Page 15 of Perfect Order
Mitch groans. “And there goes that twenty.”
I bark out a laugh. “Get out of here.” Mitch turns to leave, but before he does, I call out, “Hey, Mitch? Thanks.”
He shrugs. “You’ve done it for us.”
“Yeah.” I wait for him to leave and then push to my feet. Striding over to the window, I give myself a moment to recall the mission.
It was a night mission, and there wasn’t much more than the HUMANIT to go by. Three helos were in the staging area, but by the time we entered enemy airspace, only ours was functional due to hydraulic failure and one being sent out for recon earlier. It took a hit and caused a crack in the rotor blade. He gave the order we were going.
We did. We landed.
Things were fine. Until we were standing there facing each other…
Another knock interrupts my thoughts. “Enter!” I snap out, whirling around.
“I need to head to LLF to speak with Carys,” Beckett informs me coolly. He doesn’t step one foot past the jamb. But I can tell by the way his jaw is ticking, he’s pissed at the less than respectable way I’ve just addressed him. Considering the amount he pays me to do the damn job, I’d be pissed as well.
Damn. I was so locked in the nightmare of the past, I didn’t hear anyone come in. I hold up a hand.
Beckett, misinterpreting my actions as the beginning of another lecture about his protective detail, starts, “I tried to call, but no one…”
“I deeply apologize.” The words rock him. “Something captured my attention. That shouldn’t have happened.”
“I don’t mean to intrude, Kane, but it looked like it had you by the throat.” Before I can say a word to contradict his astute observation, he goes on. “Take it from someone who knows. You have to purge whatever it is. Otherwise, you’re going to have nightmares about it forever.”
“That sounds like experience talking,” I blurt out before I can hold it back.
He merely arches a brow before turning around. “Carys’s? About fifteen minutes?”
“I’ll have the car pulled around,” I reply to his back, wondering, but knowing I’ll never ask, what in Beckett Miller’s past has him trapped in nightmares. I mentally flip through the file I have about him and come up blank. Well, the man’s entitled to his own secrets. All he needs from me is protection.
And I better get on that before I get booted from this job as well.
A short while later, we pull up to the building that houses the law office of LLF LLC. I spy Erzulie making her way inside. The paparazzi are temporarily distracted from the SUV we’re in as they blind the poor girl as she opens up the gilded doors. “She needs protection,” I mutter absentmindedly as I place the vehicle in park.
“I’ve tried to convince her of that,” Beckett replies surprisingly.
“To which she said?”
“After she stopped laughing? I believe the words were ‘Over my dead body, Becks. Why don’t you just leave security issues to my sister?’ Then she skipped off like she normally does.”
“It wasn’t so funny when we were on tour.” I recall a few incidents with fans I was certain were going to make headlines but shockingly didn’t.
“No. Kylie doesn’t worry about the press quite the same way the rest of us do. It’s like there’s a media angel on her shoulder,” Beckett muses.
I open the door before declaring, “While the devil sits on yours? He seems to rest there with regularity.”
Beckett gives me a thoughtful look. “You know, Kane, if you ever get tired of this bodyguard business, you could probably get a job as a songwriter.”
I choke on air as I hold the door for the rock star before rushing him inside. Once we’ve finally made it safely inside the building, I accuse, “You did that on purpose.”
“Completely. I mean, you come up with a few good lines, but nothing you should quit your day job over.”
I use that as an excuse to do my job. “Remember, stay inside the building. And call when you’re ready to leave.”
He rolls his eyes. “Yes, dear.”
Something he said earlier causes the hair on the back of my neck to rise. “And how about using some of your influence to get your tour partner to at least reach out to my boss to discuss protection—even if it’s just for big events like premieres? The Grammys?”
