When June rolled down the wrong spot, the director and the others only grew worried if he got injured or wounded by his fall. The male lead only took the nearest exit from the parallel alley and did the next best thing—acting like it was the scene in the script. Before June could get up, the male lead jumped at him and pinned him down with a little caution.
"You okay, man?" The actor asked in a whisper.
"Let's call for a cut. I don't feel good about this." June saw the cameraman approaching for the take. He just started struggling until the male lead pushed him down again.
The male lead glanced at the cameraman and waited for his signal to shoot. As soon as it started rolling, the male lead assumed his persona again. "That's a fantastic move you've got there. Did you learn that in your barista classes?"
June rolled his eyes and got pulled up by the male lead, only to be shoved against the grimy wall. His hands were secured by cable ties, just like standard procedure. It's just that when he glanced at the running female lead, he felt the same warning feeling again.
Lucirien was warning him again.
"We've caught you now!" The female lead slowed down as she crossed the intersection. With the camera focusing on her, June darted his eyes around the alleyways.
Then… a haunting scream echoed along with a loud crash. Before the female lead knew it, her life flashed before her eyes.
A red car crashed through the other car blocking the alley. It continued through the alley, rushing in the direction of the female lead. The director and everyone else gasped and screamed—
But no blood splattered on the dirty floor.
It was a blur. The female lead didn't know how it happened, but the next thing she knew was that June was already groaning on top of her. They were on the ground, steps away from the middle of the alley. The red car was out of sight… until they all heard it explode meters away.
"Oh, my God… are you okay, June?!" The female lead rolled him to the side, holding onto his head as she laid him down. It's just that… she felt warm fluid on his hair. She took her hand back and saw blood. "What—how?! June!"
"Shhh…" June only chuckled as he endured the pain. He tried to sit up and saw everyone running toward them. He then just looked at the burning car in the distance.
…
The phone rang loudly in the reception hall. Freya was wiping the dust off of the barely dirty desk in front of her. Since it was the first real call from outside the agency, she felt a little shaken. Then again, all the bigshots were calling Reese directly. Whoever this was, it could only be people who could be patient with her. That in itself made it easier for her to muster her courage.
She then went to answer it: "Smile and Shine! This is Perseus. How can I help you today?"
["This is Allison from [Cat's Eye]."] There was the voice of an anxious woman. It was weird to Freya, and it also made her feel like something was going to get torn away from her. ["Uhm, we can't reach Reese. Is he there? Uhm, something happened on set—"]
"Freya, I'll have to leave. I don't know how long—is that [Cat's Eye?]" Upon Devin's whisper, Reese realized who was on the phone. He quickly ran to ask for it from his receptionist. "Hey, this is Reese. I got your message. I'm on my way."
He then placed the phone down as if unwilling to continue the conversation, with Freya hearing them. With a smile, he looked at Freya. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be all right. Devin will be here with you. Smile and shine."
…
Just earlier, June realized that the target was the female lead. When he asked Lucirien to make the car swerve in his direction, he didn't think that he would see something else driving that car. However, he still went and asked the demon to transfer any pain or wound to him, just to make sure that the female lead wouldn't be hurt.
After all, he had a feeling that whoever was trying to get him killed… had something close to what he had—a demon companion.
While he was sitting in the back of the ambulance and getting patched up for his mild concussion, June was staring at Lantis in front of him. The demon also had his hand on June's face, caressing the side as if consoling him for the pain.
"There, you're all good to go." The EMT smiled at him, but she was still worried about it. "You might not suffer from any effects in a few minutes, but if you suddenly feel lightheaded, you need to go to the hospital, okay? It's better to spot damages way before they show themselves."
"Thanks." June offered a weak smile in return. He got off and saw Reese running toward him with a set of anxious eyes. The actor then walked off to the side and spoke to him and Lantis, who remained invisible to everyone else.
His hands shot out and hovered around June, realizing that the actor shouldn't be grabbed just about anywhere. Reese then cried out: "Mr. June! Where does it hurt?"
The actor glanced around before whispering, "I tripped, rolled on the ground, got shoved to the wall, and finally got ran over. My whole body hurts. Also… the red car has no driver. I saw it clearly. Even the police didn't find traces of anyone burned alive inside the car."
"…they're so desperate it's making my head hurt." Reese only scrunched his face. "Sorry, Mr. June. Your future looks bad if I only see the hazards. Whoever's targeting you… very much wanted you dead."
"Can you find them, Lucirien?" June cast his eyes downward, imagining how the ground would look if the actress met the accident. How much blood would be painting the windshield? How many nights would it leave June sleepless?
Since they had chosen to employ the unseen, there was no way they were afraid of death. A small smile then drew on his lips.
Lantis could feel June's hunger for revenge. This was not the first, but this was the worst that the actor had ever shown. Then again, would he deny his little chosen darling?
His lips then curled into a smile. "When I do, what are you willing to let me do next?"
"What am I willing to let you do next?" June looked up at the demon, his eyes giving off a glow that made Reese apprehensive for some reason. "Nothing. I want to do it myself."