The Actor Read Online Free

did all these photographers come from all of a sudden? She kept her
face turned away, hoping she wouldn’t be interesting to them. Just imagine what
her boss would say if he saw her on TV, in the back of a police car. And her
mom…
    If this was the
punishment for straying out of the ordinary, it seemed overly harsh.
    “I don’t even
have a speeding ticket, let me out of here!”
    If anyone heard
her shout, no one cared enough to answer.
     
    *****
     
    When the car
pulled up at the station, Marc was nowhere in sight.
    What did
they do to him?
    She was too
scared to ask, and didn’t even look at the officer leading her inside. When he
opened the door, she stopped on the threshold, and her mouth re-found the
ability to speak.
    “I’ve never
been to a police station before, but this can’t be normal.”
    A long row of
drunks in colorful superhero costumes cheered for a woman with pink hair
pulling her top off.
    The officer
sighed.
    “They get worse
every year.”
    A woman in
civilian clothes stepped up to them.
    “This her?”
    The man nodded.
    Her? What do
you mean her? I’m a person, not a parcel.
    “Come with me.”
    The woman
showed the way into a small office.
    “Sit there.
I’ll be right back.”
    Sit. Yes,
I’m a good girl and I do tricks.
    This urge to
laugh must be brewing hysteria. Not good.
    Being behind a
closed door was good in the sense that it sheltered her from the crazies
outside, but it also made her heart thump and her hands sweaty. Was this where
they interrogated suspects? She couldn’t be a suspect for anything, could she?
    Why am I in
here? What does it all mean?
    The woman
returned with a pile of forms.
    “Fill these out
and drop them off at the counter over there when you’re done.”
    It was a big
pile of papers and the pen barely worked. This must be a new and improved form
of punishment.
    Relation to
the detainee, what the hell are they talking about?
    She filled out
the first page the best she could and headed for the counter.
    “This is crazy.
I didn’t do anything.”
    The woman
tapped her finger against the pile.
    “If you want
your man to get out of here tonight, you fill out the forms. If not, we’ll keep
him.”
    “He’s not my
man.”
    Her objection
drowned in the commotion from one of the superheroes climbing up on a desk in
an attempt to fly.
    “Worst night of
the year. Just do it, okay?”
    Moments later,
Marc arrived, and she kept her eyes away from him the best she could. He had a
cut over an eyebrow, an impressive bruise forming on a cheek, and his hands
cuffed behind his back.
    Strange that
his jaw isn’t dislocated, or something.
    The woman
behind the counter kept her eyes fixed on Laura.
    “We don’t want
him. As you can see, we have other problems than drunken actors and talking to
the press. We’ll let him go, if you take responsibility for him. I don’t want
to see him again. Sign there and there, and initial there, there, and there.”
    Laura sighed
and tapped the pen against the forms. This night held more than enough of new
experiences.
    Take
responsibility for him? How?
    Marc looked at
her with puppy eyes.
    “I’ll be good,
I promise.”
    She sighed
again and signed the form.
    “I must be the
most gullible schmuck ever.”
    Someone
unlocked the cuffs.
    “He’s all
yours.”
    What makes
you think I want him?
    Marc wrapped an
arm around her shoulders and smacked a kiss on her temple.
    “Thank you,
Babe. I’ll be good. You’re going to have the night of your life.”
    She grumbled,
“I was afraid you’d say that,” but followed him out of the station without
complaining. There was something about him she couldn’t resist. Especially when
he was touching her, and he touched her all the time. Telling herself it was
just endorphins didn’t help one bit.
    Marc waved to a
cab and pulled her close in the back seat.
    “Are you okay?
This won’t happen again, I swear. I’ll make it up to you.”
    At least he
seemed to have sobered up somewhat.