Page 16 of Duty Unbound

She perked up, leaning forward as if I was about to deliver the most enthralling speech of her life.

I locked eyes with her. “Your security sucks. You’re an easy target. If someone wanted to get to you, they could. They’ve already proved it.”

Nova blinked.

For the first time since I met her, she looked genuinely speechless.

Then she laughed, shaking her head. “God, you are no fun at all.”

I didn’t move. “And you’re reckless.”

That wiped the amusement right off her face. Her eyes narrowed, the carefree diva slipping for just a moment to reveal something harder underneath.

Mel took a step forward, her voice gentle but firm. “Nova, please. We need to do this right. Citadel Solutions comes highly recommended.”

Nova didn’t respond immediately. She stared at me instead, like she was finally—finally—realizing I wasn’t like the people she was used to dealing with.

I wasn’t impressed with her.

I wasn’t interested in catering to her.

I was here to keep her alive.

She exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair before throwing up her hands. “Fine. Do whatever it is you do.” She turned on her heel and disappeared down the hallway, her usual air of detachment back in place.

I turned to Mel. “If this is how you and Nova do things, Citadel Solutions isn’t the company for you.”

She turned back to me, brows pulling together. “What?”

I didn’t soften my words. “If you and Nova won’t take this seriously, we’re wasting our time.”

“I get it. Nova is…a lot. But you’re lumping me in with her too? I’ve been following you around for hours taking notes.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “In inappropriate footwear while texting on your phone every five seconds and only half paying attention.”

Mel blinked those big green eyes at me, clearly caught offguard by the brisk, almost cold tone of my voice. Even Ty was taken aback at my demeanor.

This wasn’t how I normally dealt with clients. Almost all of them started with bad security habits—like having their faces buried in their phone rather than being aware of their surroundings—we had to help them break. And even if we weren’t going to take on Nova Rivers as an assignment, I was generally much more patient with communicating that sort of thing.

I couldn’t explain my deeper irritation, even to myself. Maybe it was the phone or those ridiculous heels. Maybe it was the business attire even though she was only walking around her own house.

Or maybe it was this damned attraction I couldn’t wrap my head around and that didn’t make a bit of sense to me.

“Citadel Solutions isn’t Security-R-Us. We’re not a quick fix,” I continued. “We wouldn’t be here to slap a few cameras on the walls and call it a day. It’s more than that.”

She swallowed. “How much more?”

I held her gaze. “Continuous threat assessment. Reworking schedules. Security rotations. Controlled access points. New staff protocols. Guard shifts at all hours. Restricted movement for Nova, especially at public events and while on tour.” I let the weight of that sink in before I added, “It’s invasive. It will change how you live. How she lives.”

Mel’s lips parted slightly, like she wanted to protest but couldn’t quite find the words. I saw the struggle in her eyes, the weight of responsibility for her sister’s safety battling against the reality of what implementing proper security would mean.

I pressed forward. “Neither of you is ready to do that, so I think it’s best if we just call this a day right here. We’ll write up our site survey report and send it to you so you can provide it to whatever security company you find that best suits your lifestyle.”

“But…”

“I don’t think there’s anything left to say. We’ll see ourselves out.”

I gestured to Ty, who looked between us with surprise but knew better than to question me in front of a client. As we turned to leave, I caught one last glimpse of Mel’s face—the professional mask had slipped completely, revealing something I hadn’t expected.

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