The Protector

by Cristin Harber

  He tensed for a minute then laughed and tweaked her side. “You heard a lot, huh?”

  Jane giggled. “I don’t think it’s possible to ignore Gigi. She’s kind of loud and relentless.”

  After he stole a kiss, he stopped tickling her side. “I don’t know if I’d call Gigi’s proposition a crush.”

  “True. What do you call that rabid look that glints when a wolf circles a piece of fresh meat?”

  He groaned. “I don’t know if anyone’s ever called me fresh meat before. Do you think she’s pretty?”

  That caught Jane off-guard. Gigi certainly had all the attributes that could make a person pretty. But she wasn’t. “I don’t know. Do you?”

  “Nah. She could be, but the looks dissolve the moment you meet her.” He shook his head. “You know what?”

  “Hm?”

  “Gigi and Dax were made for each other. I’ve never met a more drama-filled couple in all my life.”

  “Yup.”

  “Ironic, considering they’re in insurance. They should be risk-averse, yet they seek out craziness and live for risks.”

  “They are the crazies,” Jane pointed out. “There have been times that I wonder if they’ve lost touch with reality. Not like, they aren’t in touch with us common folk. But as if they aren’t mentally stable. As though the fame and adrenaline have permanently altered what they understand as right and wrong.”

  After a long minute, Chance shrugged. “Upside: If they weren’t batshit crazy, I wouldn’t have met you—”

  A noise came from the front door. Jane turned as it swung open. Bright lights blinded her. Her surprised scream died in the second it took her to comprehend the arrival of a camera crew.

  “Get out,” Chance barked. He flew off the couch and blocked their shots. “Turn it off. Get the hell out!”

  “Where’s Jane?”

  She recognized Lark’s voice and squinted toward the bright lights. “What?”

  “Can you come over here,” Lark called, unapologetically.

  “Turn the fucking cameras off!” Chance growled.

  “Never mind. We got what we needed,” Lark called. “Forget you ever saw us.”

  What did they need? Dread hardened in the pit of her stomach. They couldn’t use that footage in the documentary! Could they? It wasn’t as though they’d filmed anything intimate but it had been private. This was their time, and they didn’t have to share it with the Thanes, Lark, or a camera crew.

  Chance slammed the door closed, re-locking it. He turned and leaned against it, then scoffed. “Good thing we weren’t naked.”

  Jane pressed a hand to her chest. “Naked or not, they can’t just walk in and film us.”

  “I’m not sure what your contract says, but mine won’t allow it.”

  She dragged her knees up to her chest, still wondering what shot they wanted. “I think Lark just set us up.”

  A long, thoughtful minute crept by until Chance sat down next to her. “You’re right. But hell if I know why.” He grumbled and scrubbed his hands over his face. “I hate security work. And the mind games?” He shook his head. “No, thanks. I’ll leave those to the spooks.”

  “Me too.”

  He laughed. “Don’t worry about the Thanes. They’re crazy, but they’re not dangerous.”

  She wished she could believe him.

  “At least, as long as you don’t get on a plane to Syria again.”

  Jane had to laugh. “It’s a plan.”

  He said good night and locked the door behind him. Jane tried to sleep, but the adrenaline rush remained in her system. When she closed her eyes, she could still see the camera’s bright lights. Sleep didn’t come, and as she lay alone in bed, worried and awake, staring at the ceiling, she fretted over what the next morning would bring.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

  Chance took a deep breath and strode into the living room of the main house the following morning, ready to kick ass and take names. Or, at the very least, lay down the law with the Thanes. Lark had known damn well what she was doing with the camera crew the night before, and Chance was certain that meant Gigi had been involved. Perhaps no one ever told them no before. Today, they’d learn what his limits were.

  He’d also explain the reality of his relationship with Jane. They were an item. If there was a contractual issue with that, he’d wait for them to work it out. It was in the Thanes’ best interest that he and Jane remained on their staff. Chance would make that a simple ultimatum. Boss Man would back him up. The drama would blow over, and he could continue on his merry way, providing security for this shit show.

  But a little voice in the back of his head whispered that nothing ever went according to plan in the Thane household. Common sense didn’t rule the roost, and ratings dictated most decisions.

  After several minutes searching for Dax, Chance gave up. He’d have to speak with Gigi first. It would be fine, he told himself. He’d had much bigger problems on far more dangerous jobs.

  Gigi sat with her back toward him as he entered one of the sitting rooms with a knock.

  The second she looked up, he knew there was trouble. He swallowed hard, fearing nothing good would come up with a conversation with her now. Circles darkened under her eyes, and recent tears were evident.

  “Just the person I needed to see,” she said as she rifled through a drawer, her movements clipped, full of determination.

  He took a step back, knowing he needed to escape as a camera crew bustled in, appearing out of nowhere. They boxed him in place and focused on Gigi. She didn’t react to their arrival but pulled out a familiar dark blue booklet. “Ah. Here it is.”

  “What is?”

  “My passport.” Gigi swept her hair from her face. “Of course, with all of your travel, you have yours, too.”

  He rocked back onto his heels, uncomfortable with the conversation and the camera crew. “Of course, but—”

  “Good. Get packed. We’re leaving shortly.”

  “What?” He ground his molars.

  “I need alone time, Chance,” she snapped and muttered under her breath.

  Did she say something about betrayal?

  Gigi abruptly rose from her desk and strode to him, stopping far too close for comfort. He awkwardly stepped back, but she knotted her fists into his shirt.

  He froze, pinned between the camera crew and Gigi. “Ma’am—”

  “Go pack. Now.” She spun away and slammed the door.

  Alone and trapped with the camera crew, he turned toward them. “What the hell just happened?”

  They ignored him as though he were talking to himself. Chance scowled, shook his head, and turned.

  “Cut—that was beautiful.”

  The sudden whirl of conversation made him spin toward the camera crew again. “Would any of you tell me what the fuck this is all about?”

  One of them smirked. Someone else rolled their eyes. A few people filtered out the door.

  Chance blocked the last two men from leaving. “What happened?”

  They glanced at each other and then him again.

  Why did they look confused?

  “You haven’t been read in for the day?”

  What did that mean? These people didn’t have security protocol. They didn’t operate with any sense of order. He’d never been to a regularly scheduled meeting to be read into anything. “I guess not.”

  “Oh,” the other man said. Both of their confusion disappeared. “Dax is dropping Gigi for a younger piece of ass, half his age. Juicy shit that the network can’t get enough of.”

  Dax was no different than Chance’s father. For everything he hated about Gigi, he couldn’t help but understand her pain. After all, he’d lived through it once before.

  Except for the wealthy and callous parts, Gigi might be his mother. Absolutely beautiful but abandoned and replaced.

  Exhausted, Chance backed against the wall. He covered his hands over his face and pulled them down. He hated drama.

  “A
nd, hey, if you hadn’t realized which way this will play out,” the other man warned. “You’re the odds-on favorite to serve as her consolation prize.”

  Chance ignored them and frowned as he headed back to his house to pack. Even if Gigi was a high-maintenance pain in the ass, she was Dax’s woman. Chance had no respect for men who did that to women. Visions of his mother’s broken heart made his chest tight, and no matter how much he hated drama, he felt an ever-increasing pity for Gigi.

  He texted Jane but didn’t receive a response as he walked to his garage apartment. By the time he’d closed the door and pulled out his go-bag, he’d forgiven Gigi for her blundering flirtations. Dax hadn’t just left her; he’d planned to tell the whole world that a younger woman was better than his wife. It made Chance seethe.

  He quickly packed, then headed to Jane’s cottage. There was no answer when he knocked.

  His text message buzzed with her reply to his earlier text.

  How’d everything go? Teddy and I are at a playdate. Be back late afternoon. xoxo

  Unsure how to summarize what had happened, he asked her to call when she had a private minute, and then Chance trudged back to the main house, go-bag slung over his shoulder.

  Gigi stood in the kitchen, surrounded by her ever-present camera crew. She had changed into a tiny sundress and was giving a monologue to the camera. “I didn’t see this coming. I’m not sure what life without Dax looks like.” She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. “He’s my rock. My one true love.”

  A production person gestured and said, “Great, and, cut.”

  Gigi wiped at the area under her eyes and caught sight of Chance, standing in the doorway. “Hi,” she said, sounding fragile and a little embarrassed.

  The crew scattered at the orders of the cut-man, following orders to tape b-roll. Gigi swept over to him, much calmer than he last saw her.

  “Hey. Look,” he offered. “You’ll be okay. Just take some time away. Things’ll work themselves out. Do you need anything? A snack?”

  “Thank you, Chance. You’re right.” She went to him and draped herself onto his arm, patting his chest. “I just need to be away from everyone else.”

  His spine straightened, uneasy in her emotional embrace, and awkwardly waited for her to release him. She didn’t budge, and no matter how he shifted, she didn’t let go.

  Chance tried a new tactic. Conversation. “Where are we headed?”

  “The Caribbean.” She squeezed harder.

  He wanted to escape but couldn’t. Shit. “I bet Teddy likes the beach.”

  “I suppose.”

  Maybe she didn’t know. “You could show him—”

  Gigi arched from his chest. “No. He’ll stay with Jane.”

  “He will?” Chance swallowed hard.

  She fluffed her hair and waved her hand as though his suggestion was a silly thought. “He’d be bored to tears in the Caribbean.”

  Not likely. Then it dawned on him—they were the only ones going to the Caribbean. When she said she wanted to get away from everyone, she hadn’t meant the camera crew. She meant everyone.

  “Just a quiet beach house. Nothing to do except watch the waves lap onto the sand.”

  The situation was getting more and more serious by the moment. He’d thought maybe they were going to stay with her family or with close friends. Isn’t that where people usually go to mend a broken heart? To the arms of people who love them? “Who will join us?”

  “No one. Just us.”

  “Just us?” Suddenly the consolation prize comment started to make a lot of sense, and he really didn’t know what to say to Jane. “Pennebaker wouldn’t mind time in the sun.”

  Gigi sashayed toward the counter and picked up a large-brimmed hat as though she hadn’t heard him. She went to a decorative mirror and adjusted the dramatically slanted brim angled over her head. “I really love the beach.”

  “Right, yeah.” He cleared his throat, worried that she skipped over his question. “So, what do you mean by just us?”

  “Oh. No. Not just the two of us.”

  Thank god. “I see.”

  “I’m contractually obligated to continue filming, so a cameraman is coming, too. The Thanes can’t handle more than one legal problem at a time.” She smiled as if she faced the paparazzi. “Shall we be off?”

  Then she disappeared. Chance stared after her, stunned.

  A cameraman stepped in from where Gigi had swept away.

  For a moment, it almost seemed as if she’d known a camera would be waiting around the corner. But, of course, she would. They were everywhere.

  The man set his equipment on the ground but gave Chance another look. “You okay, buddy?”

  “No.”

  He snickered. “I remember my first couple of weeks. You’re not in Kansas anymore.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

  When Jane pulled up at the front of the house, she knew something was wrong. Everything seemed very quiet and still. Even the camera crews’ trucks were gone.

  Unbuckling Teddy from his car seat, she wiped some hot fudge from his chin and helped him out of the car. The second they reached the front door, it swung open, and Dax stood there, looking wild-eyed and unfocused.

  Oh no, Jane thought. Here we go again.

  “Big problems,” Dax said, fidgeting from side to side.

  Jane tightened her grip on Teddy’s hand. “What? Is everything okay?”

  Rather than answer her, he spun and stalked through the foyer and into the living room.

  “Hi, daddy.” Teddy held up the stuffed animal he won from an arcade machine.

  Dax didn’t seem to notice Teddy. Jane tickled the boy to distract him as she watched Dax pace back and forth, running his hands through the dark shock of hair at the top of his head and muttering to himself.

  One of the housekeepers hurried by, and Jane called for the woman to help. They had a quick discussion, and the housekeeper took Teddy to the kitchen. Their chef could prepare a snack—not that he would be hungry. They’d just had a big helping of ice cream. But Jane had seen this side of Dax enough to know that when he got like this, everything was far from okay.

  Jane waited for him to say something, but he only paced. “Okay, well, I’m going to make sure that Teddy is—”

  He wheeled on her, eyes wide as if noticing her for the first time. “No. Don’t go anywhere. I want to… I don’t know. It’s got to be big. Something really wild and out there. But what?”

  Out there? The last time Dax had talked about out there, they’d ended up on a plane to Syria. “I… don’t know,” she said softly.

  But if his unfocused eyes were any indication, he wasn’t asking her. It was more like he was asking himself, asking the universe. And she was caught in the crossfire. “Dax—”

  He grabbed fistfuls of his hair and faced the window then suddenly spun on them. “I got it. Free insurance for life for the person who pulls the craziest stunt and posts it on our Facebook page. Yes!” He reached for his cell phone and came up short, patting his pockets. “I’ve got to get that to our marketing team.”

  Why wasn’t there another voice of reason available? Jane gnawed on her bottom lip. “But, what if someone gets hurt?”

  He waved the idea away. “That’s what my legal team’s for.”

  The front door opened, and Aunt Courtney stepped in, arms crossed, looking like she was out for blood. She strode across the room, heels clicking on the marble floor, and sighed at her brother as Teddy’s voice called from the kitchen. Jane heard him racing to his aunt, and she only stopped when the little boy threw himself into her arms for a hug.

  Aunt Courtney whispered into Teddy’s ear. He giggled and nodded, then kissed her on the cheek and raced back toward the kitchen.

  Soon as he was out of earshot, she rekindled her wrath and focused it on her brother. “Stand down, you crazy son of a bitch.”

  Dax moved his mouth and his hands, mimicking a puppet’s mouth flapping. “Womp, womp, womp. There g
oes the fun.”

  She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Really, I don’t know why anything you two do surprises me.”

  “Womp, womp, womp.”

  “Dax! You need to take a Xanax. Or whatever meds you decided to skip.” She scowled. “Did your psychiatrist refill your prescription? That one you restarted?”

  He matched her scowl, and then his face lit up. He rushed across the room and snagged his cell phone off an ornate hall table. The camera crew appeared with the lights on and the film rolling.

  “Dax,” Aunt Courtney yelled. “You can’t—”

  “Stay away, Court. I’m in the middle of something important.” He scrolled through his phone. “Something epic.”

  Courtney whirled on the camera crew and stuck her hand over the lens. “Turn this shit off.”

  “Don’t touch the equipment.”

  “I will own your network if you don’t get those cameras out of here in the next thirty seconds.”

  “Always the buzzkill,” Dax complained.

  Apparently, Aunt Courtney had threatened the crew with magic words. They cut the shot and killed the lights.

  Courtney opened her mouth and paused, turning to Jane. “Would you mind taking Teddy upstairs or outside?” She pursed her lips together. “Somewhere else for the time being?”

  Dax didn’t argue, and Jane nodded. “Of course.”

  Jane found Teddy with the chef, licking peanut butter off of celery. The two adults exchanged a knowing glance before Jane picked Teddy up and took him to her cottage.

  “You’re so sticky.” She pushed out the door and quickly moved down the deck. The sun warmed her shoulders and made his little hands that much stickier. “How about a bath before we do anything else?”

  “Yes!” Her bathtub had jets, and he loved to play in it.

  It only took a few minutes to strip off the ice cream and peanut butter covered clothes and set him in warm water. She got out toys, and he played with them in the tub.

  Suddenly, Teddy stopped. “Is everything okay with Daddy?”

  His big chocolate eyes made Jane’s heart ache. She nodded. “He’ll be okay. He’s just a little wound up tonight.”

  Bath time wasn’t much fun after that. She cleaned him up, redressed him in fresh clothes, and curled around him on her bed, turning a movie on. They hadn’t had a nap, and he didn’t always need one, but after a day like today, they could both doze off without complaining.