“I didn’t know I was going to be here either.”
Sienna waved in Amy’s direction. “Hi, Amy.”
Amy nodded a greeting, apparently as stunned as everyone else in the room.
Hoping to fill the awkward silence, Craig motioned to the men beside him. “Have you already met the rest of my squad?”
“No, I haven’t.”
Craig went down the line, starting with Damian and ending with Brent.
Brent shook her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“You too.” Sienna looked over at William. “Am I interrupting, Grandpa?”
“Always, darling, but we’ll forgive you.”
Sienna flashed a smile. “You always do.”
“Any sign of your parents yet?”
“No. You would have heard by now if they’d arrived.”
“True. Very true,” William agreed.
“We’re heading upstairs to our suite. The manicurist just arrived. Can you let Mom know when she gets here?”
“No problem,” William said. “You girls enjoy getting pampered.”
“We’ll do our best.” Sienna kissed him on the cheek. “Come on, Kendra.”
“See you all later.” Kendra gave Charlie a quick kiss on his cheek before falling in step with her sister.
“Bye,” Sienna said to everyone, but her eyes landed on Craig.
Craig watched her go and wondered how long it would take before the interrogation started.
8
“Okay, spill.” Quinn was the first to make the demand, following Craig and Damian into their room, Tristan right behind them.
Enjoying himself, Craig looked at him innocently. “Spill what?”
“You know perfectly well what I’m talking about.” Quinn closed the door to ensure some privacy. “How long have you known Sienna Blake?”
“I met her a few days ago.” Craig pasted his best I-don’t-know-what-the-big-deal-is look on his face.
“And you didn’t tell us?” Damian rolled his eyes in disbelief.
Craig’s left eyebrow lifted. “Would you have believed me?”
“Probably not,” Quinn admitted. “But we would have had a great time razzing you.”
Craig fought the grin trying to form. “Which is exactly why I didn’t say anything.”
“So what happened?” Tristan asked.
“Do you want me to tell you the truth, or should I make something up so you can razz me some more?”
Quinn seemed to consider his options, and Craig wisely didn’t give him time to formulate an answer. “Quinn, I think I’m going to let you use your imagination.”
“Now that’s living dangerously,” Tristan said.
Craig took his room key out of his pocket and dropped it on the dresser. “We need to get ready to go.”
“I can’t believe we got added to the security detail for the concert tonight,” Damian responded, clearly thrilled with the development.
“I can’t believe Craig is going to be Sienna Blake’s date on Saturday,” Quinn countered. Mischief lit his eyes. “The real question is if this is his first date with her.”
Craig ignored him, stripping off his shirt and retrieving a clean one from the closet. He debated between jeans and tan slacks, grateful that he’d been told to dress casually for the concert tonight.
“Go with the jeans,” Tristan said, apparently keying in on Craig’s thoughts.
“Well?” Quinn asked impatiently.
“Well what?”
“You are no fun.”
Tristan motioned to Quinn. “Come on. I guess we should get ready too.”
Quinn hesitated briefly before taking a step toward the door, then he turned to Tristan. “You know, you really need to work on your interrogation techniques. You didn’t help at all with him.”
Tristan glanced back at Craig. “Yeah, I don’t think he’s cracking.”
Now Quinn looked at Craig too. “We could use force.”
“He’s on our side, remember?”
“Oh yeah. I keep forgetting that.”
“Maybe you should plan your tactics when I’m not standing in the same room,” Craig suggested.
“He may have a point,” Tristan said lightheartedly. Then he turned businesslike. “See you in twenty minutes out front. Don’t be late.”
* * *
Sienna walked toward the limousine that would take her to her sister’s concert. She still couldn’t believe Craig was here. What she didn’t understand was why.
Craig had said he was with the navy, but guys in the military didn’t typically hang out with celebrities. When they were talking in Virginia Beach, she had gotten the impression that he was with some kind of special forces unit. Had he exaggerated what he did for a living to impress her? It had happened before, too many times, but she hadn’t gotten that sense with him. In fact, he’d seemed hesitant to tell her anything about his work.
She caught a glimpse of him standing with a couple of his friends. They were an interesting-looking bunch. Though they all exuded an air of confidence, she wouldn’t have necessarily pegged them for military types. They all had short hair, but except for Craig, none of them had the traditional military-style crew cut. Even Craig’s hair was a little longer than she suspected would normally be acceptable in the more rigid military units.
Craig looked toward her and offered a wave. She waved back, noticing the way one of his teammates elbowed him in the ribs good-naturedly. She suspected she had already become the topic of conversation between them. That was normal, she reminded herself, even as her heart sank a little.
When, she wondered, would she get the chance to know someone who liked her for herself instead of for the image her publicists had created? She’d thought Craig was different, but with the way his teammates were clearly joking around with him, now she wondered if he was like all the other men who had paraded through her life.
“Let’s go,” William said, motioning her into the car.
Turning her attention back to her family, she slid into the limousine and tried to look forward to the concert.
* * *
Throngs of people jostled in the long lines, an air of excitement humming when the doors opened and the first few disappeared inside. The wind picked up just then, causing many to catch their breath and huddle against the frigid air. The fact that so many had been standing in line for hours to ensure a good seat for Kendra Blake’s concert only reinforced the truth that she continued to be one of the top stars in the industry.
He watched from a distance, standing in the sheltered doorway of a nearby building. He didn’t stand in lines. He never had, and he wasn’t about to start now. His hand gripped a single concert ticket, annoyed at the reminder of how much his life had changed over the past year. Always, in the past, he had sported a backstage pass, and tickets had been unnecessary.
The crowd continued to move forward with anticipation, taking a frustratingly long time to finally filter inside. When the line was nothing more than a handful of stragglers, he moved forward and relinquished his ticket to gain admittance to the warmth inside. Blending in with the crowd, he walked into the Patriot Center and took a critical look around.
He had been here before and was pleased to see that nothing appeared to have changed in how the facility operated their security. His stern face relaxed slightly, his confidence rising with each passing moment. He was going to make it backstage today. He was sure of it. And when he did, the Blake family was finally going to understand what they had done to him. Tonight was the night his life was finally going to change.
* * *
Craig felt like he was on another training exercise, only this time, instead of checking a handful of people for weapons, he was searching a crowd of ten thousand. He’d spent his first two hours at the Patriot Center at George Mason University watching the mass of people making their way inside, all the while searching for any sign of a problem and trying not to think about the biting February wind.
The conc
ert was already underway when he received his current assignment: watching the back door. His teammates were scattered throughout the facility, rotating through the various sections in the crowd and the area by the main entrance.
“Any chance I get to come inside sometime soon?” Craig asked, using his headset to communicate with his squad. “It’s freezing out here.”
“Is there any activity in your area?” Brent asked. With his voice came the background noise of the concert in progress.
“Nothing,” Craig responded. “I haven’t seen anyone for ten minutes.”
“We’ll let the local security take care of everything outside. Go to the backstage area. I’ve got the area to stage left. You take stage right.”
“Will do.” Craig rubbed his hands together, despite the gloves he wore, in an effort to get the blood flowing again. He approached the door he had been guarding, knocked, and showed his backstage pass to the security officer inside.
“Finally coming in from the cold, huh?” the large Polynesian man asked. The little gold name tag on his uniform identified him as Kalani, and Craig’s quick analysis of him indicated Kalani used his size rather than a weapon to protect the back entrance.
“Yeah.” Craig pulled the door closed behind him. He tugged off his gloves and rubbed his hands together again. “The temperature is dropping fast out there.”
“That’s not a problem in here.”
Craig unzipped his jacket, welcoming the warmth radiating from the heating system as well as the crowd. A roar of applause sounded.
“The opening act is finishing up,” Kalani said. “It’ll take the crew a few minutes to change the set before Kendra Blake’s performance begins.”
“I’m going to take a look around. I assume you haven’t had any problems back here.”
“So far, so good.”
“Hopefully it will stay that way.” Craig started down a wide corridor leading toward the stage. Stagehands scurried back and forth, mostly carrying pieces of equipment. Instinctively Craig scanned the area for anyone who wasn’t actively engaged in the concert set change.
He saw Charlie from a distance, standing down the hall outside what appeared to be a dressing room. The door behind him opened, and Kendra emerged, followed by Sienna.
Craig let his gaze linger long enough to see Kendra give Sienna a hug. Kendra then reached up to give Charlie a kiss a moment before Craig caught movement on the edge of his peripheral vision. He sized up the man walking toward Kendra, Charlie, and Sienna. He appeared to be in his fifties, and the way he carried himself made Craig think he was part of the Blake family’s private security staff. Only he hadn’t been in the briefing before the concert.
A lanyard hung around his neck, but what appeared to be a backstage pass was flipped around so the front wasn’t visible. He didn’t appear to be carrying a weapon, which sent a sense of unease through Craig. The family’s security staff was armed, which made it unlikely that this man was a bodyguard. He also didn’t appear to be part of the backstage crew.
“Charlie, do you know the guy heading toward you?” Craig asked. “He’s at your three o’clock. I haven’t seen him before.”
“Yeah, I know him.” Charlie stiffened. “I need some backup here.”
“Craig, go,” Brent ordered. “You’re the closest.”
Brent needn’t have said a word. Charlie’s defensive posture was enough to quicken Craig’s steps. He was already within earshot when the man approached only to find himself facing Charlie’s gun.
Craig drew his own weapon, not sure why Charlie considered this man a threat. Adrenaline rushed through him, and Craig scanned the backstage area, realizing this man might not be alone. The presence of drawn weapons was enough to send most of the backstage crew scampering for cover behind the heavy curtains separating the main stage from the backstage area.
“What are you doing here, Bruce?” Charlie asked, his voice surprisingly calm considering he was pointing a gun at the man. “And how did you get back here?”
“I’m not armed.” Bruce held his hands out in a gesture of submission. “I only wanted to talk to Kendra.”
Charlie lowered his weapon slightly. “I thought her father made it clear when he let you go that he didn’t want you anywhere near the Blake family.”
“I wanted to apologize.” Bruce shifted his gaze to Kendra. “I had no idea what my son was doing. You have to know I would have done anything to protect you and your family.”
“Bruce, I appreciate the sentiment, but that doesn’t answer Charlie’s question,” Kendra said. “Why are you here now? You already sent me a letter telling me all this.”
Bruce’s skin flushed slightly. “I’ve had some difficulty securing employment this past year. I hoped you might be willing to talk to your dad, maybe see if he would give me another chance.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Charlie said before Kendra could respond. “Your own son tried to kill her. How can the Blakes ever trust you again?”
“I didn’t know,” Bruce insisted. “I swear I didn’t.”
“It was your job to know,” Charlie countered.
Bruce stood a little taller. “I kept the Blake family safe for over a decade. Shouldn’t that count for something?” He drew a breath and seemed to muster his courage before adding, “My son was sick, and he hid the symptoms well. I wasn’t the only one who missed the signs.”
Kendra put her hand on Charlie’s arm before speaking. “Bruce, I will tell my father we spoke, but I doubt anything I say will change his mind. Like you said, you worked for my family for more than ten years. You of all people know how protective he is.”
“I see.” Bruce took a step back. “I’m sorry I bothered you.”
Charlie motioned in Craig’s direction. “Craig, would you please escort Bruce out?”
“Yeah, sure.” Craig did another quick analysis of the situation before he holstered his weapon and reached out to take the older man’s arm. “This way.”
Bruce didn’t offer any resistance as Craig led him to the door he had entered a few minutes earlier.
“Where did he come from?” Kalani asked.
“I’m not sure, but he’s leaving.”
Kalani gave a curt nod and pulled open the door.
Bruce turned to face Craig. “Whether they know it or not, the Blakes need me.”
Craig’s blood ran cold with Bruce’s certainty. “What do you mean?”
“They’ll figure it out eventually,” Bruce said as though Craig hadn’t spoken. “I just hope it’s not too late when they do.”
Craig’s grip on Bruce’s arm tightened. “Is that a threat?”
“It’s a fact.” Bruce shook his arm loose and walked outside. “Enjoy the concert.”
* * *
Sienna had felt invisible as she’d watched the exchange between Bruce and Charlie. The attempt on her sister’s life last year still seemed like a bad dream she had heard about only in bits and pieces. Kendra had gone into hiding last winter, unsure at the time who had planted a bomb at her concert, but Sienna had been on the other side of the world, filming a movie in London.
Seeing her father’s longtime head of security for the first time in over a year had been both unexpected and unnerving. Bruce Parsons had always been a quiet presence in their home, and a frustrating one at times. He had often been behind restricting her movements, keeping her from going to various parties and events, even when she and Kendra wanted nothing more than to attend a Church activity on a weeknight.
So much had changed since that attempt had been made on Kendra’s life, an attempt that had resulted in Bruce’s son becoming paralyzed and ultimately being committed to a mental institution. Though Sienna couldn’t say she had ever been terribly fond of Bruce, she felt bad for him because of the situation he was in now. What must it be like, she wondered, for him to suddenly find himself without a job? And to be blacklisted on top of it.
Her father hadn’t specifically done anything to prevent
Bruce from working elsewhere, but he hadn’t helped him find other employment either.
Visibly shaken by the unexpected visitor, Kendra took a few minutes to settle herself emotionally before taking the stage. Sienna stayed with Charlie and watched the performance from the wings, but she knew where Charlie’s attention was focused. Her few attempts at conversation went unanswered as Charlie kept one eye on the backstage area and one on his bride-to-be.
Sienna found her own eyes wandering as one song led to another. It didn’t take long for her to realize she was looking for Craig. He hadn’t reappeared after escorting Bruce to the door.
The concert was nearly over when Sienna caught sight of Craig talking to Brent. The two men spoke briefly, and then Craig looked around, his eyes landing on her. He lifted his chin in a brief acknowledgment and then headed toward the exit, disappearing once more.
Kendra started her final number, and several members of the crew gathered for the inevitable encores that would follow. Sienna looked around the crowded backstage area, realizing she was surrounded by people but felt completely alone.
9
Craig saw her in the moonlight, recognizing Sienna by her stride rather than by her features. He had barely seen her at the concert, and he had been disappointed that their paths hadn’t crossed except for the brief moment when Bruce Parsons had shown up. After escorting the man out, Craig had learned from William that the intruder had been fired as Sterling Blake’s head of security after an attempt had been made on Kendra’s life.
The buzz of conversation after Bruce’s departure had filled in a lot more details, including the information that Bruce’s son had also worked for the Blake family until they’d learned the man was a serial killer who had fixated on Kendra. The details of the attempt on Kendra’s life were sketchy, but one of the family’s bodyguards had mentioned that Charlie had been one of the agents responsible for taking the man into custody before the killer had the chance to hurt Kendra.
The idea that such danger could exist for Sienna’s sister left a sick feeling in Craig’s stomach and made him uneasy about the fact that someone might try to hurt either of the Blake sisters for any reason. Throughout the concert, Craig’s protective instincts had remained heightened. He’d quietly worked with his team in the background, staying in the shadows and seeing everything.
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