Rocked (The Everyday Heroes World) - Julia Wolf Page 0,66

wasn’t slimy. Yeah, he was interested in the bottom line, but he thought more in terms of my success than lining his own pockets.

“Can’t believe you moved to small town U.S.A. and found a girl,” he said.

“She’s a friend.”

He gave me another one of his wolfish grins. Like I said, he’d been around me a long time; he was well aware I did not have female friends. I had women I had sex with, a few on a regular basis, an even smaller number who joined me for a meal or two on occasion. They were not friends.

“All right, man. Whatever you say. As long as that friend doesn’t fuck up your career. You’re about to make a comeback that’s going to blow everyone’s minds. I’ve got something in the works. We’ll talk about it soon.” With his hand on my back, he led me to the red carpet.

The line of paparazzi and reporters had never looked more like a firing squad.

This was it. This was my career—the life I’d been fighting like hell to hang onto. My face on the page and screen, my voice coming through speakers, immortalized. If it felt like it did when I first put on my Valentino suit this evening—ill-fitting and confining—I’d get over it, stretch it out, and get as comfortable as I could. There was no choice.

With a deep breath, I stepped into the line of fire, accepting my fate.

Twenty-One

Kat

The last thing I expected to be faced with when I stepped into the side entrance of a historic LA theater was a medical emergency. As soon as I approached the bar for a drink of water, the young, harried-looking female bartender collided with her co-worker, sending her flying backward through the air. When she hit the ground, the smack her head made on the tiled floor was audible over the din of conversation filling the opulent lobby.

Without thinking, I flew into action, dropping my clutch on the bar top and racing around the back where she lay, unconscious. The male bartender who’d knocked her over was crouching beside her, shaking her shoulders.

“Ricki, oh my god, are you dead? Wake up!”

I dropped to my knees next to him, gripping his arm firmly. “Don’t move her. That can be extremely dangerous.”

His eyes went wide and sweat beaded on his lip. “What can I do?”

“My name is Kat. I’m a paramedic. I will help your friend while you call 911. I don’t see any blood, but I’d like a clean cloth just in case.”

The girl on the floor whimpered, which was a good sign. Her co-worker let go of her and slipped his phone from his pants pocket, following my directions. As he spoke with a dispatcher, I assessed Ricki.

No visible blood. Her pulse was normal, and her breathing was steady. Keeping her as straight as possible, I rolled her to her side in the recovery position to maintain her airway.

I spoke to her as she moaned, her eyes fluttering but remaining closed. I reassured her help was coming and she’d be fine, that she wasn’t alone. She couldn’t have been more than twenty-one, and I felt terrible for her. People who worked these events often didn’t have health insurance. A visit to the hospital had to be the last thing she’d been counting on. But head injuries were no joke, and the fact that she remained unconscious after a few minutes worried me.

A few more minutes passed before paramedics arrived and she finally began to come around. They were discreet and efficient, but we’d still drawn a small crowd while they strapped Ricki to a stretcher. Luckily, most of the big-name celebrities and reporters were still outside on the red carpet.

Once she was gone, her co-worker looked like he might faint. I had him sit down for another minute until his color began to return. While I was back there, I grabbed the bottle of water I’d been heading for and snagged the pilfered chocolate from my purse. Breaking off a piece, I handed it to him.

“Eat this. The sugar will perk you up,” I said, sitting beside him to eat my own chocolate.

He chewed on the chocolate and told me his name was Damian. He’d only moved here from up north two weeks ago, hoping to become an actor. It turned out his family lived in Melville, and he insisted on giving me his mom’s number “just in case.” I had no idea why I would ever use it, but I took it