Rhett reached his phone first and read aloud, “Come over ASAP once banquet finishes. Kids all right. Mac all right.”
Keely saw she’d received the same group text from Sydney and wondered what could be so pressing for all three of them to need to go to the DeLaurias late on a Friday night. And what was that about Mac being all right?
“At least the kids are fine,” Cassie said. She looked at Keely. “They’re both spending the night at Sydney’s. Herc had plans for all of them to sleep in the back yard in a tent.”
“Sounds like business can’t wait.” Rhett kissed his mother’s cheek. “Mom, good seeing you.” He turned to Carreen. “Can you and Bob take Mom home? I think something RCDS has come up that we need to address.”
“Sure,” his sister replied.
Keely hugged Scarlett, who whispered to her, “Let me know what’s going on.”
“Will do.”
She followed Rhett and Cassie from the hotel ballroom. They arrived at the valet stand. After a few words from Rhett and a subtle exchange of cash, two workers took off at blazing speed. Within two minutes, both her SUV and Rhett’s BMW pulled up.
“See you there,” Cassie called as Rhett opened the door for his wife.
Keely got behind the wheel and followed Rhett, her worry meter going into overdrive. She’d been a champion at worrying since childhood. Would her parents stop arguing? When would her dad come home? Would he be drunk—or mean and drunk? How long would the divorce drag on? Her fears ramped up in college, where she’d landed a scholarship that paid for tuition and room and board. Unfortunately, she had clothes that needed washing and tampons to buy and the full ride didn’t include any of those basic necessities. Keely had gotten a part-time job as a server in a local sports bar, racking up between twenty and thirty hours a week. She worried about keeping her grades high enough to maintain her scholarship.
Then her anxiety levels increased tenfold with her mom’s cancer diagnosis and the rising medical bills. By the time Keely graduated, her mom was long gone. Nothing remained other than a few bucks from selling what little remained in their rented apartment. She’d tucked her play-it-safe accounting degree into a back pocket as she tried to make it in the world of acting. It surprised her that all the stress didn’t cause her hair to fall out. Fortunately, she’d paid her dues and landed the role of Rachel Sturgis in No Regrets and didn’t have to look back. At thirty-two, she was financially secure because, other than her house, she proved frugal with her spending. Hiking and meditation alleviated work stress although frequent sex with Mac had proven to be the best at relaxing her.
Again, she wondered what this emergency meeting could be about. If it had something to do with RCDS, why had she been asked to attend? Keely knew she wasn’t supposed to worry about things she couldn’t change. Right now, she fretted over what she should be worrying about. The unknown always seemed way scarier than the known, no matter how difficult it proved to be. By the time she pulled into the DeLaurias’ circular drive behind Rhett, her frayed nerves made it hard for her to breathe. At least Mac’s truck was there. Seeing him would be the best dose of medicine she could get to help calm her.
The three of them went to the front door. Rhett hid any anxiety he felt. Cassie looked like a hot mess of nerves.
Jayla answered the doorbell, her face grim. “Come on in. Kyle and Harper are fine. Tim just brought everyone in for a last potty break and got them bedded down for the night.” The assistant closed the front door. “Everyone’s in the den.” She walked in front of them.
The fact that Jayla hadn’t revealed what the meeting was about ate away at Keely but she knew they’d know in the next few moments.
Dash and Sydney sat next to one another on the large sectional, both looking disheveled. Mac sat opposite on a loveseat. He stood as she came in and Keely went straight to him, wrapping her arms around him. She quickly pulled away, her nose crinkling.
“You smell like . . . smoke.”
Mac took her hand and sat, pulling her down beside him. Rhett and Cassie also took a seat.
Dash said, “Thanks for coming so quickly. I hope you didn’t leave Scarlett’s recognition ceremony early.”
“No, Sydney’s text came in right as it was ending. Perfect timing,” Rhett said.
Sydney nodded at Mac. “You start.”
Briefly, Mac discussed leaving dinner with Knox and Breck and remembering that he’d left his script in his trailer. Knowing he had lines to learn this weekend, he returned to his trailer for it.
“I smelled smoke when I got out of my truck but didn’t think much of it. I’ve been involved in productions that have filmed at night on studio lots. Especially when using fire, since it films so effectively against a dark sky. When I came out, though, something seemed suspicious. When I saw orange so close to where we film, I ran in that direction.”
“You ran toward danger? A fire?” Keely accused, her voice breaking.
“That’s what I’m trained to do,” he said calmly, his hand squeezing hers. Its warmth reassured her. “Our soundstage had been set ablaze and had spread to the one next to it. I called 911.”
Sydney took up the story. “Mac also called me. When we arrived, three firetrucks were there. Most of the fire had been put out. One security guard was found dead, probably due to smoke inhalation. We lost all of our sets and wardrobe. I thought if the six of us sat down, we could decide how to reconfigure the shoot so we’d lose as little time as possible.”
All eyes turned to Cassie. “Give me a minute.” She closed her eyes, her lips moving, her index fingers working in midair as if they rearranged something invisible. Finally, she opened her eyes. “We’ve filmed the bulk of the office and apartment scenes. I can change a few things up with some quick rewrites. Move a couple of conversations between Keely and Mac to their car. Redo a few more outdoors with a generic background. I can have the rewrites done in two, maybe three, days.”