Page 31 of Holy Sinner

Holly winces and looks to the side. “We thought it might be best if she were to stay behind in Seattle.”

I feel Kit go stiff as a board in my arms and I squeeze her to me. “Not fucking happening.”

“They’re taking photos of our woman and your brilliant solution is to leave her behind?” Rafe asks and comes to stand beside me. He takes a step forward to shield Kit from Holly and her assistant.

“How the fuck is that a good idea?”

“The production is obviously not a safe place for her,” Holly says quietly. She clears her throat and looks at me pleadingly because she thinks I’m the way in to get Rafe to see reason but she’s wrong. Out of the two of us, I’m the insane one and we are not leaving Kit behind.

“That’s on security,” I tell her and jerk my chin at her. “Do better and we won’t have a problem, now will we?”

“That’s what we’re trying to do.” Holly crosses her arms and lifts her chin to first meet my eyes and then Rafe’s. She’s doing a decent job at holding her own against us. I’d be impressed if I wasn’t wanting to snap her neck.

“The movie is in danger of being leaked. Someone on set has been feeding photos of not just you three but scenes. Someone here is fucking with our timeline and our investors and the producers are pissed. You think I want a director that’s skittish about everything? No, the fuck I do not because that makes for a crap product. I need my director sound and the production company funding all of this,” she circles her finger for emphasis around the room, “to not be breathing down my damn neck about the movie getting canceled.”

Kit’s sharp intake of breath is the only warning I get before she’s pushing out of my arms and out from behind Rafe.

“They can’t cancel the movie! I won’t let that happen!” Kit exclaims and waves Rafe off when he tries to pull her back. “Who is talking about canceling the movie?” she asks Holly.

The assistant director looks away. “It’s just talk.”

“Who is doing the talking?” Kit presses.

When Holly doesn’t answer her I think we’re going to have to force her but it’s the assistant, Jane, that speaks up. “The investors. Friends of the director,” she says softly.

Holly glares at her. “Zip it, Jane.”

“No, I don’t think Jane should ‘zip it’ since she’s telling me what I want to know. Are they serious about pulling funding?”

Jane fidgets but she nods finally. “They think the leaks are going to make the movie bomb, that there’s no point in people going to theaters if someone is just giving it out for free.”

Rafe scoffs. “Are they idiots? That’s free fucking advertising.”

He’s right. There’s something else going on here that Jane isn’t telling us.

“What else is it?” Kit asks but I’m already putting the pieces together. They wanted to leave Kit behind even while using her as the excuse to move the entire production.

“It’s the three of us,” I say and everyone’s eyes come to me. “Yeah the pictures are fucked but this is a sweet little way for them to keep us and whatever scandal they think is gonna come with us being together away, isn’t it?”

I look at Jane, not Holly and I see her flinch and go red. I’m right.

“Then let them cancel the movie,” Rafe mutters and crosses his arms. “We’re not leaving Kit.”

I open my mouth to agree with him but Kit is there talking before I can. “No, I can’t. We can’t let them do that.” She turns to look at Rafe and I and I hate that I see tears shining in her beautiful eyes. “This book saved my life. I can’t lose this movie. I can’t.”

Those last two words are a whisper and I already know what Kit is going to say before she says it.

“I’m staying in Seattle.”

Fuck.

Chapter Fifteen

RAFE

“The fuck you are.” I shake my head and lean in close to Kit so she gets how serious I am about this. “You’re not staying.”

Kit gives me a stubborn look that I know all too well from her. She’s going to dig her heels in about this. “I am if it means saving the movie.”

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