Slamming the lid closed on my laptop, I dialed Talon ready to war.
“What is it now, Finn?”
“I took a chance on you because I appreciated your tenacity and drive. Yet every time I see an article or video it is not in my favor. You know it’s important to me that young girls see me as a role model, Talon. Get on board with my wishes because I’m over feeling like I’m just paying for mediocre sex.”
“Maybe you should consider the youth you want to impress so badly before doing dumb shit,” he fired back. “I’m good at what I do, Finn. Both in and out of bed. Perhaps you could make an effort to make my life a bit easier. Because I can’t make a positive out of a negative.”
“How in the fuck is free-climbing Smith Rock a negative, Talon?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” he sneered. “Maybe it was the video taken with you hanging there without any rigging?”
“Are you serious?” I yelled. “It was a three-second clip for a photo-op and the rest of the shots from that day I wore full rigging.”
For fucks sake, I was ten feet off the ground when it was taken.
“No one cares about the rest of the day. That three-seconds is what they focus on.”
“I sent you that clip as well as the others! So why didn’t you upload all the videos together, Talon?”
“Because I didn’t receive all the clips until later, Finn. By then the damage was done.”
“Yet you saw the video you yourself deem harmful to my career and posted it anyway?”
“Are you accusing me of something here?”
“The talk you and I are going to have is best done in person,” I warned. “I’ll be in touch, soon.”
When I came out from the bathroom, it was to an empty bed and an absent Phoenix.
Certain this was a record, I started dressing for work when I saw his note on the table.
Be back,
Nix
Last night I had no problem going to bed with a man that kills people for a living. Only to wake up explaining the role I played in killing my best friend. Unable to cope with that, I knotted my hair, grabbed my back pack and left the hotel before he returned. The entire drive was spent crying or raging and even parked in the lot, I still didn’t move.
You had to be a special kind of fucked up to take no issue with a hit-man’s career yet couldn’t look at yourself in the mirror without seeing a murderer you despise. At least Nix killed bad guys for the greater good. I killed my best friend because I was pissed at a shitty ex.
Unlocking my trailer, I read over my itinerary and start a pot of coffee.
When my door opens, I expected just about anyone except Talon to walk through.
Since firing-dumping him a year ago he was smart to stay gone. So his sudden reappearance today was not appreciated. Especially when his favorite past time is sicking lawyers on me for breach of contract.
“I don’t have the energy or the restraint for you right now.”
Making himself at home he says, “The NSA called me to confirm my dismissal and pay out. Of course, I refused it.”
“You can’t refuse to be fired, asshole.” A full year of this idiot fighting me on being canned was ridiculous. The little prick wouldn’t give up. See, I told you…tenacious.
“I can when my employer added me to her union contract.”
Stilling, I bit the inside of my cheek and counted to ten. Facing him, I take a moment to look him over and struggled to find a single thing appealing. “Are you sure you want to play this game, Talon?”
“What I’m sure of,” he says crossing his ankles. “Is that I loved you, and in return for years of faithful service, you’ll gladly let Silas Goode, whose contract is up for renegotiation, know that I’m the best his money can buy.”
“That just screams love,” I say blandly. “And if I don’t?”
“I’ll have no choice but to release our sex tape.”
“What sex tape?” Wouldn’t we need to have sex to make a tape? And hello, we call them videos now, idiot.
Winking at me, he opens the door, takes a step down and smiles, “Think about it, babe. But don’t wait too long to call me. Let’s not forget how important your image is to you. What would the future little Finns think?”
Wondering what in the actual fuck just happened, I was about to track Talon down and beat it out of him when Silas walked in.
“I can’t deal with you right now either,” I groan in frustration.
“Uh,” he says scratching the back of his neck. “I take it you haven’t seen it?”
“Seen what, Silas?”
“There’s a video of you, having some serious sex.”
All the blood drained from my face so fast that I almost fell over. Steering me over to the couch, Silas tucks me into his side saying, “It’s everywhere, Finn.”
Oh my fucking God. Talon wasn’t lying. “Last I checked, I think you broke the internet.” and of course he sounded smug about it, asshole.
“I need you to leave,” I choke out. “Now, Silas, you have to go.”
“Finn, this isn’t a joke. You’re on the brink of serious fame and this tape could ruin our – “
“Get out!” I scream right in his face.
Backing away, he sneers, “Maybe Talon was right about you. You already killed Ryan. I’m not about to let you kill my career too.”
“Mention his name to me again and I’ll slit your fucking throat,” and I said this with promise.
Then I slammed my aluminum door in his face which was way too anticlimactic for my mood.
My head was spinning, my heart was racing, and I was having trouble forming a single thought.
Talon was right. My image was important to me. And unfortunately, I’ve made enough mistakes that my image suffered for it. But those mistakes were manageable and I had never done anything malicious or endangered anyone other than myself. Even then I was safe, not that the public always caught that. Talon spent a lot of time and my money pretending to clean up my messes only to blackmail me with a sex tape.
A sex tape I had no idea I even starred in.
Since the day I walked onto that set as a smart-assed know-it-all kid, I had fallen in love with stunt work.
I busted my ass to be the best, gave every scene one hundred percent, trained harder than my counterparts and bled for my art. So, it should have been shocking for me to look around my trailer while feeling this empty, knowing I no longer belonged here.
Because yesterday, I would have told you there was nothing that could steal the love I had for my job.
Today though, was a different story.
Slinging my pack over my shoulder, I tossed my keys on the counter, scaled the steps and walked away.
Heartbroken.