Page 8 of Unguarded

Monroe blinks at them, stepping forward to set the glass down on the counter. “I won’t be going.”

The girls gasp.

“I’d hate to disappoint my fans and have to cancel, but I’m not willing to risk my life for it without security detail that makes me feel safe so I can actually perform the way the fans deserve to see. What happened last year really shook my confidence with performing in crowds. I haven’t been onstage since.”

She turns to me with wide eyes, her pale blonde hairframing her angelic face. “I understand you may have reservations about undertaking something like this. If you would be willing to share them with me, perhaps I could help alleviate them. You would have time to visit home.”

She’s beautiful, well spoken, conniving, and talented—all things that terrify me to my fucking core.

I sigh, planting my dirty hands on the kitchen island. “It’s pretty damn simple. I’m not a bodyguard, and I don’t want to leave the ranch. They need me here.”

The offer to be her bodyguard for six months in exchange for one million dollars was mildly tempting from the start, although not enough to convince me to leave my home and my family. I hate crowds. I dislike most people. I have zero interest in spending time in the presence of spoiled, entitled celebrities.

“I don’t really see why it’s so vital for you to have me there. I’m not a professional.” I wave a hand at the statue-like men who followed her into the house, still wearing their sunglasses.

She nods. “These two do a fine job, but they haven’t been tested in a high-stress, high-stakes situation like what happened at the Sundance Pavilion. We vetted them as best as we could, and unless—or until—another attempt on my life is made, they won’t be able to prove how they respond during an actual attack.

“The man you took down was discovered to have been stalking me for seven months. He admitted that his plan was to kidnap me and keep me chained up in his trailer, which they found twenty miles from the venue, already outfitted with chains and a wall of mirrors. If that plan failed, hisintention was to end my life. It was, of course, very poorly executed, but he shouldn’t have even gotten near the stage. I understand I’m asking a lot, and if tripling the original offer is not sufficient, then I’ll leave you alone, I swear.”

“How awful,” Dolly murmurs softly, shaking her head.

We stand in silence, Monroe’s bright blue eyes sending an invisible wave of a desperate, imploring plea.

She truly is terrified.

The fact that a woman in this world—any woman—has to live in fear of being attacked every single day while doing her job fills me with red-hot rage. My fists clench with the memory of wiping out the prick who had assaulted her onstage last year. I had been watching him the entire show, knowing he was up to something. At the time, I wasn’t concerned for Monroe because I didn’t think he could get to her. I was worried for my sister and Rosie.

Still not my problem.

Holden and Duke enter the already crowded kitchen. The large double island stands between Monroe and her security and my family. I’m to the left of Monroe, between the islands. Holden reaches for Rosie, tenderly kissing her lips as he threads his fingers through her hair. The sight of them brings a sting of jealousy to my gut. I’m over the moon for my brother, but I feel restless and lonely in my own life.

My cell phone burns in my pocket with the last text I received.

I hope you know if you had fully committed to me, he’d be out of the equation.

Kacie had every right to go back to her ex, although I would’ve appreciated a heads-up before seeing them outdancing and making out at the bar. I hadn’t ever labeled things between us, but we had both agreed to only date each other and see where things went.

It’s not that I’m hell-bent on having a girlfriend—that’s the problem actually. Kacie wanted commitment. I wasn’t there yet. I’m twenty-eight years old, still living at my family’s ranch. I’ll probably die here too.

And I’ve always been fine with that.

The glint of Rosie’s diamond ring flashes in my eyes as she raises a hand to cup her fiancé’s cheek. Holden was anti-commitment too—until he met her.

I can feel my family’s inquisitive gaze on us as Monroe takes a step closer to me.

“I was going to suggest, if you’re open to it, we could start with a much smaller commitment. One trial month for five hundred thousand. First two weeks would be training and preparation, and the second two would be the first two weekends of shows. If you hate it, you can leave and come back home.”

I stare down at her.

Five hundred thousand dollars.

“And your family can all have VIP tickets to the closest US show, regardless of what you decide,” she adds on, blinking up at me. Her tongue darts out to wet her supple lips, her expression expectant.

This woman is not used to being told no.

Her face is a mask of calculated indifference, like she’s pretending this isn’t that big of a deal. I chuckle, shaking my head as we face off. She has no fucking clue what she’s asking of me. It’s not just the money or the time away frommy family, my ranch.

It’s my inability to physically be around so many fucking people.

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