Call Roger

Four

The panel that evening was even busier than anticipated and Roger could see that the security for the venue and the event security hired by the studio were overwhelmed. He stood to the side of the stage with Val, Kris, Tim, Claire's publicist, Sean and Greg, the two other security guys that Roger's company had sent over, and a few other members of Claire's team. He only half listened to Claire and her fellow actors' animated responses and cheerful banter as they promoted the movie, constantly scanning the room for anyone who might even be thinking of rushing the stage, or worse.

Once it was over, he led the entourage backstage, waiting as they mingled for a while before undertaking the monumental task of getting them all to the waiting car that was taking them to a studio after party.

Once those outside doors opened, it was chaos. Hundreds of screaming fans and yelling photographers and their blinding lights all of which felt like they were getting closer and closer with each passing moment. "Fuck" he whispered under his breath. Claire stopped for a few pictures but he quickly and gently pulled her away, leading her down the path to where the car was. It didn't feel safe enough and the security wasn't having any luck keeping the crowds behind the barriers. They sandwiched her, with Sean and Greg leading the way up front and Roger keeping close behind her while keeping check on the group trailing behind as well. They were almost to the car when he realized that Kris was getting lost behind and sucked up by the ravenous crowd. He stopped to grab her and guide her forward, taking his gaze off Claire for just a second. He heard her yell out briefly in front of him, turning around to find that the crowd had surged in on them, pushing her into Val and Tim. The people at the very back of the crowd kept pushing forward, hoping to get closer. "Hey!" he yelled at them, angry and somewhat panicked now. "Are you crazy? Enough!" It was quickly becoming incredibly dangerous and he knew he needed to get them out of there fast. He moved in front of Claire to lead the way and she clung onto his arm and shielded her face, frightened. At last, they made it through and he shuffled everyone into the waiting SUV before climbing in the passenger seat and shutting the door as fast as he could. He helped guide Jonathon through the fans spilling into the street. Once they were clear of the situation and out on the main road, he turned around in his seat to check on everyone. They were looking out the windows at the fading crowd, awestruck by the scene they had just witnessed. "Unbelievable," Tim said, laughing and shaking his head. "You never get used to that."

"That was out of control," Val said more seriously and perhaps a bit shaken herself.

Claire was silent, still looking out the window, her face expressionless. But from the rear-view mirror when he turned back around, Roger thought he saw her hands trembling.

He managed to get them to and from the more low-key after party without much hassle following that. Back at the house, he did his usual checks and briefed Sean and Greg on what to expect at the premier the following day. He had decided to keep them on for a while longer to help him out. After the chaos at the panel, he didn't want to risk it. Claire, Kris and the wardrobe team were locked away much of the night doing final fittings and getting things organized for the following morning. It was nearing 11 when the gates finally closed after letting them out. Roger did one final security sweep before going inside and arming the house. He was exhausted by the time he crawled into bed. The day had been eventful and taxing but he had welcomed the distraction. Now that he was alone in his room with his thoughts, he knew his mind would drift back to his conversation that morning with Claire, her expressions, her tones, what she might have been really thinking, and whether staying was really the right decision. He wondered if he could still think about protecting her in an objective manner. Or were his emotions folded in now, making everything feel more heightened, more stressful; making him more panicked and less effective. He shut his eyes tight and prayed for sleep to come fast. And just as he was about to drift off, he heard a soft knock at the door. Everyone else had gone home for the night already, he had seen to that himself. He knew it could only be one person.