Page 5 of The Singapore Stunt

The lawyer is the first to speak, to no one’s surprise. “Mattias? The assistant stunt coordinator?” Xavier looks at the screen as if he’s still waiting for a question. “Elliot? Marlon? Are we saying an assistant stunt coordinator is going to determine the fate of a billion-dollar movie? Are you comfortable with this?”

“It’s nonnegotiable. If Mattias doesn’t give the green light, there is no Singapore Stunt. He’s the one who designed it. And without the stunt, there is no movie,” Xavier answers for them.

I spot the concern on their faces at ceding control to a man they’ve only heard about. I don’t have their luxury. After the disaster I went through last year, I need this movie to be made in the worst way. “Guys, don’t worry. Mattias will give us the green light. Everyone who meets me loves me.”

I turn on the charm. This is a room full of testosterone. This is a world I’ve had to navigate my entire career. I address their egos and address their concerns with one line delivered with the confidence of a Hollywood starlet. “There’s no way he’ll say no to me.”

Chapter Three

Mattias

“This will never work,” I grumble into the phone and stare into the bemused eyes of my half brother, Xavier. “This is just like you, getting in over your head and pulling me into the mess.” I wince at the last line, a misstep that rips at a wound that Xavier has tended to for years.

His lower lip quivers for an instant, and his smart-aleck smile turns plastic for a second. “I have faith in you, bro. We do the impossible every day, and today is no different.”

I shake my head, still in disbelief that anyone signed off on this crazy plan. “And the studio agreed to this?” He nods as if it’s no big deal. It is. Two pictures ago, we worked with a protective studio property that was bubble wrapped the entire production. Our stunt person was probably on-screen more than the star. “And the insurance? Are we protected?”

“I got it covered. All the policies are being updated. They’ll be in your inbox before her plane lands.”

“I don’t do prima donna, Xavier.” I continue to list the reasons this is such a poor idea. A billion-dollar Hollywood princess that is known for doing quiet romance movies wants to try her hand at stunts. There are a hundred ways this can go wrong, and every one of them has the finger of blame pointing at me and by extension, my brother’s company. “I don’t do lackeys. I’d be damned if I’m going to have to take care of one of the purse dogs and deal with a rider that says we have to feed her handpicked grapes between takes.”

Xavier chuckles, his hand quickly wrapping around his cracked ribs. The grimace of pain reminds me of how badly injured he is. Alex, one member of the stunt team on the site, called me before the ambulance carted him away to tell me about the accident. When I pressed for details, he explained how Xavier did the same thing I would have done if it was me. He had twisted his body, attempting to protect Ariana, and took the brunt of the fall. It’s what we’ve always done. Look out for those around us.

“Are you taking your meds?” My brother is one tough SOB. The fact that he didn’t argue his way out of a hospital stay is just another sign of the seriousness of his injuries.

“Everything except the painkillers. I need to feel the hurt to know how the recovery is going.” His line is such a crock of bull, but I don’t call him on it. If the roles were reversed, we’d be having the same conversation. We are both the same. A constant need to feel the pain in order to keep our mistakes front and center. I’m sure he’s already reconfigured the stunt in his head three different ways and within a week will bug me to mock up a new design.

“We need to talk about the Singapore Stunt.” Xavier grimaces and adjusts on the hospital bed. “It’s the centerpiece of the entire picture. It’s going to be featured on the poster and in every trailer.”

He doesn’t have to remind me. I’m the one who designed it. Xavier and I are co-owners of our stunt company. He’s the face, the one who likes to mix it up with the Hollywood elite. He loves being on set and being on film. Me, I’m the behind-the-scenes guy. I find joy in creation, pushing the limits. I’m never on film; as I joke, I have a face for radio.

Once we got wind that the studio had selected Marlon as the director, Xavier and I went to work. I came up with a never-seen-before stunt that would create a buzz. Xavier worked his contacts and bumped into the director at an out-of-the-way watering hole. The one he shows up at like clockwork once a month to drink away his sorrow after his once-a-month visit to his kids at his ex’s Malibu house. Four drinks later, we had the contract. Our biggest movie to date and an opportunity to cement our little company into Hollywood machinery. It’s a tremendous opportunity, one which we must get right the first time.

“The stunt doesn’t happen without my approval.” I grunt my response, upset at being put in this position. “If she’s not ready, I’m not giving the green light. They can scream and threaten me all they want. I won’t change my mind. I’m not going to let some prissy thrill seeker endanger our stunt team.”

“You’re going to like her.”

“I don’t even know her, and I hate her already.”

“You hate everyone.”

“Not true. I love what we’ve built. I want to protect it. I want to protect us. And I don’t see how taking this risk does any of that.” My head fills with visions of an entitled brat stepping on a pebble and screaming bloody murder. “I hate dealing with lawyers, and publicists… and agents…”

“I’m going to put the phone down now and take a nap. Maybe by the time I wake, you’ll be done with your list. Probably not. And for future reference, just say you hate people and cover all the bases.”

“… and you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you. I hate you for getting injured.”

“Yes, you got me. I got injured as part of my master plan to get you on screen.” He tugs at a thread we’ve battled over before. We are stunt coordinators. Xavier loves being a double and getting thirty seconds of screen time spread out over the course of a two-hour movie.

Now, because he was the stunt double for the love interest in the movie, I have to step in and fill his commitment. I’m thirty-two, two years younger than him. Same body type and build, even though we have different mothers. Our rolling stone of a dad’s genes runs strong.

“We don’t have time to find another double that matches our skills and size.” His face turns serious, and I already know where he’s about to go. “Besides, even if I could, do you think I would trust them with something this important? After this movie, Kimberly is going to be the hottest star on the planet. This might turn into a franchise, and we are in on the ground floor. Plus, once the world sees what you’ve designed on the rooftop, every studio in the world will come knocking at our door. We’ll be able to write our own ticket.”

“Or…” I pull the pin I always carry and prepare to burst his bubble. “She gets injured in a stunt we coordinated, and our little stunt company becomes blacklisted. Everything you’ve built.”

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