Page 38 of Hacker Salvation

Director Paterson looked up from the script. “Actually, she can. You’re supposed to work for her.”

John motioned for security to come over. Two men in black shirts walked over and escorted the young girl out. My assistant’s job was to make mine easier on set. One of the main things she was in charge of was food. The job description stated she was to make sure no seafood was on set, and if there was, she was supposed to order me a different lunch.

The rest of the morning passed with no more issues. John worked as my assistant for the rest of the day. He had water waiting for me when I finished a scene. When it came time to eat lunch, he had my favorite burger place bring in food. Well, he sent Gabriel to go grab our food.

I had two scenes left, and then I would be done filming the movie. I couldn’t wait to be done. Nothing but bad things had happened in my life since filming had started. The stage crew was working on getting the stage set for the next scene.

I hopped up from my chair. “I’m going to run to the bathroom.”

John got up from the chair next to me.

I put my hand on his arm. “Stay.” When it looked like he was about to protest, I said, “I’m running to the bathroom. It will be fine. I promise.”

He grabbed my arm and pulled me back into his then placed a kiss on my lips. “Five minutes.”

The bathroom was on the other side of the studio. It would take me almost five minutes to get there. But there was no point in arguing with the man. I turned and walked toward the back of the studio and waved at the two men working on the set.

My next scene would mostly be done in front of the green screen again. I was being pushed off a building in the next scene. I was going to have to climb up on the platform they’d built and fall off. The first time I’d done the stunt had been scary, but they had strapped me into a harness, and I’d fallen onto a soft mat.

I rounded the corner and came face-to-face with my manager. He stepped in front of me, blocking my path. “Annabella, we need to talk.” The pudgy old man had been my manager since I’d gotten my first gig. Most movies came to me, so he didn’t have to do much except collect a check. It was probably time for me to find a more motivated manager.

I tried to step around him. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

“I didn’t want to do this. But she has so much power.”

“Who?” I asked, confused. Two seconds later, I felt the metal jab into my side.

“Don’t scream, bitch.”

With each step, I tried to struggle out of the person’s grasp. My hand shot up and tried to pry the fingers away from my mouth. The grip was so tight, I could feel my skin bruise under the pressure.

The emergency exit door flew open, and another man stood there. He was at least six feet tall, dressed in black, and wearing a black ski mask. He grabbed my free arm.

It was hard to fight back. I even tried to make my body limp, but the two men were strong and pulled me along. The bright sun blinded me for a second when I was shoved outside.

An Aston Martin Vantage sat with the trunk open outside the door. My capturer released his hand from my mouth for a second, and I used the opportunity to scream for help. The second man slapped me so hard across the face that my vision faded to black for a moment.

Within seconds, they shoved me into the trunk of the car and slammed it shut. I reached up and touched my cheek. It throbbed with pain. The car squealed out of the parking lot. With each turn and bump it made, my body was thrown against the side of the trunk. The warm California sun heated up the containment space, and sweat beaded down my face and back. I looked for some way to escape.

Even if I could find a way out of the car, it felt like it was speeding down the highway, farther and farther from the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. The car came to an abrupt stop, and I flew against the back. My forehead hit the metal arms of the trunk, and I felt blood trickle down my forehead.

Does John even know I’m gone yet?I wondered how far these men would make it with me before he could figure out what was going on. I shivered. A feeling of dread came over me.

The voices from inside the car were muffled. I strained to hear what they were saying. The two men started to argue, but with the music on, it was hard to understand them. Before I could figure it out, the car took off again, making my body fly against the side. The carpet skinned my elbows as I tried to stay in place.

In one of the action movies I’d played in, they had put me in the back of the car. I had acted like I knew exactly where I would be when I came out by counting turns. In reality, I’d lost track of everything once we had turned left out of the studio parking lot.

It felt like I had been in the trunk for hours when the car finally came to a stop and I heard the two car doors open and close. I pulled my arm back, trying to get leverage so I could punch whoever opened the trunk. My only option was to try to get free and run.

The trunk door popped open, and I began kicking and punching. My hand collided with one of the kidnapper’s faces. He grunted and hit back. My head snapped when his fist connected with my jaw. A metallic taste filled my mouth. He grabbed me by the hair and dragged me out of the car. Then he threw me to the hard pavement and kicked my side. I felt my ribs crack when his foot connected.

“Stop,” someone yelled.

I opened my eyes to see a woman standing on the stairs. She was wearing an elegant red dress. Her brown hair was curled, and she wore lipstick that matched her ruby-red dress.

“Bring her into the house.”

The two men grabbed me under the arms and dragged me toward the house. I tried to get my feet under me and keep up, but my knees scraped along the cement. Each man had such a firm grip on my arms, it felt like they would break them in two.

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