Page 14 of Duty Unbound

More chuckles from her entourage that I ignored.

“That’s because it is bad.”

My tone was flat, unyielding. I turned my gaze to Mel, arching a brow. She gave me a helpless, tired look, like she’d had this conversation too many times to count.

I exhaled sharply. Another reason not to take this job. Nova Rivers was the definition of a difficult client—the kind who’d fight us every step of the way, making our job not just harder but potentially impossible.

Mel took a step forward. “Nova, we’re hiring Citadel Solutions because this is serious. If someone was able to break in once, they can do it again. You need to?—”

“I know, I know.” Nova groaned, rubbing her temples as if we were all giving her a headache. “Fine, do your security stuff. Do the wholefortress modething. Just don’t make it ugly.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Ugly?”

She pointed at me. “No weird cameras, no ugly bars on the windows, and definitely no creepy Secret-Service-style guys following me around twenty-four seven.”

Ty let out an actual laugh. “I mean…we kinda are Secret-Service-style guys.”

Nova rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

I glanced at Mel again. She was pinching the bridge of her nose, exasperation rolling off her in waves. For all her polished demeanor, I could see the exhaustion etched in the lines around her eyes, the slight droop of her shoulders when she thought no one was looking.

Nova flicked her hand toward the door. “Anyway, you guys can do your little sweep now. Knock yourselves out. Just let me know when we get to the part where I actually have to be involved.”

Then, without another word, she breezed out of the kitchen like she hadn’t just made it crystal clear she was going to fight us every step of the way.

The second Nova and her posse were gone, the air in the room shifted. Less…performative.

Mel exhaled and turned to me, pressing her fingers to her temple like she was fighting off a headache. “I’m sorry about that.”

“We can’t do our job if she won’t take this seriously.”

Ty turned away, eyebrows raised, sayingThe Bodyguardin a singsong voice only I could hear.

A pop star who wouldn’t take her security seriously? Made a much better movie than real life.

“Nova doesn’t take anything seriously except herself and her success,” Mel admitted quietly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The gesture seemed unconscious, a rare moment of vulnerability in her otherwise controlled demeanor.

This was looking less and less like a case I was willing to takeon, but there were still other factors we needed to evaluate either way. “Let’s do the force protection survey.”

Mel straightened. “We can start outside. I’ll come with you.”

“In those shoes?” I pointed to her impractical heels. “We’re going to be walking a while and through grass.”

“I’ll be fine.”

I didn’t know why her refusal to worry more about practicality and less about looks bothered me so much. I should be used to it by now, given what I’d learned from my ex-fiancée. I hadn’t understood it then, and I didn’t understand it now.

With a shrug, Ty and I followed her out, stepping onto the back patio. The moment I took in the property, I was already running assessments in my head.

Wide-open space. Too open. A sprawling backyard that led into a tree line with no barriers. High-end outdoor furniture, a pool deck, even a cabana tucked into one corner. All thought had gone into luxury rather than security.

I tilted my head, tracking movement. The perimeter was dotted with cameras, but their angles were wrong. A few sections weren’t covered at all.

Ty whistled low, his hands on his hips. “This is a damn security nightmare.”

Mel looked between us, her brows furrowing. “What’s wrong with it?”

I turned to her. “The tree line. It’s a perfect cover for anyone watching the property. They can get close enough to see movement inside the house and never be spotted.” I gestured toward the side fence. “That fencing isn’t high enough to keep anyone out. Hell, I could scale it in under ten seconds.”

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