Page 4

CHAPTER 4

T aschen pulled open the cupboards to search for something quick to eat. Toth, the other co-owner of Backcountry, usually kept the place stocked. The small cabin was normally reserved for him and his fiancée, Savannah. Considering the sensitivity of Sephie’s case, though, it made sense to use the property farthest from Seattle, and the most remote.

He found a couple of packages of trail mix and chocolate peanut butter protein bars. That’d have to be breakfast until they got back from their shopping trip.

Kevin lay on the wood floor, basking in the morning sun. Taschen had always wanted a dog. As a bachelor who traveled a lot for work, though, he didn’t feel it would be fair to the animal. Rami had Micha, a beautiful pit-bull mix that spent a lot of time at the office. Taking her for walks and teaching her tricks settled his dog fever. And this way, he didn’t have to wake up to shit on the floor. “You don’t shit on the floor, do ya Kev?”

Kevin lifted his head, his snout wrinkling with offense.

“That’s quite the accusation.” Sephie leaned against the doorway, her voice silky and demure. Her face was scrubbed clean and her hair, the color of burnt honey, tumbled over her shoulders in long, damp waves. She still wore the pajama pants and sweatshirt.

If he were a lesser man, he’d have been embarrassed. Instead, he chuckled. “I was just thinking about the reasons why I don’t have a dog despite how much I want one.”

Sephie’s eyes sparked with interest. She pushed away from the wall and nodded at the processed food on the counter. “Is that my breakfast?”

“Made fresh by yours truly.”

Her throaty laugh stirred something inside him. “It’s not every day I have a man make me breakfast.”

A slow smile pulled at his lips. “I find that hard to believe.” Ah, dammit. If he could have swallowed those ill-thought words, he would have.

Her eyes rounded with surprise, but she quickly recovered. She picked up a protein bar and opened the package. “I’m sure you make breakfast for female company more than you’d admit.”

Amusement warmed his cheeks. Hell, this was going to be interesting. She was interesting.

Before he could respond, she shrugged. “The shit on the floor isn’t that bad. As long as Kevin doesn’t get into chicken bones or rummage through the garbage for remnants of my pad thai, it rarely happens.”

He slid a glance to the dog. Kevin blinked his heavy, sleepy lids, completely unamused. “Scratch that off the grocery list.”

Sephie chortled, and the sound was almost funny coming from someone whose face made millions. “We should go. I’m dying to get out of these clothes.

“I bet. Will Kevin be okay here?”

“Oh, yeah. He’ll man the place. Right, buddy?”

Kevin closed his eyes with a loud snore.

“I think you killed my dog with all that activity this morning. He’s not used to that kind of play.” She picked up the trail mix and a bottle of water and made her way to the front door.

He let his eyes roam over her slight body, and damn if he didn’t want to see what was beneath the baggy pj’s and sweatshirt. He locked up the cabin and they got in the truck. Swinging his gaze her way, he hesitated. On one hand, it was important she stayed out of the public eye, but on the other, she needed clothes and he didn’t want to just pick shit out for her. “How often do you get spotted in public?”

Sephie shrugged. “Not that often. I’ve been out of the limelight for a while. It’s been years since I’ve done an interview.” She glanced down at herself. “Considering my current state, I don’t think anyone would recognize me.”

“The town’s small. Maybe a couple thousand people. So it’s pretty safe. We’ll get what you need and get home. After that, unfortunately it will be best you don’t leave the cabin.”

She sighed. “Guess I’ll have to live with that.”

“We can stream a movie later,” he offered. “Not sure if you saw, but there’s also a hot tub out back.”

“I don’t have a bathing suit.”

“I’m sure we can find one. It won’t be designer, but—”

She scoffed. “You must really think I’m a snob, don’t you?”

He tugged at his collar. He wasn’t doing a good job not offending her. “Never said that. It’s just—not what you’re used to I’m sure.”

“I’ll have you know I got these runners for forty bucks. And the pajama pants”—she plucked at the material—“were on sale.”

“What about the sweater?” he asked out of amusement.

She traced her hand down the sleeve. “A gift from my ex, actually. So you see, it’s not like I’m decked out in designer clothes. I buy what I like.”

The mention of a previous boyfriend made jealousy streak through him. The shock of that response was almost as surprising as her mentioning her ex. He pulled at his collar again, the neckline shrinking every minute he spent in the vehicle with her. “Point made.”

Questions bubbled on his tongue while his mind worked to remember anything in the tabloids about Sephie going through a breakup. Nothing came forth, but prior to meeting the star in person, he hadn’t given a shit about celebrity gossip.

He wanted to know more. And fuck that bugged him. But not asking her about her ex would bug him more than asking would. “This, uh, boyfriend—”

“ Ex -boyfriend.” Her tone rang with a note of finality. Thank god.

“Any chance he’s the one who attacked you? I mean, let’s be real. You posting that video could give someone the opportunity to hurt you without them being suspected.” He swung his gaze her way and her eyes turned glassy.

“That never even crossed my mind.”

Interesting. He tucked that away to examine later. Rubbing his tongue along the roof of his mouth, he carefully selected his next words. “Never crossed your mind because he wasn’t the angry type? Or never crossed your mind as a possibility period?”

She shook her head. “Danny... he. I dunno.” She huffed loudly. “He was the angry type. But no. There’s no way he’d try to kill me. Not only would he not have a motive, but he just wouldn’t take the risk. He isn’t stupid. ”

“Smart people usually hire a hit man.”

Silence.

“It wasn’t Danny.”

“How do you know?”

“Because Danny Ventral and I broke up eighteen months ago. He’s already engaged, with a baby on the way. I don’t see why he’d try to kill me now.”

Taschen grunted. All right, so he had to admit the guy didn’t fit the bill. But at least he’d gotten some information about her ex. He’d Google that shit later. Because apparently now he cared a lot about celebrity gossip.

Or at least about one celebrity in particular.

***

Taschen reached into the back seat and pulled out a baseball hat. “Here.” He fit the material over her head and tugged down the bill.

She touched the black rim and looked in the visor mirror. “Really, a Bulls fan?”

“It’s all I’ve got.”

“I guess no one will suspect it’s me.”

He slid out of the truck and she followed. The nearly empty parking lot reflected the heat of the blazing sun. After clean underwear, the most important thing on her list was shorts.

They made their way into the department store and Taschen grabbed a cart. “Just get whatever you think you’ll need. If you forget anything, I can come back later.”

“Okay.”

They went to the women’s department first. Taschen sat on a small bench near the changerooms and pulled out his phone. Which was great because she really didn’t want him to watch her pick out bras and panties.

While Taschen’s attention was on the screen in his hand, she selected a package of bikini and thong underwear as well as three bras. Next, she picked out two pajama sets, one with shorts and one with pants, both with tank tops. Finally, she added denim shorts, leggings, and T-shirts. Her gaze caught an athletic set. No, she didn’t need that. But she’d probably be bored at the cabin. A run might do her good.

“Get whatever you want,” Taschen said.

She glanced over. “Spying on me?”

A smile danced in his eyes. “Never. But there’s yoga mats and weights at the cabin if you need something more stimulating to do.”

She nodded. “Thank you.” After choosing the bright-pink pants with matching sports bra, she grabbed a package of socks and steered the cart back to where he waited. “All done.”

“You sure? What about shoes?”

“These are fine,” she insisted. As much as she needed items for comfort and practicality, the more she bought, the more her situation would seem long lasting .

He stood. “And a bathing suit?”

Heat crawled up her neck and her nipples tightened. Her mind wandered at the thought of the hot tub. Did he assume she’d go in with him? Or would they use it separately? “Um, I forgot.”

He walked beside her to the wall of swimwear. Her highly attuned senses fizzled as he waited. A quick glance at his face reflected nothing but disinterest and patience. Spotting a plain black one-piece, she checked the rod for her size. None. Dammit. The other one-pieces came in hideous colors that would only make it obvious she was concerned about modesty.

“Do you want to try it on?”

The next swimsuit she landed on happened to be a violet-colored bikini, but it was in her size and would get them the hell away from this department. “Nope. This will do.”

“Perfect. What about Kevin? We can get him some bowls and stuff.”

“Sure, that’d be great.” They went to the pet department and Taschen threw bowls, toys, treats, and even a dog bed into the cart. “That’s really not necessary.”

He shrugged. “I figure it’s not a bad idea to have pet items at the cabin. You never know if another dog will stay there.”

She tipped back her head so she could meet his eyes from beneath the bill of her hat. “I feel like you’re trying to steal my dog. Just know he’s coming home with me after this.”

He chuckled. “Why don’t we let Kevin decide?”

She gasped in mock outrage. “I can’t believe you’d put him in that position.”

Taschen’s smile met his eyes. “All joking aside, he’s a pretty great dog.”

“The best.” She was biased, but it was nice when someone else saw how wonderful Kevin was, too. Yvette liked him, but she didn’t exactly appreciate the essence that was Kevin.

They finished their spree with a stop in the grocery department. Once again, he urged her to get whatever she wanted. He selected eggs, veggies, and meat while she reached for yogurt, fruit, and chocolate.

“Do you drink coffee?” he asked.

She wrinkled her nose. “No. My adrenals can’t handle the caffeine.”

His mouth worked into a grin. “Your adrenals, huh? Well, mine are probably shot since I need this shit to function.” He tossed a bag of ground coffee into the cart.

“I’ll take some tea.” She grabbed a couple of her favorite herbals before going through the checkout.

Maybe it was just her paranoia, but their clerk seemed to stare at her a little too hard. Her spine vibrated as they turned away. On the way out the door she inched closer to Taschen. “I think she recognized me.”

He slanted a gaze down at her. “Oh yeah? Don’t worry too much. For all she knows we’re on our way out of town.”

He unlocked the truck as they reached it. “Hop in. I’ll load up. I don’t want to take any more chances.”

She obeyed, getting in the front passenger seat. The hat was starting to annoy her forehead but she didn’t dare take it off. He placed one bag after another into the back of the cab. A minute later he got in the driver’s seat.

“All set?”

“Yup.”

He clicked the radio on, and she let her shoulders relax as a new pop song played. Taschen pulled onto the main street. The upbeat song ended and the host announced the news. Sephie’s stomach tightened. Taschen reached forward to change the dial, but she snagged his wrist. “Just wait.”

He lowered his hand out of her grip. “You sure?”

She nodded.

“ There are so many sad hearts across the country after the announcement of Pippa Surf’s passing. The young star was a beam of energy on the hit teen sitcom Sera and Me . I grew up watching that show and loved seeing Pippa blossom as an actor. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this difficult time. They have asked the public to respect their privacy. ”

Sephie closed her eyes at the mention of her friend’s family. Her parents had divorced when Pippa was young and the custody battle and financials were messy even then. She could only imagine the war going on between Pippa’s mother and father right now.

“Did you know her family well?”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “Pippa was closest with her mom and brother. She had two stepsiblings but wasn’t close with them. And she became estranged from her father after the divorce. He was still a part of her life, though.” She glanced out the window. “I wish I could call her mom. Last night I—I didn’t think through my actions. All I wanted to do was stop any rumors about how Pippa died. I didn’t think about how my story would affect Annie and Clayton.”

Taschen’s fingers dangled near the gear shift, inches from hers. His knuckles brushed the back of her hand, but he didn’t take her fingers in his. “I’m sorry. That’s hard. But I’m sure her mom understands where you’re coming from. And the story you told, it wasn’t just about Pippa. It was your story, too. One you have the right to share.”

An ache spread deep within her chest. Of course she’d suspected he’d watched her broadcast—who hadn’t? But his words confirmed he had in fact listened to some of the most sordid, nauseating realities of her past. “So you watched it.”

Seconds clipped by. “I did. I’ll admit, I was helping my sister move last night so I hadn’t heard the news about Pippa. When my boss called me, he disclosed the facts.” More silence stretched on. “I listened to it on the way to get you.”

She rolled in her lips.

“If it’s any consolation, your video was taken down. I was only able to watch it because Rami downloaded it. The more details we have, the better we can protect you.” He scratched his head. “But I’m sorry. I guess curiosity got the best of me. I didn’t really think—”

“It’s fine.” She let out a nervous laugh. “Most of the country’s watched by now. It’s no one’s fault but my own.”

“I wish I’d been there.” His voice was low and gruff, almost dangerous.

“What do you mean?”

A muscle in his jaw jumped. “I wish I’d been there when you were a kid. I’d have killed the guy who gave you the alcohol and held you on his lap.”

Disgust crawled over her skin, and her eyes burned with hate. She’d give anything to erase her past, to free herself from her childhood. “Nothing can be done about that now.” The smallness of her voice made her cringe.

His fingers brushed hers again. “You are doing something, though.” He moved his gaze from the road to her for a second. The earnestness in his eyes ensnared her. “You might not realize it yet, but you’re taking that sonofabitch down.” He returned his attention to the road and kept talking.

“You’ve started the process. Now that you’ve come forth, others will, too. Not only will Raymond not be able to deny what he did to you, but he’ll be ruined. Pippa would be proud of you.” His voice boomed with authority. “It might not feel like it right now, but you’ve created change. And you very possibly saved a young child about to audition for one of his shows.”

Gratitude made her eyes water. She bit down on her trembling lip so she wouldn’t cry. His words had melted her heart. “If that happens—just one kid is saved from this industry—then this is all worth it.”

“Damn right it is.”

The radio host continued with the news, their focus shifting from Pippa’s fate to Sephie’s video. “Okay, I can do without hearing that.” She turned down the volume and swung her attention to Taschen. “Think you could distract me?”

He sent her another sloppy, boyish grin. “Whatd’ya have in mind?”

Her cheeks tingled and her loins clenched. “Tell me something about yourself. Anything.”

“Anything?” He rubbed the cleft of his chin with the tip of his thumb. “Let’s see. I’m single. I like long walks on the beach. I’ve got a soft spot for retired Hollywood stars and dogs with a deviated septum.”

Sephie laughed long and deep from her belly. “I’ll have you know Kevin’s septum is fine. And I wasn’t asking for your dating profile.”

“You’ve got a good laugh. I like it.”

Desire swirled in her belly at the heady tone of his voice. “Well I can’t remember the last time I laughed like that, so I’m sorry to tell you it was a fluke. But seriously, I’d like to actually learn something about you that I don’t already know.”

“You knew I like long walks on the beach?”

She tsked. “Be serious. I’m starting to think you’re hiding things.”

He lifted a shoulder. “I’m an open book. I just don’t know where to start. I served in the military, black ops for two tours. My parents desperately wanted me to find a low-key job, so I accepted a job offer from Rami Mitry after my second tour. He and his buddy Toth Holmes own Backcountry Protection Services. And, lo and behold, I took the first bullet to the head there.”

Her mouth fell open. “Oh my god. You got shot in the head?”

He brushed his fingers over the left side of his skull. From where she sat, she couldn’t see where he touched, but she’d already observed the scar that cut through his hair.

“Yup. We were protecting a woman named Gigi. Her fiancé, August, works for Backcountry. She was at our safe house in the city. August had to leave town to track down her ex, who he believed was involved. I was at the apartment with her when a bunch of guys stormed the place. Shot me in the head and took her.”

Sephie blinked. “That’s terrible. How did you survive?”

He smirked. “Sheer luck. My sister, Dana, who also works for Backcountry, noticed that I’d left my laptop at the office. She knew I was at the safe house with Gigi, so she brought it over and found me bleeding out.”

The image of Taschen bathed in blood, lying on the floor, almost dead, pounded her mind. She closed her eyes against the rush of emotions that filled her. “I’m so sorry. That’s terrible.”

“The worst part is that they got Gigi.” He cleared his throat but his shoulders bunched with tension. “Shouldn’t have happened. But she’s fine. August rescued her while I was in surgery.” He flashed a smile but his expression lacked sincerity. “Thankfully everything ended well.”

“Except the part about you being shot in the head,” she retorted. He clearly carried guilt about what happened, and dammit that irked her.

“It was a deep graze.”

“By the sounds of it, you would’ve died if Dana hadn’t found you when she did.”

He let out a long sigh. “Yeah, I know. It’s just—I screwed up.” He stopped at a red light. With his left wrist resting on top of the steering wheel and his right elbow propped on the center console, he turned her way. Her fingers itched to touch the scruff on his jaw, to feel the sharp bristles against her palm. His lips parted gently as if drinking her in. “That won’t happen again. Ever. You don’t have to worry.”

She swallowed. If he’d known the direction of her thoughts, he would’ve saved the proclamation. “I trust you.” She inhaled sharply through her nose. The words had jumped from her lips like a professional diver off a board.

His mouth quirked. “Maybe you shouldn’t.”

Delicious temptation electrified the air. The light turned green. Behind them, a horn beeped.

“Um.” She pointed. “You should go.”

He pressed his foot to the gas and steered his gaze back to the road. “I should do a lot of things,” he mumbled.

She didn’t dare ask what he meant because god help her, she was going to say something she couldn’t take back.

Her body still buzzed with life from the way he’d looked at her. His words held a hint of attraction and—No, no, no. She couldn’t go there.

Saying she trusted him wasn’t necessarily a mistake. The dude was capable as hell and could probably take down ten men. Protection wasn’t her concern .

Falling for a guy like him? Yeah, that was a problem.

Because as attractive and nice as her bodyguard was, he’d never know the real her. No one would. After all, that was why things had fallen apart with Danny. Why she couldn’t keep anyone close to her except Yvette and Pippa.

Only people on the inside of this business would ever understand. They’d never ask the tough questions though. The questions that would make their sparkly lives crumble with shame if they knew the answers.

But Taschen. He was coming in hot with curiosity. And that screamed trouble.