Page 24

Quinn

For the past week, Silver’s been a complete gentleman, except for locking us in the basement one at a time whenever he takes the other out.

Yeah, we’re back to that. I know he leaves me down there for show because he doesn’t want my father to wonder why I have special treatment.

Spoiler alert—I’m falling for this man. And I can’t wait for the day he trusts my father enough to let him roam the house.

Ha, listen to me… acting like a school girl that I never was. What can I say? I’m giddy because I’m in Silver’s new rental, with his thumb caressing my palm as he drives with one hand over the wheel, speeding to our destination—the date he promised me.

Honestly, I’m shocked Dad hasn’t asked if I’m interested in him when we were alone.

He could literally be a model—albeit an older one.

It’s like David Beckham and Al Pacino had a baby.

I guess it has something to do with Silver confessing about his lost family.

It was either enough to stop my dad from prying… or he’s scared to pry.

One way or another, it’s going to come out.

That’s tomorrow’s problem, though. Now? We’re on the way to stage house number seven to watch a filming of Chilling Desires , and my heart is beating out of my chest I’m so excited. The girls at work would be so jealous…

The thought sparks a pang of sadness in my gut.

I know I’m not supposed to be an accountant behind a computer screen, but it’s not like it was all bad.

I haven’t seen or interacted with my team in what feels like years.

Even though they’re just surface-level friends because I’m guarded as hell…

still… I do miss them. One look over to the silver fox at my side makes all of that sadness melt away.

“What is it?” he purrs, not taking his eyes off the road.

“Hm?”

“I know that look like the back of my hand. You want to say something.” He eyes me. “You always tilt your head and look away when you’re holding something back.”

“Oh, learning to read me?” I sneer, giving him a taste of his own grumpy medicine.

“I’ve already memorized you cover to cover.” He smirks.

“Not that simple.” I twist and face him, putting one leg on my seat to get comfortable. “You have to read in between the lines to really understand a girl like me.”

“Is that so?” One of his green eyes turns my way. It scans me up and down like a hawk inspecting its prey.

Yeah, I’ll be prey for you.

When he glances back to the road, his hand reaches to my inner thigh, causing heat to swirl into my cheeks and pool near my slit.

Whoa.

I forget how to breathe when our skin touches. He’s warm and big and… inching closer to me.

“Am I reading correctly?” he purrs, that dastardly grin growing on his face.

“Maybe,” I whisper with the little air left in my lungs.

Falling lower in my seat, I squirm, trying to bring my slit to him since he’s teasing me like a jerk. His hand just lingers there, inching closer and then pulling back. I could literally get off to him just pretending to go near me.

The hell is wrong with me?

I inhale deeply when his finger grazes over my leggings, right over my second lips. He nearly touches my clit over the panties, and I can feel the wetness staining them.

My mouth parts as I forget where I am. The only thing my mind focuses on is his touch. My sight might as well all be a blur; hearing is only my heartbeat.

Please take me, Silver, I beg in my head.

Grabbing at his hand to bring him all the way in, he pulls away and grabs my chin lightning fast, scaring me stiff and turning me on twice as much. As he pulls up to a gate, he looks at me.

“ We’re here, ” he whispers, then gives me a taunting kiss.

Bastard.

I watch him exit the car like nothing ever happened.

He’s talking to the guy guarding the gate—some young man about the age of all the rookie cops I want to strangle.

Watching Silver grab the back of the guy’s head lovingly reminds of a tough father-figure.

The way he smiles while still somehow being stern…

it turns me on. And I’m just left here to marinate in my own puddle.

He comes back as the gate opens, and the angry glare I’m giving him makes him laugh. “I thought you’d be excited.”

“I was,” I say through gritted teeth, and he laughs again.

“Maybe if you’re a good girl, I’ll spank you later,” he teases.

“Oh, is that my reward?”

“Just reading between the lines.” He pulls up to the parking lot, where cameramen and women roll their equipment into a garage entrance, and I’m excited all over again. “There she is. C’mon.”

He gets out of the car and taps the hood for me to get moving.

It starts to hit me when I see a woman with an ear-piece directing people to their spots. Haddad trailers make it all the more real. Some of my favorite soap actors could be in there right now. This is… awesome .

He grabs my hand and takes a quick look at my straight black wig—which is absolutely ridiculous.

I feel like Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction.

My square-frame, fake lens glasses are something I would never wear, especially considering I have pilot-perfect eyesight.

Alas, these are the conditions of breathing the freezing cold Jersey air, I guess.

A man opens a suitcase of props to the woman with the ear-piece, and my mouth nearly hangs open. Turkey baster? Silverware? They’re doing the sequel to the Thanksgiving massacre!

I squeeze Silver’s arm tight, pointing.

“Keep it together. We’re not even inside yet,” he mutters.

“Hey, Aros.” One of the prop guys nods at him.

“Mikey.” Silver nods back.

“Who’s the pretty lady? You never bring anyone on set,” Mikey says innocently.

“Someone special I’ve been seeing. Harley, meet Mikey.”

My face goes bright red as I shake his hand… I can feel the heat. Did he really just make my nickname Harley … because my name is Quinn … did he really just make a Batman and Suicide Squad reference?

I don’t know why that twists me like a pretzel, but I want to pull his hair.

“Pleasure to meet you.” I’m all smiles, unlike my normal persona, and as soon as Mikey is out of the way, I pinch Silver hard by the elbow.

He jolts. “Kid, I swear to God .”

“What do you think I’m some kind of comic book character? How about I call you Vito Corleone?”

“That’d be a great honor.” Silver adjusts his jacket, trying not to laugh.

“ Ugh. ” My frustration melts when I walk inside to a done-up set, with a wide last-supper-like table complete with gigantic steaming turkey, a plate of beets, stuffing, and twenty table settings for all the guests. “Oh shit, they really are doing a sequel. That means… Ronny Ranchester is here.”

Silver eyes me, and I’m not sure what that look is. Jealousy?

No way.

I could poke the bear and say something else about how hot the murderer is, but that might be a bit much right now. I’ll wait ’til he calls me Harley again.

Silver gets to his seat and picks up the copy of the script on it, detailing the scene. “That’s yours.” He nods casually, and my heart stalls when I notice the lettering embroidered onto the cloth of the chair that reads “Kid,” along with my very own copy.

“Oh my, Laura would freak if she saw this right now.” I gasp when flipping through the pages.

“Okay, so, Tracy is going for revenge after Daughtry killed her sister at the dinner table before company arrived. They’re going to film a reenactment from Tracy’s thoughts as if she was her sister.

She suspects Daughtry, but hasn’t ruled out the others who could’ve been there helping her sister that day. ”

“You’re really into this, huh?” Silver takes his seat and leans back, eyeing all the workers to keep note of any scuffs.

“You have no idea.” I scan the pages faster and faster, still disbelieving that I have front row seats to how the sauce is made. The show is funny with the over-the-top murders, and sometimes a little bit serious, but at all moments entertaining .

Once I’m done skimming my first read-through, I grab Silver’s hand and squeal. The cameras are all set at this point, and I’m just waiting on the actors to be called from their suites.

“Ahh, there’s Tracy!” I say in an airy voice, so not to disrupt.

“Yeah, her real name’s Maddy,” Silver says. “We can meet her after if you’d like.”

“That would be amazing.” I smile, then gasp when Ronny—AKA Daughtry Stiles, the murderer—struts in. His white scarf is oversized and ridiculous, as is his Chad- wear. Polo, white slacks, you know. He’s a great villain with feathery hair and uses his kind eyes to disarm anyone he’s speaking to.

My brow furrows when I notice Silver’s arm stiffen. “Hm?”

He wipes my chin. “Got some drool on you.”

“Oh stop. Didn’t take you for the jealous type.”

“I don’t like those eyes wandering anywhere but here.” He points to his face. “Told you once already, I know that look .”

I pucker my lips, challenging him. Even though he’s joking around, there’s some seriousness behind it, kind of like Chilling Desires .

“Just a little star struck, is all.” I curl around his arm and look up at him. “Nothing like the look I give to my heroic ghost.”

I throw him a bone because… well… he deserves it. Then I go back to ogling the star getting ready to work.

“ And… action! ”

The cameras are rolling. One moves as Daughtry grabs the knife and puts on a comically evil face as he’s cutting the turkey. “Maya, why don’t you come help me for a second? Not sure if this is the right amount of stuffing.”

“ Be right there! ” Maya calls.

It’s crazy to see all the overhead microphones moving seamlessly with the cameras to follow Maya. She comes over with extra pep in her step, because everyone believes they’re getting it on behind closed doors.

She stops by the turkey and bends to look inside. “Looks pretty stuffed to me— Ahh! ”

Daughtry wraps an arm around her neck and pulls her back, showing all his teeth and widening his eyes for the camera. They both hold the pose, and I see Silver palming his face, trying not to groan. I can’t help but put my hand over my mouth, masking a laugh.

This shit is hilarious.

“ Cut! ” The director a few seats over gets up and claps his hands once. “Brilliant! Got it first try. Next, we’re going to shoot Benny as the potential killer.”

“You don’t find this entertaining?” I bend forward in my chair to scrutinize Silver.

“Mmph.” His hand drags slowly down his face.

I can see it though… he’s hiding a grin.

The next death is even more over the top. When Benny calls Maya in, he’s hiding under the table—knife in hand—moving his nose like a crazed bunny as the cameras bend to get the right angle.

“I think I dropped something,” Benny says. “Can I get a hand in here, Maya?”

We’re both watching Benny’s face, and Silver actually starts silently cracking up.

“ I knew it, ” I whisper, laughing beside him. “ You love this shit too! ”

“ Cut! Another great one!” The director claps.

“It’s just so fucking ridiculous,” he says.

“That’s the point . Get it? Point? Knife?”

He groans again as we both cackle, enjoying each other wholeheartedly.

“See, Silver? We can have fun even when we’re not loving each other’s brains out.” I wink at him.

“Mm,” he groans. “May-be, kid. May-be.”

As the fifth would-be killer sets up, a door slams in the front of the house, startling everyone.

In walks a massive man in fitted slacks, loafers, and a black polo that he’s positively bursting out of. Dark hair and dark features are somewhat familiar, but I can’t quite place them. His angry eyes honed in on Silver makes me freeze.

When I unfreeze, I recall who he is. I’ve seen him before in Dad’s files… as a kingpin. That’s Donny fucking Valentino.

“Show is over ,” Donny’s voice carries. “Everybody, get the fuck out. ”