Hillbilly Rockstar

by Lorelei James

  Garrett scrawled across his notebook. “How long is this ‘Heroes and Heartbreakers’ tour?”

  “Four months,” the bearded man sitting on the other side of Devin said. “The shows take place at a mix of smaller venues, like county fairs and casinos, and at bigger event centers, like stadiums. This leg of the tour bounces all around the Southwest for three months. Then there’s a ten-day break before finishing the final three weeks of the tour on the West Coast.”

  “We’ll need a copy of the full schedule,” Joe said. “So we can see the security setups at the performance sites.”

  “We don’t normally contract out for that long with one person, let alone two,” Garrett pointed out.

  Devin scowled. “I don’t need two full-time security guards. I’m still not convinced I need even one. I’m leaning toward callin’ this whole thing a gigantic waste of everyone’s time—especially mine.”

  Liberty kept her face schooled, but she was thinking, Wow. Diva much?

  Garrett must’ve been thinking along the same lines because his gaze hooked hers. “Why don’t you tell Mr. McClain and his . . . advisers what you found on your security check of the tour bus?”

  Liberty addressed the bearded guy, who appeared to be in charge. Holding up the clipboard, she pointed to all the red check marks. “These are considered security weak spots. I found more than a dozen. The first one? Door to the bus wasn’t shut, let alone locked. And upon examination, the lock is nonfunctioning.”

  “Maybe the person who beat the shit out of JT busted it when he broke in,” Devin said tightly. “We haven’t had time to get it fixed, and it worked fine before that.”

  She had no idea who the JT person was. “Or maybe the fact it was broken beforehand and no one had checked it made access easier?” she said coolly.

  “What are you insinuating?”

  “Nothing. I’m stating facts.” She waggled the clipboard at him. “Your current security measures are downright laughable, Mr. McClain, since you don’t seem to have any.”

  Silence.

  Liberty shot Garrett a look. He wasn’t wearing a frown that indicated she’d stepped out of line.

  “Who exactly are you?” Devin said to Liberty with a slight sneer in his tone.

  Garrett leaned forward, locking his gaze to Devin’s. “Liberty works for me as a security specialist. And before you further insult her, I’ll point out that she spent years in the army, working for various security task forces. She knows what she’s talkin’ about. Questioning her qualifications is not only an insult to her but to me, so tread lightly.”

  Devin held up his hands in mock surrender. “I apologize to both of you.” He directed his next question to Liberty. “Please summarize what you see as the biggest security risks.”

  “First, it sounds like you have zero personal protection right now.”

  “I wouldn’t say zero. I have security escorts at the larger event centers.”

  “That’s your biggest mistake right there, especially if you’ve been dealing with any kind of personal threats. You need daily personal protection. Did you have security guards in Kansas City?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where?”

  “Inside the arena.”

  “Did they escort you from the bus inside the building?”

  He shook his head.

  “Whose decision was that?”

  “Mine. I usually walk with the band.”

  “That would be the first thing I’d change. More than safety in numbers, you need professional security. I doubt your drummer would know what to do if you were attacked.”

  The bearded guy laughed and covered the noise with a cough.

  “What else?”

  “Take your face and your name off the side of the bus. That’s just inviting trouble. If having your face billboard sized is a vanity thing, get over it. A nondescript vehicle cuts your security risks in half since no one knows you’re on board.”

  Devin’s mouth tightened, but he didn’t respond.

  So she continued. “There are four bunk spaces, but it looks to me as though they’re being used to store random sh—stuff. It’s an easy place for someone to hide or to hide something. The band doesn’t travel on your bus?”

  “The band travels in a separate bus, as do the roadies who handle the equipment.”

  “How many buses are in the Devin McClain traveling show?”

  “There are three tour buses and two semis.”

  “We’re getting sidetracked here,” three-piece-suit guy interjected. “I need to know if GSC can handle Devin’s security needs.”

  Garrett tapped his pen on the table. “I’m getting mixed signals. Who makes the final decision on this?”

  “I do,” Devin said, keeping his focus on Garrett. “So let’s cut to the chase. Here are my revised security requirements. One security specialist who will blend in with my crew. While security is your main concern, privacy is mine. I require time alone to work. I understand this person will need to be close by at all times, but you all need to understand that if I have to choose between my safety and my ability to make music, the music will win every time.”

  For the first time, Liberty understood Devin’s underlying frustration with the situation.

  “Give me time to confer with my team. Any last questions before we duck out for a few?”

  Liberty’s stomach pitched when Devin aimed those intense blue eyes at her. “Anything else you want to add?”

  The cool tone wasn’t only a challenge, but his clear displeasure that she’d voiced an opinion. Because she was a woman? Or because she’d dissed his operation? She let her gaze flit across the men on his side of the table, three-piece-suit guy, bearded guy and a guy wearing a cowboy hat who hadn’t said a word. “Brutal honesty, Mr. McClain? You’ve reached a high level of success in the music world. You deserve a nicer bus than that piece of shit parked out front, especially if your safety truly is their number-one concern.”

  The man didn’t even crack a smile.

  Just as they were walking out the door, the guy in the cowboy hat said, “Hold up.” He meandered over and handed Garrett a sheaf of paper. “Here are the rates we’re prepared to offer for this contract. So you know we’re serious.” Then he murmured something to Garrett.

  Interesting. Liberty wondered if Devin McClain knew what his safety was worth.

  After the cowboy hat guy trotted off, Garrett and Joe conferred in low tones. She wanted to eavesdrop, but something in their stiff postures worried her, so she hustled into Garrett’s office.

  A few minutes later, Joe plopped next to her in the chair opposite Garrett’s desk.

  Garrett refilled his cup of coffee before he took his seat. He unfolded the paper and raised both his eyebrows before passing it to Joe.

  “That good, huh?” Liberty prompted.

  “Holy fucking shit would be appropriate here.” Joe squinted at the paper. “This is one of the highest pay rates I’ve ever seen.”

  Liberty snorted. “It’d have to be since Mr. McClain is a dickhead and no sane person would ever take on the assignment.”

  “Liberty.”

  Although she’d been chastised, she pushed her point. “Why are you even considering taking this job? It’s not like GSC needs the work.”

  Garrett sighed. “It’s a personal favor. My sister, Tanna, went through a rough patch, and Devin was always there for her in ways I couldn’t be. So I owe him. And he’s more messed up about this latest incident than he’s letting on.” He summarized the past trouble in Devin’s world. She was shocked someone in Devin’s position just kept going about business as usual—as if none of the threats mattered or had affected him at all.

  “Liberty?”

  Her gaze snapped to Garrett’s. “Sorry. What did you say?”

  “I asked if you’ve ever met Devin before.”

  “No. Why?”

  “You know the connection between your sister and mine is what brought you to my attention in th
e first place. Tanna and Harper are both married to men who grew up in the Muddy Gap/Rawlins area. That’s where Devin is originally from.”

  “I’ve heard Harper and Bran talk about him, and I guess he goes back there sometimes, but I’ve never met him.”

  “I’m hopin’ that’ll work in our favor,” Garrett drawled.

  “I don’t follow.”

  Garrett and Joe exchanged an oddly wary look.

  “Should I shoot myself in the foot now?”

  Joe laughed. “And everyone says you don’t have a sense of humor.”

  She scowled at him and then said to Garrett, “Go on.”

  “The best—hell, the only solution—is to send you out on tour with Devin McClain. And hear me out before you pull your gun on me. You’ve been begging us to send you on assignment. You are an excellent trainer, but this is a better training opportunity for you. Not only because of the money for us.”

  Liberty fought the urge to laugh. It was always about the money. “With the big swinging dick that Devin McClain wields, there’s no way he’ll agree to having a woman as his personal security. No way in hell.”

  “It’ll be his only choice if he wants to hire us.” Garrett fiddled with his pen. “The rest of the guys won’t agree to be away from their families for that long. Not only that. You’ve asked for a job like this for the past four months. Here’s your chance to jump to the next level and prove you’re qualified for fieldwork.”

  “Slathering on compliments?”

  Garrett smiled. “And you’re deflecting them. I don’t say it unless it’s true—you know that about me.”

  “Yes, but I’m still on probation.” Garrett required a year of probation for all his new hires. While it sucked that the slightest infraction could get her shit-canned, it ensured the ones who hit the twelve-month mark were worthy of carrying out the sometimes dangerous work the job demanded.

  “In four and a half months you’ll be within a week of permanent status. You take on this job, I’ll give you that last week.”

  “Sorry, but no. I’ll pass.”

  Joe and Garrett exchanged another look.

  “What now?”

  “This information doesn’t leave this room. The promoter has sweetened the pot. There’s a hundred-thousand-dollar bonus if the bodyguard lasts the entire tour. So if you agree to take this assignment, in addition to getting paid your regular rate, we’ll let you keep the bonus.”

  She perked up at that prospect. “Seriously? Every penny?”

  “Every penny, and I’ll kick in enough to cover the taxes on it.”

  That money would provide a hefty down payment on a house. Roughly four months out of her life would make her dream of home ownership a reality, and she’d get experience in the field that would increase her base pay rate. Win-win.

  “Deal.”

  Joe slapped a twenty-dollar bill on the desk. “You suck.”

  Garrett swept the money into his desk drawer. “I warned you not to bet against me, Joe.”

  “What the hell kinda bet did you two make about me?” Liberty demanded.

  “That you’d be more interested in the money than living in close quarters with one of People magazine’s hottest men in music.”

  Liberty rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Joe? You haven’t learned anything about me in the past eight months? I oughta make you pony up twenty to me for the damn insult.”

  Joe grinned. “I almost wish I was going along to see you bust this guy’s balls on a daily basis.” He leaned forward and pleaded with Garrett. “Please let me be the one to tell our client that Liberty is his new bodyguard.”

  “Fine, but you’d also better warn him that Liberty is . . .” Garrett laughed. “Never mind. He can figure it out for himself.”

  On the way out, Garrett stopped her. “The head of the promotion company was very clear in this offer. McClain isn’t to know anything about the performance bonus. If you tell him about it, it voids that part of the contract.”

  “My lips are sealed. I promise.”

  “I know I can trust you.”

  “But I don’t know if I can trust them.”

  Garrett waited for her explanation.

  “We both know they’ll pay you at regular intervals while I’m on assignment. So I want their guarantee that I’ll have that bonus no later than three days after the end of the tour. I don’t want to wait ninety days while they dick around about payment.”

  He smiled. “Excellent point. Are you sure I can’t talk you into takin’ an admin position when your probationary period is up?”

  “Do I still get to Taser people from behind a desk?”

  “No.”

  “Then no way.”

  Chapter Three

  What the hell was taking them so long?

  Devin fought the urge to get up and pace; instead he focused his frustration on his agent. “All of JT’s expenses are bein’ taken care of, right? Including transportation back home so he can recuperate?”

  “The legal team wants to run it past accounting—”

  “I didn’t ask about the legal team. They weren’t in that hospital room. They didn’t see the damn bloodstains on my bed. The man took hits that were meant for me—”

  “Don’t say that,” his agent warned. “Neither you nor the tour promotion company is claiming any culpability for the attack. I know you’re upset, but this situation is a lawsuit waiting to happen. We don’t need any more ammo fired at us.”

  Carl Carlson, the head honcho from Big Sky Promotions, nodded. “You just go right on telling folks that the beefed-up security is a requirement of headlining as one of the hottest solo tickets in country music. Remember, we’re allowing this meeting at your request. Be warned, son. I will overrule you if they don’t propose a security plan that I approve of one hundred percent.”

  “That woman already gave us all the answers to our questions about security problems.”

  “No. She gave us the tape to fix the leaks, but we still need someone keeping watch so no more unexpected leaks show up. Console yourself with the fact we’re not demanding two bodyguards.”

  “Fine. But I’d better have a different goddamn tour bus in four days, when we leave for Salt Lake City.” It’d been humiliating enough having his name and his face plastered on his bus—he’d always hated that—but it really chapped his ass that anyone would believe he actually wanted that blatant promotion.

  The door opened and the GSC trio walked in.

  Devin tried to keep his focus on Tanna’s brother, but his gaze kept landing on Liberty, the ballbuster, which annoyed him; the chick was nothing special to look at. She wore shapeless monochrome clothing, her angular face was free of makeup and her eyes were a nearly colorless gray. He wasn’t even certain of her hair color since she’d plastered it to her head and secured it in a bun.

  Garrett’s associate Joe, a bruiser the size of a small truck, took the reins. “As you’re aware, we don’t normally contract for such an extended amount of time, but we’ve figured out a way to make it work.”

  Devin knew the only reason GSC had taken this appointment was because of his friendship with Tanna. “And I appreciate that.”

  “Luckily for you, our security specialist has agreed to take the job.”

  “Who?”

  “Me.”

  Oh no. Oh, fuck no. Devin looked at the woman and found her staring back at him . . . with zero emotion. His mouth opened before his brain engaged. “You seriously think I’ll let a woman protect me? That goes against the way I was raised and everything I believe in. Men protect women, not the other way around.”

  “You wanted discreet security,” Garrett pointed out. “And Liberty is the best possible solution.”

  “You do have a lot of women hanging around, Dev. No one would think twice about her bein’ there,” Crash added.

  “Does she look like the women who hang around my shows?” Devin snapped. “No one in their right mind would ever believe I’d be with a woman like
her.”

  That brought a flush to Liberty’s cheeks, and Devin felt like a dick for saying it—even when it was true.

  “Devin, can you not jump to conclusions?” his agent asked. “This sounds to me like the ideal solution.”

  “Tryin’ to pass her off as my girlfriend?”

  “We were thinking more along the lines of a personal assistant,”