Page 3 of Vain (Tempest #2)

Chapter Three

AIDEN

I toss and turn for most of the night before giving up on sleeping. I turn on the lamp and look around the room that’s bigger than my condo and sigh before climbing to my feet and hauling my ass to the attached bathroom.

I flick the lights on and wince at the jarring brightness before turning on the shower. A glance in the mirror tells me I look as tired as I feel, but it is nothing that a warm shower and a hot coffee won’t fix.

I don’t take long, even though the temptation is there.

After all, the bathroom is as opulent as the rest of the suite, making me feel like a guest on vacation in a fancy five-star hotel.

I towel off before getting dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt and heading out into the sitting area.

I turn on the large TV above the fireplace and switch on the news before sitting on the sofa in front of it and opening my laptop.

I go through the unread emails as the reporter drones on about a police chase involving an up-and-coming center and a high-class call girl.

Eventually, my need for caffeine wins out. I log out and shut off the TV before heading down to the kitchen for coffee. I’m surprised when I walk in and find it occupied. A glance at my watch shows that it’s only five a.m.

“I’m sorry. I was going to grab a coffee, but I don’t want to get in your way.”

The man looks up from the dough he’s kneading and stares at me. “You Mr. Church?”

“Aiden, please, and yeah. You Marley?”

He nods.

“Gotta say, if I swung that way, I’d marry you in a fucking heartbeat. Your food is that good.”

He’s silent for a minute before he lets out a loud belly laugh, drawing the attention of Greyson, who walks into the kitchen with a frown on his face.

“Ah, Mr. Church. I wasn’t expecting to see you up just yet.”

“Aiden,” I remind him. “And I couldn’t sleep. You know what it’s like to be in new places.”

“There’s nowhere like home.”

“Okay, Dorothy, is there something you need?” Marley asks him as he crosses his arms and taps his foot.

“I came to see what all the noise was. Sounded like a dying pig in here.”

“Ha ha, very funny. I’ll have you know, I just received a marriage proposal.”

Greyson looks at me, surprised. “Well, you sure work fast.”

I grin and shake my head. “It’s the food.”

“Ah, say no more. Many men have fallen for his culinary wares.”

“How you make cooking sound like porn is beyond me,” Marley huffs before grabbing the full coffee pot and sliding a mug in front of me. “How d’you take it?”

“Usually through an IV.”

“Amen to that.” He sighs.

“Black’s good, thanks.”

He pours some coffee into my mug before turning back to Greyson. “You want one?”

“No, I’ve just had one. I’ll return once I’ve finished my tasks for the morning.”

“As you wish.”

I look from Greyson’s retreating back to Marley, and ponder my next question. “Are you two an item?”

“Would that be a problem?”

“Only if it means you won’t marry me.”

He laughs before shaking his head and returning to his dough. “No, we’re not a couple, though we tend to argue like one. Comes with living in each other’s pockets for the last twenty-odd years.”

“Damn, that’s a long time. Says a lot about how much you love your job if you’ve both stuck it out this long.”

“Says a lot about how much we love Matilda.”

I lean back and sip my coffee, thinking over his words. It’s clear that Marley and Greyson are protective of Tilly, which says more about the type of person she is than he realizes.

“So you’ve both been here since Matilda was a little girl?”

“Greyson started just before she was born. She was just a wee baby when I joined the team. Seems like both a lifetime ago and only yesterday.” He smiles wistfully before he wipes his expression clean.

“Does that mean Matilda’s parents live here too? I’ve yet to meet them.”

His whole demeanor changes at the mention of them. “Her father died when she was six. Her mother is still very much alive. She lives about thirty minutes from here, but I have no doubt you’ll see her during your stay.”

I take another sip of my coffee, curious about the change in his attitude. “You don’t like her mother?” I keep my voice low in case anyone else is around.

“It is not my place to comment on such things, Mr. Church. I am merely a cook.”

“And I’m merely a pool boy.”

He looks up at me sharply. I chuckle. “My point is, I’m not here sitting around gossiping with you.

I’m trying to do my job, which is to keep Matilda safe, and the best way I can do that is to understand the players in her life.

There was so much crap on the internet I have no idea what’s the truth and what’s not. ”

“The media can be like a fairy godmother when they’re on your side, but if they sense blood in the water, they’ll turn into sharks at the drop of a hat.”

He sighs and walks over to the sink to wash his hands.

“Matilda’s mother was an aspiring actress herself before she fell pregnant and quickly got married.

Between you and me, I think she got pregnant to guarantee her future financially, in case Mr. Carson followed his wandering eye, as so often happens in the world of the rich and famous.

Unfortunately for Matilda, Hattie had zero maternal instincts.

Once she was born, Hattie tried to carve out a bigger space for herself in the world of glitz and glamour, but nothing ever panned out the way she hoped.

She was pretty, talented, and could hold a tune, but so could thousands of other girls out there.

For as lovely she was, there was nothing truly remarkable about her, nothing that would make her stand out in a crowd, if you know what I mean.

I’m not trying to be cruel. It’s just a fact. ”

“No, I get it. If she’d grown up in my hometown, she’d likely have been the popular girl—the head cheerleader, homecoming queen, the girl all guys wanted to date and all girls were secretly jealous of. But here in the city of dreams, she was just a carbon copy of everyone else.”

“Exactly. It’s not an uncommon story. When she realized this, she decided to push her daughter into acting instead. Matilda wasn’t even walking when she shot her first commercial.”

“So she made a life for herself, living vicariously through her daughter.”

“Only Matilda does have that something special that makes her stand out from the crowd, and as her popularity grew, so too did Hattie’s resentment. It was a double-edged sword.”

“What’s their relationship like now?”

“Strained. This house was left to her by her father. She inherited it free and clear at eighteen, which is also when she fired her mother as her manager. The press had a field day. But eventually, it died down when Hollywood’s latest heartthrob got caught with a hooker doing blow off his dick while he was driving ninety miles an hour down Sunset Boulevard. ”

He covers the dough before leaning on the counter. “Hattie still comes around, playing the victim, bringing scripts, and arranging auditions for Matilda, which she has no interest in. But Hattie is not a woman who recognizes the word no.”

“She sounds like a fucking delight.”

He snorts. “Just you wait.”

“Tell me about?—

I snap my mouth closed when Matilda walks into the room dressed in sweats, her hair up under a ball cap.

“Hey. You always get up at this time?”

She looks from me to Marley. “Only when I can’t switch my brain off. Hey Marley, thanks for dinner last night. It was spectacular as per usual.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Any requests for tonight?”

“Something light? I need to head to the studio, but I don’t know what time I’ll be back.”

Marley had been taking a sip of his coffee and her words surprised him. He chokes as he thunks his mug down on the counter. “You’re sure?”

I look between them, wondering what I’m missing.

“It’s time. I’ve done everything I can remotely, but filming starts in a week, and I need to spend time getting to know the cast and crew better.” She lowers her voice before continuing. “I’ve worked too hard to come this far and let this asshole win now.”

“Good. I’m proud of you.”

She flushes and dips her head, making me wonder if she isn’t used to hearing those words. “Thanks. Anyway, I’m going to go for a run around the property. I won’t be long.”

“Hold up, and I’ll come with you.” I stand, leaving my half-full mug on the counter.

“You don’t need to. I’m not leaving the?—”

“My job is to guard you, Tilly. Can’t do that if I’m here and you’re out there. Plus, it will give me a chance to scope out the area.”

“Um…okay.”

“Give me a couple of minutes to throw some shorts on.” I head upstairs before she can change her mind.

When I return to the kitchen five minutes later, Tilly is standing right where I left her.

“Ready?”

“Sure,” she replies before offering Marley a smile. “See you later.”

We walk out to the back deck and down the steps before she veers to the left.

She starts warming up, stretching her legs and circling her shoulders.

I do the same, keeping my eyes off her ass in those skin-tight leggings so I don’t pop a fucking boner and take her eye out with it.

I take my time checking the area for spaces where it would be easy for someone to hide.

There are a couple, but mostly, it is a pretty open space.

I take a second glance for any of her security team members, but if they are out here, they’re doing a good job of remaining inconspicuous.

She jumps up and down on her feet for a moment, shaking out all her muscles before she looks at me. “Ready?”

She doesn’t wait for an answer. She just starts running. I expected her to start slow as she lets her muscles warm up, but she runs briskly instead.

She doesn’t talk, and neither do I, letting the cool morning air rejuvenate us as we run silently side-by-side. We loop the house four times before she signals that she’s stopping.

“Five miles is enough for me this morning,” she tells me as she gets her breathing under control.

“So four loops are five miles?”

“According to my ring, yeah.” She holds up her index finger, where she’s wearing a simple rose-gold band.

I stare at it and frown. “Your ring tracks how many miles you run?”

She grins. “Yeah, pretty cool, right? It counts my steps for the day, measures my heart rate, and helps me track my sleep patterns.”

“So everything a smartwatch does, but in a ring?”

“The ring is a bit more limited. It doesn’t make calls or texts or anything like that. It’s more of a health thing, and it’s great for me as I don’t like wearing watches.” She looks away, her hand tugging down her sleeve.

“Whatever works, right?”

We head back into the now-empty kitchen. I sit on the same chair I was sitting in last night as she passes me a bottle of water.

“So, we need to head to the studio later?”

She drinks her own water down before nodding.

“Alright, anything I need to know beforehand?”

She picks at the label before looking up at me, indecision clear in her eyes. “This will be the first time I’ve been to the studio in a long time.”

“How long is a long time?”

She hesitates before her answer comes out in a whisper. “Almost two years.”