[Chapter 50: Help!]
West Los Angeles, 14th Street.
The Mondeo rolled up slowly and came to a stop by the curb. Nearby, a red BMW opened its door, and Jacqueline rushed over to the passenger side, knocked on the window, and climbed in.
Hawke glanced at his watch and said, "You sure got here early?"
"Well, your pay was generous," Jacqueline replied after having participated in the training at the park. "There wasn't much work, and it wasn't cumbersome, so of course I had to be a little keen."
Hawke pointed to 14th Street before them: "In a bit, you'll just head south down this road -- if you encounter a robbery, you mustn't panic."
Jacqueline chuckled, "I was robbed more than once when I was a kid, so I know that feeling all too well."
Hawke said, "Just try to relive those memories."
Jacqueline responded, "That feeling was just awful."
At that moment, Edward's call came in.
Hawke instructed Jacqueline to get back in her car and drove a short distance, getting out and opening the door of an old van before hopping in.
Inside the van, Edward had brought along three rough-looking guys.
These three were not winning any beauty contests -- with their menacing appearances, it was clear they weren't exactly the good guys. Hawke thought they could be tossed into a Pirates of the Caribbean film without needing any makeup.
One of the hideous guys, the biggest of the bunch, DaShawn, raised his hand and asked, "So, how much can we hurt him? To what degree?"
Hawke reminded them, "Just like we rehearsed, throw a few punches to his face -- aim for spots where they can be seen."
Injuring his chest or backside wouldn't cut it; they couldn't exactly make The Rock strip down during a press interview, could they? That would be uncivilized and make it hard to hide the fact that the big man had quite the soft side.
The second guy, Carter, asked, "Are we allowed to get sent to jail?"
Hawke raised an eyebrow, "What do you want to go to jail for?"
The third, Tyrone, replied, "It's better than being homeless."
Hawke looked at Edward, who immediately added, "You three can rest assured, at the shelter, you'll have preferential treatment from now on."
Carter grinned and said to Edward, "Boss, we won't mess this up. It's just a robbery; it's easy."
DaShawn agreed, "We were born for this."
Hawke tossed a ready red jacket to the most fitting of the bunch, Carter, saying, "You need to wear this."
He quickly put it on.
Hawke pointed to an alleyway on the sidewalk: "You guys go over there and wait for the mark."
They promptly got out of the van and slipped into the alley.
...
Hawke told Edward to drive: "Take us to The Rock."
As they headed south, they quickly stopped again, and Hawke got out to survey the area. Seeing no paparazzi, he hopped in Dwayne Johnson's car.
Dwayne Johnson was dressed casually and asked when Hawke joined him, "You ready?"
Hawke replied, "I'm good to go; you might get a few bumps to heighten the realism."
Dwayne Johnson frowned slightly.
Caroline, sitting in the back, chimed in, "For Dwayne's tough-guy image, any hits he takes during filming have to be outlined in the contract."
Hawke pondered briefly and said, "In a real fight, taking a few hits seems like a better way to establish Dwayne's everyman appeal."
The driver, Dany, added, "I second that."
With the dedicated agents weighing in, Caroline felt it was best to stay quiet.
Dwayne Johnson nodded, "Alright." He smiled, "Just don't hit too hard."
"Never," Hawke assured, shaking his phone, getting ready to exit. "Once I give you the signal, you move ahead."
He explicitly explained, "The victim is a blonde girl in a white dress, and among the robbers, one is in a distinctive red jacket."
Dwayne Johnson nodded, "Got it."
Noticing Hawke's phone, Caroline quickly grabbed his arm: "Hold on a minute."
Hawke sized her up, "Miss Baaa, what else is up?"
[T/N: Referring to her being sheep in previous chapter.]
In a chilling tone, Caroline insisted, "Delete those photos taken that day."
"I didn't take any of you; I shot the wall," Hawke said before exiting the car.
Caroline shot him the finger behind his back, vowing, "Once I get a chance, I'll get back at you!"
...
Back in the old van, Hawke pulled out his headphones, connecting them to his phone to prepare for calls.
Edward executed a U-turn and started heading back.
Hawke glanced at the sparse pedestrian traffic on the streets, reminded of the earlier incident during the news stunt, feeling slightly uneasy.
Once Edward dropped him off back at the Mondeo, Hawke instructed, "Go follow Dwayne Johnson. Let me know immediately if anything comes up."
"It's just a few thousand feet; do I really need to tail him?" Edward muttered, but his hands were quick to make the turn.
Hawke exited the van and declared, "This is a big deal; think about the bonus you could make."
Edward promised, "I'll definitely keep an eye on him."
As the van drove away, Hawke scrutinized his surroundings; the street was relatively quiet with no sign of paparazzi.
He took out a handheld camera, found his starting spot, and issued his command.
...
Not far away, Jacqueline emerged from a nearby rental shop and walked south along the sidewalk.
The trio of guys hid down an alley a few dozen feet away, waiting for the target to arrive.
With one swift cue, Dwayne Johnson's car rolled into motion, heading north.
Fortunately, this time there were no surprises.
The locale and personnel were carefully chosen by Hawke, and aside from Dwayne Johnson, everyone had rehearsed together.
Jacqueline strode past the alley, continuing south.
The trio sped up from behind, and Carter moved in to snatch Jacqueline's bag.
Jacqueline clutched tightly to the bag, refusing to let go, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Help! Help! Help!"
Hawke, previously filming the scenery, quickly pivoted the camera and ran toward the scene, eager to capture the struggle.
The camera recorded the sound of his footsteps and the heavy breaths he took as he sprinted.
Everything was being documented on video, showcasing the spontaneous nature of the event.
DaShawn and Carter came into the frame, with the former pushing Jacqueline down hard, causing her to fall.
Tyrone brandished a fake knife, sneering, "Bitch, if you don't want to die, get lost."
Dany drove up, and Dwayne Johnson jumped out of the passenger seat, shouting, "Let that girl go!" He kicked Tyrone to the ground, sending the knife flying.
Immediately afterward, he engaged in a brawl with DaShawn and Carter, taking a couple of solid punches but managing to throw Tyrone with a body slam.
Jacqueline seized the opportunity to retrieve her bag and let out a piercing scream.
Dwayne Johnson knocked the biggest guy, DaShawn, aside, delivering a vicious punch.
Despite his hulky appearance, the size and strength worked against him, mixed with the fact that DaShawn's blows were a bit too hard for comfort. Dwayne Johnson felt the pain and struck back harder.
DaShawn crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath, unable to get back up.
Dany yelled from the driver's seat, "I'm calling the cops!"
Carter and Tyrone dragged DaShawn and bolted.
Dwayne Johnson leaned against a nearby lamp post, panting heavily, and asked, "Ma'am, are you alright? Do you need me to call the cops?"
Jacqueline shook her head, "No need, I still have my things."
She slowly got to her feet, thanking him with a flurry of words, "Thank you, thank you..."
After a few more inquiries, Jacqueline expressed her gratitude again and then left.
Hawke turned off the camera and called Dany's number, saying a few words into the phone.
Dany waved toward Dwayne Johnson.
He hopped back in the car, appearing as if nothing had happened, as they drove away from 14th Street.
...
Hawke inspected the scene, finding the fake knife Tyrone had left behind, quickly picking it up for safekeeping.
The knife was rented, and there was a deposit involved.
Satisfied there was nothing left behind, he returned to the Mondeo and called Erika Ferguson: "We wrapped up the short film."
Erika asked, "So soon?"
Hawke replied, "Everything went pretty smoothly; you guys can resume patrols."
Erika, busy at the moment, nodded, "Okay."
Once off the phone, Hawke drove out of the neighborhood and met up with Jacqueline in front of a mall, where he handed her the $300 balance.
Jacqueline beamed, "If you have any similar gigs in the future, make sure to give me a call."
Hawke nodded, asking, "You didn't get hurt too badly, did you?"
"Nope," Jacqueline replied, in rather high spirits. "Even though I took a spill, it was way better than dealing with those guys!"
As Hawke got in the car, he said, "I'll call you if you need a response later."
Jacqueline returned to her car, suddenly engulfed in thoughts -- perhaps she had an actor's talent?
Isn't it all about eating that stuff? Was she really worse than the leading actresses?
But that fleeting thought dismissed itself, and she considered turning back to consult with Hawke.
[T/N: From now on, the updates will be less frequent as I caught up to the original schedule.]
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