Kingdom of Darkness Read Online Free PDF

chit-chat. ‘Talk about what?’ said Eddie.
    Nina glanced at Macy. ‘Do you know what he’s on about?’
    She tried to contain a smile. ‘Some of it. Trust me, you’ll be interested.’
    Still beaming, Grant gestured for the others to follow him back to the golf cart, and they resumed their drive through the lot. ‘All right, Grant, come on,’ said Eddie. ‘What’s the big thing you want to talk to us about?’
    The actor appeared briefly conflicted. ‘I kinda wanted to wait until you met my business partner, but . . . ah, okay, whatever. I’ve started my own production company!’
    ‘Really? Congratulations,’ said Nina.
    ‘It’s called Every Rose Productions,’ Macy added.
    Eddie and Nina exchanged puzzled glances, before getting it. ‘Because Every Rose has its Thorn, right?’ she said.
    ‘You got it!’ Grant replied, extremely pleased with himself.
    Eddie groaned. ‘Jesus, I thought my puns were bad.’
    Grant ignored him. ‘I’ve done well as an actor, but I want more control, you know? More of a stake in the success. So I teamed up with this guy I’ve worked with before – you’ll meet him at lunch – and we’ve got some projects up and running.’
    ‘What sort of projects?’ Eddie asked.
    ‘You ever heard of the Gabriel Payne books?’
    ‘No,’ said Nina.
    ‘Yeah,’ Eddie said simultaneously. ‘I’ve read some of ’em. Thrillers. They’re not bad. Sort of Jack Reacher knock-offs.’
    ‘We bought the rights to the series,’ Grant told them. ‘I’m gonna play Gabriel Payne. Former Navy SEAL, tormented loner with a dark past who’s irresistible to women – it’s perfect for me.’
    Eddie gave the blue-eyed, fair-haired actor a sceptical look. ‘In the books . . . isn’t he black ?’
    ‘This is Hollywood, man! Things change. If Brits can play Americans, why not this?’
    ‘It’s not quite the same thing,’ said Nina in disbelief.
    Grant wasn’t listening. ‘So besides that, we’ve also got Rev Limit , which is like Nitrous but on bikes—’
    ‘Grant says I can be in it!’ said Macy happily.
    ‘Then there’s Taking Liberty , kind of a Die Hard in the Statue of Liberty. And a great comedy called First Baby , dunno if I’ll be in it or just producing, but it’s such an awesome concept. Get this: the wife of the President of the USA dies in childbirth, but her last words to him are that he has to promise to raise their kid just like a normal dad. So he takes the baby to cabinet meetings, changes its diapers on Air Force One, that sort of thing. The script’s a scream!’
    Nina had no comment, her mouth frozen open. Fortunately, Grant couldn’t see her. ‘I’m sure it’ll make a fortune,’ Eddie said sarcastically on her behalf.
    ‘Yeah, we think so too,’ Grant went on blithely. ‘Anyway, here we are.’
    He brought the cart to a stop outside the art deco commissary building. A line of people, some studio workers and others extras in an assortment of costumes, were waiting at the entrance, but he breezed straight past them, signalling for his guests to follow. ‘We’ve got a table in the dining room,’ he told the maître d’ at the doors to one side.
    The man nodded obsequiously. ‘Of course, Mr Thorn. This way, please.’
    Eddie glanced at the large, busy cafeteria into which the queue was heading, then said, ‘How the other half lives,’ as he, Nina and Macy followed Grant into a more tranquil and expensively decorated space. Large framed posters of the studio’s past successes adorned the walls between the potted palms.
    Seated beneath one of the pictures was a heavily tanned little man in his fifties, grey hair cut in a sharp, bristling style that made his head resemble a mahogany-handled shaving brush. He looked up at the new arrivals from behind a pair of oversized sunglasses, then stood to greet them. ‘Hey, Marv!’ said Grant. ‘This is Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase. And you know Macy already. Nina, Eddie, this is my business