Page 58 of Finding Love in the Clouds

Marcus approached, his tall head easily clearing the stack of equipment containers used to create their tiny room. “You two need to strap into the seats during takeoff. Once we level out, you can decide if you want to sit or sleep during the flight. The lavatory is right over there. The team just completed a highly classified mission and will be conducting their after-mission briefing and equipment checks. You will remain in this area during the flight to provide maximum security for all parties. Please do not look over the wall or attempt to open any of the gear that has been stacked to provide you privacy. None of these security agents are assigned to your details. You should not consider this a secure location.” He paused, encouraging them to take a seat and buckle up with a wave of his hand as the plane engine roared to life and the taxi began. Once they were situated, he continued, “I talked to Sarge, and the team is happy to see you home and provide any assistance you need when we arrive. Those orders will come from Enrique before we land. Julio stayed back to wrap up loose ends with the gondolier. He wanted Sophie to know that his memory is intact, and he will be joining the BraveHeart team once he gets cleared. Turns out, after analyzing surveillance footage and listening to our security reports, that you were not in the canals during your little conversation but out in the open waters of the lagoon. Your gondolier, Paolo, is a highly decorated officer in the Italian military and immediately pickedup on the conversation’s sensitivity. He is also a romantic and didn’t want to tell you to be quiet, so he protected you the best he could. He’s safe, for now, and may become a familiar face in your future security details as E and J want as few folks to know about Sophie’s past as possible. Do you have any questions or concerns?”

Fernando and Sophie both shook their heads. “Please thank the team for their support and quick actions that are making it possible for us to get home with all due haste. I’m sure this made things difficult for them, and I want them to know I’m grateful,” Fernando expressed.

“This was my team before I was reassigned to you. They are good people. They are more than willing to help even without knowing the situation. This is what they do. Oh, if you get hungry or thirsty, you’ll find snacks and drinks in that cooler tied down over there. I’ll see you in L.A.”

The flight from Milan to Los Angeles typically took around twelve hours. However, with the specialized equipment and skilled crew, they could make the journey without the usual commercial delays. As the plane ascended into the night sky, the reality of the situation began to set in. Someone had blown up his movie set; he knew it in his gut. The question was,why?

After they settled into their hammocks, exhausted from the day and needing to be rested when they landed, Fernando connected with Anthony through a secure line, eager to get more information about the situation. He sent the call through his earbuds and gave one to Sophie so she could hear the update firsthand.

“Anthony, what’s the latest?” Fernando asked, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have much to share yet. There was an explosion on the “Ring of Fire’ set,” Anthony began, the tension in his voice palpable. “Callie, Cory, and Brice were injured. Callie and Coryseem to have mostly superficial injuries and minor burns. Brice was closest and has a few cracked ribs, a sprained wrist, and a concussion. The last update I received from the medical team was that they were waiting on test results. The McKenzie’s are on their way and will likely arrive just before you. The local fire department and law enforcement are investigating. Enrique is scrubbing all available security footage, but until we have more data, we don’t know if it was an accident or sabotage. What I do know is that after what happened on the set of ‘Rust,’ the media is going to be all over this. A full debrief is scheduled for 7 am, and a press conference is arranged for 10 am. Gabriel will be flying in to provide support; I am unfortunately tied up here, but I will come tomorrow if you need me. Hannah sends her love. Get some sleep. There is nothing you can do from where you are, and honestly, until we get more information, there is nothing any of us can do but pray the kids are okay. I’ll call if I hear anything important before you land.”

“Thank you, Anthony. I’ll talk to you later,” Fernando said, disconnecting the call and returning the earbuds to the case.

Sophie’s face registered concern as she reached for Fernando’s arm. “Do you think our recent conversations had anything to do with this?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Fernando reached out, taking her hand in his, and kissed the back softly. “Sophie, we’ll get to the bottom of this. Whether it’s related or not, we’ll find out and protect our loved ones. Right now, we need to focus on rest. The next few days are going to be challenging, and sleep deprivation won’t help.”

Fernando tried to sleep, but his mind was racing. He kept replaying the meetings for this mini-series over and over in his head, the conversations with casting, costume, and lighting. He couldn’t remember any upsets or demonstrations of frustration. The productionshould have gone smoothly. When he left, it was running on schedule; everyone seemed happy with how it was turning out. As for pyro techniques, they are all computer generated now. There should not have been any fire on his set at all, even though there were explosions in the finished version of the show. His studio had the highest safety rating, not a single ding on their record. All of this further convinced him that his gut was right, and something was off about this whole situation.

Sophie, exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster, finally drifted off to sleep. Fernando watched her for a moment, her face peaceful despite the chaos around them. Having Sophie by his side gave him strength, but in light of the potential danger, he thought it would be wise for her to stay safely tucked away behind bulletproof glass and solid concrete walls.

Taking a few cleansing breaths, he focused on relaxing his own body. He knew that once they landed, it would be a whirlwind of activity, and he needed to be sharp.

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Touching down at 3 am, the plane taxied to a private hangar where a car awaited to take them to the hospital. The ride was somber, the city lights passing by in a blur as they made their way through the early morning traffic.

Sophie squeezed Fernando’s hand as they neared the hospital. “We’ll get through this together,” she said, determination in her voice. He nodded, drawing strength from her resolve.

Arriving at the hospital, they were greeted by a flurry of activity. Colin McKenzie met them at the entrance and led them to Brice’s private room, his expression grave but determined.

“Callie, Cory, and Brice are stable,” he said. “Callie already went home with Leslie and is sleeping well. Basic injuries you would expect after being in a blast radius. She was blessed to be farthest away and a lightweight. She was thrown from the concussion. Cory wound up with internal bleeding and a busted eardrum. He took a camera to the gut, and his spleen didn’t appreciate it. He is being monitored. Ifthe bleeding stops, he keeps his spleen and will be on light duty for the next couple of months while it heals. If it doesn’t stop bleeding, he will need surgery to remove it. That is serious but not usually fatal. He should pull through just fine. Brice was the closest to the explosion. It was behind him, and he was thrown the farthest. He has broken ribs, a fractured arm, a sprained wrist, his face is pretty banged up where he came down on it, and a concussion with memory loss. He can’t tell us anything. He’s stable and should also be fine. The biggest concern is the concussion and the impact on his brain. The investigation is ongoing, and we’ll have more information soon. From what I could pick up from the questions they asked Cory and Callie, there were some chemicals on sight. Given the scenes, it made sense to be there, but my kids seem to think they shouldn’t have been present. Something about gas for a lawn mower scene and propane for the grill.”

When they reached the door, Annabel McKenzie leaped from her chair and threw her arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re home safe and sound. Don’t you worry; the kids are going to be fine. Cory asked for you to come see him when you have time. Brice is sleeping and doesn’t do well when he’s awake, so just pop in if you want to check on him, but don’t talk to him until later, okay?”

Fernando nodded and walked into the younger man’s room. He may be his surrogate brother, but he meant as much to Fernando as any made of his own flesh and blood. Taking in the damage to his face, cast on his arm, and the wrapping around his ribs, tears fell from Fernando’s eyes. Whatever the reason for this incident, he was going to find out and make sure it never happened again. His employees should be safe when they come to work, and thisaccidentalmost killed three people.

Sophie walked up behind him and gently rested her hand on the middle of his back. “Let’s go talk to Cory; he may have some insight for us.”

Annabel stayed with Brice while Colin, Fernando, and Sophie made their way to the ICU, where Cory was being monitored.

“Those two men in the hall…”

“BraveHeart Security boys,” Colin answered before Fernando could finish the question. “The BBC didn’t want to take any chances with the kids’ safety until we know for sure how and why the explosion occurred. Cory has two outside his room. Anthony made some calls to get that approved, and Callie is staying with Leslie and a team stationed inside and around her house. They protested but lost. Enrique and Julio didn’t want to hear any arguments, and when they didn’t get support from any of the rest of us, they backed down pretty quickly. Julio promised to have female agents in place today, but on such short notice and with the unknown level of threat, he put the best men he had in the area on it. I, for one, appreciate it. I know it is helping Annabel rest easier since she can only be at one child’s side. She is a mother hen and would prefer all her chicks to be under her wing.”

“I’m glad they were able to respond so quickly. Knowing my family is protected will help me focus on the task at hand...finding out if this is a threat or an accident,” Fernando confessed as he slid the glass door to Cory’s ICU room open. The identical version of Brice, sans the abrasions and severe bruising, opened his eyes and stared at him, blinking twice before smiling broadly. “It’s about time. Took you long enough. I almost forgot what I wanted to tell you,” the young man complained good-naturedly.

That was the thing with the twins; they may look identical in every single way, but their personalities were as different as the sun and the moon. Cory was just blown up, and even with internal bleeding, hewould be cracking jokes in a matter of minutes if Fernando allowed it.

Taking the hand Cory offered, Fernando pulled it to his heart while bending down and giving his little brother the best hug he could. “I love you Cor. I’m glad you’re going to be okay,” Fernando whispered in his ear, tears once more filling his eyes as he thanked God for sparing him.

As Fernando resumed his full height, Cory slapped him on the arm. “Hey man, no tears. They gotta be bad luck or something. Good thing you picked that ear to tickle because this one,” he said, pointing to his left ear, “can’t hear jack! That baby gave a whole new meaning to ‘boom box,’” he said with a chuckle. When no one in the room laughed at his joke, he rolled his eyes. “Come on guys, you know, ‘boom box’… it was a box that wentBOOM!” using his hands to illustrate the explosion, “And Ma always said I needed to turn my ‘boom box’ down even though I had no idea what she was talking about for a long time… Ya know, it was asound system.” Everyone just stood there staring at him, grins on their faces that didn’t reach their eyes. “Lighten up, you guys. I’m the one that’s dyin’ here!”

Fernando placed his hand on Cory’s arm. “I love you and appreciate the levity you bring to any situation, but right now, I need to know if you have any useful information for me.”

“Oh, yeah. I tried to explain this to the cops and the Arson investigator, but I don’t think they were listening. The explosion came from a brown plastic garden box on set. It was supposed to be an empty prop. There was no reason for it to have anything, let alone fuel. You know we do all the fire and explosions in the production room using CGR. We used the mower for that scene days before, and we used a real lawn man; it was Sadie’s dad. He brought the machine... fueled and everything. When we finished filming, he loaded it up and wentback to work. The grill we used for the party day scene had charcoal in it. We cooked actual food, had a celebration for Craig’s birthday during our lunch break, shot some B-role while we were at it, and then it was taken home. The grill on set when the explosion occurred was brand new. Gas had never even been connected to it.”

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