“I… well… you look… different. It is going to take some getting used to the change. My main curiosity is what you think you’re going to do with this…” Jared’s brow scrunched as he tilted his head in confusion.
“Some of his band members, his road crew, his road manager and countless other people who surrounded him saw me at the Georgia Dome. I have to be able to pass as someone entirely different if we don’t want whoever is after him to know he has a personal security officer.”
“Well, I think that happened with this miraculous transformation. You were rather road-worn yesterday.” Jared ducked sideways in his chair at the playful swing she took at him.
“Seriously? Anyway, I’ve got a new wardrobe coming in. It should be delivered to my hotel tonight. I’ve got an insane idea for a cover story. From what your case notes implied, you don’t make him for the murders, right?”
Jared rubbed his jaw and thought about his answer. “Meh… it’s a double-edged sword.” He listed his head from side to side and hissed out a stream of air before he answered. “His responses were spontaneous. The shock was real. If he was lying, he’s the best damn liar I’ve ever met. My gut is telling me this guy didn’t know about the murders.”
Jasmine sat down in one of the two chairs in front of the desk. “So we are more than likely looking at an insider who wants the lawsuits to go away and wants Nelson dead. Who benefits if he dies? Who stands to inherit? Where do the pieces of his empire land and under whose control?”
“The insider wanting the lawsuits gone is only one option, and we are working on that now. His businesses are vast, and his music empire is second only to Lucifer Cross. I scratched the surface of the structure with his initial interview. We’ve been granted access to records, stockholder’s reports, lines of authority and powers of attorney. The true power behind the organization is too gray right now to be defined. The only thing I know for sure at this moment is that we don’t know anything.” Jared sat down beside her and yawned. “Sorry, anyway, since you obviously have a plan, how do you propose to run the show tomorrow?”
Jasmine opened her purse and pulled out a piece of paper. She handed it to Jared and watched as he read the details. His face remained impassive until he had reread the point paper.
“I’m not a fan. You’ve never gone undercover before. While I can applaud the initiative, you’re a personal security officer. You aren’t an undercover police officer, nor have you had the training that Jade has had to assume this role.”
“Granted. Like the point paper stipulates. I go in under this pretense. If for some reason I get made, Nelson and I are immediately in the wind. We’ll get out, ensure we don’t have a tail and contact you for assistance if needed. But if I’m not made, I have the inside scoop on the dynamics of the people closest to him. I’ll be able to neutralize any up-close threat. It is the practical solution to preventing access to the principal without letting the perp know we’re watching.”
Jared leaned forward in his chair and braced his elbows on his knees. “That’s a solid plan until you ask yourself one question.”
“And that is?”
“What if the inside threat and the murderer aren’t the same people?”
Jasmine draped her arm over the back of her chair. Well, shit, there was that. “Okay, you tell me, what if they aren’t the same person?”
“No matter what my gut instincts are telling me, at this time we can’t eliminate anyone from this scenario, including our client. Do I think Nelson knew about the murders? No. I believe it was genuine shock that I witnessed this morning, but if he contracted the murders out and didn’t know that the assassinations had already taken place, that shock would be honest too.”
Jasmine nodded. They had no idea who was responsible, and she was walking into one hell of a convoluted mess.
“Now the question is, knowing where we stand, do you feel comfortable assuming this role? You don’t have undercover training, but as you are more or less doing the PSO work you’ve been trained to do, I’ll back you if you think you can handle it.”
Jasmine puffed out a lungful of air and considered her options. “I’ll regret it if I don’t try. The man is irritating and arrogant. If you find evidence to support the theory he hired the murders out, I’ll be very happy to slap a set of cuffs on him. If he didn’t do it and it is someone else…” she spread her hands out and shrugged, “…I’ll still be in a position to do my job and protect him from whatever inside threat he’s facing.”
Jared popped the paper she had handed him with a flick of his finger. “Okay, now that we have settled that, how was your date?”
Sadness tugged at her at the memory. “It was okay. We had a nice time, but he’s been through some things recently.” She held up her hand, forestalling the inevitable question. “We didn’t discuss specifics, but whatever it was has impacted him. Suffice to say we had a lovely dinner.”
Jared leaned back in his chair and rubbed his jaw. She watched as a myriad of emotions jetted across his face. “I’ve been concerned about him. I’ll call Dixon and Drake. If there is a position open at the training complex, or if they can invent one, I’ll offer it to him. He needs time to process the events that have transpired around him, and I’m sure Adam wouldn’t mind an extra hand with the rehab facility.”
Jasmine lifted out of the chair and moved over to kiss her brother on the forehead. “Thank you. You’re a good guy.”
“Shhh… don’t tell anyone. I have a reputation to uphold.”
“Your secret is safe with me, J.”
His laughter followed her out of the room.
Chapter Six
Chad leaned back against the seat of the SUV. He was exhausted. Hell, he’d lapped exhausted about ten times and was still running in the ‘I’m so tired’ race. After King had grilled him for hours yesterday, he’d sequestered himself in his hotel room and freaked the fuck out. He couldn’t eat. His head was fucking killing him and sleep had been impossible. The entourage that he normally traveled with was banished from his vicinity as soon as he hit the hotel. He had to process what the fuck was happening to him, and he couldn’t do that with people around. Even Kirk was kept out, compliments of two huge men at his hotel door. Hell, he’d even turned off his cell phone after five text messages from Kirk and Millicent. Now he was being transported to a meeting with his lawyers by the same man who had shattered his perception of reality yesterday.
“I appreciate what you did yesterday. Nobody’s been upfront with me in a hell of a long time. Probably too long.”
Jared King threw him a glance. “You think?”
That pulled a sad chuckle from him. He watched the city pass by for a moment. “I’ve put together one hell of a management team. I did it for a reason. They take care of all the shit that circles my head. Without the distractions, I’m free to write and perform my music. They make money off me, and I get to do what I love. Obviously, I’ve lost control of a huge portion of my life. Or given it up. I’m not sure if it was intentional or not, but it happened.”
“It isn’t difficult to be consumed by what you do.”
“Speaking from experience?” Boss Hog had said the man was one of the most powerful men in the country. Chad was pretty sure the add-on of ‘if not the world’ was splashed on to scare him into doing what the lawyer wanted.
“I run the domestic side of a huge security corporation. I’ve been lost a time or two. Made some poor decisions thinking that what I was doing was for the best, so yes, I’m speaking from experience. I’m no novice at screwing things up.”
Chad laughed at that. Maybe it wasn’t funny, but damn, it was nice to know he wasn’t the only one who could fuck things up. He turned his attention to the road. The signs weren’t right. “I hate to tell you this, but I think you are lost.”
Jared shook his head. “No, I’m not, but this was a necessity as we needed to talk with you again without any of your entourage present. As we discussed yesterday, your life is being threa
tened, and until we find out who it is, everyone except you is a suspect.”
“Dude, everyone I hang with has been with me for years.”
Jared nodded. “Our profiler tells us this person may have been harboring this resentment for years, but a recent event has triggered the escalation of his delusion.”
“You are telling me one of my friends may be a lunatic?”
Jared nodded. “Yes.”
Chad leaned back and shook his head. “And the week started out so well…”
Jared chuckled and pulled into a long row of warehouses. His vehicle slowed and turned into one of the buildings. Another SUV that Chad hadn’t noticed while they drove pulled up beside them. The team inside the second vehicle deployed after the garage door was secured.
“Alright, Mr. Nelson, we are going through that door. Wait until my team opens the door for you.”
“Overboard much?” Chad whispered to himself. If someone was going to kill him, would they follow him to a deserted warehouse, get inside it and try to shoot him when there were enough MIB guns around his vehicle to slaughter a herd of bison? Not likely.
Chad exited the vehicle when the door was opened and walked with Jared into the office. He stopped dead in his tracks. Jared closed the door behind him. Chad couldn’t move.
“Hello, Mr. Singer Dude.”
He recognized the voice but nothing else. “Um… hi?” he grappled, trying to remember where he’d heard the woman’s voice before.
“Had any radio show award winners backstage lately?” The woman purred. Holy shit! Reality dawned on him. It was the spitfire who had taken down the bull of a man at the Dome. But what he was seeing was one hell of a stretch from the long-legged filly he’d seen that night. Well, the long legs were there, and Lord above they were sexy, but holy hell… what had happened to the woman he’d met?
She’d changed. Good Lord, how she’d changed. Dark red and gold shimmered in the black hair that hung free around her face. The result was stunningly beautiful. Her hair fell just below her ample breasts. She wore a pair of skin-tight, strategically ripped blue jeans, high heeled boots and a white tank-top that pulled tight across her breasts. Her hair and makeup transformed her from a plain, naturally beautiful woman to a sexually brazen siren who caught and demanded a person’s attention. The only indication she was the same person was the cut on her forearm. She leaned against the edge of the table and licked her lips. He’d seen sex kittens before, but holy hell, his sexy spitfire had it going on and then some. She wasn’t a kitten. Lord, the woman was a full grown, hunting, prowling, sexy-as-fuck feline. His cock started to stand up and take an interest, too.
Chad swallowed, twice, and cleared his throat. He shifted to try to relieve the building pressure behind his jeans. “I wouldn’t have recognized you in a million years.”
She smiled and flipped her hair behind her shoulder. “That is the idea.”
“You work for him?” Chad was putting the pieces together—slowly.
“Score one for the country boy.” Jasmine slid onto the top of a desk and dangled her legs.
He cast a glance at Jared and then back to the filly with the attitude. “What’s going on?”
“You have someone wishing to do you harm. We feel the threat is legitimate—so much so we are inserting an operative into your circle of close friends to keep an eye on you and them,” Jared answered, but Chad didn’t pull his eyes from the woman.
“The question now is, can you introduce me as a love interest to your inner circle? Nobody can know I am your security detail, not your mom, manager, or candlestick maker. Do you understand?”
Chad looked between her and Jared. “Yeah, I get it.” The spitfire could kick ass and take names, but he wasn’t too sure he was happy with the idea of her being in harm’s way. If someone was coming for him, he sure as hell didn’t want her to be the one to stop the bullet.
“Good. We need to build a realistic way that would explain how we met. I’m thinking before your meteoric rise to fame, something that nobody could dispute.”
He took off his ball cap and ran his hands through his long black hair. “Yeah, okay. I can say we first met when I was in the military. We have been talking on the phone, and you are coming to see me. Sparks fly after that, right?”
Jared nodded and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. “Where were you stationed and what years?”
Chad listed his duty assignments and the dates.
“May I have your private cell phone number?” Chad told him, and Jared looked across the table at Jasmine. “You got your field phone?”
Jasmine nodded.
“What last name are you using?”
Jasmine smiled. “Cousins.”
Jared nodded. “Mr. Nelson, we are going to manipulate your phone records. Load her cell phone number into your phone and put it in your favorites. We are going to ensure that if anyone looks, they know you two have been talking. A lot of talking. Late at night. Nobody can know that she is a plant.”
Chad nodded. “Yeah, I got it. But seriously, my phone records? I’m having a difficult time thinking it’s one of my crew.”
“Who handles your cell phone bill?” Her voice pulled his attention toward her again.
“I don’t know.” And he didn’t. Bills got paid, it was transparent to him.
“Until we catch whoever is threatening you, we’re leaving nothing to chance. If this last cell phone bill shows you two talking and nobody sees it, no harm, no foul. But if someone is validating her cover? It is worth the time and effort. I’m going to step out and work these issues.”
Jared’s comment blanketed another layer of discomfort over him. His skin itched. He felt cornered. Trapped. The total loss of any perceived normalcy made him feel like he’d tried to straddle a tornado and ride it. The fucker was going to buck him off way before the buzzer sounded. He threw his Atlanta Braves baseball cap onto the desk next to the gorgeous, kick-ass-and-take-no-prisoners woman who was going to be his personal security. He once again ran his hands through his hair. No, he didn’t like this. Not at all.
Jared turned to leave but stopped before he exited the office. “Mr. Nelson, that woman is my sister. She is one of best personnel security operatives we have. If you tell anyone that she is not who she claims to be, you may jeopardize not only your life but hers as well. If that happens, four of the deadliest brothers in the world will hunt you down and make you wish you hadn’t. Do you understand me?”
Fuck, like he needed to be measuring dicks with Mr. MIB right now. He was having enough trouble dealing with the events of the last two days. He really couldn’t handle anything else. “Dude, shelve your threats. I did two tours in the sandbox, and I don’t scare easy. I’m buying what you are selling. I know how to run with an op, and I won’t compromise it. Good enough for you?” He’d hated every minute of every day he’d served, but he’d been a damn good soldier.
Jared nodded and mocked, “Hoo-ah, or whatever. Color me not impressed,” on his way out the door.
When the echo of the resounding thud of the slammed door ended, he looked at the woman seated next to him. “I take it he isn’t impressed,” Chad drawled.
The vision in front of him chuckled, “No, he rarely is. My brothers are pretty tough, Marines and Air Force background, but Jared is a cop through and through.”
Chad copied Jared’s mocking tone, “Well Semper Fi and Aim High.” He turned his attention toward her. “What’s your name?”
“Jasmine.” The name suited her. The woman beneath all the makeup and pretense was a beautiful flower. Not that the trappings didn’t enhance her beauty, they did, but she didn’t need it.
“How long have you been doing this job?”
“Why?” She reached for her purse on the corner of the desk.
“Well, if I’m honest, I’m not sure I like the fact that you would be putting yourself between me and a bullet or a knife or hell… even a fist.”
Jasmine froze, then turned her eyes towar
d him to nail him with a stare that would freeze the balls off of Frosty the Snowman. “Let’s just say I’ve been doing this job long enough to know male chauvinist pigs who don’t think a mere woman can protect them can endanger a mission faster than any psychotic assassin. You want to catch this bastard, you do what I tell you when I tell you, and I’ll keep you alive.”
“Wow. I take it you’ve fought this battle before?” Chad had to admire the woman’s spunk. She gave him a single slow dip of her head. Her eyes glittered with what he figured was one hell of a lot of anger. “Well, since we are being brutally honest, let me put it out there for you. I was raised to protect women. Sorry about that, but it is true. My instinct is, and always will be, to make sure ladies are treated properly.”
“Like you treat the ladies backstage?” The taunt fell from her lips and lanced him to the core. He’d been a man whore. He’d built that reputation, but one night many years ago had changed everything.
“Not all of those women are ladies, but I treat them with respect. Regardless, I’m trying to explain why I have a difficult time processing the fact that you are here to protect me. I don’t need a reminder that my past is sordid, I own that, but it is in the past.”
Jasmine stood and placed her hands on her hips.
If he’d said that he didn’t do a once-over and appreciate the view, he’d have been lying.
“Yeah, I can see that.”
Busted. Fuck. “I’m willing to try, but I’m not going to allow you to come into my world and emasculate me in front of my people. They’d know in a heartbeat that shit was all wrong. I don’t attract or even like bossy, demanding women. I never have, and if I suddenly knuckle under to a new pretty face, well… your cover is shot.”
“I can work with that. I will only dictate your actions when you are in jeopardy. If I can, I’ll do it in a way no one else will know.”
She held his gaze and didn’t back down for a second. The woman had nerves of steel, and surprisingly, he was intrigued. Not usually what attracted him to a woman. The exact opposite yanked his chain.
Jasmine (Kings of Guardian Book 6) Page 6