Brody

Kara was pressed between my legs. I had her backed up against a tree, my mouth hovering over her exposed neck, which was where it had been for the last hour. We kept fucking up the shot. Either the wind was in the wrong direction, Kara was hiccupping, my “smoldering” was all wrong, or Shanna wasn’t happy with a line delivery.

To make matters worse, I had to keep my groin pressed against hers because I didn’t have a hard-on and I was supposed to for this scene.

“BRODY! BRODY!”

“Cut!” Shanna cried out, throwing her hands in the air as she whipped around. “What the fuck?”

I backed up, and Kara leaned against the tree. She muttered, “Thank God. My back is killing me.”

I grunted. She and I both.

“BRODY!”

I turned and thought I saw Matthew careening over the field toward us. It was dark, but I recognized his voice. He was waving his arms like a madman, and I scowled. I hadn’t seen him since I ripped out his hard drive.

Finn and Jen were on set that day, and right away, Finn started for me.

I pointed at him as we fell in step together and headed in Matthew’s direction. “If he fucks with me today, I swear to God, I’ll rip him apart.”

I hadn’t eaten all day since Shanna wanted my muscles to be as defined as possible. I was cold from the damn water being thrown on us, and I’d spent hours pressed against a woman I couldn’t stand. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with Matthew’s shit on top of everything else.

“Excuse me!” Shanna went to get in his way, her hands planted on her hips.

She had a coat on, unlike—I glanced over my shoulder and saw an assistant wrap a heavy blanket around Kara’s shoulders—me. I didn’t even know where my shirt was.

“Brody!”

Matthew was almost to us.

Finn held his hand out. “Let me talk to him.”

“Fuck that.” He was saying my name. I clenched my jaw. If he wanted a fight, so be it.

“Brody!”

I strode ahead, ignoring Finn.

Matthew looked as white as a sheet, but he couldn’t catch his breath. He got to me, but couldn’t talk. He held a hand up, bending over and resting his hands on his knees.

I started to get it then.

He wasn’t here to fight, and then the panic started.

It was Morgan. There was no other reason he’d seek me out. And if he was coming to me for help—I stopped thinking then.

Something was wrong, really, really wrong.

“What happened?” I barked out.

Shanna yelled, coming over, “You interrupted a shot that’s been taking forever to get. There better be a good reason for this.”

“Morgan,” he gasped.

“Who?” Shanna asked.

Ice went down my spine

“What happened to her?” I barked at him.

He didn’t answer right away. He still couldn’t.

“Matthew!”

I started for him, but Finn jumped in front of me, his hands in the air, his palms toward me. “He can’t breathe, Brody. Let him have a second.”

“Something’s—” Wheeze. “Wrong—” Another wheeze. “With Mor—” He bent over, still gasping for air.

I’d had enough. Storming past Finn, I grabbed Matthew’s shoulders and pulled him upright. “What happened to her?”

I looked in his eyes, and his own panic had that ice lining my stomach.

I stepped forward so we were almost chest to chest. “TALK! What happened to Morgan?”

Everyone had fallen silent around us, but no one and nothing else mattered but the answer to that question.

Matthew, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly as he stepped backward. Finally. He managed, “Something’s wrong with her. She couldn’t breathe.”

The world went away.

I was only on him.

“Where is she?”

“Shiloh.”

Oh good God, no. I let him go, not caring that he collapsed to the ground. If she was on Shiloh, that meant she was in the mountains. She was out there, and no one could get to her. I had to—there were two horses here for the scene.

“Brody.” Finn tossed me a sweatshirt.

I caught it, taking off in the opposite direction.

They were being taken care of by a handler, who started when she saw me racing toward her. The horses stepped to the side.

“Wha—” Her eyes trailed behind me.

I heard Finn, who was right on my heels, say, “What are you going to do?”

Ignoring him, I focused on the trainer. “Which one is the fastest?”

“What?” Her mouth was gaping open. Her eyes were skirting from Finn to me.

“Brody!”

I ignored him. “Which one?”

She flung one of the leads to me. “Her. She’s the faster one.”

It was a brown mare, and she was watching me, but she wasn’t scared. I ran a hand down her neck, soothing to her at the same time, “Hey, hey. Listen, Horse. I don’t know you that well. You don’t know me, but I need your help.”

“Brody!”

Gayle was joining the fun. I didn’t look for her, but I knew if I had, I would have seen the look of complete disapproval on her face.

“Brody.” Finn tried again. “What are you going to do? You’ll get lost up there.”

Morgan was in trouble. Nothing else mattered.

“Brody.” He grabbed the horse’s bridle as I climbed up on the saddle.

“Let go.” One warning. I’d run him down if I had to. “I mean it, Finn.”

His eyes flared from urgency to me. “You cannot ride.”

“I’ve been riding the last week.”

“Not enough. Not for those mountains. Not for where she went.”

He had a point, but I didn’t care. “It’s Morgan. I’m going.”

“Give us time. We can organize a search party. We’ve done this before. I told Jen to call Abby. She is probably already making phone calls to get people out here.”

I shook my head. “That could take hours.” She might not have hours. She might not even have one hour. “I have to go, Finn!”

He still wouldn’t let go of the bridle. “I’m thinking about you too. It isn’t just Morgan. She’s done this before. She’s probably fine, but you won’t be. You’ll get lost. You’ll get stuck out there for hours.” He nodded to the horse. “This mare isn’t equipped to be out there.”

It was the fastest way to Morgan. That was all I knew.

I pulled on the reins, jerking the horse’s head away from Finn and ripping the bridle free from his grip. Kicking my feet into her side, her rear end came around, knocking Finn to the side.

I twisted around and said, “I don’t care.” Then I leaned forward and kicked my feet into her side again.

I wanted her to run.

As she did, tearing up dirt, Finn yelled behind us. “You’re not going to help her like this!”

Maybe.

Maybe not.

All I knew was that I had to get to her.