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He wasn't surprised when the greeting wasn't returned. He watched Trevor's reaction carefully, catching the flash of jealousy just before he schooled his expression to mereanger.
"I don't know who the fuck you are, but you have some nerve pulling a stunt like that lastnight."
"What stunt was that? Pulling Khloe out of a chaotic mob and taking her to a safe house where she could be properlyprotected?"
The taller man's face turned bright red with anger. "I had things undercontrol."
"Yeah, right. That's why Jaxson had to scoop her up and carry her to me at thecurb."
Khloe wiggled from his embrace, stepping between the men. "All right, you two. I think we've made a big enough scene for theday."
Ryder glanced around. Small groups of people, many in period costumes, had exited nearby trailers, interested in watching thealtercation.
"You're right. Let's go inside," Ryderagreed.
Trevor did not. "You're not going anywhere. I'll take it fromhere."
It galled him when Khloe placed her hand on his chest, trying to keep her guard calm. "Come on, Trevor. Let's go in andtalk."
McLean wasn't listening. "Jesus Christ, you're actually gonna put up with this? What's going on? Are you firingme?"
"Of course not. Ryder is gonna be joining my security detail, that'sall."
They were setting the tone for all things to come. He couldn't let her explanation stand. "Correction, Princess. I'm going to beleadingyour security detail." His eyes locked with McLean's before adding. "You're welcome to stay on, or resign. Up toyou."
Trevor looked like he wanted to deck him, and despite his cool facade, Ryder felt exactly the same way inreturn.
The crowd around them was growing. He ended the standoff by grabbing Khloe's hand and pulling her into motion towards the steps to her trailer. The rush of cold air greeted them as he swung open the door, catching the group of people red-handed who'd been hovering near the entrance to eavesdrop on the altercation in the parking lot. Most dispersed quickly, lookingembarrassed.
The only two who stayed near the door were the older couple he assumed were Khloe's agent and publicist. He'd been looking forward to asking them some questions. He didn't like the tone of several emails they'd exchanged with the police, almost as if they'd hoped to sweep the criminal investigation under the rug while still ensuring leaks of the details made it to thepress.
He had expected them to react to his presence as McLean had, but he'd been wrong. Before he could even acknowledge them, Natalie Kaplan was hugging him, a broad grin on herface.
"I need to congratulate you, young man. Riding in and stealing Khloe on that motorcycle of yours was a brilliant idea! I don't know why I didn't think of it myself." She released him, but proceeded to pat herself on the back. "Of course, it would have been nice to have a heads up in advance so I could have prepped a few photographers. As it was, there were only a few freelancers in range to get the best shots of thestunt."
She leaned over to the counter and grabbed a tablet, pulling up a photo taken the night before out front of the theater. He'd been so happy to see Khloe, he hadn't noticed how scared shitless she'd looked as he drove up to the curb, prior to taking his helmetoff.
Ryder prided himself for living life on his terms, rarely letting guilt factor into his choices, but in that moment, guilt was what he felt staring down at the photo of a terrified Khloe in Jaxson'sarms.
She'd stepped close to see as well, giving him the chance to hug her and whisper softly against her ear. "I'm sorry I scared you likethat."
She looked up, surprise registering before she smiled. "That's twice." He didn't have a clue what she meant so she added, "You've apologized to me twice in one morning. I'm not sure, but I'm guessing that's a record foryou."
Damn.
"Smartass," he retorted, hating that she had his number and wasn't afraid to call him onit.
Natalie was rambling on, unaware of their intimate sidebar. "You can't buy this kind of publicity. Such a good buzz going today. You're trending on Twitter, of course, but the real coup is Harley Davidson just announced a surge in business. Their stock is up fourpercent!"
Ryder interjected, "I got news for you, but last night wasn't some stunt. My only goal was to protect Khloe, not draw more negativepublicity."
Natalie babbled on, totally missing his growing anger. "Young man, there is no such thing as negativepublicity."
Her husband, Bernie, was equally animated. "This will get you an added three million easy on your next contract. Moving a national brand's stock like that proves you have real star power withadvertisers."
Ryder's blood pressure was going through the roof listening to them babble on as if the nightmare Khloe was living through was the best thing since sliced bread. For once, it looked like he had something in common with McLean because the bodyguard looked like he wanted to dispose of the Kaplans almost as much as Ryderdid.
He gave Khloe a reassuring hug before stepping away and towards the older couple in the room. He didn't stop his forward movement until he had invaded their personal space, getting up in their faces, his most menacing expression on his mug, the one that he usually reserved for criminals and low-lifes he was about to interrogate. The gasp of shock from Natalie as she stumbled backwards into her husband wasgratifying.
