Hollywood Lights, Austin Nights: Hearts of Braden, #9

Michel Prince

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places, businesses and incidents are from the author’s imagination, or they are used fictitiously and are definitely fictionalized. Any trademarks or pictures herein are not authorized by the trademark owners and do not in any way mean the work is sponsored by or associated with the trademark owners. Any trademarks or pictures used are specifically in a descriptive capacity.

This book is a part of

Sable Hunter’s

World

Sable Hunter is a New York Times, USA Today bestselling author of over 60 books in 9 series. She writes sexy contemporary stories full of emotion and suspense. Her focus is cowboys and Louisiana, some with a hint of the supernatural. She aims to write a story that will make you laugh, cry and swoon.

Sable resides in Austin, Texas with her two dogs. Passionate about all animals, she has been known to charm creatures from a one ton bull to a family of raccoons. Sable can be found haunting cemeteries and battlefields

This is her world of magic, alpha heroes, sexy cowboys and hot, steamy to-die-for sex.

Step into the shoes of her heroines and escape to places where right prevails, love conquers all and holding out for a hero is not an impossible dream.

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http://www.sablehunter.com

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Contributors

Cover Art

By

Dusk Til Dawn Designs

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Photo Credit

Royal Touch Photography

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Edited

By

Leanore Elliott

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Chapter One

And they call me a diva, Alicia Winters mumbled under her breath as she sat staring brokenhearted into a glass of dyed, rich brown water.

There were very few things in the world that irritated her more than her hero forgetting his lines. Currently, Trace Jones was finding each and every one of her irritations. Standing there trying to ad lib as if he were picking up breadcrumbs on a trail that would eventually enlighten him. Mix his incompetency with a director so caught up in his own world, he wasn’t watching the one person he should be.

Cut, Geoff Burn called.

Now, Alicia broke character and connected back with the real world.

As real as a Hollywood set could be when it depicted a warm family home. Her current role had her being the grown version of the daughter they lost ten years ago. Either way, she was going to take pleasure in her would be high school boyfriend getting reamed. Co-star...her ass. He wasn’t starring in anything after this fiasco.

You need to embody the woman you’re playing, Geoff scolded her.

She stepped back a bit. Was he really being so bold as to tell her she was wrong in this? Was he kidding?

All she had to cling through during her confinement was her love for— Geoff grasped for the name of Trace’s character.

Danny, Alicia stated plainly. Danny, the love of her life. The boy who, although he left her at the drive-in on her own, she doesn’t blame.

Right, so you read ahead in the script.

I’m nothing, if not prepared. Biting back the obvious lacking of preparedness from her co-star, she asked, What was I missing?

Geoff stroked his thin goatee as his eyes stared into hers. It’s what I’m missing. An actress with range and depth. Alicia, I feel this picture is going in a different direction than you can handle. Less mercenary killer hell bent on revenge and more inner angst.

You have no idea what I can handle, she bit back. No way would she lose a second picture this year. How, just as she became box office gold, had she turned into a pariah? You’re too in love with your own voice to pay attention to who is and isn’t tanking this picture.

Alicia, your star is on the rise, but I’d hate for it to fizzle and fade, Geoff threatened with his tone low as if every grip, boom operator, and make-up artist in a five mile radius couldn’t hear him. One tweet about your attitude—

The prima donna on set is pretty evident Geoff. She hadn’t even wanted to be in this stupid film and now she was about to be fired.

It’s my movie, Alicia, he sneered. You can leave because of scheduling conflicts that suddenly arose or... His hand spun as if he was trying to come up with an original idea. Drunk on set? Drugs? Bulimia?

Through gritted teeth, she growled. I just heard I got the role I’ve been dying for.

It’s still early in production, he said in a louder than necessary voice. I’d hate to keep you from that.

My trailer will be cleared out in an hour. It’s not like she’d been here for a damn month.

I’d appreciate it.

Once inside the trailer, she took in her clothes strewn around the place. An hour? Hell, it would take her a week at least. What is she an idiot? Taking down the pictures she had taped to the faux wood cabinets she took in the one of her big sister, Merryn and new niece, Harriet. She had yet to meet Merryn’s husband or even see her newest family member. The nowhere town her sister lived in would keep her hidden and out of tabloids. Scanning her text messages she found the one with her sister’s address. Typing the address in her computer, she located the closest airport and balked that not one flight was direct. Her life couldn’t get any worse.

With her head in her hands she yelled, Scene change. Then stood up straight and steeled herself for a future. There was no way in hell Geoff Burn would destroy her. Alicia Winters didn’t get destroyed by small men and Geoff might as well be an inch taller than a maggot.

Stuffing what she could into three pieces of luggage, she slung her purse over her shoulder and left the trailer.

A few members of the crew gave her mournful looks, but knew better than to engage. Geoff was known through out the Hollywood scene for throwing artistic tantrums.

The only thing Alicia really needed to do was find herself another film, fast.

* * * *

With a generic baseball cap, sunglasses, and an oversized puffy coat, she walked down the steps of the puddle-jumper plane. Even when shooting in Boise, she didn’t have to get off on the tarmac. What backwards place had her sister landed in? Pulling up her phone, she hit her Uber app. With her hand extended as high as she could to the sky, she hoped it would magically find a driver. The fact it said no one available in her area had to be due to lack of service. Everywhere had Uber, didn’t it?

Excuse me, she asked a guy who was probably in his mid-thirties holding the door open to the terminal for her. Are you from here?

Yes, he stated plainly as his breath turned to steam.

Good, I’m trying to get an Uber—

A what-er?

An Uber, you know a driver? The sunshine turned out to be deceptive as the wind blew a harsh January cold up her maxi skirt making her hug herself tighter.

There’s a free shuttle for the hotels.

Shuttle, she gasped. No, I need to go to my sister’s in Braden.

She won’t come get you?

It’s a surprise, she said right as her shoulder was bumped by another passenger as he made his way past her without so much as an I’m sorry.

There are cabs, I’m not sure they’ll go all the way to Braden.

Anyone will drive any distance for cash. Money ruled the world and even if she wasn’t the highest paid actress, she had enough to get her from point A to point B.

Yeah, you’re probably right about that.

I forgot the baggage carousel number for my flight?

There’s only one.

One carousel? She tried to hold back her surprise as the man shrugged his shoulders. Right. Of course. Because who would ever want to come here?

Deciding the doorman wasn’t going to be any help, Alicia found her way to the baggage carousel and discovered he was right. One airline, one carousel, hers was the only flight at the moment and although she did see a jet way, the little plane she flew in on must have been too small. Yep, she’d seen a place like this before, only it’d been fake and on a back lot. She didn’t know it existed in the real world. Then again, she was in Waterloo, Iowa, how real could it be?

The first cabby she spoke to was nice as he told her no amount of cash would have him driving all the way out to Braden. Taking a deep cleansing breath, she tried to remember she’d stuck herself here. A well-timed blowjob to Geoff and this all could have been avoided. Damn her for having principals. No wonder male directors thought she was a diva. Dive to you knees or be labeled a diva until you become the one they can’t be without.

Heard you need a ride to Braden, an elderly man said as she stared blankly at the screen of her phone.

I do, she replied.

Well, go to that counter and get a pass. I run a shuttle and I have room for one more.

Shuttle? Like with other people?

That’s usually how it goes.

There has to be a town car or limo service here.

Oh, there is. I can get you a few of those numbers, but I’m leaving in five minutes.

Alicia feared how much longer she would be stuck out in public with smart-phones at the ready. Who knew when someone would snap a picture of her shame and post it everywhere. Fine, but I need to sit up front and I can’t have anyone know who I am.

I don’t know who you are. Won’t until you buy a pass.

Doesn’t know who I am? Please...Merryn’s stepdaughter kept spazzing out when she found out they were sisters. It must be an age thing, Alicia consoled herself as she purchased the pass and stuffed herself into the front seat of a mini-van.

* * * *

Very few women turned Soren Birch on anymore. He’d wondered if maybe he would just give up the whole hetero thing and check out the other side. Then again, if attraction was the thing, he might want to be A-sexual and keep to himself. The physical had become mundane and the mental game of the women he associated with could be challenged by a lower primate with the ability to sign. How was he supposed to get people to exude emotions on screen when he couldn’t tap into them himself?

Staring and directing at the same time was a mistake, he mumbled under his breath as he waited for the next actress to come read.

What was that? Katrina