“What time is it?” Angela groaned while she stretched and the darkness of sleep fell away.

 

“A little after seven,” Saul replied as he flicked her nipple with his tongue. He knew they didn’t have time for anything, but she had some of the best tits he’d ever seen and he couldn’t seem to keep his mouth off them.

 

“This is going to have to stop,” she sighed, enjoying his kisses.

 

“What?”

 

“Fucking all night, then having to get up the next morning.”

 

He didn’t like the sound of that at all. “You didn’t enjoy it?”

 

She pulled his mouth from her breast. If he kept that up, she was going to be late for call. “What I’m not enjoying is having to get up so damned early. I still have to go back to my room to shower and change.” She thought about it a moment. “Fuck it. I can wear my close from last night to the set,” she said as she pulled his lips to hers. They were going to have to make this one a quickie.

 

***

 

Angela and Saul were walking up to the crew as a car, followed by a Los Rio police cruiser, skidded around the corner at the far end of the street and raced toward the camera.

 

“Cut!” Johnny called. “Did we get that?”

 

“Standby,” a man said as he reviewed the footage. “We got it.”

 

“Okay, next shot. Angela, good, you’re here. We’re a little ahead of schedule this morning. Go get into makeup. We’ll be ready for you in less than an hour.”

 

While Angela was in makeup, Saul wandered over to the craziest looking car he’d ever seen. It looked like a Los Rio police car from the door handles up, but below there, it was all science fiction.

 

“Pretty cool rig, huh?” a man dressed in a racing suit said standing beside the car, his helmet and a walkie sitting on the hood.

 

“Yeah. What is it?”

 

“Stunt car. Want to see?”

 

“I’d love to.”

 

“Tony Wokowski,” the man said extending his hand.

 

“Saul Houston. Nice to meet you,” he said, shaking Tony’s hand.

 

Tony opened the hood of the car, but instead of an engine, there was a rudimentary cockpit with a single, deeply raked seat, gear selector, steering wheel, foot controls, and nothing else.

 

“Okay…” Saul said slowly.

 

“This is where I drive the car. That way the actors can worry about acting instead of driving. The steering wheel in the car is connected to mine with a clutch, so it even turns to match the car’s movement. So long as they don’t fight the wheel it’ll look like they’re driving.”

 

“I assume the engine is in the back?”

 

Tony shut the hood. “Yeah, a Chevy 5.7 liter small block. You can see it through the window.”

 

Saul peeked in and could see part of the engine extending into the passenger cabin. “I bet this thing is a pig will all that weight in the back.”

 

Tony grinned. “Not too bad. A lot of the engine is between the axels. We run 5.12 gears. Sixty is about as fast as it will go, but it launches like a mother. It has a lot of negative camber and positive caster on the front and, with the low gearing, I can drift it for days.”

 

“And all the weight swinging around back there doesn’t screw it up?”

 

“Nah. Once we get the cameras mounted, the car is pretty evenly balanced.”

 

“Amazing,” Saul said.

 

“Yeah. I’ve got the best job in the world,” Tony said with a grin. Both men looked up as the two cars that had been chasing each other earlier skidded around another corner and raced out of sight. “The drivers in those two cars are my sons. The youngest, the one in the bandit car, is only nineteen.”

 

“You must be very proud.”

 

“I am. They’re both going to be better than I ever was. The oldest – he’s twenty-two – will be doing the driving stunts in the next Bond movie.”

 

“Tony, you ready?”

 

Tony walked around the car and picked up the walkie. “Ready when you are.”

 

“Be ready to mount the cameras in five minutes.”

 

“Roger that,” Tony said then grinned at Saul. “Time to pay some bills. It’s been nice talking to you, Saul.”

 

“Same here,” Saul said as they shook hands.

 

Saul stood back and watched as Tony wormed his way down into the cockpit and buckled in before reaching up and pulling the hood down with a rope.

 

He stood out of the way as several crewmembers began affixing several large cameras to the car. He’d been hanging around the crew long enough that he could guess from the cameras placement and angle the left side camera would be filming the passenger, the right side camera the driver, and the center camera was for what he’d heard the crew call a two shot, when both actors were in frame. Now he knew why Tony had gotten into the car so early. With the cameras in place, he had no way to get in or out.

 

The crew mounting the camera was finishing their task as Bradley and Angela walked toward him. She surprised Saul by melting into him and giving him a quick kiss. “Wish me luck. I hope I can do this. I’ve never done anything like this before.”

 

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Saul said.

 

“Says the guy not getting scared shitless in the car.”

 

“Want me to take your place? I bet it’ll be fun.”

 

She giggled. “If only I could. Want me to see if Ryan will let you take a ride after the shot is in the can?”

 

He grinned. “No, that’s okay,” he said, though he would have liked to try it.

 

“We’re ready, Angela, Bradley,” one of the PA’s said.

 

“How do I get in?” she asked when the door didn’t open.

 

“Though the window.”

 

“Here,” Saul said, picking her up as Bradley scrunched himself through the window and into the car.

 

She squeaked in excitement and trepidation as Saul held her while a PA helped her worm into passenger seat of the car. She buckled her seatbelt. “You two ready?” Tony asked from under the dash. She bent to peer under the dash. If she bent over far enough she could see Tony’s head and shoulders.

 

“I hope,” she replied.

 

“Let’s do it,” Bradley said with a grin. He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Don’t worry. These guys are expert. You’re safer now than driving on the freeway, and a hell of a lot safer than on the back of Saul’s bike.”

 

The Chevy barked to life behind them and Angela rolled up her window started getting her game face on.

 

***

 

Saul laughed with Johnny, watching on the monitor as Tony slid the stunt car around the corner, causing Angela to scream in excitement then laugh hysterically. “That’s why I didn’t roll cameras,” Johnny chuckled. “Do it again,” he said into a walkie. “And, Angela, you’re a cool and professional police woman. Try to act like one,” he teased.

 

Angela picked up the walkie. “I’m trying, but Tony nearly made me piss myself!”

 

“Want me to tone it down?” Tony’s voice came over the radio.

 

“Angela?” Johnny asked.

 

“No. Give me another chance. I just wasn’t expecting that.”

 

“Let her have it,” Johnny said. He looked over his shoulder to Saul. “What do you think? Will she scream again or not?”

 

He thought about it. “Not.”

 

“Prepare to roll cameras,” Johnny said. “We’ll see if you’re right.” He waited until the car was back to the starting mark. “Roll cameras.”

 

“Speed!”

 

“Action!”

 

“There, there, there!” Angela called, pointing out the window as she hung on, the car slewing around the turn.

 

“And cut!” Johnny said. “Reset, let’s do it again.”

 

“How are you going to be able to hear what she says over the engine noise?” Saul asked. All they could hear from the in car sound was the roar of the big V8.

 

“We’ll ADR it in later, along with some better engine sounds,” Johnny explained as Tony drove back to the starting point and prepared for another run.

 

“ADR?”

 

“Automated Dialog Recording. Some people calling it dubbing. The actors will go to a sound stage and say their lines again, and the editor will replace the location sound with the clean sound.”

 

“So why record sound on location at all?”

 

Johnny grinned. “Good question. Some directors don’t. They do everything with Foley, ADR and sound effects, but I think the live sound has a richer, more realistic feel, so that’s what I use when I can.”

 

“Foley?”

 

Johnny chuckled. “A lot of terms, aren’t there? Foley is a bunch of men and women who add all the ambient sounds. Footsteps, the squeak of a seat, the ruffle of a coat, the sound of someone pulling their gun from the holster, anything you need that you didn’t get live.”

 

Saul nodded in understanding, once again amazed at all the effort that goes into making a movie. No wonder they cost fifty million dollars to make. “How is that different than sound effects?”

 

“They’re not, really, but typically sound effects are prerecorded sounds added in later, things like the motorcycle sounds you were complaining about, or gunshots, where Foley Artists actually make the noises live for the shot as they watch it on a screen.”

 

Johnny turned his attention back to the car as it pulled to a stop. “Ready? Action!” he said.

 

Instead of watching the monitor, this time Saul watched the car slew around the corner, but then it suddenly hooked right and plowed into one the cars parked at the edge of the road, bounce off, and spun across the road to hit another car. The crew stood frozen for an instant, then burst into motion.

 

Saul ran for the car, several other Pagans also running for the accident, as the crew ran after them, several men carrying fire extinguishers. He skidded to a stop on the passenger side of the car. Angela was sitting there, looking stunned and out of sorts.

 

“Angela! Angela, are you okay?” he yelled, hammering on the window as people began to swarm. She didn’t answer, staring at him as if she didn’t recognize him, so he pulled his pistol and smashed the butt of it into the window. It shattered but didn’t break out, so he hit it again. He ignored the shouts of the crew as some began to pull the cameras off the car while others worked to get Bradley out.

 

“Angela! Are you okay?” he called as he knocked out the rest of glass on the window and leaned in.

 

“What? Yeah. I hit my head,” she said softly as she reached up to her temple.

 

He tried to release her seatbelt, but it was cinched tight and he couldn’t get it to release. He reached to his hip and pulled his knife, slicing the belt.

 

“Don’t move her!” a man yelled, pushing his way in beside Saul. “Angela! You okay? Any pain?” the man asked.

 

“My head.”

 

“Anywhere else?”

 

“I hit my arm on something.”

 

“Can you feel your legs? How about your back? Does that hurt?”

 

“What? No.” She started to rise out of her seat but the medic pushed her back.

 

“Just sit for a moment, okay?”

 

“I’m okay,” she said as she pushed his hand away and reached for Saul. “Help me out.”

 

“Jim! Get over here,” a man called. “Tony’s bleeding.”

 

The medic ducked out as Saul took Angela and helped her ease out of the car. “You okay?” he asked as he put her on the ground.

 

She wavered then steadied. “Yeah, I think so. Where’s Bradley?” she asked looking around.

 

“Getting out now.”

 

“He’s trapped,” Andy said, from the front of the car. “We need something to cut the steering wheel away.

 

“You okay for a minute?” he asked, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I need to help with Tony.” He slowly turned her loose, then hurried to the front of the car. Tony’s compartment was bent around him, the steering wheel pressing into his legs. Andy was bent over in the compartment pulling on the wheel.

 

Saul climbed in, squeezing in on the other side of Tony. “How you doing, man?”

 

“I think my fucking foot is broken,” Tony hissed. “The wheel is cutting off the blood to my legs and they’re going numb.”

 

“We’re going to get you out of here, so just hang in there.”

 

“I can’t get the wheel up,” Andy said. “I think we’re going to have to cut it.”

 

“Let’s try it together. Caleb, Kyle, get this fucking hood out of the way!” Saul squirmed around until his back was against the firewall as Caleb and Kyle repeatedly slammed the hood back until it was bent out of the way. Andy, realizing what Saul was doing, turned, as well. Both men placed their foot against the top of the steering wheel and dug in to push.

 

“On three,” Andy said as he got into position. “One…two…three!” Saul and Andy strained, crying out in effort as they heaved with every fiber of their being. They felt the wheel move, but not enough.

 

“Again!” Saul ordered as Kyle and Caleb crawled up into the car and grabbed the wheel, as well. “One…two…three!” The four men strained, their veins standing out as they screamed in rage and effort, forcing the wheel up through sheer willpower.

 

“That’s got it!” someone cried as Tony began to struggle out of the seat. Andy and Saul stayed in their position until Tony was out, then they crawled out, as well.

 

Angela pulled out of Bradley’s embrace. He’d been trying to comfort her, but she needed Saul. She melted into him, her arms going around him, and she felt a wetness. She gasped, and pulled her hand back, staring at the blood.

 

“You’re bleeding!”

 

“What?” he asked, as he reached behind him and pulled back a bloody hand. “Shit.”

 

“Saul’s hurt!” she cried.

 

“I’m okay.”

 

“Let me take a look at it,” another medic said, rising from Tony’s side.

 

“You need to worry about Tony.”

 

“Jim’s taking good care of him. Now, let me see. Where’re you bleeding?”

 

“His back,” Angela said.

 

“I’m Greg, by the way,” the medic said as he turned Saul so he could see. “That’s a pretty nasty gash you have there.”

 

“I must have cut it on the car.”

 

“Nothing to worry about,” Greg said. “Let me clean you up and see what we’ve got.”

 

“Is he going to be okay?” Angela asked, clinging tightly to him.

 

“He’s going to be just fine,” Greg said. “This is going to sting.”

 

Saul hissed as Greg cleaned the wound. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, tipping her head up to look into her eyes.

 

“I have a headache, and I’m probably going to be sore, but yeah, I’m okay. Jim looked at my eyes and said I probably don’t have a concussion.”

 

“That’s good,” he said, gritting his teeth against the pain as Greg cleaned and dressed the wound.

 

“There. When was the last time you had a tetanus shot?”

 

Saul shrugged. “A couple years ago, I think.”

 

“Then you should be good to go.” He smiled. “That was something, you and your men getting Tony out as quickly as you did.”

 

Saul smiled. “All part of the service.”

 

“I’m done for the day,” Angela said. “Get me away from here.”