Alter Ego: His Sultry Lover

Stephen had informed Cage of his plans to film the set. Cage scrunched up his brow.

"Why would you do that?" he asked, sounding mildly angry. 

"I've spoken to the security team. While we are on set, they get an opportunity to go out and see everyone first-hand. For the most part, Katherine has been staying in the trailer and only coming out for toilet breaks. Without any movement from her, we can't catch the stalker."

"So you're publicizing her walk around set in hopes of enraging them?" Cage squinted. 

"Because it is done in short notice, they will react poorly. The more people that come on, the likelier that they will act." Stephen sounded confident. 

"Sometimes I wonder why you aren't the bad guy." Cage shook his head. "How do you turn every situation into something worth publicizing?" He sighed. Stephen and Cage watched Giselle practice on the site. It was only a secluded setting and Giselle was planted on a small stretch of higher ground. The camera tracks were placed without hitch and the only thing they would be doing was moving forward, resetting, and then repeating. 

It was a crazy amount of work for a scene that would last a few minutes. 

Stephen looked like he wanted to enjoy the show but couldn't relax. He kept a watchful eye on the perimeter and gave anyone who got near Cage thorough scrutiny. 

"Stop. You're antagonizing the staff," Cage complained when an assistant scurried away. 

"I'm just trying to look intimidating. No one fucks with my artist." He snorted. 

Stephen's phone chirped and he glanced at it, connecting the call. "Hey, Corey." He listened for a while before craning his neck and looking around. "I'll come right now."

Cage had turned to stare at Stephen with worry. 

"Don't worry!" Stephen slapped Cage's back. "They've started the live stream and need me to come over for some overseeing."

"What overseeing is required? Is there anyone suspicious?" Cage was super skeptical about the whole charade. 

"There are some people watching from the sidelines. Some media, too. I'll just scope out the content and then come back." He shrugged. "Katherine is asking some interesting questions, so I need to monitor the replies from the staff."

"They already know not to spill stuff."

"They are also within inches of Katherine at the moment, so you never know what they might say. Better safe than sorry." Stephen put his phone back into his pocket. 

Cage watched Giselle run and flinched. "Make sure she's safe. I'll handle it here." He pointed towards the two bodyguards who were waiting in a little distance. 

"You really should let them stand closer to you." Cage rolled his eyes. 

"The makeup staff is already scared with you hovering over me like a mama bear, I don't need those buff men glaring them down and making them cry. I like to look amazing on camera." This joke made Stephen laugh. 

"Call me if you need anything."

Things were calm for a moment. The crew was setting the cameras and talking to Giselle explaining everything to her in detail once again. Cage remained distracted, staring at the scene while he thought about Katherine, so he didn't take notice when someone came to stand beside him. 

He noticed someone from the corner of his eyes and turned to look at them. It was actually a younger member of the stunt team. His name was Mark, Cage remembered. He was usually an overexcited bunny, talking Cage's ear off about the set and asking Cage questions about his work. It was rare for Cage to talk to someone who wasn't interested in him as a star but in his body of work, so he had humored the boy for the most part.

Cage turned to him. "Are you okay?" he asked, noticing that he was staring towards Giselle as well. Made sense, he was the one who had taught Giselle the actions for most of the morning. 

"I have a lot on my mind," he admitted without missing a beat. 

He sounded troubled. Cage paused for a bit and looked towards his guards. The guards had a closer relationship with the stunt crew because of the nature of their work and had, at many times, had lunch with the team. While they remained alert, speaking into their earpiece, they didn't place much emphasis on the man beside him. Cage scooted a little away despite a part of his brain telling him that the bodyguards must know Mark better. 

Cage turned to Mark, offering him a smile. He tried to be understanding of the person and tried not to probe or come off as rude. But his gut said that it would be better to keep his distance. Politely, of course. 

There was a commotion in the distance and the guards looked towards the direction. "Sir, more people are flocking towards Miss Austen." They had gotten his attention. "We'll monitor the situation from here. But please remain within our sight at all times."

Cage made a face. "Is something wrong with her live stream?"

"Livestream?" Mark perked up. "Is Miss Austen filming inside set?" he asked softly. "Are you okay?" Mark asked suddenly. 

"Yeah, of course. I'm irritated by all the security. I know this is serious but I hate it that I dragged Katherine into this mess."

"I'm sorry you're hurting," Mark said, lower than his usual range of voice. 

Cage raised his eyebrow, suddenly not understanding what the other meant. "It's not a huge deal. As long as she is safe."

"Always so giving to others," Mark said with a shake of his head. 

Cage wanted to let that go without thinking about it, but his spider senses were tinkling. He turned to his bodyguards with a slight look of alarm. They saw it and inches closer, not making any sound. 

Cage thanked that they had the good sense and intimidating auras that would ward off people. 

On the scene, Giselle had finally prepared to shoot the scene. She looked over towards Cage and gave him a friendly smile. Cage too smiled back at her, hoping that his shoulders weren't too stiff.