Page 82 of Hideaway Heart

“And if I see that guy around here, I’mgoingto fucking smash his camera. Possibly his face.”

“You have my permission,” she said. “Although I’d like to remind you that just a few days ago, you said if you had to get into a fight for me, it meant you hadn’t done your job.”

“Well, things are different now.” I looked at her messy red hair, clear green eyes, and freckled nose, experiencing a strange tightness in my chest. “And if someone I don’t like gets near you on my watch, he’s done.”

She smiled, slowly, sweetly. “My hero.”

It sort of hit me like a lightning bolt.

NINETEEN

kelly

While Xander made breakfast,I sorted through my texts and emails. Much of it was unimportant, work-related stuff that could have waited until I got back—dates I needed to put on my calendar, collaboration pitches, songwriter suggestions for the next album—but no one seemed to understand the concept of “getting away.”

Then there were my parents to deal with. My father wanted to talk over the PMG deal with me, review its many pros. And my mother had had another premonition—this time, the bear didn’t eat me, it just carried me off to his cave and kept me there like a prisoner.

I ignored my father, texted my mother I was doing fine, took a few deep breaths, and moved on to my voicemails. Most were insignificant, but there was one from Wags that made me slightly nervous.

“Hey, Kelly Jo. Sorry to disturb you. But the situation with the disgruntled bodyguard—his name is James Bond, believe it or not—is getting a little heated. He says he’s going to sue for wrongful termination unless you want to settle with him privately for ten grand. He claims he can give you details about which members of the team were leaking info and why. Let me know what you want to do.”

I called Wags back.

“Hey, Kelly,” he said when he picked up. “You got my message?”

“I got it. I don’t know what to do, Wags. I don’t want a lawsuit, but silencing this guy with money doesn’t feel right either. He obviously knew what was going on and didn’t stop it or come forward.”

“I agree with you. I think he’s bluffing about the lawsuit. This guy doesn’t have the money for attorneys and all that. Suing someone is a tedious, expensive pain in the ass.”

“And what difference would it make to know who was leaking the info? It’s not like I’d ever hire any of them again. I don’t really care whether it was one of them or all of them. And I know why—money.”

“So I’ll tell him no private settlement.”

“Yes,” I said, feeling sure of myself. “Fuck that guy for thinking he can get money out of me. Let him come after me in court if he wants. I won’t be bullied into paying him. If he knew it was happening and said nothing, he’s guilty in my view.”

“Mine too.” He paused. “How’s your trip?”

“It’s good. But I was spotted pretty fast.”

“I saw the photos. How many photographers are up there?”

“You know what? I haven’t seen any, so I have no idea.” I thought for a moment. “Which is kind of strange. I wonder if there’s only one guy, and he’s keeping his distance.”

“Who’s the guy with you in the pics? Is it the bodyguard?”

“Yes.” I smiled as the scent of frying bacon wafted down the hall and into the bedroom. “Turns out, he’s not so bad. But he’s seriously pissed about the photos that were taken on the property here.”

“Rightly so. I’m glad he’s around. You be careful.”

“I will. Bye, Wags.”

We hung up, and I was feeling so confident and plucky, I decided I could even handle listening to Duke’s latest voicemail, which he’d left yesterday.

His smooth voice made my shoulders tense up. “Hi Pix, it’s me. I know you’re on your little vacation, but I have an opportunity for you. How would you like to perform the opening number at the Music City Awards?”

I gasped. The Music City Awards were a big fucking deal.

“Rebecca Rose and I were slated to perform ‘Back Where We Started.’ But she has to have surgery on her vocal cords next week, and the show is a week after that. The producers came to me and asked if I had any idea who they should ask to fill in. Of course, I thought of you right away. If you’re interested”—he laughed—“and I know you are, give me a call back.”