Part 1 (2/2)

Bob walked away and Gina rested her hands on her hips, breathing heavily. Exhilarated as always after a battle scene, she fought to keep from jumping up and down like a hyperactive child. The shot had gone better than she expected, the last retake they needed to wrap this picture. Josie, her a.s.sistant, hurried over with a bottle of water and a towel. Gina wiped the sweat from her face, dying to take a shower and wash off the thick glop of makeup they'd applied at the unG.o.dly hour of three o'clock this morning.

'David, you need me for anything else?' She loved working for David Beasley. He knew how much she enjoyed doing action films and always called on her for the grueling ones.

'We're done here, babe,' he shouted across the room. 'I'll call you later for dailies.'

Heaving a sigh and wis.h.i.+ng he'd asked for another take, she headed to her trailer, grinning when she found her agent, Dee Hastings, waiting inside. 'Hey, Dee! What's up?'

'My blood pressure,' Dee replied with a grimace, shrugging out of her suit jacket. 'It always goes up when I see swords swinging in your direction, or when I have to watch you poised to jump off a cliff, or when three beefy stuntmen are set to beat the s.h.i.+t out of you.'

'Aww, come on, those are the parts I like,' Gina teased, breezing by with a kiss to Dee's cheek.

'That's what scares me,' Dee said, following her into the bedroom of the trailer. As Gina peeled off the now-sweaty leather and tossed it on a pile near the door, Dee flopped into a chair and smoothed the fine blond hairs away from her face. 'You're going to give me gray hair. You're going to make me old before my time. My star, my moneymaker, taking risks like you do. You make me crazy, girl.'

Laughing, Gina slipped on a robe, sat on the bed, and began to loosen the braid holding her hair. 'I know what I'm doing, Dee. You know my background. You know what I'm capable of.'

'I also know what you're worth. What if something happens to you during one of those crazy action scenes?'

'You afraid of losing your fifteen percent?'

Gina looked up at Dee's silence. Uh-oh. She'd hurt her feelings. She could tell by the furrows on Dee's forehead. Why did she always do that? Why didn't she think before she spoke? She'd known Dee for fifteen years. Dammit.

'I think you know better than that, Gina. I care about you.'

s.h.i.+t. That caring thing, that need for people to want to get close to her. 'I'm sorry, Dee. Of course you do. I don't know why I said that.'

'It's okay. You've had a long day.'

Crisis resolved. Gina resumed unbraiding her hair, grateful she didn't need to do more groveling than necessary. She had to be careful what she said around Dee. Some people were so sensitive. Especially Dee, who'd taken it upon herself to act as Gina's mother figure. Whatever. She didn't need a mother, hadn't needed one since her own disappeared. Since she was eight years old she'd done just fine without one.

She shook her hair out and grabbed a brush to begin the untangling. Lord, she needed a shower. And a really big breakfast.

'You have to realize you are the number one female action movie star right now,' Dee continued. 'And there are plenty of stuntwomen out there who can do the risky stuff so you don't have to.'

Gina paused and laid the brush in her lap, blinking innocently. 'Then what would be the fun of doing movies, Dee?'

Dee rolled her eyes. 'You could make a fortune doing a love story, you know. With your face, that mouth, that bodyG.o.d, the roles I could get for you.'

Gina scrunched her nose and stuck out her tongue. 'Blech. I don't do romance.'

'Don't I know it. The tabloids keep printing rumors that you're gay.'

Gina snorted. 'Like I care what they print.'

'You could try dating once in a while. Or, G.o.d forbid, you could have an actual relations.h.i.+p.'

Gina's eyes widened. 'Now you are are scaring me, Dee. I'd rather kick a guy's a.s.s than kiss it, thanks.' Men were socomplicated, so difficult to figure out. No, she didn't have time for those kinds of problems. As arm candy, fine. The occasional s.e.x release? Definitely. As permanent relations.h.i.+ps or, heaven forbid, husbands? Forget it. She'd rather lose a limb. scaring me, Dee. I'd rather kick a guy's a.s.s than kiss it, thanks.' Men were socomplicated, so difficult to figure out. No, she didn't have time for those kinds of problems. As arm candy, fine. The occasional s.e.x release? Definitely. As permanent relations.h.i.+ps or, heaven forbid, husbands? Forget it. She'd rather lose a limb.

'It wouldn't hurt you to let someone get close,' Dee grumbled.

Yeah. Because that had worked so well for her in the past. 'I like my life the way it is. It works fine for me.'

Dee looked like she wanted to argue the point further, but at Gina's warning glance, she shrugged and said, 'Fine. And speaking of a.s.ses to kick, that's why I'm here. I have an offer for you. A reality show.'

Gina scooted back against the headboard. 'Are you insane? First off, I never do television. Second, I need a vacation. I've done back-to-back pictures over the past two years. I need a break.'

Dee tilted her head and offered a secretive smile. 'That's what I thought you'd say. And typically I wouldn't have even brought it up. But this is right up your alley. Tropical island, lots of weaponry. It's called Surviving Demon Island Surviving Demon Island. Contestants try to kill' demons hiding on an island. Last one standing without being taken out by a demon wins. And not only do the winners get money, but there's also a contribution for charity, for that new worldwide relief fund for children.'

'I like that charity. They've been doing great things. Okay, so you've sparked my interest. Who's doing it?'

'Some new start-up production company. Checked them out and they sound good.'

Despite her utter exhaustion at the breakneck pace she'd led the past couple years, the thought of getting away from it all on a tropical island and playing with weapons at the same time held quite an appeal. She wasn't the type to sit back and sip mai tais on a beach. Vacation to her was a trek through the jungle or scaling a mountain or soaring down rapids. G.o.d forbid she should have some actual downtime. She liked to stay busy, and something like this might be fun. 'Who else is going to be there?'

Dee reached into her briefcase and pulled out a manila envelope, drawing out papers. Scanning the top sheet, she said, 'Actually, it looks like you're the Hollywood draw, but they've invited people with backgrounds in martial arts, weaponry, and extreme sports.'

'No other Hollywood types? Really? Oh, h.e.l.l. I thought you meant a bunch of spoiled actors who'd cry if they broke a nail or a sweat.' She grabbed the sheet from Dee and scanned it, then handed it back to Dee. 'Sounds like a blast. Sign me up.'

Arching a brow, Dee said, 'I thought you said you wanted a vacation.'

Pointing to the contract, Gina said, 'That is is my vacation!' my vacation!'

A few weeks later, Gina peered out the porthole of the s.h.i.+p, bound for some undisclosed island where filming of the reality show would take place. The producers had shrouded everything under a veil of secrecy, requiring her to sign a confidentiality agreement. She couldn't bring anyone with her or tell a soul where she was headed. No cell phones and no contact with the outside world. As far as Gina knew the press wasn't aware of what was going on or where, and she hadn't seen anyone other than the production company's limo driver who picked her up at the airport and the lone crewman who'd escorted her on-board the s.h.i.+p. As soon as she arrived she'd been taken to a rather plain cabin and told to wait there until she was summoned.

All very dramatic, but then what did she expect? So typical for the industry. But her career fed her love of action and adventure and her chance to escape reality and become someone else. If she didn't have her career, life would be dull, dull, dull.

She took the opportunity to shower away the grunge from the long flight and change into a sundress, grateful not to have a makeup, hair, and clothing a.s.sistant trailing behind her. Staring into the mirror, she applied minimal makeup and brushed her hair until the sable strands s.h.i.+mmered, braiding and securing it with a single band at the bottom. Then she slipped on a pair of flat sandals and checked her reflection, hoping she projected a casual image, like an average person on vacation. She didn't want to look Hollywood, nor did she want to tip her hand and show up in full battle gear. Best to remain neutral until she had a chance to a.s.sess the compet.i.tion.

Compet.i.tion. Her blood d.a.m.n near sizzled in her veins in antic.i.p.ation of what was to come.

Finally satisfied, she p.r.o.nounced herself ready, figuring if they were going to do actual filming today they would have given her a makeup and hair schedule. Or if she was really lucky and this was like some of the other reality shows, there'd be no beautifying of the contestants, which she'd much prefer over the glamour.

The funny thing was, she was actually nervous. Put her in a room with her peers, and she was fine. But these people were different. They weren't actors or anyone else from the film industry. They were unknowns. Regular people. People who enjoyed the same things she did. Sports, weaponry, danger, and excitement. She couldn't wait to meet them. But she was still anxious as h.e.l.l about it.

She turned at a knock on the door, opening it to the tall, thin crewman who'd escorted her there earlier. He stared at her with a bland expression on his gaunt face.

'Morning, miss. They've asked for everyone to come up on deck now.'

Gina nodded and followed him up the stairs and onto the top deck. A group of about twenty people had already a.s.sembled at the other end of the wide stern, so she headed in their direction. Heads turned as she approached. She was used to being stared at, but their looks were more of curiosity rather than of fans who'd caught a glimpse of their favorite star. They were all probably wondering what an actress was doing on this adventure. Maybe they thought she was there to pull in ratings and nothing more. Most people didn't bother to look beyond the surface of her press bio.

Good. Let them wonder. Wouldn't be the first time people misjudged her.

<script>