Broken Shadows Read online

  Everyone sucked in a breath and stared in horror as Ellery froze. Then her lips parted and a laugh burst out. “Y’all, I am so sorry. Gavin said it’d get better the farther along I get.”

  Gavin leaned back and tried to look innocent. That caused the rest of them to laugh. Tinsley asked about the baby, the married couples looked at each other as if having a silent discussion about babies, and Ryker poked his head back in. He returned to the table when he saw the tears were gone.

  His family and friends talked all around him, but Trent didn’t hear them. They’d given him his space when he’d gotten back from California, never expecting what had happened there. It was another matter when Karri arrived. Then the questions had started, though only his brother, Wade, knew the full truth. That probably meant that Darcy did, too. For that matter, they all probably did but had the good manners not to mention it.

  “The women have a point,” Wade said as Darcy joined in talking about baby things. “You know that the media can take an innocent picture and flash a fake headline on it. The only way you’ll know for sure is to talk to Skye.”

  “I agree,” Ryker said on Trent’s other side.

  Trent’s eyebrow rose in surprise. “You do? The man who has shut himself off from every personal attachment since that night—”

  “I told you never to bring that up,” Ryker snapped.

  “Exactly my point. It’s a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ situation. I don’t see you moving on and taking a risk with your heart.”

  Wade clamped his mouth shut and sat back as if Ryker just might explode.

  “What do I care if she’s the love of your life and you’re too scared to go after her?” Ryker tossed back his drink and stood up to leave.

  “I’ll remind you of that someday,” Trent said as he looked up at Ryker.

  “There’s a difference. I’ll never have that opportunity. But you do and you’re too chicken to go after it.”

  Ryker strode angrily from the bar and Trent was left with Wade’s he has a good point shrug. So what if he had a good point? It’s right there in black and white—Skye had moved on. But what if she hadn’t? The voice in his head grew louder the more he tried to ignore it. He’d been hurt and he’d been angry. He’d been betrayed. Could he even afford to recognize the little glimmer of hope that began to take root in his heart?

  2

  “Has he responded?” Karri asked as she and Skye sat by the pool.

  Skye shook her head. Tears threatened to spill in frustration. “I thought he would this time. I saw the three dots hovering. He’s seen it, he’d thought about writing something. Then he didn’t.”

  Karri shifted uncomfortably. “I might know why.”

  Skye’s heart plummeted and then sprang to life. There was a reason? Not just the complete silence she’d been receiving? She’d woken up from the best night of her life to find an empty house. Well, that wasn’t true. Lenny was there getting her ready for some meeting. But Trent was gone. Lenny said he hadn’t seen him and Karri hadn’t either. She’d immediately texted him and . . . nothing. She wasn’t going to give up, though. Her parents never gave up and fought for every harvest and she was going to follow their example.

  So, Skye had texted—over and over. First she’d asked where he went. Then she told him how much that night meant to her. Then she’d flown Karri there to make sure he was still alive while Skye was stuck getting ready to film a movie. When Karri returned, she’d been quiet but said this life might be too hard for him. Celebrity had its upside but also it had a colossal downside. Right now the downside was all she was experiencing. Sure, her career had never been better, but her personal life had never been worse. She’d found love and lost it in less than twenty-four hours.

  “Why?” Skye asked and held her breath as Karri turned her phone around. There was a picture of her co-star and friend Mason Hemming, hugging her from behind. Then she read the headline. Crap. Crap. Crap. It was worse when she read the article about how much Mason gushed about working with her. It was nice and professional, but the news twisted it to make it sound like they were dating. “Assholes! Don’t they bother to fact-check anything?”

  “Either they did or they pretended to. It says a source from the set with inside information gave them the scoop and then they pulled quotes from Mason’s past interviews to make it seem as if you two are an item instead of him just being supportive of your career like the good friend he is.”

  “You mean they want to make money off me and this will run traffic to their site?” Skye was bitter. She’d come to Hollywood because she loved acting. She loved the craft, the writing, the stories, and the magic of it all. Now she hated it. At some point, her life had stopped being hers. Her agent told her what movie roles to take. Her manager told her how to live. Even Karri told her what to eat to maintain a camera-ready figure. Her PR team told her what to say. Her stylist told her what to wear. It went on and on, but the common factor was Skye didn’t have a say in anything. She felt that she’d become nothing more than a dress-up doll with everyone else pulling her strings.

  “What am I doing, Karri?” Skye sighed before taking a long sip of her wine. She looked over the cityscape that used to bring her so much happiness and wondered why it didn’t anymore.

  Karri frowned and reached over to wrap her arm around Skye’s shoulder. “You’re putting your career first.”

  “Is it really my career, though? I’ve made enough money to retire and I’m not even thirty yet. I used to love this. I loved the hours spent getting ready for big events. I loved the camaraderie on set, and I loved talking to people about the movies I was passionate about. Now? Now all I want is to have my own life away from the spotlight.”

  “Don’t tell Lenny and Jim that.” Karri rolled her eyes and Skye smiled into her wine glass. “Speak of the devil,” Karri groaned as they both heard Lenny calling out to them from somewhere inside.

  “Out here!” Skye yelled as she didn’t even bother to look at the man who was something like a stern father figure to her. Her own parents were still on the farm, but she missed them more and more every day. She’d offered to give them enough to retire, but they’d insisted it wasn’t work when you love what you do. She’d understood that at the time. Now she wasn’t so sure. Instead, she’d paid off their mortgage and every Christmas and birthday she surprised them with something for the farm. A tractor, a CropBot, or any new agricultural toy they’d secretly wanted but never would buy for themselves. Maybe it was time to go home for a visit.

  “Ah, there you are.” Lenny bent down and placed a kiss on the top of her head. “I brought someone with me. We have great news.”

  Skye forced a smile for Lenny. He might be a stern father figure, but he was still a good one even if she felt like rebelling against him right now. She looked over her shoulder and saw Jim in his ever-present casual suit that practically screamed that it cost a fortune. Basically, it was a full suit minus the tie. He thought that showed he was relaxed and casual.

  “Hi, Jim. I guess it’s something big if you’re at my house tonight. Did I get nominated for an Oscar or something?” Skye asked with a bit of sarcasm to her voice, which she instantly felt guilty about. This man got her to where she was with the best movie parts she could ask for. They just weren’t the kind to win awards. He was the reason she had this house and the ability to make sure neither she nor her parents ever had to worry about money.

  “It’s big, Skye. Huge! The role that will get you the Oscar for sure,” Jim Hexter of Hexter and Stein Agency said with a grin. He and Lenny were both in their early fifties and similarly built, but Jim looked completely different. He exuded power from his shaved head down to his bright blue eyes, the bespoke suit, and the fifty thousand dollar watch on his wrist. Lenny, meanwhile, went for a surgically-enhanced death grip on youth and clothes that tried to show how hip he was. In Lenny’s mind, he was still twenty-five years old.

  “Did I get the lead in the Marie Lockend drama?” Skye pulled her
legs from the warm pool water and jumped up to face Jim.

  “Better. I got you the lead in the Tony Ketron film everyone is talking about.”

  Skye heard Karri gasp as her own mouth fell open. However, it wasn’t from good news. “I told you I would never do a Tony Ketron film. Not. Ever. What part of that did you not understand?”

  Jim’s smile fell into a scowl. “I lobbied hard to get you this role. You should be grateful. Every A-list name is being floated around and you got it.”

  Skye’s anger fueled her as she fisted her hands and placed them on her hips. “Tony Ketron is a sexist pig. Every one of his movies has left the actresses feeling sexually violated after being naked on set for twenty hours a day. You know I’m friends with Gina Toussaint. You know Tony tried to force her to have unsimulated sex during his last movie. There was no reason for it, but he claims all the nudity and horrific things the actresses go through is for art. Bullshit! It’s so he can get off on having actresses humiliated. His movies have no plot other than how to degrade women.”

  Jim’s jaw tightened. “This is the talked-about movie, Skye.”

  “I know that. You sent me the screenplay and I rejected it. A woman whose powerful husband finds her ugly after she’s given birth so she sends the baby to live with her mother as she finds a way to win her husband back through sexual acts of escalating humiliation where consent is a big issue. No way, or have you forgotten my contract has a no-nudity clause in it?”

  “When you posed nude on top of a dining room table for a magazine, your nudity clause went out the window.” Jim stepped forward as he shoved his hands into his pockets and stared down at her.

  “I was covered, Jim, and you know that. You were there. There isn’t even a hint of the curve of my ass in that picture since I had on flesh-colored underwear. That’s beside the point. I won’t do it. Period. Tell Tony to shove it. I’d rather never win an Oscar than prostitute myself to him for his so-called movie. End of discussion.”

  “Listen here, missy. I made you and I can unmake you. You don’t get to make decisions. That’s for the big boys to do. You do what I tell you, smile, and say thank you for the money I make you.”

  Skye felt Karri come to stand slightly behind her in support.

  “Are you threatening me? I can have any agent in Hollywood take me on if you think you can tell me what to do.”

  Jim smiled, but it wasn’t kindly and Skye felt herself shiver. “Don’t you remember our contract? The one you signed when I discovered you in New York City?”

  “I do, and I remember the no-nudity clause in it,” Skye shot back.

  “Then you also must remember the lifetime agency rights you granted me. Lifetime. I own you, Skye. Forever. So pull up your big girl panties, or should I say pull them down?”

  Anger and fear coursed through her, but she wouldn’t back down. “No. I refuse and I’ll challenge you in court to break the contract. You taught me that, Jim. That every contract can be renegotiated.”

  “Not this one, so you better get used to it. I’m done with your princess attitude. You’re twenty-nine years old. You’re aging out of these roles and into motherly ones. I’m going to milk you for every penny until you’re all used up and there isn’t anything you can do about it. I own you, Skye Jessamine. Down to the trademark I have on your name for merchandising. You’re taking that role and I don’t want to hear a single word about it or I will blacklist you faster than you can blink.”

  “Don’t you threaten me,” Skye shot back at him.

  Lenny held up his hands and stepped toward them. “Okay, okay. Let’s take a deep breath, everyone. No more threats. We’ll table this conversation until later, but the reason I’m here is just that. Threats.”

  Skye’s stomach plummeted even further to the point she was nauseous. There was nothing that scared her more than what she feared Lenny was about to tell her.

  “Another one?” she asked and Karri wrapped her arm around her.

  Lenny nodded. “And this one wasn’t mailed to me like the others.”

  Skye had layers of security to protect her privacy. To get to her, someone had to get through Jim’s secretary, Jim, Lenny, and then Karri. Only then would the phone get handed over to Skye or the email sent to her private account. Jim and Lenny had her private information, but for the general public to reach her, that was the protocol.

  She’d gotten her first threat three days after Trent left. It had been mailed to Lenny’s home. Someone had tracked him down and he was shaken. They all were. The message itself wasn’t ominous, just the fact that it had been mailed directly to Lenny. The message was from a diehard fan. He wanted to meet her. They’d gotten tens of thousands of these kinds of letters sent to her PR firm. After they were all read by agency staff, the threats were taken out and the rest were sent to Lenny. He’d read them and filter out any that worried him. Then he gave the rest to Karri to review before they finally made their way to Skye. She loved her fans and wrote back to as many as she could.

  However, this one was a little different. It was a fan letter, but it had given them all a bad feeling. Then, once a month a new one arrived.

  “How did you get it?” Karri asked as she squeezed Skye’s hand.

  Lenny looked to Jim who nodded. “It was attached to your gate.”

  Skye gasped and leaned into Karri. The unknown fan had been too close to her. “I need to hire private security.”

  Lenny nodded. “I’m on it. I’ll have candidates here tomorrow morning for us to interview, but everyone who is anyone here uses Star Power.”

  Skye reached out and took Lenny’s hand. “Thank you, Lenny.”

  “That’s what I’m here for. Let’s get this threat taken care of and get you safe. Then we can all sit down and read through this Tony Ketron script and see what we can do. Everything is negotiable. Right, Jim?” Lenny stared him down and Skye felt some relief at having someone on her side, even though she was not going to take this role whether hell froze over or not.

  “I’m sorry, Skye. I got carried away. This puts everything in perspective. Your safety is paramount. We will discuss it later this week. Do you want us to stay with you tonight?” Jim asked and while Skye knew he would push this movie, here was the Jim she’d known for the past eight years.

  “We’re okay, thank you. I think I just want to lock everything up tight and go to bed.”

  Lenny hugged her and promised to let the neighborhood security know. Jim even hugged her. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to do my job.”

  Skye nodded and watched as they walked out of her house. She and Karri followed them and immediately locked the doors behind them and began to check every door and window in the entire house. As they closed the sliding doors to the patio, they finally took a breath and Karri turned to her with concern on her face.

  “You know what Jim did was bullshit, right? That was not okay.”

  “I know. Let’s get the contract and look over it. I don’t remember that section about lifetime rights, but I wasn’t going to argue that until I’d seen it with my own two eyes. Then I’ll talk to my lawyer about it.”

  Karri shook her head as they walked to Skye’s private office. “You can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Bernie Ganoti might be your lawyer, but he was hired by Jim. The agency is his main client,” Karri pointed out and Skye stopped at her desk.

  She looked up at Karri with surprise. “You’re right.”

  “Haven’t you realized I’m the only person in your life not put here by Jim? He even hired Lenny”

  Skye had thought all these others controlled her life, but it wasn’t them. It was all Jim. “He hired my PR people because they represent all his clients. Lenny hired my stylist and makeup person because they worked with Jim’s biggest stars. You’re right. You’re the only person in my inner circle not put there by Jim.”

  Skye leaned down and pulled out the thick contract she’d signed eight years ago.

  “I’ll s
tay in the guest room tonight.”

  “Thank you.” Skye looked down at thick binder. “And I have some reading to do.”

  3

  “Skye!”

  Skye’s eyes popped open as Karri flung her bedroom door open at six in the morning.

  “What is it?” Skye was instantly awake. She might be a Hollywood actress, but it would take a lifetime to quash the up-with-the-rooster farm life she’d lived for the first eighteen years of her life. When she was in college, she and Karri were up at dawn to get their lacrosse workouts in before their first class.

  Karri didn’t say anything as she grabbed the remote and turned on the local news. “Skye Jessamine’s sexy photo shoot was even hotter than the cover photo published by the architecture magazine,” the celebrity reporter said into the camera as a photo of Skye nude on Trent’s table flashed on the screen.

  “What’s going on? This is the magazine cover and I’m not really naked.” Skye was confused until the next image snapped onto the screen. “Oh my God. That’s not me!” A woman wearing the same robe Skye had been wearing was snapped with her robe wide open. Hair covered her face, but it was made to look as if it were in Skye’s dining room. Skye couldn’t stop watching as image after image appeared. They showed her crawling naked on the table and jumping around as if she were dancing. They were blurred out but she knew they’d not be blurred online. “I never did that! You were there, you know that!”

  Karri’s phone began to ring and she answered it. “Yeah, Lenny. I’m with her now. Yes, we know it’s not her. No, she’s not all right. Yes, we’ll see you soon.”

  Her phone rang the second she hung up with Lenny. She snapped her fingers to get Skye’s attention, showed her the photographer’s name on the screen, and put the phone on speaker. “Please tell her we had nothing to do with this. I’m an artist, a professional. I would never leak film from my set and these aren’t even real.”