by Nicole Vidal
“Why?”
Good question. “I think she realizes there’s truly a need for personal security. Her previous companies didn’t share anything with her, only Bruce. She had no actual knowledge of the threats against her now or in the past nor the severity.”
“I’m surprised. At least two of the previous companies are reputable, unless that’s what Bruce asked for.”
“Fair enough. What have you got for me?” I’m sure Jake has already reviewed the New York venue and performance requirements numerous times even with Norah’s imposed workday parameters.
“For the remaining three legs of Miss Sutton’s tour, Christoph will be joining you. He’s the most experienced, and the others are assigned elsewhere on long-term assignments except Maia.”
“Okay.” I’m not going to argue. He would have been my choice. Although having Maia around wouldn’t be awful for Calliope.
Jake hands me a folder, which I assume contains his analysis and plan. “I’ve reviewed the information from the planners for New York. The performance will be at the museum. There are four vocal performers throughout the program. The order is not set yet. I have up to four staff members available if necessary. I’m more comfortable with the plan that calls for four team members instead of three.”
“Have you read her entire file?”
Jake nods curtly. “Has she decided if she plans on performing as Carys or herself?”
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “She’s learning toward herself but hasn’t made a final decision yet. She has taken numerous steps to keep her personal and professional life separate. It took me over a week to get the full story out of her. Connecting the two sides of her life will open her up to criticism and dredge up the pain she hides extremely well every day. I’m confident with Blaine’s assistance I’ll learn who is seeking photos of Calliope as herself. At last check, he’s searching for a match of the person who sent the message.”
“Aside from that, are there any other threats against her at the moment?”
“There is one fan who keeps showing up. So far, he hasn’t done anything to warrant more than me sweeping the crowd for him during her performances. Her ex, Brad, has been removed from all backstage and meet and greet access. I can’t prevent him from purchasing a ticket to the show though. Mr. Bergin was on Bruce’s list only because of the frequency with which he bought tickets. Now that I know his reasoning, I moved him off the list of potential threats. The last issue is her makeup artist, Shelley Napolitano. She never showed up for work on Friday in Los Angeles. So far she hasn’t contacted anyone, and no one has informed the corporate office as to her whereabouts. Based on the information I have been able to obtain, I don’t think it’s a direct threat to Calliope. She’s more worried because Shelley has been with her for three tours and she’s friendlier with her than anyone else. Melissa Santora, one of her dancers, is also the backup makeup artist. She will be handling it going forward.”
“Seems like you have everything under control professionally. What about personally?”
There’s no sense in hiding anything. “She’s amazing, Jake, and I barely know her. She has visibly and increasingly relaxed since we left Los Angeles. The longer she is herself, the more intriguing she becomes. I’m not saying she isn’t interesting as Carys, but that isn’t the real her. It’s as if Carys is a role she plays like Ellis and his movie roles.”
“Here are eight résumés for new team members. I would like to add at least three by the end of the year—four if you plan to decrease the jobs you take and move into the office.”
“How do you know that?”
“You’re my best friend. I’ve been where you are. I saw the two of you yesterday. It was eerily similar to me and Norah at your parents’ house. My issues aside, it took me way too long to realize how perfect Norah is for me. I’m sure travelling and leaving Calliope for even a long weekend isn’t something you want, even if the two of you haven’t ironed out all the details yet. Before you go crazy thinking you did something inappropriate yesterday, you didn’t. It’s clear to me because I know you very well. You care about her more than anyone before her, even Laila. Plus, you haven’t shared your birthday with anyone you’ve dated since Mara died. If you’re willing to bring her home for your birthday dinner, I know she’s special.”
He isn’t wrong. I don’t know what to do with my feelings yet. “Thanks, Jake.”
“Let’s go check on their progress. Hopefully, they taught Callie something to defend herself before collapsing into girl talk and laughter.”
I smile and follow him out of the office and over to the gym. I’m sure Norah and Maia will do their best to put Calliope at ease.
Chapter Twenty One
Calliope
Thanks to Maia and Norah, I have successfully learned some basic defensive moves. Ideally, I’ll never need them, especially with Connor beside me, but I feel better knowing I have some skills if it’s ever necessary.
The three of us are drinking water in the center of the ring when the gym door creaks open. I glance toward the door, so does Norah. Connor makes every nerve ending in my body take notice. It doesn’t matter what he’s wearing or doing. Although I imagine Connor in a tuxedo might cause heart palpitations. He has my attention, and I’m not fighting my attraction to him anymore.
Norah hops out of the ring and kisses Jake thoroughly. A few whispered words and her face turns bright red.
“Hey, how did it go?” Connor offers me a hand to descend the stairs from the ring.
“Come closer.”
He leans closer, effectively blocking anyone from reading my lips. I press a small kiss high near his ear. “I want to kiss you senseless right now. Thank you for bringing me here and being patient with me when we first got here.”
Connor nods slightly, his jaw tics, and lifts his head. “We’ll talk about that more later.”
“Yes, we will. What is your plan for tomorrow?”
His eyes widen before he answers me. “We are busy tomorrow night.”
“We are?”
Connor leans in again. “Yes, we’re going on a date tomorrow night. Why?”
“Maia and Norah invited me to join them for a pedicure tomorrow at one.” I’m excited to do something girly and fun. I haven’t in a long time.
“You don’t need my permission to go anywhere.”
Christoph joins Norah, Jake, and Maia near the door.
“I know, but I didn’t want to ruin your plans. In fact, I’m looking forward to it.”
“You won’t. I am too.” He smiles, and I almost jump into his arms to kiss him. His genuine smile gets me every single time. However, our audience makes me pause. “Ready to get going? I need to grab some résumés from the house.”
“Yes.” I walk over to the group and greet Christoph. When I step outside, both Tank and Sabre are waiting by the door. I lean down and set my hand in front of both of them again. Everyone else keeps walking, but I continue to pet them as long as they’ll let me.
“Have you ever had a dog?” Connor asks.
“No, I always wanted one though. What about you?”
“We had one named Scout when I was younger. He died when I was in the military academy, and my parents never replaced him.”
A car pulls up in front of the house. A tall, light-haired man steps out. I tense up almost immediately.
“Breathe, sweetheart. That’s Jake’s dad.”
I consider his build and Jake’s. “They don’t look alike at all.”
“Jake and his siblings are adopted.” We continue walking toward the house.
Oh. “I’m glad they were fortunate.”
Connor stops walking and turns to look at me. Even this soon I know he’s checking to see if I’m okay with that information. It never bothered me that other kids were adopted. I was always happy for them. Honestly, I don’t think I would’ve fit into any family. Connor presses a kiss to the back of my hand. “Cameron and Jill are great too. You’ll
meet them on Wednesday.”
“Good morning, Mr. B.” Connor and Mr. Blackthorne shake hands.
“Connor, nice to see you.” He turns his attention to me. It takes every ounce of courage not to hide behind Connor. “Ben Blackthorne. Pleasure to meet you, miss?”
I extend my hand to him. “Callie Sutton. Nice to meet you as well.” I don’t miss the look that passes between Mr. Blackthorne and Connor. I’ll be sure to ask about it after we leave. We follow him into the house for Connor to gather some files before we leave. Once we’re inside, I chat with Norah in the living room.
“Hey, should I meet you here tomorrow or…?”
Norah smiles. “Yay! More girl time. We’ll pick you up at Connor’s, maybe thirty minutes before our appointment.”
“Sounds good. See you then.” I smile.
I head back to the kitchen and all talking ceases. Jake, Connor, and Christoph look in my direction. Connor’s face is ashen. He has bad news for me. Jake leaves the kitchen.
“Do you want me to tell you here or when we get back to my condo?” Connor asks.
I hang my head. “Now is fine, but could we go for a walk or something? I have a feeling I’m going to need space from people.”
“Even me?” Connor asks without regard for Christoph’s presence.
I consider not responding until I notice that Christoph’s attention is on his phone. I whisper nonetheless. “Never you.”
Jake returns with a sweatshirt in hand. “This should fit better than anything of his.”
I take it. “Thank you.”
“We’re going to walk out to the point. We’ll be back later. Mind if we take Tank?”
“Not at all, but you’ll likely get both dogs. They are inseparable.”
Connor shrugs. He turns toward the French doors and ushers me in that direction. I step through the door into Jake’s backyard with Tank and Sabre to my right once I set foot on the grass.
“How far away do you want to be before I share anything?”
I stop walking, and he turns to face me. “Far enough for me to scream if I need to and curl up against you.”
“You can do that whenever or wherever you want, especially this week. I welcome it in fact. Jake isn’t blind. He called me out on my attraction to you this morning in his office and for being late.”
I step through the wrought iron gate. “That’s my fault.”
“Don’t worry. Jake was messing with me. However, Christoph will be with us for the rest of your tour.” He reaches out for my hand, and we continue down a carved path.
“Thank you. What is the point?”
“It’s Jake’s favorite spot on his property.”
We continue walking until the path rises to a small hill and opens up to a majestic overlook.
“This is spectacular.”
“You should see it at night. There are so many stars.” He releases my hand and moves over to a covered metal box near a picnic table. Tank and Sabre curl up around each other near the picnic table. Connor spreads a blanket on a wooden platform over to my right and takes a seat. I settle next to him and turn, draping my legs across his.
“I have two pieces of information to share. Neither are great. Blaine was able to identify the person who sent the message. His name is Colton Kincaid. He lives in New York City. He has a sealed juvenile arrest record. As an adult, he has been convicted of firearms possession without a permit, unlawful restraint, and assault. As far as I can tell, he hasn’t purchased a ticket to any of your shows, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been to one or more.”
“Okay. Has he been backstage or at a meet and greet?”
“Not during the time I have been with you. Unfortunately, Bruce didn’t keep great records, so I don’t know if he was before then.”
“Do you have a photo?”
Connor nods curtly. He swipes on his phone and turns it toward me.
“He doesn’t look familiar.” I look past him when I catch movement. Tank and Sabre are playing in the nearby grass. “What else? What happened to Shelley? Is it that bad?”
“Yes and no. I don’t want—”
“I can handle it.”
“I don’t want you to blame yourself if it turns out it had something to do with you.” He pulls me into his embrace and holds me close. His big hands wrap around me, touching my rib cage. It’s almost tight enough.
“I can’t make any promises about that. Please, tell me anyway.”
“After rehearsal in Los Angeles, Shelley was in a car accident on her way back from the arena. They found her car in a ditch off the side of the road in a local park. She has serious injuries, including a broken leg, fractured wrist, and a head injury. She has been in a medically induced coma ever since.”
“Poor Shelley. What does it have to do with me?”
He shakes his head. “Maybe nothing. From what the police and accident reconstruction people have gathered, she was traveling at a high rate of speed even on the curvy, narrow roads in the park. There were no skid marks. It appears she was run off the road. All the information shows a vehicle started following her once she left the arena parking lot.”
Containing the urge to scream and stifle the shaking is much easier with his arms around me. I would give it all up for a simple life with Connor including a white picket fence, a dog, and a bunch of children both biological and adopted. “Should I cancel my shows? Are the rest of my team safe?” I mumble against his chest.
He lets out of deep breath. “Please take my words for what they are. I would give almost anything to make your security issues go away. It guts me to see you in pain and considering something so drastic. Did you even want security for yourself initially or was that all Bruce?”
I lean back a bit and cup his face. After a long moment staring into his ocean-colored eyes, I bring his lips to mine. I simply plan to take away the hurt in his words. Instead, kissing Connor feels like home. I feel safe, cared for, and even cherished by this man I barely know. After taking more than I should at this point, I break our lip-lock and add a sliver of space between us.
“Until you showed up, my personal security was a nuisance. They weren’t as diligent, nor professional. I don’t know if it was their incompetence or Bruce’s. I trusted Bruce to take care of that aspect of my tour. Clearly, he was failing, and so was I, considering I didn’t even know there were actual threats against me. I’m glad I demoted him. I wouldn’t know about Shelley, Mr. Kellerman, or Mr. Kincaid. I would’ve had to stand up to Brad on my own. Before you, I was alone with my publicist and fans. While I’m capable, even more so now thanks to Norah and Maia, I was glad you were beside me.”
“Me too. Getting back to your question, I don’t think you need to cancel your shows. I’m sure Jake is already working on options. Maybe Maia can join us too if he can maneuver some assignments.”
I tighten my arms around him again and nod against his chest. I feel his heartbeat against my temple. I could stay here indefinitely. Aside from how I feel, his cologne or fabric softener smells so damn good. “What do you have planned for the rest of the day?” I murmur without moving my head.
“Nothing specific other than spending time with you. Why?”
I think my heart exploded. “Can we go to Norah’s store?”
“Sure. I don’t think she’s working today though.”
I look up at him. “It doesn’t matter. I want to check it out, and Maia said something about a chocolate shop in town too.”
He shakes his head. “You got it. Let’s head back.”
I brush my lips across his before he sets me on my feet. We fold up the blanket and start back down the trail, our fingers intertwined, with Tank and Sabre running circles around us.
“Any specific kind of chocolate you’re looking for?”
“I prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate, but it can’t be crazy dark or it gets too—”
“Bitter. That’s my preference too. What about fillings? Fruit or caramel?”
�
�Definitely caramel.”
He slows his pace a bit as we approach the last curve before the house. “What about pizza? Let’s see if we can go three for three with tacos, chocolate, and pizza.”
I smirk at him. “It depends.”
“On?”
“There is a place for a fantastic thin crust cheese pizza well done. However, the best topping is hands down pepperoni.”
“I knew I liked you a lot. A whole lot.” He wraps our hands around his waist, releases mine, and slides his to my lower back. Dipping his head, he kisses me tenderly like he won’t be able to for a while. He adds some space and presses his lips to my forehead. There’s something undeniably intimate about a forehead kiss.
“Can I tell you a huge secret?”
His eyes widen.
He knows so many secrets about me. More than anyone in fact. “I like you a whole lot too.” I giggle, rise on my toes, and kiss Connor again before we walk through the gate. We follow Tank and Sabre into the house. Norah and Jake are kissing in the kitchen like they realized how damn good it feels and don’t care who sees. I want that. To be so wrapped up in someone’s kiss that I don’t care what’s going on around me. The way I feel when Connor kisses me. I unzip the sweatshirt, lay it on the arm of the couch, and we back out the French doors.
We walk around the outside of the house, and Connor opens my door.
“Are they always like that?”
“Yes, now that they don’t have to hide it. Not that they were successful in hiding their feelings. I love that they don’t care who is around. Too much for you?”
“No, not at all. I want that too.” There’s something else we agree on. Generally, I don’t believe in fate or kismet, but someone sent him to me.
Connor takes my hand, lifts it to his lips, and drives into town.
Chapter Twenty Two
Connor