In truth, we’d exchanged only a quick greeting at Bridget’s wedding, but the story Stella and I had concocted for our meet cute served several purposes: it was simple, easy to remember, more interesting than admitting we met during an apartment tour, and close enough to the truth we wouldn’t trip ourselves up if someone dug deeper.
Plus, name-dropping Bridget always impressed clients, though Richard’s face remained unreadable.
“Speaking of history, I understand you’ve had bad experiences with protection services in the past.” I steered the conversation back to the topic at hand. “But given your public profile, a bodyguard is a necessity, not a luxury.”
Richard gave me a wry look. “It’s always business with you, Harper.”
Yeah, I didn’t attend this fundraiser for my fucking health. Baby turtles? Cute, but not cute enough for me to spend a Saturday night saving them or whatever the hell the party was supposed to do.
I didn’t need Richard as a client. Most of my money came from behind-the-scenes software and hardware development, not protection services.
But his pickiness when it came to hiring was legendary, and I thrived on a challenge.
“You should spend more time with family,” he said. “Relax a little. I took my wife and kids skiing last month, and it was the best…”
I tuned him out as he yammered on about his son’s natural talent at snow sports. I gave negative fucks about his family vacation, and his kids sounded annoying as shit.
Stella, on the other hand, appeared genuinely interested. She asked questions about his kids’ hobbies and offered to connect him with an eco-friendly fashion brand that might be a good partner for his wife’s annual charity fashion show.
It was all so cordial I wanted to shoot someone just to liven things up.
“Where was your last family vacation?” Richard drew my attention back to him.
“I don’t go on family vacations.” Even if my family were alive, I would rather cut off my arm than go on some group cruise through the Caribbean.
Richard’s bushy brows collapsed into a frown while Stella squeezed my hand in what felt like an admonishment.
“Christian can be a workaholic, but he isn’t all business all the time,” she said quickly. “Fun fact: we danced at the wedding, but I didn’t agree to date Christian until later. When I ran into him while volunteering at a senior living facility.”
My smile froze. What the fuck?
That was not the story we’d agreed on.
“Christian volunteering?” Skepticism colored Richard’s words.
I didn’t blame him. My charity went as far as writing a big check.
“Yes.” Stella’s smile didn’t budge. She ignored my warning glance to stay on script and continued, “He was a bit uncomfortable at first, but it’s grown on him. He’s a natural. The residents just adore him, especially during bingo night.”
She lowered her voice. “He doesn’t admit it, but he lets them win on purpose. I saw him hiding a winning card once.”
Bingo night? Letting them win? For fuck’s sake.
“Huh.” Richard eyed me with newfound interest. “Didn’t know you had it in you, Harper.”
“Trust me.” My tone matched the Sahara in dryness. “Neither did I.”
We chatted for a few minutes longer before Richard’s wife came up to us. She and Stella instantly struck up a rapport and drifted off on their own conversation, leaving me and Richard to discuss business.
He listened to me make the case for why he needed a professional protection team, but he interrupted me before I could make an official pitch.
“I know why you came, Harper, and it’s not for the baby turtles. Not that I would tell my wife that. She was thrilled when you RSVPed yes.” Richard cast an affectionate glance at his wife, who was talking to the ambassador from Eldorra.
My shoulders stiffened. Where the hell is Stella?
She’d been talking to Richard’s wife just ten minutes ago.
My eyes scanned the room, but I didn’t find her before Richard spoke again. “My phone has been ringing off the hook with security offers since I let go of my old team. And yes, I know Harper Security is the best.” He held up a hand when I opened my mouth to respond. “But I like to get on well with the people I work with. I need to trust them. You’ve always been a cold bastard, but…” He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Perhaps I was wrong.”
The puzzle pieces for why Stella had gone off script clicked into place.
She must’ve picked up on Richard’s baffling need for personal connection.
None of my business partners and current clients gave a shit about personal connection. They only cared about getting the job done.
There was a first for everything, I suppose.
I hid a tiny smile before I closed the deal Stella had opened for me.
I’d underestimated her.
Once I had the opening, it took me less than ten minutes to extract a verbal agreement from Richard. He’d have the contract in his inbox by the end of the night.
Kurtz was out of the game before he even got in the ring.
When Richard left to greet another guest, I scanned the room again for Stella.
Richard’s wife and the ambassador were still talking by the elephant display. Kurtz was hitting on some unlucky blonde at the bar.
No Stella in sight.
Even if she’d gone to the bathroom, she should be back by now.
It’d been too long.
Something’s wrong.
My heartbeat slowed until it was a distant drum in my ears.
I pushed through the crowd, ignoring the protests and dirty looks as I searched for any glimpse of dark curls and green silk.
Nothing.
A fleeting image of her lying on a floor somewhere, hurt and bleeding, flashed through my mind. Panic swelled, so foreign my body fought its encroachment until the hot, frantic rush finally overpowered my resistance and flooded my veins.
Most people’s reactions wouldn’t have veered immediately into she’s in danger territory, but I worked in personal security. That was my fucking job.
Plus, I’d accumulated a long list of enemies over the years. Many wouldn’t hesitate to get to me through someone I cared about, and Stella and I had debuted as a couple tonight.
Dammit. I should’ve been more careful, but I’d vetted the guest list. Other than Kurtz, who was as competent as a toddler operating heavy machinery, I hadn’t seen anyone who was cause for concern.
Of course, someone could’ve easily slipped in with the servers, ushers, or dozens of other people working the party.
My jaw ticked as I entered a dimly lit hall off to the side of the main room.
If anyone touched a goddamn hair on her head…
A door swung open at the end of the hall and, like I’d conjured her through sheer force of will, Stella stepped out, looking calm and unharmed.
Surprise crossed her face when she saw me.
“Hey! Did you close the—” Her sentence cut off with a soft gasp when I closed the distance between us and backed her against the wall.
“Where were you?” My pulse beat a furious rhythm as I scanned her from head to toe, searching for injuries or signs of distress while she stared at me like I was an alien that’d crash-landed on earth.
“I was in the bathroom.” She spoke slowly the way she would to a child. It was only then I noticed the bathroom signs marking the doors.