Page 12 of Unguarded

I exhale in relief that he didn’t balk at the idea immediately.

He’s a good manager and the closest thing I have to a father. He’s always listened to me and taken me seriously, but he has a point.

I turn to Cash, chewing my bottom lip. I don’t really know him well at all, but for some unknown reason, I feel like he’s the first person in my life who trulyunderstands how dire the need for me to feel safe is. I need it mentally and emotionally, as well as physically. If I’m going to do this tour, Ihaveto have more men like him.

Cash turns to face Fidel. “One of my buddies from the Green Berets owns a security company.”

I blink at him, suddenly understanding the rigid placement of his shoulders and his calculated movements are from more than just being a soldier. He was Special Forces.

That’s not hot. Not hot at all.

When I was a little girl, living in a drafty trailer, G.I. Joes were my favorite toy. I’ve seen every Special Forces military movie ever made.

He’s a G.I. Joe–cowboy combo? Lord help me …

Fidel’s eyebrows scrunch together. He considers Cash, then me again.

“As much as I understand that Mr. Redford saved your life, he doesn’t have any knowledge of the forethought and planning that have been happening for years in anticipation of this tour. Accommodating one more bodyguard was hard enough, moving things around and securing an additional hotel room. I’m not sure it would be possible to squeeze more people in at this point. However reputable this company may be, they’d need advance notice to accommodate a tour like this. It’s not a simple task by any means to handle hundreds of thousands of adoring fans.”

Fidel thinks logistically, practically. He’s the one who has to deal with handling moving a ton of people from one major city to the next, where many hotels have already sold out to fans attending the tour.

I sigh, shutting my eyes and collapsing on the bed. “Justplease try, Fidel. Do what you can to make it happen. I need to focus on the performances, dances, the fucking lineup, and all that. I can’t be bogged down with this. At least talk to this other company. This team has fucked up one too many times.”

I roll over onto my stomach, covering my face with a pillow to try and take a much-needed nap.

5

CASH

Something abouttheMonroe Blue sends a surge of energy into a crowd. Her beauty and allure are clearly part of it, but she has an otherworldly, magnetic appeal. It’s sexual, almost spiritual, and incredibly addictive. The air surrounding her is heavy with it. I can almost feel it brush against my skin.

Something sparks alive inside of her when she’s in the spotlight, like a different side of her awakens, with a bright smile and perfect sway in her hips. When she’s out of the public eye, she’s still animated and friendly, smiling and laughing with her staff, until she seems to hit a wall and crash. She’s fallen asleep in a room filled with people more than once, which boggles my mind. I can’t sleep with other people around, unless it’s my family and I have absolutely no other choice. I can’t tear my eyes from her angelic face when she’s sleeping. It’s the only time I really allow myself to study her.

She waves at her fans, blows them kisses, takesphotographs, and signs whatever scrap of paper, piece of clothing, or body part is shoved at her. The flashing cameras and screams of affection, her name, and even obscenities don’t faze her.

By the start of the second week as her bodyguard, my nerves are shot. Constantly scanning the crowd for threats and observing everyone in her life to determine who might be attempting to take advantage of her are wearing me down fast. The sheer amount of people I’ve had to be around is diabolical.

I have no idea how the fuck she deals with so much adoration and obsession on a regular basis. If it were me and that many people were clamoring for my attention, for a piece of me, I’d be throwing punches left and right.

After having a day off, I receive a message that Monroe and her boyfriend, Zade, are going out to dinner and to a nightclub opening. Zade will have his own bodyguards, but another guy from Monroe’s team and I will guard her. There’s expected to be heavy paparazzi and fan presence at both locations.

The other bodyguard for the night looks young, but his stance betrays his military background. While we both wait outside Monroe’s front door, I turn to him with an outstretched hand.

“Cash Redford.”

He glances down at my hand before gripping it firmly in a handshake. “Brooks Brandt.”

“How long you been on this detail?” I ask.

“About a month.”

I nod. He has a military haircut and rigid shoulders.

“What branch?”

He blinks. “Army. You?”

I form a half smirk. “Same.”

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