AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But she couldn’t go home. Not now. Miles was putting the final touches on the security detail for his upcoming job with Bay Legends, a woman Ivy had once called Streetwalker Barbie because of her looks and choice in clothes. That was before knowing she was a pop idol come Hollywood star, not his secret fiancée as his mother had led her to believe.
If she went home now, Miles would do everything in his power to make her forget today, to help her respawn, as she called it. Under her skin felt aflame, but not with passion. It was like something was burning her from within, acid and vitriol set to destroy her from the inside out.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“A taxi?” Ivy’s voice sounded as desperate as she felt.
“Leave it with me. I’ll be right back.”
CHAPTER SIX
Miles studied the itinerary once more, double-checking the security detail. Working with Bay Legends was always an experience, but her bratty behaviour had tamed somewhat since she realised no one on TSS’ payroll would look the other way while she endangered herself.
She still insisted on him as arm candy. For the entire gig, he would walk arm in arm as her escort as she strolled the streets and took in the scenery. He’d have her room searched for bugs, drugs, and danger, and anyone getting close to her vetted. The backstage pass list had already been cross-checked for potential red flags, but facial recognition went a long way. With their systems, they could have a threat hit in seconds when the person with the ticket wasn’t the one who’d purchased it.
But things were never without complications with Miss Legends. He’d already foiled more than one kidnapping attempt. One of which was what got him her contract, and another by pre-empting the moves of a known super-fan. After flagging him and performing a spot check on the vehicle, he was promptly arrested for possession of drugs and intent to abduct. The things they’d found in that van left no question as to their motives. None at all.
It was just as well he was used to dealing with high-profile targets. He knew what to look for, and could see potential dangers ahead of time.
He had prided himself on his skill, but when it came to Ivy, and the things that had been happening in her life, he’d not seen the warning signs. He’d been blinkered, too close, and now he was determined to ensure that no such oversight occurred again.
If any of his clients had reported the events that had occurred before her abduction, he would have doubled down security, and taken extra security measures. But it was Ivy. No one had ever wished her harm. It made him blind.
The letters addressed to her were bothering him. While it was a relief that there were no sign of escalation, it still troubled him. She’d been through enough already, his protective fury stoked from the deep embers of his soul at the thought he could now be the reason she was a target. He was being assured that people who had been in the public eye, like her, when marrying a bachelor like himself, were often targets of such letters. But something didn’t sit right, didn’t feel right. He was missing something, but he’d be damned if he knew what.
He shook his head, forcing his attention back to his laptop. He had spent hours going over everything with a fine-tooth comb, sending out plans and fortifying potential weak spots. Now all he could do was plan for the unexpected.
With a stretch, he pulled himself up from the large chair, just as his phone started to vibrate. A flood of adrenaline hit him in an instant as he saw the caller display. It was her security detail. They never called.
“Yes?” He hid the cold sense of dread that washed over him from his voice as best he could. His free hand grasping his leg as he sat, waiting.
“We’ve lost visual.”
“What do you mean? She’s with my Mom.” A cold wave of dread washed over him.
She was with his mom. The person who’d made her dislike for the woman he loved blatantly clear. The person who had played a part in helping her abductor destroy her life, making sure she was in the perfect state to take the bait. His grip on his leg tightened to a painful degree. So help him, if she’d done something to Ivy…
“She was, but Mrs Taylor just left with her brunch ladies. Ivy wasn’t with them.”
“Is she still inside?” She had to be, right? They were watching the exit. They’d have seen her leave. She probably needed a few moments to calm herself if his mother had been playing her games. This needed to end. He couldn’t watch his mother chip away at her. Not for his sake. Not to salvage a relationship that had long been dead.
“No.” That one word felt like a death sentence. “The waiter said she was unwell. He called her a cab and took her out the back.”
“How long?” He could feel the familiar panic washing over him, the hot dread that burned within his gut while sending icy tendrils lapping at his skin. “Where was the cab going?”
“We don’t know. The waiter said he’d waited for the cab with her, but never heard where she was heading.”
“Okay,” despite the words it was anything but okay, he was furious. They’d been given one job. One job. To watch the most precious thing in his world, and they’d somehow let her slip from sight. “Run me through what happened.” He pushed down the memories of helplessness, of the desperation as he tried to find her when she’d been taken. It all felt too familiar, too raw. He shook his head, trying to focus on the call. She had left of her own will. She wouldn’t put herself at risk, but because he’d kept the notes from her, she also didn’t know she was potentially in danger.
“We arrived at the location at eleven fifteen.” Miles stilled his pacing. Eleven fifteen? The car should have been there for eleven, at least if she was to be wherever his mother planned to meet her on time. He bit down on a growl, free hand now curling into a tight fist. He bet his mother had something to do with that. She knew how much being tardy bothered Ivy. He could just imagine that setting the tone for the whole brunch. “We sat outside the front. We couldn’t see inside, the window glare you see, and Mrs Taylor made it perfectly clear we weren’t to step foot inside when she sent us the schedule.”
“My mother doesn’t pay you. I do,” he growled. No, he couldn’t be cross. He’d told them to give Ivy her space, and stay out of her sight whenever possible. He’d have probably told them the same thing. He was trying so hard not to have someone fixed to her side at all times. If he did that though, she’d start asking questions. She’d know something was wrong.
“She was inside a hired venue. Mrs Taylor had booked the location solely for their use. She advised it would be just her and the staff we vetted when she supplied us with their details.”
“And my mother’s friends,” Miles added. Friends who had no business in being there.
“Again, they’re people on the list you had us vet. No danger to Miss Sinclair.”
