Page 122 of No Holds Barred

“Those are the ones that bring up the ratings.” Logan stared at her directly.

“All right.” Hope bit her lip again. “What kind of scene would you like it to be?”

“I’ll leave that to you and Cadence to figure out along with Rex and Ange. You know the details of where you can cause or create tension or where you can have a gentle moment of affirmation together.” Logan waved his hand in the air as if dismissing the thought.

But this was so radically different from any conversation she’d had with Josef concerning filming that it threw her for a loop. Hope nodded, taking in the information, letting it settle in her chest.

“Are you and Ange…” Logan started and stopped again.

Hope would normally finish the sentence for him, but this time, she kept her mouth shut tight. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know where he was going with it. Because then she might have to lie. Angelica had made it very clear that their relationship was to remain a secret at least through the rest of filming,and she wasn’t going to break the promise she’d made. Even if she suspected Rex might know. He had intimate knowledge of everything while no one else actually did. And Josef just had suspicions.

At least, she was fairly certain he only suspected and didn’t actually know everything that had happened.

“You and Ange seem close,” Logan amended, just saying the quiet part out loud. “Josef is making accusations about what that means.”

“I’ve heard,” Hope replied, keeping her tone curt.

“Right.” Logan sighed and nodded, but it seemed to be far more to himself than to Hope. “I can’t untangle a lot of this until after we finish filming, and since there’s only one episode left, do you think we can make it through before the three of us have a sit down?”

“Three?” Hope asked.

“You, me, and Ange.” Logan eyed her directly. “To talk about navigating these… accusations.”

“There won’t be any accusations if Josef isn’t on set.” Hope kept her tone calm and even. She was so tired of playing these games. “For three years, Josef has taunted Ange with threats based on who she has relationships with, trying to isolate her from the rest of the crew, and he very nearly succeeded until the middle of last season.”

“What happened?”

“Vegas.” Hope worried her lips together. “Vegas is where everything started to change. Josef slipped up. He wasn’t just nasty to Angelica in private, he did it in front of everyone, where they could all see the man behind the mask—so to say. Though I don’t think he really wore a mask. I think he just used the power and privilege of patriarchy.”

Logan cocked his head at her.

Hope rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“If it’s what you feel?—”

“It’s what I know,” Hope interrupted him. “When we were dealing with Julian Tower, things changed. The crew started to treat Ange differently then, and it hasn’t stopped. They protect her now. Before, they wouldn’t have.”

Logan wrinkled his brow but didn’t say anything directly.

“He’s the one who’s pushing this.”

“I hear that.” Logan stared at her, his gaze unwavering. “But what I need to determine—not today or even this week because we all need to focus—is how much truth is behind what he’s saying.”

Hope’s heart sank. Logan was going to find out. He was simply being respectful for now, but if they were renewed for season four, then everything was going to come out. And Hope knew, without a doubt, that she and Angelica were going to have to tread very carefully when all of this was announced, not only to the world but to the crew.

“Josef knows nothing,” Hope said, firmly. She was sure of that. He was simply putting pieces together, but he had no actual proof. No one had proof. She and Angelica had been so damn careful for the last three years, and she wouldn’t allow anything to ruin that.

“Then we’ll talk when we’re finished filming.”

“Is that all?” Hope asked.

“Yes,” Logan answered.

Hope said nothing else as she walked back to the kitchen, passing Angelica and sending her a look of despair as she shook her head and held up her hand so Angelica wouldn’t come any closer. The last thing they needed was to give Logan any more ammunition to think that Josef was actually right.

When Hope reached the kitchen, she relaxed instantly. The scents, the sounds, it was all so familiar that it’d set her right nomatter what. She stepped toward the prep table, but a hand on her elbow stopped her sharply.

“I need to talk to you.” Cadence looked nervous, something Hope had never seen from her before. Cadence was always confident in everything she did, even if she actually wasn’t.