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What if a gusty wind disheveled it and someone saw through? The mobs would rain down upon them and endanger her.

Would it be safer for her if he stayed behind? Too many things could happen to her. What if she didn’t return?

Nope, she wasn’t going anywhere without him. Still, the urge to sneak a couple snuffs off the inhaler in his pocket consumed him. Could he face the clutch of the crowds and the lurking unknowns without the numbing lift of coke?

Charlee clapped her hands and sashayed her heart-shaped ass to the door. “Let’s go get some ink.”

Yeah, he could do it…for her.

31

The SUV stopped at the entrance of Charlee’s building and sent Jay’s heart hammering into the red zone. He squeezed the warm anchor in his hand.

Charlee curled her fingers around his, returning the squeeze. “You okay?”

A woman on the sidewalk slowed her gait to look at their car. He stopped breathing. Could she see through the windows?

Moments later, she turned her head and strode into a boutique two doors down.

Gah. The windows were blacked-out, for fuck’s sake. He needed to calm down. “Everything will be fine.”

“Is that response for me or you?”

“For you.” His worries, his hopes, his fears were all for her. “Always, Charlee.”

She opened her mouth and he muffled it with a quick kiss, surprising a smile from her.

Nathan twisted in the front seat to face them. He glanced at Tony, who perched on Jay’s other side then rolled his gaze to Charlee. “Just like we discussed, okay?”

The protective team’s extensive security precautions would be implemented first. Nathan would sweep the flat for intruders, tampering, and bugs. Once he deemed it sterile, he would radio to Tony to escort Jay and Charlee to the residence.

Charlee tapped the heel of her Doc Martens on the floorboard. “We should go in together. We always go in together.” Her nerves pulsed through Jay, echoing his own.

Jay settled his hand on her knee and quieted the bobbing. “You have three times the bodyguards right now. After your exposure with the paparazzi last night, the danger is heightened. We’ll follow protocol. They know what they’re doing.”

Nathan smiled his thanks and stepped onto the cracked pavement with Tony on his trail. She split off and traversed in the opposite direction to clear the rear and side entrances. Her jeans were meant to help her blend in, but they did nothing to conceal her alert and professional air.

Storied buildings lined the veritable Greenwich Village thoroughfare. Commercialization occupied the street level flats and residents inhabited the floors above. Jay had never visited this end of the city and his unfamiliarity with the area didn’t help his anxiety.

Her building was four stories, veneered with laddered scaffolding, and surrounded by enormous old trees. Without much traffic, it should be a seamless in and out. Yeah, he’d keep telling himself that.

Colson, his secondary driver and bodyguard, parked in the side lot and stepped out to stand by Charlee’s door.

She turned to Jay. “Is this how life is for you? Bodyguard formations and perimeter sweeping every time you want to go somewhere?”

One of the many reasons he never wanted to leave his safe zone. “I should ask you the same question.”

“Point made.” She looked out the window, her eyes darting between Colson’s post and Tony’s movements around the building. “Though my excursions are a bit more economical.”

Not anymore. She would have everything needed to stay safe.

He patted his wig, hat and sunglasses. Everything was where it should be. The street was calm. The security team was thorough. Then why was his pulse racing?

“You have a look about you.”

How could she see anything behind his sunglasses? “What kind of look?”

“The kind of look your fans have at the ticket booth when they find out your show is sold out.”