Page 2
Story: Capture the Rainbow
She dropped her hand away quickly. “No, not at all,” she lied. “I’m just a little stiff because of a fall I took from a horse this afternoon. The stunt coordinator misjudged the spot where I’d fall and dug up the earth three feet from the place the lariat actually toppled me off my trusty steed.”
“You’re lucky you didn’t break any bones,” he said grimly. “Like I said, you’re not being careful enough in choosing your jobs. The wrong stunt coordinator can get a person killed. I bet you didn’t even insist on a run-through before the scene was shot.”
“The director was in a hurry to finish the day’s shooting. He didn’t want to take the time.” She smiled bitterly. “Time is money, you know. Casey didn’t have a run-through either or he might not have skidded that car into a stone wall.”
“You should have learned from his mistake,” Dave said. “If you’re not careful, you’ll end up in the hospital yourself and then how will you help Casey?”
“If you want work in this business, you don’t argue with the director,” she said softly. “You know that as well as I do, Dave. All a stuntwoman needs to get blacklisted is a reputation for not being ‘cooperative.’ There are too many amateurs out there ready to step in and take the risks just to get the chance to break into the business.”
“It’s not worth your life, Kendra,” Dave said bluntly. “Hell, it’s not even that the job really appeals to you. You never did get the kick out of it Casey did.”
“But I’m good at it.” Kendra smiled gently. “And that’s what’s important right now. Even as a favor you wouldn’t have hired me forVentureif I wasn’t a competent professional. And you don’t have to worry about the stunt coordinator on this picture. Skip Lowden is the best in the business. I’ve worked for him before.”
“He’s going to have to be,” Dave said. “Ventureis going to have more stunts than a James Bond thriller. Joel insisted I get the top people in the field.” He glanced down at her glass. “You need a refill; shall I get you one?”
“Please.” She watched as Dave dodged his way through the crowd to the bar at the end of the room. She seldom had more than one drink, but she had an idea she might need all the help she could get to see her through the evening. Why weren’t those damn pills taking effect? Cold fear surged through her. Oh Lord, had the fall damaged the scar tissue on the tendons again? Oh, please, God, not now! She needed this job. She hadn’t been entirely truthful with Dave. There had been no need to worry him any more than he was already. Why burden him with the knowledge that she still owed another ten thousand for Casey’s last operation and that the convalescent home bills were astronomical?
“Dave told me you were on the team, but I wasn’t sure you’d be here tonight.” The southwestern drawl was unmistakable, so was the lean hard-bitten face of the man who appeared at her side. Skip Lowden was in his early forties, but the only thing that testified to his age was a sprinkling of gray at his temples. The rest of him was all tough whipcord muscle and cool coordinated power. A power that was echoed in the keen razor-sharp gray eyes gazing into her own. “I heard you took a little tumble this afternoon.”
She should have known he would have heard, she thought in resignation. The professional stuntworld was a very tight network and Skip was prominent in the hierarchy. “It wasn’t much,” she said defensively. “We got it on the second take.”
“The second take should have been the first!” His voice resonated with authority. “You should have insisted on a run-through. Particularly with an amateurish ass like Bodine running the show. You know better than that, Ken.”
She was getting very tired of hearing that. It was all very well for Skip to talk. He had the experience and reputation to be able to demand…and get anything he wanted.
“I’ll remember that onVenture,” she said lightly. “But then, you wouldn’t let me run even one risk without planning it out to the last detail. I know the way you work, Skip. I hear I’m to double for the supporting actress, Billie Callahan.” A tiny frown wrinkled her brow. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of her.”
“It’s her first picture,” Skip answered. “She’s Joel Damon’s new discovery. Brenna Donovan’s starring, but the ingenue gets all the stunts.” His glance went over her objectively. “You’re about the same height, but you’ll have to bind your breasts. Billie isn’t nearly as…voluptuous.”
She grimaced. “Not many women are,” she said gloomily. “Which is a distinct disadvantage when it comes to doubling for men as well as women. The only place I can get away with it is in a car chase.” She gazed up at him, her brown eyes narrowing. “I hear there’s a special stunt involving a jeep jumping a canyon in the picture. Is it a big money gag?”
“Eight thousand.”
Eight thousand. Together with what she was making for the rest of the picture, it would be almost enough to clear the debt on Casey’s operation. “I want it, Skip,” she said, her voice vibrating with intensity. “Ineedit.”
“I haven’t decided who’ll do it yet.” Skip’s voice was as coolly measured as a metronome. “There are five men on the team who have the experience for the job and they’d all give their union cards to get it.”
“I could do it. YouknowI could do it. I’m good with cars. Almost as good as Casey was. Give me the gag and you won’t be sorry, Skip. I won’t let you down. One take, I promise.”
“There wouldn’t be any question of that,” he answered. “There’s no run-through possible on this one. It’s either make it or end up at the bottom of the canyon. And my people don’t end up like Casey, Ken. Not when I’m running the action.”
She was still looking at him hopefully, but he was shaking his head. “I’m not going to promise it to you, Ken. I haven’t worked with you in two years and I’ve been hearing a few disturbing things about you lately.” He was turning away. “I’ll think about it, but I’m not going to commit myself to anything until I watch you work. We’ll talk again in Sedikhan.”
He was gone as quickly as he’d appeared, leaving her to gaze after him. Disappointment mixed with a glimmer of hope. At least he hadn’t rejected the idea entirely and that was something. If he hadn’t given the gag to someone else there was still a chance for her to get it. Skip was absolutely fair and, if she could prove herself to him, he’d give her the job.
“Sorry to be so long; the bar was a mob scene.” Dave pressed a champagne glass into her hand and grinned down at her. “I saw Skip talking to you so I didn’t try to speed up the bartender. I thought you’d welcome the chance to try to get him to let you do the jump. Did you convince him?”
A little smile tugged at her lips. “You know me too well, Dave.” She shook her head. “No, he’s reserving judgment at the moment, but I’m not giving up.”
“I didn’t think you would.” Dave gave a mock shudder. “Better you than me. That stunt would make Evel Knievel turn pale. I can’t understand why you stunt people fight so ferociously for the privilege of breaking your necks.”
“Money,” she said succinctly. “And the chance of beating a record set by some other stunt person.” She took a sip of champagne. “And some can’t resist the challenge of walking that tightrope between life and death.” She shrugged. “There’s any number of reasons why we do it if you think about it.”
“None of which makes any sense to a sane individual,” Dave said dryly. His blue gaze was fixed musingly on her face. “You appear to be feeling better. There’s some color in your cheeks now. When I first saw you, you looked so strained and exhausted that I was worried.”
Shewasfeeling better, she discovered to her amazement. The painkillers must have done their stuff because her back wasn’t aching at all now. In fact, she’d never felt more vibrantly, glowingly alive in her entire life. She looked down at the champagne in her glass and smiled broadly. She felt like one of the bubbles that rose in the golden liquid—effervescent, yet very clear and sharp. It was such a lovely sensation. But was it too lovely? She couldn’t be a little tipsy, could she?
Nonsense, she had only had one glass of champagne! It must be the relief of knowing she had a chance at the jump that explained this strange exhilaration. “I feel fine,” she said, smiling brilliantly at Dave. “Wonderful. Now why don’t you tell me what you and Sheila have been up to lately?”
“You’re lucky you didn’t break any bones,” he said grimly. “Like I said, you’re not being careful enough in choosing your jobs. The wrong stunt coordinator can get a person killed. I bet you didn’t even insist on a run-through before the scene was shot.”
“The director was in a hurry to finish the day’s shooting. He didn’t want to take the time.” She smiled bitterly. “Time is money, you know. Casey didn’t have a run-through either or he might not have skidded that car into a stone wall.”
“You should have learned from his mistake,” Dave said. “If you’re not careful, you’ll end up in the hospital yourself and then how will you help Casey?”
“If you want work in this business, you don’t argue with the director,” she said softly. “You know that as well as I do, Dave. All a stuntwoman needs to get blacklisted is a reputation for not being ‘cooperative.’ There are too many amateurs out there ready to step in and take the risks just to get the chance to break into the business.”
“It’s not worth your life, Kendra,” Dave said bluntly. “Hell, it’s not even that the job really appeals to you. You never did get the kick out of it Casey did.”
“But I’m good at it.” Kendra smiled gently. “And that’s what’s important right now. Even as a favor you wouldn’t have hired me forVentureif I wasn’t a competent professional. And you don’t have to worry about the stunt coordinator on this picture. Skip Lowden is the best in the business. I’ve worked for him before.”
“He’s going to have to be,” Dave said. “Ventureis going to have more stunts than a James Bond thriller. Joel insisted I get the top people in the field.” He glanced down at her glass. “You need a refill; shall I get you one?”
“Please.” She watched as Dave dodged his way through the crowd to the bar at the end of the room. She seldom had more than one drink, but she had an idea she might need all the help she could get to see her through the evening. Why weren’t those damn pills taking effect? Cold fear surged through her. Oh Lord, had the fall damaged the scar tissue on the tendons again? Oh, please, God, not now! She needed this job. She hadn’t been entirely truthful with Dave. There had been no need to worry him any more than he was already. Why burden him with the knowledge that she still owed another ten thousand for Casey’s last operation and that the convalescent home bills were astronomical?
“Dave told me you were on the team, but I wasn’t sure you’d be here tonight.” The southwestern drawl was unmistakable, so was the lean hard-bitten face of the man who appeared at her side. Skip Lowden was in his early forties, but the only thing that testified to his age was a sprinkling of gray at his temples. The rest of him was all tough whipcord muscle and cool coordinated power. A power that was echoed in the keen razor-sharp gray eyes gazing into her own. “I heard you took a little tumble this afternoon.”
She should have known he would have heard, she thought in resignation. The professional stuntworld was a very tight network and Skip was prominent in the hierarchy. “It wasn’t much,” she said defensively. “We got it on the second take.”
“The second take should have been the first!” His voice resonated with authority. “You should have insisted on a run-through. Particularly with an amateurish ass like Bodine running the show. You know better than that, Ken.”
She was getting very tired of hearing that. It was all very well for Skip to talk. He had the experience and reputation to be able to demand…and get anything he wanted.
“I’ll remember that onVenture,” she said lightly. “But then, you wouldn’t let me run even one risk without planning it out to the last detail. I know the way you work, Skip. I hear I’m to double for the supporting actress, Billie Callahan.” A tiny frown wrinkled her brow. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of her.”
“It’s her first picture,” Skip answered. “She’s Joel Damon’s new discovery. Brenna Donovan’s starring, but the ingenue gets all the stunts.” His glance went over her objectively. “You’re about the same height, but you’ll have to bind your breasts. Billie isn’t nearly as…voluptuous.”
She grimaced. “Not many women are,” she said gloomily. “Which is a distinct disadvantage when it comes to doubling for men as well as women. The only place I can get away with it is in a car chase.” She gazed up at him, her brown eyes narrowing. “I hear there’s a special stunt involving a jeep jumping a canyon in the picture. Is it a big money gag?”
“Eight thousand.”
Eight thousand. Together with what she was making for the rest of the picture, it would be almost enough to clear the debt on Casey’s operation. “I want it, Skip,” she said, her voice vibrating with intensity. “Ineedit.”
“I haven’t decided who’ll do it yet.” Skip’s voice was as coolly measured as a metronome. “There are five men on the team who have the experience for the job and they’d all give their union cards to get it.”
“I could do it. YouknowI could do it. I’m good with cars. Almost as good as Casey was. Give me the gag and you won’t be sorry, Skip. I won’t let you down. One take, I promise.”
“There wouldn’t be any question of that,” he answered. “There’s no run-through possible on this one. It’s either make it or end up at the bottom of the canyon. And my people don’t end up like Casey, Ken. Not when I’m running the action.”
She was still looking at him hopefully, but he was shaking his head. “I’m not going to promise it to you, Ken. I haven’t worked with you in two years and I’ve been hearing a few disturbing things about you lately.” He was turning away. “I’ll think about it, but I’m not going to commit myself to anything until I watch you work. We’ll talk again in Sedikhan.”
He was gone as quickly as he’d appeared, leaving her to gaze after him. Disappointment mixed with a glimmer of hope. At least he hadn’t rejected the idea entirely and that was something. If he hadn’t given the gag to someone else there was still a chance for her to get it. Skip was absolutely fair and, if she could prove herself to him, he’d give her the job.
“Sorry to be so long; the bar was a mob scene.” Dave pressed a champagne glass into her hand and grinned down at her. “I saw Skip talking to you so I didn’t try to speed up the bartender. I thought you’d welcome the chance to try to get him to let you do the jump. Did you convince him?”
A little smile tugged at her lips. “You know me too well, Dave.” She shook her head. “No, he’s reserving judgment at the moment, but I’m not giving up.”
“I didn’t think you would.” Dave gave a mock shudder. “Better you than me. That stunt would make Evel Knievel turn pale. I can’t understand why you stunt people fight so ferociously for the privilege of breaking your necks.”
“Money,” she said succinctly. “And the chance of beating a record set by some other stunt person.” She took a sip of champagne. “And some can’t resist the challenge of walking that tightrope between life and death.” She shrugged. “There’s any number of reasons why we do it if you think about it.”
“None of which makes any sense to a sane individual,” Dave said dryly. His blue gaze was fixed musingly on her face. “You appear to be feeling better. There’s some color in your cheeks now. When I first saw you, you looked so strained and exhausted that I was worried.”
Shewasfeeling better, she discovered to her amazement. The painkillers must have done their stuff because her back wasn’t aching at all now. In fact, she’d never felt more vibrantly, glowingly alive in her entire life. She looked down at the champagne in her glass and smiled broadly. She felt like one of the bubbles that rose in the golden liquid—effervescent, yet very clear and sharp. It was such a lovely sensation. But was it too lovely? She couldn’t be a little tipsy, could she?
Nonsense, she had only had one glass of champagne! It must be the relief of knowing she had a chance at the jump that explained this strange exhilaration. “I feel fine,” she said, smiling brilliantly at Dave. “Wonderful. Now why don’t you tell me what you and Sheila have been up to lately?”