Dying to Have Her (18 page)

“Thank you so much for noticing.”

“Oh, they’re gone completely now. I do good work.”

“Thanks. You’re right, you do do good work,” she told him, rising.

“Your costume is there … can you imagine anyone working with Egyptian treasures in those pants? They’d be dusty in two seconds. Of course, your fakes aren’t actually dusty, thank God! Could you imagine old mummy wrappings on that gorgeous silk? Ugh!”

With that, Thorne departed.

Serena dressed quickly. When she stepped out of her dressing room she was startled to see that Liam wasn’t alone in the hallway.

There was a woman with him. He was leaning against the wall, head slightly bowed to her height. The woman was very close. She appeared to be upset, but she quickly masked her expression when Serena appeared.

She was tall, naturally very blond, slim and tan in a simple white sheath that enhanced every one of her good qualities. She really was gorgeous. And young. Serena felt her stomach pitching and twisting into terrible knots.

They both turned to Serena as she exited her dressing room. “Good morning,” she said, for lack of anything better to say.

“Sharon, Serena McCormack. Serena, Sharon Miller,” Liam murmured politely.

“Serena McCormack,” the blonde said, smiling.

Serena had known, without Liam’s introduction, that this was, of course, the hole digger. “Sharon? Hi, nice to meet you.” She stepped forward, offering a hand and the blond girl shook weakly. It was good that she had decided on the sciences; she wasn’t much of an actress.

“What a pleasure to meet you, Serena. My brush with fame,” Sharon said. Her words were too pronounced.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Sharon.”

The girl had very blue eyes. She studied Serena meticulously. “This is a closed set, I heard,” Sharon said. “They didn’t want to let me on it. I feel very privileged.”

“The producers like to keep their plots a secret,” Serena explained. It was torture, standing here, trying to be casual. “And of course, given our recent tragedy we’re all a little edgy. I hope it wasn’t that difficult getting in.”

“No, not really,” Sharon told her. “Not when I explained that I wasn’t out to steal plot secrets, that I only needed a few moments.”

For the first time Serena noticed that Sharon had the daily paper folded under her arm. “The paper,” she murmured. “I’m sorry. In fact, we were having an argument.”

“Don’t worry. I wasn’t bothered,” Sharon told her.

“Good,” Serena said. Her stomach continued knotting in a vicious manner. She wouldn’t be able to keep the smile going much longer. “Well, if you both will excuse me, I’m due on the set.”

She started down the hallway. When someone slid up beside her, she thought at first that it was Liam, doggedly doing his job no matter what. But it was Doug.

“The plot thickens,” he whispered.

“What are you talking about?” she asked with annoyance, far more shaken than she wanted to admit.

“Ruggedly handsome bodyguard, a new love, an old flame—”

“Don’t you dare call me old this morning,” she hissed to him, causing Doug to laugh.

“Think about it, Serena. There you have her—the young, beautiful new girlfriend. Innocent in appearance, far removed from the day-to-day action! But underneath it all, she’s desperately in love with her new guy and knows that somewhere inside him, his heart is still beating—thump-thump, thump-thump—for the exotically glamorous star of daytime. The gorgeous, athletic blonde isn’t as sweet and naive as she appears. Beneath the casual exterior, she is seething. She wants her man, so she plots, she plans, she bribes someone on the set—”

“And kills Jane Dunne?” Serena murmured, looking back. Liam was following behind her, still talking with the blonde.

“She didn’t intend to kill Jane Dunne. She meant to kill you.”

“Great planning. She commits a murder, and the killing sends the macho bodyguard here, hired to guard her intended victim.”

“I love it!” Doug said.

“Doug, even for a soap that’s reaching.”

“I think it’s a wonderful plot twist.”

“I think you’re cruel.”

“I think you’re jealous.”

“I probably am.”

They had reached the elevator.

“Push the button, quick,” Serena told him.

He smiled, folded his arms over his chest, and waited for Liam and Sharon. Liam introduced Doug and Sharon. As the two made small talk, Serena realized she was acquiring a tremendous headache.

She stepped off the elevator and almost walked right into Joe Penny. He pointed a finger at her. “You. Andy wants to talk to you.”

“I can’t talk now. I’m due on set,” she said. She realized that Joe was looking past her to see the newcomer.

Usually, Joe was irritated to have anyone else around. Today he smiled. “Good morning, Liam. And hello, Miss …”

“Sharon Miller, one of our producers, Joe Penny,” Serena said.

“Hello,” Sharon said. “How very nice to meet you.”

Joe hated people on his set, but he liked attractive women. He smiled at her. “A pleasure to meet you. You’re a friend of Liam’s?”

“Yes, and don’t worry, your security is safe. I had to talk for twenty minutes to get escorted up by an armed guard.”

“We’re terribly sorry to have put you through so much,” Joe said.

“It wasn’t that bad. To be honest, I think I have an old friend who works on this set. I would have pulled some favors if I had needed to.”

“Who’s the old friend?” Joe asked.

“I’m not divulging any secrets. I may need help in the future,” Sharon said.

Joe didn’t press the point. He seemed impressed by Sharon, and he looked at Liam. “Bill Hutchens was here earlier. He said to tell you that the rose was a rose was a rose. Whatever that means.”

“Thanks,” was all Liam said. Serena stared at him. He looked her way, but added no more. Sharon was watching them both. Serena found herself very anxious to get away.

She escaped them all, striding across the floor to Jim Novac, who was setting up on the Egyptian set. “Morning, Jim.”

“Hey, Serena, barely on time.”

She smiled. “Sorry.”

“We rehearsed this several times, but that was before … before we lost so much time. Think we should go over it again?”

“I’m fine with the scene. Is Kelly here?”

“Right here!”

Kelly came around the side of a huge, standing sarcophagus. “Ready to tear your hair out. Come on up.”

“You know what to do with this one,” Jim said.

Jim called for quiet on the set, and started his countdown: “And we’re on in five, four, three …”

“How dare you—how
dare
you—presume to get involved in my life, Verona!” Kelly charged. She walked around the set, furious. “You’re just trying to ruin my life because your own is a miserable mess. You stay away from David DeVille, do you hear me?”

“Maria!” Serena said, taking her stage sister by the shoulders and shaking her. “He’s bad news, don’t you understand that? He uses everyone, everyone!”

“So that’s it, is it?” Kelly demanded, shaking off her touch. “He uses everyone. Well, according to the gardener, he used
you
!”

Serena gasped, and gave Kelly a stage slap.

Kelly backed away, near tears.

“You don’t understand! I love him. You don’t love anyone. You’re all rolled up in yourself. Go back to Egypt, stay in Egypt, maybe the sands will bury you forever—”

“Maria, I’ve tried to protect you—”

“Your way of protecting me is to take your clothes off for David. No, thanks!”

“Maria, please—”

“You slept with him.”

“Maria—”

“If you go near him again, Verona …”

“Maria, you’re being far too dramatic.”

“This isn’t drama at all, Verona. If you go near him again, I’ll kill you.”

“I’m your sister, Maria—”

“I’ll kill you, do you understand that? I don’t know how, or when, but I’ll do it! I will kill you. And trust me, I’m not so frail, or innocent, or so
naive
that it won’t happen. I’m warning you,
you will be dead
!”

Kelly slammed her way off the set.

“Cut! Terrific!” Jim cried out.

Kelly was already laughing at something the cameraman was saying. Serena walked off the set more slowly.

The lights were in her eyes. The rest of the room seemed very dark, and the other sets created vast shadows. Where people stood here and there about the cavernous floor, they, too, seemed all shadow.

She shivered, suddenly afraid. She wanted to get off the set.

A hand suddenly landed on her shoulder.

“You! I am going to kill you! How could you, Serena, how could you? Without a word?”

S
HARON
M
ILLER STOOD AT
the elevator, praying that it would come quickly. She should have never come here. She was about to burst into tears, and all she wanted to do was get away.

From the moment Liam had said that he was taking a job at
Valentine Valley,
she had known it was over. He’d never lied to her; he’d never said that he loved her. She’d known about Serena, and she
should
have realized from the way he acted far too often that there was still someone else in his heart.

She pressed the elevator button again. “Come, come, come,
please!”

It hadn’t helped that she’d seemed to be so cordial, so reassuring, and so
decent
when Liam had said that they were worlds apart. His relationship with her just wasn’t fair because he couldn’t be what she wanted. She’d tried to tell him that she didn’t want a commitment if it made him uncomfortable. He had told her gently that she deserved a lot more. Every time a guy said that a woman deserved a lot more, you just knew you were screwed. He did care about her, she knew that, just not the way she wanted, not the way she had hoped.

“Sharon?”

“Hey!” she said happily. She did have a friend on the set.

“You’re leaving?”

Sharon nodded. “I’ve got to get out of here, fast.” She wiped below her eyes. “I’ve just been given the kindly brush-off.”

“It’s Serena, right? Serena McCormack?”

“Not her fault; he just isn’t … he isn’t in love with me.”

“Still …”

“Hey, if any more lights or pieces of scenery fall, try to push her in the way, hm?”

“Sharon, I’m so sorry—”

“Don’t be. I didn’t mean it.”

“It is too bad because Serena probably is the most decent person here. Too bad she’s just so …”

“So
Serena!”
Sharon said with a laugh. “Can you imagine this whole thing, the way that it’s happened? Oh, God, there’s the elevator. Listen, call me at home, please. We can talk then. Really talk. It’s great to see you—I just have to pull myself together!”

The elevator arrived. Sharon slipped in and waved good-bye to her friend.

“Serena, I just don’t believe this,” Andy said. He clapped his hand to his heart. “You’ve wounded me. Deeply.”

“Andy, you know, you are one hell of an actor”

“There you go, striking into my heart again.”

“Andy, I didn’t do anything evil. I did a screen test. I have not been offered a role. If I am offered a role, I will discuss it with you anyway.”

“Why the screen test if you—”

“Andy, you know that I met Eddie at film school. He asked me to do a screen test. So I’ve been his friend, and I thought, hey, why not? And why didn’t I tell anyone? Frankly, I’m not so sure that he will offer me the part, and you know what, Andy? I still have something of a delicate ego. I don’t like the whole world to know when I’ve been rejected.”

Andy understood that.

“You rejected me.”

“Oh, Andy!”

“I still love you, Serena. I remain crushed.”

“Right. So crushed that you run into the arms of every woman in town.”

“Ouch!” he said. “You rejected me, remember? I have an image to uphold. And speaking of parties, we’ve been invited to one tonight.”

“Oh?”

“And I wish you’d come.”

“Who’s having the party?”

“Kyle Amesbury.”

Serena stiffened. “Andy, I’m sorry—”

“He and Joe apparently had words last night. He wants to have a small dinner.”

“Good for him. I don’t like him, Andy.”

“I’ll watch out for you.”

“Andy, I just—” She paused. He wasn’t paying attention to her; he was looking over her shoulder. She spun around, frowning. Liam was just behind her.

“I think
we
should definitely attend that party.”

“See, there you have it,” Andy murmured. “Even Liam thinks you should go.”

“Where? When?” Liam asked.

“Kyle’s place, in West Hollywood. Eight o’clock cocktails and a dinner buffet.”

“We’ll definitely be there,” Liam said.

“Great,” Andy replied stiffly. “I—uh—I think he meant just the cast and some of the crew—”

“Where Serena goes, I follow,” Liam said. “That’s pretty much what you hired me to do, right?”

“Yes, I guess so. Well, then, I’ll see you both tonight. No, wait, Serena, I’ll see you later on the set. We’re scheduled in a scene together at four o’clock.”

“I’ll be there.”

Andy nodded and strolled on over to Jim Novac, who was on the
Valentine
family living room set, talking to Hank and Vera, who were about to have a huge row over their children.

Serena turned and headed toward the elevators, aware that Liam was following her. She was ready to throttle him for saying they’d go to the party.

She
wasn’t going.

At the elevator, fully aware that he was behind her, she spun around. “Liam, there aren’t many people I really dislike, but Kyle Amesbury is one of them. He watches people, assesses them as if he’s the devil and he’s wondering what price he’s going to pay for a soul.”

“It’s still important to go to this party.”

“Why?”

“I want to watch him.”

“Liam, he wasn’t on the set when anything happened!”

“I want to see what his relationships with other people are like.”

“Question him.”

“I intend to.”

“Liam—”

“Please, Miss McCormack,” he said politely, with a slight smile. “Think of it this way. If you want me out of your life, helping me to find out what is going on will move things along.”