“Don’t make light of this,” Hugh shot back. “You’re getting too old for this flippancy.”
Lola reached up to take her husband’s hand, her voice softer than Hugh’s. “If we didn’t think this situation was worrisome, we wouldn’t have flown out here. If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for us.”
Jaz’s blood pounded through her, but she made herself keep her tone in check. “So you’re shutting down production of Her Dream?” she asked, though of course she knew the answer. Hugh’s upcoming blockbuster was well into production, with shooting set to start the following month and Lola cast in a prominent role.
“That’s different.” Hugh’s voice went from calm to furious in a matter of heartbeats, proving his reputation as one of Hollywood’s most short-tempered producers. “We have security and a major contract. You have a goddamned hobby that you should have grown out of a decade ago.” He glared at Kyan. “I told you she wouldn’t be reasonable.”
At least Kyan had the decency to look uncomfortable. He was a hero for joining the SEALs and purposely putting himself into harm’s way. She was an irrational brat for following an athletic dream. For two people who’d made their careers on female empowerment films, her parents’ irony would be hysterical if it wasn’t so hurtful.
Kyan raised a brow. Despite the mortar round scars that marked one side of his face and disappeared into the collar of his shirt, he still had a model’s body. After marrying Ivy and having baby Bar, he’d come out of his cocoon of personal misery and back into the public eye, working with the Wounded Warriors and other programs aimed at helping veterans. “More accurately, I told you that asking Jaz to walk away from climbing was a fool’s errand.”
For a second, Jaz thought that Kyan was actually on her side. But then he kept speaking.
“Liam will put a security detail on her. It’ll be fine, Dad.”
Jaz spun on him. It was one thing to hear Hugh’s typical chauvinistic tirade, but it was another thing altogether to let Kyan get away with it.
“This family meeting is over,” she said. “Kyan, Liam, run along and let the grandparents coo over the baby.”
“Not entirely your call.” Liam, who’d been blissfully quiet, now crossed his arms over his chest, which made his shirt stretch over his biceps. “If your parents contract Trident Security for a protection detail, I don’t need your consent to have my men keep an eye on you. Of course, if you hold the contract instead, the security detail can integrate better with your lifestyle preference.”
“My preference is for you to go to hell.”
“I said better integrate, not forge a new reality.”
“And here I thought you only bullied willing victims.”
“Keep thinking. It will get easier with practice.”
Kyan snorted back a laugh, then turned to Jaz. “Listen, this thing is happening. You know Girls Aflame in general has been drawing attention, and Dad isn’t going to back down until things settle. It will make your life a great deal simpler if you just contract with Liam’s guys. They’ll do the job either way, but I guarantee you’ll find it less intrusive to be their boss instead of their target.”
Heat and fury filled Jaz’s blood. She didn’t have the money to hire Liam’s company even if she was inclined to, which she wasn’t. Not to appease her overprotective father’s latest whim. But if this Liam-Hugh-Kyan combo thought she was going to make tailing her easy, they were in for a rude awakening.
2
Liam
“So how much should I be worried?” Kyan asked Liam as they slid into their regular booth at the back of the North Vault seating area. Around them, the aromas of freshly sliced citrus fruits commingled with the tang of rum, tequila, and other liquors. With its subtle indirect lighting and blue-on-blue color scheme, the Vault managed to be upscale and sexy at the same time. Liam had designed every part of the club to create a sense of a world within a world. An escape for people needing it. The drinks were quality, the sound system the best Denton Valley had to offer, and the booths both roomy and private.
“About the threatening letter? I’d call it a low-risk, high-impact scenario at this point. But Jaz has had an incredible year. She’s public and she’s vocal. Hell, Vector Ascent just put up billboards of her modeling the latest gear.” The one on the local freeway made Liam’s body tighten each time he passed it. “She underestimates the amount of unwanted attention that level of notoriety attracts. Whoever authored that particular note might not come calling, but drunk idiots certainly will.”
Liam didn’t add that for all her athletic prowess, Jaz Keasley was small. She might be able to handle herself on a mountain face, but cornered in an alley with a few drunks was an entirely different matter. Liam had seen the effects of large opponents against smaller prey enough times for it to stay seared into his memory. Though he tried to stay cool and rational about the whole thing with Jaz, he was naturally protective when it came to women. Especially his best friend’s younger sister.
The younger sister who’d somehow grown from a scrawny annoyance into a lithe, strikingly gorgeous woman with her large dark eyes, suntanned skin, and a sprite’s mischievous gaze that turned heads. Headstrong, petite, and reckless, Jaz wasn’t at all Liam’s type. She also hated Liam’s guts. Which all made his cock’s tendency to awaken when Jaz was around absolutely infuriating. Not that Kyan needed to ever, ever know that.
“Why didn’t she take ownership of the contract for herself?” Liam asked, more harshly than he’d intended. He’d been certain she would. It had been her logically best option. Hire the security team, then promptly order them to go to hell. They wouldn’t have, but Liam was prepared to deal with that problem once his people were in place.
As it was, Jaz simply walked out on the lot of them.
“Jaz is competitive.” Kyan shifted a large shoulder. “Maybe acquiring anything felt like losing.”
Great. More pride than sense. “I’ll have a team together by tonight, but I’m not charging your parents. Or Jaz, for that matter, if she ever sees reason.”
“Trust me, her family can afford it.” Unlike Liam, who’d grown up dirt poor, Kyan’s family had always had money.
“So can I.”
“I know, but paying for something gives a sense of control. That’s a great deal more important than a few thousand dollars.” Kyan’s tense face said he was dead serious. “I’d consider it a personal favor if you charged them.”
Liam understood the need for control, though he still hated taking money from his best friend’s family. After the whole thing blew over, he’d donate whatever they paid him to Girls Aflame.
“Incoming, five o’clock.” Kyan motioned almost imperceptibly behind Liam.
In the reflection from the window, Liam saw a tall blonde woman with long legs, a generous bust, and a sashay that would make a catwalk proud. While he couldn’t make out the woman’s face, he had a good idea who it probably was—though he hoped he was wrong.
“Liam,” Sandy’s melodic voice called. So much for being wrong.