“There’ll be a lot of someones telling you how to do everything from now on.”
Jac nodded, respecting Dawn’s own moviemaking expertise. Sure, she’d “just” been a stuntwoman, but she knew the ropes.
The ride went quiet, a little tense. As they drove along the surflined highway, the radio DJ talked gossip: Justin Timberlake in Vegas, Paris Hilton’s most recently discovered sex video, Darrin Ryder’s recovery from last month’s mugging and his big night back on the town—
Jac snicked off the radio, not that Dawn cared. She wasn’t a big Ryder fan; his harassment on a movie set was just one of many reasons she’d found herself on the outs in her stunt career.
Minding her seat belt, Dawn pulled her jacket tighter around her. After The Voice had given her permission to “take care of some personal business” for a few hours, she’d armed up and driven to Jac’s. Chances were there’d be a security check at the door—unless Jac had enough clout as the production’s ingénue to get them out of it—so Dawn had adjusted her weapons accordingly.
Item one: if Jac were Eva, she might be like Robby Pennybaker, who’d been basically unaffected by holy objects; this meant Dawn had forgone most of those items except for a few just-in-case standbys, like a bit of holy water and the crucifix she always wore. Item two: Dawn might never get inside the party with a gun or blades, so she’d brought less obvious weapons. Silver, which had poisoned Robby, was her greatest ally right now so, among other things, she’d worn a necklace, bracelet, and earrings that were sharp enough to pierce a vamp’s skin if they got too close. Breisi had constructed the jeweled set a while ago, so Dawn had borrowed them. She’d also grabbed a lighter and a mini aerosol hairspray—a makeshift flamethrower in case fire could stop an attacking vamp.
So here she was—a real live vamp hunter. She hadn’t even rubbed down with garlic, deciding not to offend everyone at the party tonight. Instead, she’d been sneakier, bringing along a small perfume dispenser full of garlic essence that she could mist onto her skin. It would work for lower-level vamp repulsion if she needed it. Subtle yet armed.
Jac pulled onto Malibu Colony Drive, where they came to guarded gates. After Jac’s ID quickly ushered them through, she continued to Paul Aspen’s mansion, which also boasted security at the entrance. As they pulled into the drive, tropical vegetation loomed above them, lush and still.
While the guards checked the car ahead, red taillights glowed through the windshield. Dawn turned to Jac, and the girl smiled brightly, washed over by the sanguine shade.
A bolt of anguish at seeing her mother covered in red again ripped through Dawn. Her stomach went sour. Still, it was time to start working. Time to solve what the hell was going on.
“Know something funny?” Dawn asked.
“I can always use some comedy.”
Here it goes, she thought, primed to pay careful attention to every detail of Jac’s reactions.
She let out a tiny, uncomfortable laugh, Acting! like her comment was about to embarrass her. “Last time I saw you in person, back at the hospital…”
Dawn trailed off purposely.
Jac merely tilted her head in a casual listening pose.
“I…” Dawn laughed again. “Well, seeing you all made over…For a weird second, I actually thought you were my mom, like you’d come back to life. Isn’t that messed up?”
Dawn waited for the clues to surface: a gleam of understanding in Jac’s gaze, a flinch, a tell.
But there was nothing. Just Jac reaching out to Dawn and patting her knee.
Dawn’s instincts told her to push away, but it was a nice touch, lending her some ease. Inexplicably, she put her own hand over Jac’s, but as soon as she realized it, she retreated.
Jac didn’t seem to mind. “I know how that made you feel, and I understand why you needed to take some time before seeing me again. I’m still so sorry about the surprise.”
“I’m over it.”
Jac squeezed Dawn’s knee. “Now that we’ve gotten the awkwardness out of the way, I’m actually flattered that you’d say I’m like her. Gosh, to even be in the same realm as Eva Claremont is just…”
It was like stars were shining in the girl’s eyes. Stars with pointed edges that jabbed and tore.
If she were Eva, she was a hell of an actress. Or was Jac truly just another innocent bystander, one who was in direct firing range of Dawn’s agenda?
You can’t go around thinking everything is going to attack you, Kiko had said.
Once again, she thought of the throwing star speeding toward the homeless woman, the snick of it hitting her arm, the blood on the stuffed animal.
“Hey,” Jac said, leaning closer. “Something’s wrong, isn’t it? Is it still me?”
The car ahead of them drove away, and the security officer waved Jac forward. Dawn was saved from answering as the starlet pulled up.