Page 19 of Duty Unbound

Nova nodded, seeming to gather strength from my confidence. “When does the new security team start? The Citadel guys?”

I froze, my fork halfway to my mouth. Here was the conversation I’d been dreading.

“Actually,” I said carefully, “they’ve decided not to take us on as clients.”

Nova’s head snapped up. “What? Why not?”

“They, uh…didn’t think we were serious enough about security.”

I regretted the words the instant they left my mouth. Nova’s expression shifted from confusion to indignation, then to stubborn determination. I knew that look all too well.

“Not serious enough?” she repeated. “That’s ridiculous. We’re completely serious.”

“Nova, you literally asked him for the ‘sexy parts’ of security. Like it was an action movie.”

She waved a dismissive hand. “That’s just how I talk. He should know that.”

“He doesn’t know you. He just met you today, and you weren’t exactly making a great first impression.”

Nova began pacing the kitchen. “No, this won’t do. This won’t do at all. If they won’t take us, who will? Did you see that guy? He looked like he eats danger for breakfast. That’s exactly what we need.”

“There are other security companies?—”

“No,” she cut me off. “It has to be them. It has to be Citadel Solutions.”

I sighed. “Why? Because they said no?”

“Because they’re the best, and I only work with the best. That detective guy said so, remember?” Her eyes lit up withsudden inspiration. “You need to go convince him to take us on.”

“Me? How am I supposed to do that?”

“I don’t know. Work your Mel magic. Tell him I’ll behave. Tell him I’ll follow all the rules.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Will you?”

“Yes!” she said, with such earnestness I almost believed her. “I promise. No more social media live streams about the stalker. No more complaining about security protocols. I’ll be a perfect client.”

I studied her face, searching for signs of insincerity, but found none. This was Nova when she truly wanted something—single-minded and utterly convinced she could make it happen.

“Please, Mel,” she pleaded. “I’m scared, okay? I won’t admit that to anyone else, but I am. Those flowers, those notes…” She shuddered. “I’ve been playing it off like it’s no big deal, but it freaked me out. I need to know we have the best security possible, and that detective said these Citadel guys are the best.”

And there it was—the truth behind the bravado. Nova was terrified, and she’d been masking it with nonchalance and attitude. And she didn’t even know that I’d sheltered her from a lot of the worst of it.

“Okay,” I finally relented. “I’ll try to convince him. But I can’t promise anything.”

Relief washed over her face. “Thank you.” She came over and gave me a tight hug. “You always fix everything.”

I patted her back, not reminding her that if she would break less, there would be less for me to fix.

Nova pulled back, already looking more cheerful. “So, what’s the plan? How are you going to convince Mr. Tall, Dark, and Lethal to take us on?”

I groaned. “I have no idea. He doesn’t strike me as a man who changes directions after he’s made up his mind.”

“But you’ll figure it out. You always do.” She gave meanother quick hug. “I’m going to try to sleep now. Big day tomorrow—the costume designer is coming at nine.”

And just like that, she was gone, leaving me with my cooling dinner and the impossible task of changing Ethan Cross’s mind.

I pushed my plate away, appetite gone. How was I supposed to convince a man like Ethan to take us on? A man who seemed to have written us off completely. A man who made my pulse quicken in a way that was entirely unhelpful.