was time to make her move. She’d placated Wake. Groveled. She needed to find him—and find Herc. “If you’ve come all this way, do you really want to see me, Wake? Is there . . . is there a chance for us after all I’ve done wrong?”
“I want you back, Sydney.”
“I want that, too,” she said smoothly. “Can I come to you? Where are you?” She deliberately didn’t mention Herc.
“Keep talking to me on this phone, Sydney. I know there are people following you. I’ve seen them. They might try to keep us apart.”
“Oh, those are security guards the studio hires. They do that on pictures with big budgets. It’s for insurance purposes. I can lose them, Wake.”
She pulled out her phone from her back pocket, where she’d kept it ever since her dad was hospitalized. Though it remained on silent while she was on the set, she kept it on vibrate if she was needed. She unlocked it and handed it to Dash and mouthed, “Text Bruce.”
“Still, they might have put something on your cell to see where you are,” Wake said. “Leave your phone and take this one. Go to your car and drive away from the studio. I’ll tell you where to meet me. I’m close by.”
“I’ll leave the soundstage now, Wake. It’ll take a couple of minutes to get back to the production office. That’s where my keys and purse are. Another two or three minutes to reach my car and then maybe five more to weave through the lot and reach the front gates. I can be out on the street in about ten minutes, okay?”
Sydney had started walking as she spoke. Dash followed close behind her. She retrieved her purse and slipped the strap onto her shoulder as she dug for her keys in the side pocket.
Her phone chimed in Dash’s hand. She hoped it was Bruce telling them what to do.
“What was that?” asked Wake, suspicion in his voice.
“Hey, Big Jim, see you tomorrow,” she said brightly, then to Wake, “I just passed our chief cameraman. He got a text, that’s all.”
“Are you in that ancient convertible?”
He knew what she was driving. It hit her that she never should have gone to deliver the teddy bears to Herc. It was her carelessness that had put Herc in danger. Wake had known where to deliver roses to her. He must’ve been watching Dash’s house and seen her stop by this morning.
“Yes.”
“Put the top down. I want to be able to see that no one’s in the car with you.”
“Top down. Got it.” She drew a deep breath as she hurried toward the exit to the outside.
“Sydney, I said you needed to keep talking. I hope you’ve lost Mr. DeLauria by now, even if you did hang on to his phone.”
She knew he wanted her to keep a running dialogue so there’d be no way to warn others where she was going.
“Hold on, Wake. He’s still dogging me.” She deliberated held the phone away but spoke loudly enough for Wake to hear her words. “Dash, I’m going to meet Wake. You need to stay at the studio.”
“The hell I will,” he retorted, playing along. “I want my brother back. I’m going to call the police, Miss Revere.”
Sydney still hadn’t looked at him. She couldn’t. “Listen, Dash. I know you’re upset about Herc, but Wake is my husband. He won’t hurt Herc, I promise. Don’t call anyone. Please, stay at the studio. I’ll make sure Herc is here as soon as possible.”
“You promise?”
She finally braved meeting his gaze. “I do. Wait here. Herc will join you soon.”
Sydney brought the phone back to her ear. “He’s staying put, Wake. You won’t have to worry about him. I’ll come alone.”
They’d reached her mom’s convertible. Dash gestured for her to open the trunk. Sydney inserted the key and pulled it up. Dash climbed in and held her phone up. She read on the screen that Bruce and the team were ready to follow. She shut the trunk.
“What was that?” Wake demanded.
Sydney lifted her leg up and climbed into the driver’s seat. The top had already been down, which made it easy to do with her long legs. “I slammed my car door. Can I start the car?”
Her mind raced as fast as her heart. Dash wouldn’t be able to get out once she reached wherever Wake and Herc were located. The car was so old that it didn’t have a trunk release inside the vehicle. That’s why she’d inserted