Ren climbed out of his DF&R truck and stared at the controlled chaos surrounding the set of the latest Rogue Assassin film. A few crew members eyed his Fire Safety Officer badge and then went back to work. He instinctively drew in the scents around him, marking the shifters from the humans in a short time. Three weeks away from live fires and his sense of smell was finally returning. He picked up a few accelerants, lots of grease, fresh paint, and a whole lot of sweat under the Dallas sun. He caught more than a few stares as he shut the truck door and waited for his escort to arrive. One man was already making a beeline in his direction. By the way the crew acknowledged him as he moved, Ren figured it was either the assistant director or someone else ready to tell him somewhere else he’d have to park.

The man met his gaze with a strong one. “Rendell James?” He held out his hand and Ren shook it without hesitation. His scent was heavy on the wolf side. Either he was a shifter himself, or he spent a lot of time with one in intimate quarters.

“That’s me. Are you Mr. Kennedy?”

He grinned and dropped Ren’s hand. “Michael, please. We’ve got a busy schedule today. We appreciate your department’s willingness to work with our accelerated time table.”

“No problem. I need to know the shot list, where you need us, and what kind of stunts we’ll be inspecting.”

Kennedy nodded briskly and set a walking pace that got the blood pumping. “The stunt coordinator will have all of that. Before we begin, you’ll have to complete the non-disclosure paperwork and sign our additional confidentiality agreement.”

Ren nodded. He’d been told as much before he agreed to the assignment. Rogue Assassin, or RA as it was known to its rabid fanbase, was a box office sensation. It was a post-apocalyptic action series with a leading lady who equally took your breath away and kicked ass. The chase scenes were his favorite parts of the films, and he’d have a chance to see it up close-and-personal. Excitement sizzled through his nerves. It wasn’t quite the adrenaline rush of a fire, not yet. But it was close enough to bring a grin to his face.

A motorcycle revved from somewhere to his right and he glanced over. A woman full of tight curves and covered in leather gunned the machine, riding through an obstacle course of dismantled cars, trash bins, and who knew what else. She expertly whipped through the path and shot across a ramp, launching the bike in the air with skill he admired. Her landing was a little rougher than he expected, and he winced as she snaked through to the end.

A golf cart came up beside him and the AD gestured he climb onto the back seat. “That’s the main scene you’ll be going over this morning. We need to do close to thirty stunts in three days.” He handed over a clipboard. “I already sent you the breakdown. Did you read through it last night?”

Ren watched the rider take off the helmet and run her fingers through her short hair. The wolf inside him sat up and paid attention to the way she moved. He’d memorized every fight scene and chase sequence from the previous movies, and this woman had been the key part of the reason why. Her body captured his attention, and it was even better in person. From this distance, she resembled Rebecca Shay, but he doubted the film company let her do her own stunts. He shook his head and glanced down at the clipboard. “I read through them.” Not that they made much sense, yet. Once he was walked through the scenes, he’d have a better understanding.

“Good. That makes this easier. We have our production meeting this morning. The director wants to make sure you sign all the documents before we get started Your team will have to as well, and of course you’ll be responsible for any slips they make to the media or public about the shoot. No pictures are allowed.”

Kennedy continued his low-key lecture and Ren tuned him out to watch her do another run. As the cart moved, he was able to see a different aspect of the scene. Her ride was smoother, tighter. Her launch was perfect again, and she nailed the landing with a sweet stop that had his smile widening. Throw in some explosions and gunfire, and you’d be in the middle of a classic RA chase.

With surprise he watched her go back to the beginning once more. Other motorcycles lined up behind her. There was no camera crew or anything else around them. “Excuse me, but what is she doing?”

He could tell that he’d irritated Kennedy, but he couldn’t help but wonder.

The driver, a bearded man with a ready grin answered for him. “That’s DJ Coleman. She’s the stunt double for Rebecca Shay. Her team does a dry run before every stunt. This morning is the chase sequence. We’ll do three runs during filming today. She likes to run it solo a few times to make sure she has the path memorized. Then she’ll run it with her team until it’s perfect.”

“She’ll have to hurry, then. We’re on a tight schedule.”

“Have we ever fallen behind, Mike?” The bearded man smiled, but there was ice in his expression.

“No. That’s why we hire your company, after all.”

“Damn straight. This is your stop, Mike. You stay with me, fire guy.”

Ren raised his eyebrows, but moved to the front seat the moment it was available. Mike moved away immediately and was hailed by a man carrying cables. The assistant director listened for a moment and rushed off in the power walk Ren had paced earlier.

“I’m Douglas Mack, the stunt coordinator. You and I are going to be best buds for the next two weeks. You won’t be needing this.” He took the clipboard from Ren’s hand and replaced the shot list with a more detailed rundown of the stunt scenes. “We’ve got major stunts over these next couple of days, but your crew will be needed for a few other inspections later. They’ll probably hand you off to some other guy during that time, but until then, I’ll fill you in on what you need to know from our side.”

Ren read through the scene list, noticing how they’d set up a list of responsibilities for his fire team along with a list of explosives, pyrotechnic mixtures, and everything else he’d need to do his job. “This makes things a lot easier.”

“Yeah, we’ve done this once or twice. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get that to you until today since our schedule got accelerated.”

“Can I ask why?”

“Not until you sign that NDA. I shouldn’t give you this, either, but I’d like to make this run as smooth as possible. Big stunts require big budgets, and we’re already tight on that. DJ will be running the show on the ground while I run the mic. You’ll meet her in a minute. I’ve got a few stunts, as well, but not until after the meeting.”

They parked in front of a building. Several people walked in ahead of them.

“Do you have anyone on your team that deals with our kind?”

Our kind? “You’re a shifter?” He couldn’t hide his surprise. There was no scent at all from the older man.

Douglas laughed. “Have three screws and a plate in my back. I haven’t run on four legs since my early thirties. That’s why you couldn’t catch my scent. That’s also why I get to ride around in this fancy golf cart and kick that pompous ass off of it whenever I want.”

“I’m the only one who knows about us, but I’ve dealt with trauma before.” More times than he could count.

“Good. I don’t see many of us working fires, but then again, we’re a weird group too. Most of my guys and some of my girls turn furry under the full moon. I’ve got mostly wolves, a few coyotes. A couple of them are like me and can’t turn anymore because of body mods. All of them are professionals. They won’t turn, even if it will save their lives. Our focus is on the shot.”

“Who else is—”

He clapped Ren on the shoulder. “I’ll tell you after you sign the agreement. Speaking of which. Here comes our paper pusher with the contracts now.”

“Yeah, I was ready for this.”

“Good. Then I’ll get some coffee while he reads every page to you.”

“What? Are you serious?” Ren reached for Douglas, but the man was laughing as he strode down the hall. If the old wolf hadn’t told him he’d had back surgery, Ren would have never been able to tell.

“Mr. James, we have only a few minutes and I have to get through this before our meeting begins.”

Ren stifled his groan. He was getting paid a lot of money to do this, and if it meant seeing DJ Coleman tear through the streets in another stunt chase, this was definitely worth it. Probably.