Page 10

Ethan

We descended on the Rivers estate like a tactical unit less than twenty-four hours later, despite not being contracted to start for three more days. My team had arrived this morning, as always ready to shift plans when the situation arose.

This place was a security train wreck, and there was no way I was leaving Mel or Nova alone one more night with it that way.

The footprints we’d found outside Nova’s French doors last night had told us nothing useful—just standard men’s athletic shoes, size eleven, probably the most common footwear in America. But the fact that someone had been filming Nova while she changed clothes—and had still been there when Mel walked into the room—had moved up the Citadel Security timeline dramatically.

I still couldn’t shake the memory of Mel’s voice on the phone, breathless with fear. She’d called me by accident, but I’d never been more grateful for a misdial in my life. The way my heart had hammered against my ribs during that twenty-minute drive to her house had caught me off guard. I’d been in firefights that hadn’t spiked my adrenaline that high.

It wasn’t professional. Not at all. But I’d been genuinely scared for her, knowing the shape this place was in, security-wise.

“We’re locking this down hard,” I told my team, shaking Jace’s and Logan’s hands after their SUV rolled to a stop in the circular driveway.

Jace immediately started scanning the perimeter fencing, his analytical gaze assessing every vulnerability. Logan already had his tablet out, fingers flying as he hacked into the existing system to transfer control to us.

Ty stretched beside me, muscles flexing under his tactical shirt. “Where do you want me?”

I jerked my chin toward the far end of the property. “Run another full sweep. Check for any weak points we might have missed during our initial survey.”

His grin spread wide, like I’d just handed him the keys to a muscle car. “On it, boss.”

We moved with the precision of a well-oiled machine, each of us knowing exactly what needed to be done. By the time we entered the main house, we were already cataloging every single point of failure.

Mel stood at the entrance, tablet pressed against her chest like a shield, her eyes meeting mine with a flash of recognition. We hadn’t managed more than a brief exchange last night amid the madness of police radios and Nova’s dramatic retelling. Her quiet “thank you” for staying on the phone had been almost lost in the commotion. No thanks had been necessary—I was just grateful I hadn’t been forced to listen helplessly while some psychopath tried to break in to that bathroom where they’d barricaded themselves.

The woman who’d been pale and visibly shaken last night had transformed herself overnight. Though shadows of exhaustion lingered beneath her eyes like bruises, her spine was now ruler-straight, her jaw set with determination. The vulnerability I’d heard in her voice over the phone had been carefully tucked away, replaced by the composed, efficient manager I’d first met—a protective front, I was beginning to realize.

She stuck close as we worked, still in those damned heels, following our every move, scribbling notes.

“I need to know what’s changing,” she said, glancing up at me.

Her voice was steady, but I caught the flicker of something deeper in her eyes. Fear. Last night had shaken her—not that she could be blamed for that.

“We’re reinforcing every entry point, updating surveillance, and setting up stricter access protocols,” I told her. “No one gets in or out without clearance.”

She nodded, lips pressing together. “Good.”

She didn’t ask unnecessary questions or slow us down. Just kept taking notes, absorbing every detail. It wasn’t typical. Most clients didn’t care about the logistics—just the end result. But Mel was different.

I caught myself glancing at her as Logan rattled off the weaknesses in the alarm system. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her brows drawn in concentration.

I didn’t let myself think about how delicate that hand looked. Or how the faint scent of vanilla and flowers followed her when she moved.

This wasn’t about her. It was about the job.

Jace tested a section of the perimeter fencing, giving it a solid shake. The metal rattled like it belonged on a chicken coop instead of a multimillion-dollar estate.

“This thing’s a joke,” he muttered. “I could cut through it in under a minute.”

That wasn’t an exaggeration. The fencing in this section was cheap, hastily installed, and barely secured to the ground in some spots. Not just inadequate—dangerous.

“Fix it,” I ordered. “I want anti-climb spikes up top and pressure sensors along the base.”

Jace nodded, already pulling out his phone to put in a supply order. Meanwhile, Ty was fortifying the main entry with high-grade locks and steel reinforcement bars.

By the time the sun started dipping lower in the sky, Logan had the surveillance system rewired and ready for testing.

“We’re covering every blind spot,” he confirmed, tapping on his tablet. A series of new feeds popped up on the screen, showing real-time footage from every corner of the property. “Nobody is getting back on this property without us knowing.”

I nodded, watching the screens as the system calibrated. “Good.”

Mel was still following us, quiet but focused, writing everything down on her tablet. She’d barely spoken in the last hour, but I could feel the weight of her attention, the way her eyes took in everything we were doing.

When she wasn’t responding to Nova’s texts. With the moved-up timetable, Jace hadn’t gotten around to doing his computer voodoo on that situation yet.

“You always go this extreme?” Mel asked, tucking the tablet against her hip.

I glanced at her. The breeze lifted strands of her dark hair, but she didn’t brush them away, too busy studying the perimeter line.

“Only when the threat’s real,” I said.

Her fingers tightened slightly around the edge of her tablet. She didn’t argue, didn’t try to downplay it. Because we both knew the truth—this wasn’t some overblown precaution.

The stalker was real.

The fact that he’d been close enough to capture Nova changing, close enough that he had probably still been outside when Mel entered the room… I swallowed a surge of anger at how exposed they’d been.

And while Nova might have been brushing it off like it was just another minor inconvenience in her pop star life, Mel wasn’t fooled. She saw the risk. Felt it in her bones.

She exhaled slowly, turning back toward the house. “Good,” she murmured, more to herself than to me.

I watched her walk away, my chest tightening in a way I didn’t particularly like.

She was right to be worried.

Inside the main house, Jace worked methodically, supervising as workers installed exterior doors with steel cores, ensuring they’d hold against anything short of a battering ram. Ty double-checked as a different trusted company installed the biometric access system, confirming only authorized personnel would be able to get through doors.

Multiple fail-safes was the plan—if one system went down, another would kick in.

The windows were another disaster waiting to happen, but not anymore. We’d already overseen the installation of shatterproof laminate, along with secondary locking mechanisms to prevent forced entry. Logan had just finished setting up the RFID system for vehicle access, which meant no more rogue delivery drivers bypassing security.

“I’ve coded the access to the team only,” Logan told me, showing me the system on his tablet. “Even if someone clones the signal, it won’t work without our encryption key.”

I gave a nod of approval. “Good. Keep testing for vulnerabilities.”

Logan’s lips quirked up at the corner. “As if I’d do anything else.”

It had been a productive, if expensive, day. The businesses we’d used for all the installations were trustworthy, but we’d still made sure to directly oversee and test everything ourselves .

Controlled chaos.

We were just wrapping up when Nova came storming out onto the patio, arms crossed, lips pursed in annoyance.

“This is ridiculous,” she announced, sweeping a hand toward the team. “I get that we need security, but this many non-creatives on the property is ruining my energy. You’re throwing off the vibe.”

I exhaled slowly, shoving my hands in my pockets to keep from saying something I’d regret.

Mel, evidently already anticipating the conflict, stepped forward. “Nova, they’re almost done. Let’s just?—”

I cut her off before she could smooth things over.

“Mel, don’t,” I said, keeping my voice firm but even. “I don’t want you running interference for me.”

I turned to Nova directly. “All or nothing,” I said. “We don’t cater to whims when it comes to safety. Vibes are of secondary importance to staying alive.”

She huffed out a breath, flipping her hair over one shoulder. “I knew hiring security would be a nightmare.”

“Then you should’ve hired someone else,” I said flatly. “But you didn’t. And now you’re stuck with me.”

Her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t argue.

Because she knew I was right.

Mel sighed, pressing her fingers to her temple like she had a headache forming. “Nova, go inside. Please. Everyone will be gone soon, and things will feel much more like normal.”

Nova gave an exaggerated groan, but she spun on her heel and stomped back toward the house.

I glanced at Mel. “She always like that?”

Mel gave a small, wry smile. “Only when she’s awake.”

I huffed out a quiet laugh before turning back to the team.

We weren’t here to make friends. We were here to keep them alive. And nothing was going to get in our way—not even Nova .

“We need to make staff changes,” I told Mel as we walked around the perimeter. “Starting with Ron at the front gate.”

Her head snapped up, eyes immediately defensive. “Ron has been with us for years. He’s like family.”

I’d expected this reaction. Loyalty was admirable, but it wasn’t going to keep her sister alive.

“That’s the problem,” I said gently. “Family shouldn’t be your first line of defense. He’s too old, too slow, and entirely too friendly to be effective security.”

Her shoulders tensed, but she didn’t immediately argue. “So you want to fire him?”

“I want to reassign him,” I clarified. “We can find somewhere else for him to work, but it won’t be the front gate. That position needs someone with tactical training and faster reflexes.”

Mel hesitated, clearly torn. “He loves that job.”

“And you love your sister,” I countered. “Which matters more?”

A long silence stretched between us. Finally, she nodded, just once. “Okay, but please find him something meaningful. Don’t just shuffle him off to make coffee.”

“Deal,” I agreed. I could keep the man’s pride intact while not allowing him to be a liability.

Once the systems were in place, I led Mel down the hall to what was going to be our control room, gesturing her inside. The space was tight, dominated by a wall of monitors displaying live feeds from the cameras we’d installed on the property. Jace was already there, no surprise, feet propped up on the desk, tablet in hand as he monitored the system. This was where he felt most comfortable.

“I want to show you how this all comes together,” I said.

Logan and Ty were in position outside, ready to run an intrusion drill. I wanted Mel to see firsthand how tight we’d locked this place down .

She stood beside me, arms crossed, her gaze flicking over the screens as Jace toggled between feeds.

“Logan, Ty,” I said into my comms. “You’re up.”

On-screen, Logan moved first, approaching the east fence with calculated precision. He tested the motion sensors with a low approach, staying beneath the usual detection range. But the moment he stepped too close, the perimeter floodlights snapped on, bathing the area in harsh white light.

A second later, Jace’s laptop let out a sharp ping. “Perimeter breach detected,” he reported, eyes flicking over the data. “South fence, sector four.”

I couldn’t help the small satisfaction that tugged at my mouth. “Nice try, Logan.”

His voice crackled through my earpiece. “Yeah, yeah. Thought I had that one.”

I switched feeds, watching Ty attempt the front gate. He moved fast, testing the lock reinforcement, but the moment he did, an alert flashed on the screen. The extra guards we’d hired were already moving toward his location.

I nodded, satisfied. “No one’s getting in unnoticed.”

Mel exhaled beside me, slow and steady. I could almost feel the tension rolling off her. Not relief. Not yet. Something else.

She lingered, watching the screens as Ty held up his hands in mock surrender, the guards acknowledging him before stepping back. The drill was over.

“So…” She hesitated, arms tightening around herself. “This will keep her safe?”

Her voice held something I didn’t like— doubt . Worry . Maybe both. Last night had really affected her.

I turned toward her, watching the way her fingers pressed into her sleeves like she was trying to hold herself together.

“It’ll give her a fighting chance,” I admitted, voice low. “The rest depends on us.”

And unfortunately, other factors we couldn’t control. If someone was willing to give their life to take Nova’s, it would be almost impossible to stop them.

But telling Mel that wouldn’t do any good.

She swallowed, nodding once, but I caught the way her lips pressed together, the way her brows knit in something close to resignation.

She wanted certainty. Wanted a guarantee I couldn’t give.

Nobody could.