[Chapter 92: Ugly, Fierce, and Disgusting]
Manhattan Beach, Marriott Hotel.
Josh Hartnett sat on the balcony facing west, looking out at the sunset over the ocean. A terrible odor lingered around him. He grabbed the nearby perfume and sprayed himself several times, but the foul stench clung to him, refusing to disappear.
This only added to his inexplicable agitation.
Teddy Black came up behind him, resting his hands on Josh's bare shoulders. "The audition will be next Monday to decide who will play the role. Be prepared."
Josh turned to face him.
Teddy was the most trusted assistant of producer Leonard Goldberg, serving as the associate producer on set.
Leonard liked women, so Josh could only confide in Teddy, saying, "Whether I succeed or not depends on you."
Teddy grinned confidently, "Over the years, Leonard has usually listened to me."
Josh replied, "No matter what it takes, I'm all in."
Even though Teddy had a good attitude, he still offered a warning: "It's a shame Dwayne Johnson rejected me. A guy that big..."
Josh felt a sense of urgency.
"I'm out. Call me if you need anything," Teddy said as he put on his jacket and left the room.
Josh got up from his chair and rushed to the restroom, throwing up into the toilet.
He ripped off his clothes and turned on the shower, scrubbing himself furiously. But no matter what he did, he still felt the smell clinging to him.
It was as if he had been pickled in excrement, and no matter how hard he tried, the smell wouldn't wash away.
Disgust led to rage, and he began smashing things in the bathroom.
Eventually, he had to compose himself. While filming Pearl Harbor, his co-star Ben Affleck once said that climbing up the ladder was all about riding on someone's coattails -- and that included kneeling for men.
A while later, after calming down a bit, Josh got dressed and prepared to check out.
Of course, he would have to pay for the things he had broken.
...
In the parking lot outside the Marriott Hotel, a newly bought used van was parked in a spot convenient for observing the hotel.
A man in his thirties, bald on top, stepped out of the hotel.
Edward pointed to the man, telling Hawke, "That's him -- the bald guy with a ridiculous mustache."
Hawke had seen the crew's management materials and recognized that it was associate producer Teddy Black.
Edward added, "Josh Hartnett stayed at this hotel too; they're meeting up."
DaShawn, who came over, familiar with the plot, commented, "There are some not-so-clean men on the street who often..."
He coughed, adding, "Looking at it this way, Hollywood stars might be dirtier than homeless guys."
Teddy walked unsteadily, his feet slightly turned out.
Carter had seen many such characters on Los Angeles streets and remarked, "This is the one who got screwed. The one who stayed in the hotel must be the top."
Edward marveled, "It's eye-opening; the producer actually used this method to take advantage of the male actors."
Tyrone chimed in, "Nonsense -- drinking, drugging, and spreading diseases; they're no different from homeless folks."
As they spoke, Teddy drove off in a car.
...
Hawke looked over at the trio. "The target is about to come out; you guys get ready."
The trio, all of whom were both ugly and menacing, replied, "Boss, we are street people, we have seen a lot of gays, and we know how to irritate them."
Hawke cautioned DaShawn and Edward, "You two get out, don't rush it -- go for provoking first."
DaShawn grinned, looking even more grotesque. "I have experience dealing with troublemakers."
Edward grabbed his briefcase and was the first to step out, finding a concealed spot between Josh Hartnett's arriving car and the hotel entrance to wait.
...
DaShawn got a paper cup of coffee and, following Hawke's indicated position, avoided the hotel surveillance as he waited for Josh to come out.
...
As night fell, Josh Hartnett stepped out of the hotel wearing a baseball cap, his head down.
He walked into the small parking lot. As he was about to pass a minivan, another figure turned the corner -- a Black man.
Both were moving a bit quickly, and the Black man, dressed in all black, almost collided with him.
Startled, the Black man instinctively dodged, his arm striking a car, causing coffee that he was sipping from a straw to spill everywhere.
Some coffee splattered onto the Black man's clothes, and a few drops hit Josh Hartnett.
Before Josh could say anything, the Black man angrily grabbed his shirt collar. "Hey! Watch where you're going, jerk!"
Josh pushed his hand away and looked up slightly, realizing not only was the man aggressive, but he was also painfully ugly in a way that made it hard to look at.
Just one glance could give someone nightmares.
DaShawn backed away a step, assessing the man and waving his hand before his nose. "What a strange smell; turns out you're a disgusting gay dude."
He deliberately asked, "Dude, are you the one on top? No wonder there's a stench; I'm so unlucky to bump into someone like you. Just get lost -- I need to go shower!"
"Shut your foul mouth!" Josh, wanting to avoid conflict, stepped aside.
Rage filled him, but he remained cautious around this sudden confrontation.
With people around the hotel, any altercation would be messy. He bit his tongue and walked toward his car.
...
As he drove out, Edward, hiding beside the front of the car, quickly climbed in.
Josh drove a black car out of the parking lot.
Hawke seized the moment and followed him.
Edward felt a bit regretful. "He didn't even get physical."
The black car drove northeast, quickly turning onto Santa Monica Boulevard.
Edward glanced at the road on either side and remarked, "Boss, he lives in Sherman Oaks; this isn't the way home."
Hawke had done extensive research beforehand. "Based on the car's direction, he should be heading to Paloma Bar -- that's where he often goes alone."
Edward confirmed, "That's right."
Hawke followed for a while, ensuring they were on the right track before saying, "Let's set up ahead of time."
The van sped ahead, passing the black car.
Edward, familiar with the roads, directed Hawke to turn onto a side road, taking a shortcut to Orlando Street, where Paloma Bar was located.
This was an old street; Hawke had scoped it out previously, and like much of Los Angeles, it almost had no surveillance.
He picked a spot, parked the van, did a quick makeup change, and approached the bar's valet with a bit of East Coast charm, slipping the valet 100 dollars.
The valet grinned, took the keys, and moved a few cars around a bit.
Hawke grabbed a hot dog from a bag and leaned against the wall of the sidewalk, eating.
By the sidewalk, Tyrone and Edward, with his dirty braids and hairy face, took their positions.
Carter, the skinniest and most grotesque, carried a prepared paper bag and walked over from the bar.
Hawke glanced to the south, announcing, "The car is coming."
...
A black sedan approached; Josh noticed that the parking spots close to the bar were full, forcing him to park a bit further away.
He got out, putting on his cap, and walked to the bar.
To his side, two Black men argued over a parking spot.
Having just had a conflict with one of them, Josh felt an urge to distance himself.
But the Black men were quick to escalate, shoving each other.
One of them, sporting braids and a hairy face, shoved the shorter, uglier man, who lost his balance and stumbled backward, heading right towards Josh.
Josh swiftly sidestepped, but in doing so, the ugly man dropped his bag, spilling its contents everywhere.
Some items flew toward Josh, who raised his arm to shield himself and felt something sticky splatter on his forearm.
Before he could comprehend, the fallen Black man scrambled back to his feet, yelling, "Get away from me, you white face!"
Josh glanced at the ugly Black man; he was not only vile but also repulsive, with a caveman-like appearance.
The big ugly seemed to shift his anger. "What are you staring at? Look again, and I'll pull your stick out and shove it up your...!"
Josh felt sick and wanted to drink something to wash the feeling away; he turned to head to the bar.
A series of banging noises erupted nearby.
Josh quickly spun back, seeing the hairy-faced man kicking the ruined van that had parked there; it attracted quite a few onlookers.
Hawke opened the camera cover and rushed over as if he were one of the curious bystanders.
Josh turned and walked away, colliding with a Black man coming toward him, both of them focused on the chaos around the van.
They collided.
It might have been nothing, but the Black man was holding a paper bag filled with items.
When they bumped, the canned herring inside burst out, releasing an awful smell.
Josh remembered something -- his stomach clenched, and his heart raced.
He wanted to leave, but the Black man grabbed him. "Hey, you messed up my stuff!"
Josh looked at the ugly man, who was both frighteningly repulsive and the source of an unbearable stink.
It was astonishing that a person could be this ugly.
Josh felt a strong urge to call him an un-evolved monkey, but basing it on his public relations training, he held back, firmly pushing the Black man aside and shouted, "Get lost, disgusting jerk!"
This guy was both lanky and unattractive.
Josh was tall and well-built.
He stumbled and fell, crying out in pain, struggling to get back up.
Josh raised his hand to block his nose to avoid smelling the repulsive odor again, glaring at the fallen man before hastily walking toward the bar entrance.
...
Hawke captured Josh's silhouette as he entered the bar and switched off the camera.
Carter staggered back to his feet and continued onward.
Tyrone cursed at the hairy-faced man and walked off as well.
The few onlookers quickly dispersed.
Hawke glanced around before hopping back into the ruined van. He drove first to pick up Edward with the braids, then turned the corner to grab Tyrone.
On another road, when they picked up Carter, the stench nearly knocked Edward out.
Following Hawke's instructions, Carter ripped his ruined coat into scraps and tossed them into several trash cans.
Hawke sped away, distancing themselves from the area, heading straight toward West Los Angeles. As they passed a parking lot on Santa Monica Boulevard, he stopped the car.
They parked in a dark spot, and Edward quickly got out, tearing off the covering on the license plate, changing it to another one.
Hawke swept up the inside of the van, but that persistent stench lingered. He found a bottle of air freshener from the business side and sprayed some in the vehicle, temporarily rolling down the windows to air it out.
*****
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