The director paced back and forth in front of Ren, stopping only a few times to stare off into space. It was obvious the man was running on too little sleep and way too much caffeine.

“I need to shut down production until we figure this out. The producers aren’t going to like it, but this has gotten out of hand. One of our contractors died last night.”

“I know. The coroner is already trying to isolate his cause of death. I understand what you’re saying, but if we shut down now, whoever is doing this will know that we’re onto them. They go underground and that’s going to leave us and you watching over your shoulder until the make their next move. If any.”

The director sat down in his chair and pulled a folder from his bag. He tossed it on the table toward Ren. It slid across the surface, scattering the production notes that had been meticulously placed just the day before. “Do you know what this is?”

Ren opened the folder and saw accident reports. Letters. Memos. He went through the stack for a bit.

“Since we started this movie, we’ve had over one hundred accidents. After Rebecca called me, I did a little research. Every one of them involved one of your kind. Rebecca tells me she’ll recover, but some of these others I haven’t followed up on. I have no idea how long this has been going on because none of these incidents happened in the same department.”

Scaffolding falls, set malfunctions, car accidents. Ren flipped through them slowly. “Are you sure they’re all related?”

He tugged at his hair and scratched at his scalp. “I’ve got no idea. Most department heads handle the incidents. Our ground safety crew is completely new this time. We missed the window for the original contract, and these guys aren’t consistent at all.”

Ren glanced through one where several extras had an allergic reaction to makeup. “Did Rebecca ever have problems with her makeup?”

“No. She brings her own staff. It’s in her contract.”

That explained why she wasn’t affected like the others. He doubted the stuff would still be around, but it was worth considering. “Who oversees the safety crew contracts?”

“I’ll ask my assistant director. He has a list of all the contacts we use on a regular basis. Speaking of which, I should probably tell him what’s going on.”

Ren reached across the table and grabbed the director’s arm. The man stared at him in surprise. He let him go immediately. “Hold off on that for a minute. Do you know of anyone who would want to shut down this film?”

The director’s laugh was rusty and strained. Ren remember reading somewhere about how stressed the man got during every film. If he wasn’t careful, it might just kill him. “You name it. We have rival movie companies, angry contractors, even talent who are angry that they weren’t hired for the film. Not to mention the various organizations who threaten to do everything from boycott our movie to outright harm to our people. The thing is, not everyone would have access to my people, this set, and especially not to my actress. That circle is very small.”

“I’m going to need those names, and the names of the organizations and individuals that have set you, this film, and your production company in their sites.”

“I’ll have Michael get them to you.”

Michael, the AD who gave him a hard time yesterday for stopping the film during Mack’s stunt. Mack didn’t want to deal with him. “I’d rather no one else know about this for now. Can you get them to me, instead?”

The director nodded. “Yeah, give me some time.”

Ren stood up. “Have you decided what you want to do about the shooting schedule?”

“If we move forward, more of my people will be in danger.”

“If we don’t—”

“He could get away. I know, I know.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Every one of these people are my responsibility while they are working on my set. I don’t know how this person figured out who the shifters are. Hell, some of them were extras. They only worked for one day, but it was enough time to get them hurt. I want him found and put behind bars where he belongs, as much as you do.” He sighed and stared at Ren. “If we do this, what guarantee do I have that no one else will get hurt?” The man’s eyes bore into Ren’s and he was tempted to comfort him with empty words.

Comforting the man wasn’t his job. “If your stunt crew is taken out, how badly would that affect your production schedule?”

“We would lose weeks, if not months. I’d have to push back our release date and the whole world would know about it. There are a lot of stunt teams in the world, but this one knows how I do things. They’re the smoothest operation we’ve ever had, and they have some specialists that are hard to find. We could replace one or two quickly, but the whole team would be difficult on short notice.”

“Today, you have a stunt that involves all of them. A fight scene inside the factory, right?”

“Yeah. Maybe I should rework that scene.”

“My bet is that he’ll make his move then. DJ has stepped up as stunt coordinator, so the bump in the road yesterday has been smoothed over. Her team is ready to get the job done.”

“So, what am I supposed to do? Pretend like I don’t know anything?”

“Sir, this is someone targeting my kind. It’s your movie, but it’s our lives on the line. If you step in, human or not, I think this guy will take you out. That’s a pretty efficient way to make this movie fail, don’t you think?”

He slammed a fist on the table. “Then why hasn’t he done it already?”

“Because his target isn’t you. It’s shifters who work for you. I’m an outsider to you, but I’ve faced this kind of threat most of my life. Look, if it makes you feel any better, why not tell your security team to tighten up, a little. You can always say one of those organizations you mentioned sent a threatening message or something. If we can catch him in the act, that would be even better.”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll talk to them personally.”

Ren didn’t mention that the culprit could be anyone, even security. He’d suggest almost anything if it meant the director would go forward with shooting today. His gut told him everything had led up to this moment. This day. If he was wrong, he’d eat his aunt’s cooking for a month without complaint. And since everything she made tasted like charcoal and tires, he’d never been more serious.

“Thank you, director. I need to go brief my crew and DJ.”

“Make sure you’re at the production meeting.”

“Will do.” Ren gave a two-fingered salute and left the director behind to start pacing again. Seeing him in real life with the same level of anxiety as everyone else was humbling.

He picked up his phone and called Davila. His experience on previous film assignments had been invaluable the day before.

“What’s up, boss?”

“We’ve got a tense situation today. Seems like a protest group or something has threatened the film. It’s a hectic stunt schedule with lots of fireworks, so we need to be more alert. If something feels wrong, we have permission to stop production.”

Davila whistled. “I’ve worked tons of these, and we’ve never been given that kind of power.”

“It’s been a weird assignment, that’s for sure.”

“What time do we meet up?”

“I’ve got a production meeting in twenty minutes. I want you guys ready to move at a moment’s notice, so get suited up.” They would be in their pants and boots with their other gear within an arm’s reach. Davila ran a tight crew, so Ren knew it would get done.

“As my fire safety officer commands.” Ren could almost hear the man’s formal bow.

“You sound like something out of a cheesy fantasy movie. Knock it off. I’ll call you when we switch to the headsets.”

“You got it boss man.” Davila was still laughing as he ended the call.

Ren noticed her truck, running in the parking lot. He found her lying on the bench seat of the truck with a small blanket covering her body. Ren tugged on the door handle and it opened easily. The heater slapped him in the face with her rich scent. The wolf in him ached to curl up next to her, but he was listening to his practical human side. He was tempted to wake her up with a scare. Maybe that would teach her to be more aware of the danger she was in. Her peaceful expression stopped him. Or maybe it was just a wish to see her resting and semi-relaxed.

She moved like a predator, a woman confident in herself who knows the limits of her body. DJ was tough as hell and a skilled stuntwoman. He’d done some research since they met the day before. She had starred in some of his favorite action films outside the Rogue Assassin series. Her bike work was intense, but those fight scenes were insane, especially the ones where her face was covered by something, so she could go all out.

He ran his fingers through her short hair. It was soft to the touch while his hair was coarse and spiky. His aunt had called him a porcupine when he was a kid.

She began to stretch and then her body stiffened. Her eyes opened slowly and peered at him from the bench seat. “Good morning.” She licked her lips and stared at his, kicking his body into overdrive.

“Good morning. If you keep lying there, I’m going to have to take another taste of those sexy lips of yours.”

“Oh?” She smiled at him, then, and he took it as a challenge.

Kissing her was a soft exploration of her lips and tongue. He loved the sweet moans that came from her throat as he deepened the kiss. The scent of her lust pierced his senses and he wanted nothing more than to jump in the truck and take her back to his place. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen. Not yet. He ended the kiss with regret, and watched her pulse slowly return to normal. The heat in her eyes lingered and he enjoyed the way her cheeks flushed with heat. “Good morning.” He said it again.

She grinned and sat up, stretching her arms up to the roof of the cab. “Now that’s a great way to wake up.” She reached over and shut off the truck.

“Give me time and I’ll show you better ones.” He liked the way her eyelashes lowered when he surprised her. Those expressive eyes of hers would give anything away.

“I may take you up on that one day.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

A loud siren followed by the sound of a claxon welled up from her jacket. She pulled out her cell, turned off the alarm, and yawned large enough to pop her jaw. “Time to wake up.” She smirked and gestured for him to move back while she jumped to the ground and shut the door.

She stretched as she walked and dragged her jacket on, locking the truck behind her. “What did he say?”

“We move forward with the stunts. Your big one will be in three hours. My team is on high alert and so is the security team.” She glanced his way. “He’s saying a protest group made threats.”

“Nice. But what if it’s someone on the security team who did it?”

She probably didn’t know about the security guy who died last night. “It’s possible, but none of them had access to Rebecca’s filters since they were delivered to the hotel. The lion’s representative will go through the hotel’s security cameras an isolate the individual.”

“So, I watch my team’s ass, double check the ropes, triple check the pyro guys’ work, and hope and pray that my nose catches a whiff of this guy before he takes us down.”

“Don’t forget about me and my crew.”

She glanced his way. “No offense, but when explosions are going off all around me, I’m going to be focused on what’s right in front of me. You saved Mack’s life, but we both know it’s us against whoever is trying to take us down.”

“I’ll be close by. The director has something in mind.”

“Alright. But my crew comes first.” He could see the steel resolve in her gaze and feel the iron will burning inside her. This was why Mack left her in charge.

“As they should. Just make sure you keep your ass safe, too.”

“Everything okay?” Michael James, the AD, stood at the door to the director’s office, holding it open. “You both seem really intense.”

“Yeah, we’re fine.”

“Super.” And just like that, she shut down her emotions and went inside.

Ren shrugged at Michael. “She doesn’t want us to do double check the safety rigs today, but I told her I had to since there was an accident yesterday.”

Michael smirked. “Mack’s crew refuse to slow down no matter what happens. She’ll get over it, but if you mess up her schedule, she may just filet you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He strode into the room and took an empty seat toward the back. As the meeting started, he watched everyone involved. He expanded his senses the way he’d learned to do as a child, carefully feeling out the situation. Michael was busy taking down notes and introducing on-set problems. That guy really had his shit together. Other members reported their schedule, but none of them held any malice or ill-intent.

Either no one in this group was the culprit, or they were more skilled than he was at hiding their emotions.

“If there’s nothing else, I need the Fire Safety Officer and DJ to hang back. We need to go over the new safety requirements after yesterday’s explosion.”

Michael remained behind as well, and filled them in on the schedule changes. DJ’s request for additional time before the big fight scene was nixed almost immediately.

The director handed him a file folder like the one from before. “This is the list of the companies we work with and the hard copies of our permits. Sorry I didn’t have them for you, yesterday.”

“Thanks.” They both knew that the permits had been filed with DF&R long before this film shoot, but he’d take them.

DJ was still arguing with Michael as he left the room. He wanted to see her again before the shoot, but he needed to check in with his aunt and see how the autopsy was coming along.

He dialed her number and tucked the phone against the side of his face. While it connected, he poured through the file, finding the list of names the director had promised sandwiched between a parking permit and the list of pyro companies they were using on the film.

Five people had complete access to Rebecca Shay before she was poisoned and were on the film set yesterday.

“Hey nephew. Have you kissed her, yet?”

“Dammit, Aunt Cheryl, seriously?” He was instantly flustered.

She cackled on the phone as he leaned against a wall, ensuring no one else could sneak up behind him and listen to his conversation. The wind bit into his skin, but he barely noticed it through the adrenaline pumping through him.

“So, what do you need? The autopsy isn’t finished. Rebecca is stable and will recover. Mack is still in critical condition, but I’m hopeful.”

“I’ve got a list of names for you. These guys may or may not have records, but I may be able to get you some fingerprints. They’re probably on IMDB with profile shots, too.”

“Blood samples would be better, but fingerprints and photos will give us something for the lions to work with. Text me the names and I’ll handle it from here. You’re still with her?”

He didn’t have to ask who she meant. “She’s briefing her stunt crew on the day’s work.”

“Don’t let her be reckless. I still need to test that girl’s nose.”

He laughed. “Your priorities are as skewed as ever.”

“Next time you kiss her, make sure you mean it.”

“Will you stop, already?” His voice boomed louder than he expected, and he put a hand over his face to cover his embarrassment. “I’ve got to brief my guys, too. Thanks for doing all of this.”

“You don’t have to thank me, kid. You know that. Stay safe. This guy is a real piece of work. He used silver nitrate pellets inside the mixture used last night. They embedded in the wolf’s skin and he likely shifted as a result. I’m waiting for the report, but I imagine he was dead before he hit the ground. He’s getting better with every attack.”

“I’ll be as safe as I can. And Aunt Cheryl, get some rest. You’re going to wear yourself out if you’re not careful.”

“Look who's trying to lecture me. Save that advice for yourself, kiddo. I know you better than you know yourself. Love you.”

She hung up before he could say it back. He texted her an “I love you” back and then forwarded the names of the suspects. Cheryl being sentimental shook him to the core. He dialed Davila.

“Yeah boss man?”

“Suit up. We go live in ten minutes. I’ll meet you guys at the fire truck. We’ve got a long day ahead of us, and I’d like to make sure we don’t have another day like yesterday.”

“You got it.”

DJ left the building and stalked toward the set. Her shoulders were stiff and the way she carried herself made him thankful he wasn’t in her warpath.

Michael followed close behind and eyed him the moment he stood at the stairs. He shrugged his shoulders and looked exhausted already. Being an AD was a shitty job, but someone had to do it.