Playing with Passion Theta Series Book 1 Read Online Free

flames
without flinching. As the chains dissolved along with the bodies,
Ingrid slid down the wall, curling into a fetal position on the
ash-covered carpet. The medics found her a few minutes later,
sobbing.
     
    CHAPTER TWO : New York City - One month later
    Mack Hudson's first meeting with the
new Ingrid started out okay, then went south fast.
    His shuttle was on the Belt Parkway,
his human driver, Scott, able to maneuver a vehicle through traffic
like a snake through grass. Even so, they were fifteen minutes
behind schedule, her flight from Atlanta having arrived at JFK
twenty minutes early. Their newest troupe ingénue was probably
pissed off by now, but they hadn't expected this kind of traffic.
He'd left several messages on her Holotab to let her know they were
on their way but running late. She hadn't responded.
    “Should I increase altitude?” Scott
asked.
    Mack considered the idea for a few
seconds. “Nah. But see if you can get around these transport
vehicles we’ve been tailgating the last mile or so.”
    “Got it.” Scott swerved to the left,
avoiding a collision with a mini by only a few feet, and speeding
ahead to ride the tail of the SUV who was actually going the speed
limit. When the nervous female in the SUV was finally able to move
into the middle lane, Scott passed her by, riding up behind another
driver in another shuttle. All of the traffic was remaining the
usual three feet off the road, which was why Mack had nixed the
idea of flying higher. If they were suddenly soaring over the heads
of other drivers, word would go out that a VIP might be a passenger
and they'd be followed to the airport. It was his job to keep his
troupe members out of situations where they'd be overwhelmed by
fans wanting autographs and kisses, or worse.
    Mack’s fingers were
tapping out a quick rhythm on his knees, a nervous habit he'd tried
to break without much success. This was his first personnel change
since he'd become production manager of the Hudson River Theta
Troupe five years ago. His former Ingrid's transfer had been
granted last week and now he had to break in a new girl. The two
ingénues, always named Ingrid and Gene, were usually the heart of
each theta troupe as well as the major cash cows for The Director.
The former Ingrid Stone was expected to ease into her role as
Ingrid Hudson as smoothly as possible, and it was part of his job to help that
process along. It should go without a hitch, they were all
professionals after all, but this female had a rep that worried
him.
    She was twenty-three years
old and had already been in four troupes, unheard of for a career actor of any
age. After reading The Director's report on the incident in
Atlanta, he'd decided not to discuss it with the other members of
the troupe. The news report had made it seem like an accident
caused by a careless audience member, so that's the version he'd
run with. Trust within a troupe didn't come easy. A theta's shields
were stronger than tungsten steel, but they were at their most
vulnerable during a performance—definitely not the time to lose
faith in a fellow actor.
    Scott pulled their shuttle into the
gated driveway that led to the VIP pickup area. After scanning the
registration sticker in the shuttle window, the guard waved them
through. Scott flipped the vehicle into standard mode at the curb
by the terminal exit. The wheels came down and the shuttle rolled
to a stop.
    She was there, sitting in the shade on
one of the cushioned benches, a dark haired beauty with a psycore
able to project the highest level of fantasy—-probably the only
reason The Director put up with her. With their current Gene and
this new Ingrid, his troupe would remain in the number one slot,
probably widening the gap between first and second
place.
    The troupes that made money for The
Director were the troupes that survived.
    He laughed to see his fingers beating
out a faster rhythm. Apparently, even production managers could be
star struck.
    When he