Page 27 of Guarding the Singer

A kiss that looked like it had taken a little longer than it should have.

Sadie pushed him back, rolling her eyes. "You can take the empty seat," she pointed at the armchair a few feet from her, "and do it before my husband considers throwing you out of the window."

He sat down heavily and lifted a leg, putting the ankle of one leg onto the knee of the other. The man looked familiar, like he'd seen him on television.

Or a movie trailer.

Something like that.

Sadie put her hand on Hank's arm and gestured at the new man in the room. "This is Cooper Armand. He's an actor."

"Oscar nominated."

The man had offered the caveat and William managed to look vaguely interested.

Cooper leaned on the arm closest to Sadie. "I'm sure they know who I am."

William bit back the comment he had on the tip of his tongue.If you were sure we knew who you were, why tell us the Oscar thing?

Sadie smiled at him, but William could see that she was trying to make him feel at ease. "Why don't you tell us who you're working with here in New York."

Drawing in a breath, he looked at the group. "I'm here working with Selene on a movie shoot."

Selene.

William felt the color drain from his face.

Selene.

Yeah, he didn't know she was here in New York.

His hand itched to take out his phone and text her, but he sat there, quietly.

No one asked who Selene was and no one had to explain. They just knew.

Cooper continued. "There have been a few... questionable happenings around the set and so far, we've been able to keep them quiet from the press. And...Selene." He looked at Sadie and she nodded for him to continue. Nodding to himself, he looked at the group. "Someone broke into her trailer and made a mess. Until this, we didn't have anything actually happen. No damage.

"And we kept it quiet. The cast hadn't heard and the crew, most of them had been kept in the dark."

His broad grin and Hollywood-like air had faded.

William could see that the man was shaken.

"What happened this time that you couldn't keep it quiet?"

William couldn't keep his question in. He knew he probably should have let Alex, Sadie, or Hank speak, but he just had to know.

Cooper's lips pressed into a thin pale line before he answered.

"Selene saw it."

He shook his head, and William could read the embarrassment on his face.

"She got there early to set to go through her lines and walked in on the destruction in her trailer."

He nodded and Sadie handed a stack of papers to Alex. Alex took a copy from the top and handed the rest of the stack down to Flash.

William waited, almost patiently, for it to make its way down to him.

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