“Handle it yourself,” Billie finished for her. “I’m not so sure about that. For instance, what about that desert chase this morning? You can hardly sit up, and you still expect to make a rough ride like that?”
“I’ll be okay once I’ve rested awhile and had some of Yusef’s tea and toast.”
“Kendra, you’re pregnant, for heaven’s sake. You can’t just ignore it and keep on doing the stunts you’re doing. It’s too rough on you.”
“I can keep it up for another month or so,” Kendra said. “My mother was still working when she was four months pregnant with me. She told me so. I’ll just have to be more careful in picking my jobs.” She smiled. “No more rolling down hills, or falling off horses.”
“What about that jeep jump?” Billie asked, her violet eyes troubled. “Won’t it jar you tremendously when you land on the other side of the canyon?”
“It won’t be pleasant, but if the springs are adjusted right, the impact shouldn’t be all that dangerous.”
“And if they’re not set up right?”
“Let’s just say they’d better be,” Kendra answered grimly. “But don’t worry; Skip will see that they are.”
“Oh dear, I’m going to be scared to death until it’s all over,” Billie said, biting her lip. “It’s going to drive me crazy standing there watching and wringing my hands. I wish I could do it for you.”
“Well, you can’t,” Kendra said with a chuckle. “This is my show, Billie. The only thing you can do for me is make sure that Joel doesn’t find out I’m pregnant and keep your fingers crossed while I’m zooming over the gorge.” She grimaced. “Providing I get the jump at all. Skip promised to tell me after the chase today.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Billie said with a sigh.
“That’s all any of us can do,” Kendra said, stretching out on the bed and willing herself to relax. The first pink streaks of dawn were already painting the gray sky and she didn’t have much time to rid herself of this damn weakness.
Kendra bent low over the black stallion’s neck, her face almost buried in the flowing mane. She was vaguely conscious of the camera crews mounted on trucks running alongside and in back of her, but she purposely blocked them out. She was going to have to use every bit of concentration she possessed to get this ride over with in one take. It had to be one take. She didn’t think she’d make it through another one.
The wind was hot and wild tearing at her wig, and the desert terrain flowed by her in a blurred golden stream. Just one more bit to do and that was directly ahead on her gallop through the canyon. A sniper attack was her signal for disengaging the stirrups, slipping to one side of the stallion, and hanging from the pommel so that she was no longer visible. An old Apache stunt but very flashy and one she had done innumerable times. There was no reason she couldn’t do it this time too, and then it would all be over.
The rock beside her seemed to explode in a rat a tat tat. The special effects team had affixed a strip of explosives to it; when they went off, it was her signal to begin the gag. Small explosive charges in the turf erupted to simulate machine gun fire aimed at the horse and rider. Then she slipped to the side of the horse, careful to maintain her balance, while positioning her legs cautiously so she could regain the saddle with equal grace and style. It seemed an excruciatingly long time before the stone walls of the canyon were no longer flashing by her and she was once more streaking past golden sand dunes. She straightened lithely back into the saddle and once more crouched over the stallion’s mane. Just another mile now and she’d reach the marker that signaled the end of the chase. Soon the horse was tearing past it and she caught a glimpse of Billie and Skip standing by a jeep at the side of the road. It was over!
She reined in the stallion, turned him, and started to walk him back toward the vehicles, her breath coming in little gasps, moisture beading her forehead. Why did it have to be so darn hot? This gag was rough enough without having such smothering heat to contend with. Joel was jumping off the back of the camera truck that had come to a halt beside the jeep, and she saw Skip cross the few yards that separated the two men. She was still too far away to hear the exchange, but Skip turned and with two fingers made a victory sign. Thank God she didn’t have to do the stunt again. Joel had gotten it on one take. She felt the tension rush out of her and had to make an effort not to show how relieved she was by slumping in the saddle.
The stallion’s trainer was at the black’s head now, his hand on the bridle and his eyes anxiously searching Kendra’s expression. “How was he, Kendra?”
“Steady as a rock. Couldn’t be better, Jim,” she answered. “He didn’t even flick his ears when the strip went off.” She dismounted, one hand patting the black’s neck affectionately. “His gait was smooth as glass when I…” Her voice trailed off as the world spun for her. She clutched the side of the saddle for support. Then Billie was beside her, holding her firmly.
“Billie, I’m so dizzy,” she whispered, her mouth dry. “Cover for me, please, I need a few minutes.” She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
“Oh, damn.” Billie’s low voice was full of anxiety. “I knew you shouldn’t have tried this today.”
Kendra opened her eyes and the ground and sky were miraculously back in their proper places. But the sight of Skip and a very grim-faced Joel striding rapidly toward them almost threw her into another tailspin. Her knees no longer felt like wet spaghetti, but still she trembled. She frantically sought an excuse for her apparent weakness.
“What the hell is wrong?” Joel’s voice was hard, his eyes piercingly keen. Skip was right behind him.
“Nothing,” Kendra murmured. “I just dismounted too fast and…”
“It’s her back,” Billie said hastily. “She has some ligaments that haven’t healed yet that give her a problem occasionally. Shall I run back to the house and get your pills, Kendra?”
“Pills?” Skip’s voice was as icy cold as his gray eyes.
Oh dear, Billie couldn’t have found a worse excuse if she had tried for a hundred years. She had meant well—trying to sidetrack Joel so he wouldn’t guess Kendra was pregnant—but instead she had revealed the very thing Kendra had concealed from Skip!
Skip’s tone was silky soft. “What kind of pills, Kendra?”
“Darvocet-N,” she answered with a resigned sigh. “One hundred milligrams.” Her eyes met his steadily. “But I’ve only used one since I’ve been in Sedikhan. That was the day I hurt my back on the hill and I had the next day off. I know your rules, Skip.”
“Then you know I won’t tolerate anything stronger than aspirin being used by anyone on the team,” Skip said in a harsh tone. “You also know that I don’t hire anyone who’s in such bad shape she needs to use them. Drugs dull your reflexes and can get you killed. Even the residue in your system could slow you down the fraction of a second that could make all the difference.”
“One pill, one time,” Kendra said desperately. “And you said yourself that I was doing a good job. Do you think I could have functioned like that if I was stoned?”
“Will someone please tell me what the devil Darvocet-N is?” Joel bit out between clenched teeth.
“A painkiller,” Skip answered succinctly, shaking his head in disgust. “I heard rumors that you had come back too soon from that back injury, but I couldn’t believe them. Never thought you’d be so stupid, Ken.”
“It wasn’t stupidity; it was necessity,” she answered tersely. “You know damn well why I was pressured into doing it.”
“Casey?” Skip’s voice was empty of sympathy. “Will it help him if you get yourself killed? That’s not a valid argument and you know it!”
“You’re acting as if Kendra was some kind of junkie,” Billie interjected indignantly. “It was medicine, for Pete’s sake.”
“The result is the same despite the reason behind it,” Skip answered. “Do you think I don’t know what it’s like? Hell, I think I’d broken every bone in my body by the time I was thirty-
five. No matter how careful you are, injuries happen. It’s part of the game. But I’ll be damned if any of my people start off with one strike against them.” Skip suddenly realized that the horse trainer was still there and gazing at them with avid curiosity. “It was a good run, Jim. I’ll be using you both again.” Then as the man reluctantly led the horse away, Skip turned back to Kendra. “I’m not sure I can say the same for you, Ken. I don’t like having my rules flouted.”
“Let me get this straight.” There was soft menace in Joel’s voice. “You’re telling me that all the time Kendra’s been working on Venture she’s been in pain so severe she’s had to use drugs to relieve it?”
“No! I told you I only used it once,” Kendra protested. “I’m almost well now.”
“Almost,” Joel repeated, his green eyes smoldering. “You let me run you ragged for two solid weeks without saying a word when you were going through God knows what kind of pain? You’ve got to be some kind of masochistic idiot. Why the hell would you do something like that?”
“The reason is clear enough,” Skip said sharply, acting with his usual instinctive protectiveness when one of his team was under attack. “Everyone knows Kendra’s had money troubles paying for all those medical bills since her brother crashed into that wall in Death Race four years ago. He made the mistake of signing an insurance waiver with the production company and they held him to it. Kendra was left holding the bag.” He smiled grimly. “You won’t find a professional in the business who’ll work for that company again. But it was too late to help Casey or Ken.”
“Not everyone knew,” Joel said slowly, the smolder a full-fledged flame now. “She didn’t see fit to tell me why she was so eager to break her neck.”
“Why should I?” Kendra asked defiantly. “What difference does it make why I did it? The only important thing was that it had to be done.”
“It makes a difference,” Joel said between clenched teeth. “You know damn well it makes a difference. I want to talk to you, Kendra. Now.”
“This isn’t any of your concern, Joel,” Kendra said curtly. “This is only between Skip and me. Stay out of it.”
“The hell I will!”
Trying to ignore Joel’s menacing figure, Kendra took a step toward Skip. She was relieved to find that the dizziness was almost gone now. “Okay, I wasn’t entirely honest with you,” she said earnestly. “You said yourself you were happy with my work. You know I worked my fanny off trying to turn in a really professional job for you. I deserve that jump, Skip. You know I do.”
She heard a brief angry expletive from Joel, but she purposely blocked him out. She had to concentrate only on persuading Skip to give her the jump. She needed that special more desperately than ever now that her stunting would be curtailed entirely within a few months. “I’m not asking any favors. I earned that jump, Skip.”
“And if I give it to you now, everyone in the business is going to wonder if I’m relaxing my own rules about drugs on the job,” Skip said with flinty hardness. “It will look like an actual reward for breaking the rules. How the hell can I do that?”
“You can’t do it,” Joel declared. “There’s no way Kendra’s going to make that jump.”
“Can’t?” Skip drawled softly. “I told you I didn’t like that word. You’re trespassing on my territory, Joel. This is my decision, not yours.”
“You’re wrong. This is very much my territory,” Joel said. “It was crazy enough to consider letting her do it before you knew she was on medication. It’s totally unacceptable now. You said yourself it could mean the difference between life and death.”
“But she said she had only used one pill on one occasion and there was some justification then,” Skip said coolly. “And if I remember correctly, a good deal of the blame rests at your feet. You were being pretty rough on her at the time.”
Joel flinched. “Do you think I don’t know that? Do you think I don’t realize I behaved like a bastard to her?”
“The personal games you and Kendra are playing aren’t my concern,” Skip said. “Except when they interfere with my prerogatives.” He turned to Kendra. “You’re right; you’ve earned the jump.” His lips tightened. “And I can handle any flak I’ll get from the rest of the team. I’ll be damned if I’ll let anyone challenge my authority here.”
“You’re going to let me do it?” Kendra said, her face alight with hope.
Skip nodded curtly. “You’ve got it.” He turned away. “Come on, I’ll drive you back to the location. We’re going to spend the rest of the day in my trailer studying the diagram of the stunt, and then we’ll go over the terrain up to the actual jump itself.”
“Damn you, Skip.” Joel’s voice was so charged with anger that Kendra’s eyes opened wide in shock. “If anything happens to her in that canyon tomorrow, I’ll strangle you with my bare hands.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to her,” Skip said. “I take care of my people. I’ll wait for you in the jeep, Ken.” Then he was striding swiftly away.
Kendra started to follow him, but she was halted by Joel’s iron grip on her wrists. “I said I wanted to talk to you, Kendra. That hasn’t changed.” His gaze remained on Kendra’s face as he said, “If you’ll excuse us, Billie?”
Billie gave Kendra a helpless glance before she shrugged and started for the jeep. “If you need me, just call, Kendra.”
“What does she think I’m going to do, beat you?” Joel asked in a bitter tone. “The idea has a certain merit, but at present all I’m trying to do is keep you from killing yourself. I’d think Billie would understand that.”
“She does,” Kendra said wearily. “She’s just a little overprotective. You know how Billie loves the underdog.”
“Then she should be trying to protect you from yourself and not from me.” His hands tightened even more around her wrists. “That night at Rainbow Keep you hadn’t had too much to drink as you let me think, had you? It was those damn pills you were taking.”
“I don’t really know,” she answered with a shrug. “What difference does it make? It probably was a combination of the two.”
“Terrific,” Joel said ironically. “How stupid can you get? Don’t you know you should never mix drugs and alcohol? You’re lucky you didn’t kill yourself.”
“So it wasn’t very bright of me. Why can’t you just drop it? Nothing irrevocable happened as a result of the mistake I made.”
“Didn’t it?” His lips twisted bitterly. “I think it did.” His expression became even grimmer. “Why didn’t you tell me about your brother? You know I would have let you have any amount of money you needed with no strings attached. Did you think I’d exact some sort of cheap sexual blackmail if you let me help you?” There was a flicker of pain in the depths of his eyes.
She glanced away. “What did you want me to do? Should I have begged you to pity the poor hardworking stuntgirl slaving to support her disabled brother? That’s too corny to be real. Too corny and too degrading. I’ve taken care of Casey ever since the accident and I don’t need charity to care for him now. I pay my own way, Joel.”
“With your blood? With your life, dammit?”
“It’s my life,” she said flippantly, then instantly sobered. It wasn’t only her life now, it was the baby’s! Oh God, she prayed silently, let her make the jump safely tomorrow.
“You won’t listen, will you?” Suddenly the anger and hurt disappeared behind a mask of granite. “Well, you may not think I deserve to be given any say in your life. You’ve made my bit role in your future very clear. But I’m dealing myself in, Kendra. I’m giving you an ultimatum and you’d be wise to believe that I mean it.”
“An ultimatum?”
“I want you to promise not to make that jump tomorrow. I want you to let me give you the money you need for your brother and to finance your training in any other career you select. No strings attached. You don’t even have to see me again if you don’t choose to.” As she began to shake her head, he continued harshly. “I
haven’t finished. Now we come to the ultimatum. If you do make that jump tomorrow, I’ll see that you’re blacklisted on every set in the film world. I think you know I have the power to do it. I’ll pass the word that you’re uncooperative and unreliable, and the drug rumor will do the rest. And I assure you I won’t be as generous about giving you your freedom from me if you force me to do that. I’ll have to find a way to make sure you’re well taken care of and secure, even if it means forcing you to be my mistress.”
“You wouldn’t do that,” Kendra whispered.
“Try me,” he said, a reckless smile on his face. “I’ll do whatever I have to do and take as much pleasure as I can for myself along the way. It’s not the role I had in mind for you, but who knows, I might learn to enjoy playing sheik to your captive mistress. It always makes a damn good story line. Maybe it has something going for it.”
“I don’t think you’d find it to your taste,” Kendra said, lifting her chin defiantly. “You’re a little too civilized to appreciate that type of situation.”
“You’d be surprised. The trappings of civilization have been gradually slipping away from me since the moment I met you. Well?”
She jerked her wrists from his hold. “You’ll have to try to do what you have to do.” Without looking at him she started walking across the sand toward the jeep where Skip was waiting for her. “Just as I’m going to do what I have to do.”
NINE
JOEL’S TALL, SLENDER body was silhouetted against the gradually brightening gray of the sky. He stood on the very edge of the precipice: the wind was sharp, whipping his clothes and lifting his dark hair. A poignant loneliness radiated from that figure and caused Billie to quicken her steps.
“Ron told me you’ve been out here for the last two hours,” she said gently as she came abreast of him. “And that you’d spent the night setting up the shot. He sent me to tell you they’re all in position at the bottom of the cliff and you’re to give the word when you’re ready.”