Page 14 of The Aster Valley Collection, Vol. 2

She gave me the kind of look that said she thought I was being deliberately humble.

“Come on now. We’ve seen the photos of you standing next to the suspect while he’s being loaded into the vehicle.

It’s clear you were more involved in the takedown than you want to take credit for.

Why don’t you take us through the event minute by minute? ”

I hadn’t gotten close to Gene Stanner until after he’d been handcuffed and read his rights. If I was photographed anywhere near him, it was because I shadowed Declan like a hungry tick right after everything had happened.

“I…” I was at a loss for words. “I didn’t…

” My media training kicked in, and I remembered who I was.

I was an Emmy Award–winning actor who’d been interviewed like this hundreds of times.

“I’d rather talk about this production and how proud I am to be bringing Nolan’s vision to life.

We’ve been on location this week here in the Rocky Mountains, and I can’t imagine a more beautiful setting for filming.

Crystobell and Logan have already shot some amazing scenes, and I’m especially excited for the chance to get dirty on the side of the mountain when we shoot the climbing scenes. ”

Before the interviewer had the chance to bring me back around to last night’s incident, Nolan jumped in.

“We are thrilled to have Finn on board doing all of his own stunts. One of our goals with Gold Rats is to present the action as realistically as possible. That’s what the audience expects in a Nolan Trainor film,” he said with a zealous gleam in his eye.

“Not only will Finn be doing his own climbing scenes, but he’ll also be doing his own stunts in some hand-to-hand fighting scenes and our climactic scene involving pyrotechnics and a daring mountainside chase.

We’re thrilled to have the incredible talent of Finn, Logan, and Crystobell.

The three of them are professional, dedicated performers, and they’ve already spent countless hours training for these challenging scenes. ”

I smiled weakly and tried to appear like a “professional, dedicated performer,” but I didn’t feel particularly prepared for a pyrotechnic chase scene.

At all. It seemed Declan had been right about the explosion situation, and I’d been left out of the loop.

I needed to call Iris as soon as the interview was over and find out what the heck I’d agreed to.

Nolan kept the interview focused on the prep work and filming for the next several minutes, but he finally allowed another question about the shooting the night before.

“Is it true the gunman took a shot at you as soon as he realized who was in the sheriff’s vehicle?” Nadine asked.

I opened my mouth to deny it, but I realized I didn’t really know why he’d shot at the passenger-side door. Declan had explained it as a wild shot taken at the moment the deputy rushed the suspect, but since I couldn’t see what was happening, I couldn’t really say.

“I don’t think the suspect would have had any way of knowing I was there,” I said instead. “I was out of sight. From what I was told, it was a wild shot rather than one aimed at a specific target.”

The woman pursed her lips and lifted her eyebrows as if to call me on my humble bullshit again. “The only shot taken during the standoff was aimed at the most famous celebrity in town, and you think that was a coincidence?”

I nodded. “I do. Yes. And I’m not the only celebrity in town,” I added with a smile.

She went on to ask me if I’d met other famous residents of Aster Valley like Tiller Raine and Gentry Kane.

I told her I’d met them briefly the night I’d arrived since Tiller and Mikey were kind enough to host the cast and crew at Rockley Lodge.

“And supposedly Gent and the rest of GUS will be performing at a small music festival while we’re here.

I’m looking forward to seeing them play. ”

I continued singing the praises of the charming town of Aster Valley and all it had to offer.

Part of the reason Tiller and Mikey had agreed to let Nolan film on location here was to help give the town and the mountain some positive media exposure before they opened the new ski resort. Hopefully, interviews like this helped.

When she finally wrapped up the interview, she left with one chilling question. “Nolan, are you adding extra security to protect your cast and crew in light of the situation Finn found himself in last night?”

Nolan looked into the camera with his serious face.

“Nadine, our cast and crew are like family, and we take their security very seriously. We regret Finn was put into such a dangerous situation last night by the very law enforcement group who is supposed to protect us while we’re on location in Rockley County. ”

My entire body stiffened in response to his harsh implication. I opened my mouth to cut in, but he kept talking.

“Obviously we do not blame the sheriff’s office for last night’s events, but it has brought up the need for us to revisit our security measures even here in a seemingly safe place. Of course, we will provide the best personal security possible to our valuable cast and crew while we are here.”

Was he going to assign us some kind of bodyguard? There was no way I wanted someone following me around when the events of last night were so clearly a one-off situation rather than the norm.

Before Nadine could end the interview, I added, “According to the Rockley County Sheriff’s Department, the violent crime rate is twenty-eight times lower in Aster Valley than the national average.

What happened last night is not indicative of anyone’s safety here.

It was a single event perpetrated by an unhappy person.

I feel completely safe on the streets of Aster Valley, especially under the watchful eye of the Rockley County Sheriff’s Department. ”

As soon as we were off the air, I let out a whoosh of air. I was exhausted from lack of sleep, nerves, and trying to keep smiling while everyone seemed to want to dig a salacious story out of me.

Nolan patted me on the back. “Good job, buddy. I like the humble citizen routine. Very Chip Clover. Works perfectly with your reputation. Keep it up.”

I wanted to ask him if he was really going to step up security, but I didn’t trust myself not to get into an argument if his answer was yes. Instead, I thanked him and headed for my trailer. Logan and Crystobell were there waiting for me, and Kix was on the phone a few yards away.

“You all set?” Crys asked with a big smile. “Nolan looked happy after the interview. It must have gone well.”

I nodded. “I think so. Listen… are you doing your own stunts in the avalanche scene?” I already knew she wasn’t doing her own climbing in the one climbing scene she had, so I was curious if the “authenticity” bit Nolan had hyped only referred to me.

She laughed her famous throaty chuckle. “Are you kidding? Darien would kill me.”

Darien VanNyke was her agent, but there’d been rumors for at least a year that they also lived together as a couple.

They supposedly kept it quiet to maintain her “available” image as a sexy single woman, but anyone in the industry who’d ever seen the two of them together knew she was about as single as a handcuff.

I glanced at Logan. “And you?”

“I do all my own fighting stunts,” he said. “But that avalanche shit is no joke. I’m not interested in being anywhere near the pyrotechnics. My cousin lost two of his fingers shooting off fireworks when he was a kid. No, thanks.”

Kix ended the call and strode over to us. “If I had the chance to do it, I’d jump on it in a heartbeat. Think of all the ass you could get.”

Logan huffed and shook my shoulder. “As if this pretty boy has trouble getting ass back home in WeHo. Not sure he needs his gonads blown off to get whatever dick he wants.”

Kix laughed. “Point taken. Maybe you should back out of it, Finn. No point in risking this face.”

He reached out to pinch my cheek, but I batted his hand away. I was this close to canceling my plans and returning to my chalet to hide under the covers until my courage returned. But Kix’s next words changed my mind.

“I wonder if we’ll run into the sheriff and that deputy up at the Roadhouse again tonight. Surely they’ll be there having congratulatory drinks, too. Finn can buy them a round in thanks for not getting his nards blown off last night.”

The fear in my gut turned to more normal nerves at the thought I might get to see the sexy sheriff again at the bar.

“Can everyone stop referring to my nuts, please?” I muttered, turning to head to the parking area.

There was only one person I wanted thinking about my balls tonight, and god willing, he’d be at the bar.

He wasn’t.

After we’d been there an hour and I’d had to spend most of that hour fending off pushy fans, I overheard a server telling the bartender he wouldn’t be able to rely on the sheriff’s help closing the bar tonight.

“Penny told me he’s down to Denver tonight for personal reasons and won’t be back until late tomorrow.”

After that, my brain went on a fantasy spree thinking up all the ridiculous reasons Declan would have to go to Denver. Did it have something to do with the bacon lady on the other end of the line yesterday? The woman he called honey?

It was none of my business. Obviously. But the realization I wouldn’t see him was enough for me to be done for the night.

“I’m headed back to the chalet,” I finally told Kix and the others. “I’m beat, and I don’t have the energy to pretend to be pleasant for our fans. Sorry.”

They let me go without a fuss, probably because I hadn’t been nearly as open and talkative as they’d hoped when they’d invited me out, and they understood how hard it was to be “on” when you didn’t feel up to it.

I made it back to the chalet without incident and made another attempt at meditation before taking a long, hot bath in the large tub.

After I finally fell into bed, I slept hard.

But the nightmares were enough to wake me several times during the night.

The following day was just as full of curious cast and crew as the day before, and when I’d gone for a run on the country roads near the chalet, I’d been swarmed by a band of fans from out of the blue.

The craziness went on for two more days until I couldn’t find a moment’s peace either on set or back at the chalet.

I was suddenly everyone’s favorite novelty, and the low-lying fear in my gut remained.

It didn’t make any sense. I hadn’t actually been in that much danger at the Stanner property, so why was I so damned scared all of a sudden?

When I got a copy of the contract from Iris and saw exactly what I’d agreed to on this project, I wondered if maybe my fear had come from some kind of sixth sense.

But it was too late to back out now. Not if I wanted the Shakespeare thing to happen in my lifetime.

And when I asked my mom about it, she agreed.

I felt hemmed in, burdened by the weight of everyone’s expectations… and at the same time, really alone.

I finally had an afternoon off and decided to go climbing by myself to find a place where no one else could get to me.

I’d researched popular climbing locations in the area before coming to Aster Valley, so I decided to head to one of the most challenging climbs at Slye Peak.

The harder the climb, the fewer people to interact with.

When I finally clipped into my harness and felt the rough surface of granite under my fingertips, I closed my eyes and relaxed my body.

I am the rock, and the rock is fearless.

I began to climb, deliberately ignoring the darkening sky in my desperation to escape into solitude.