Nothing to be afraid of but she didn’t want to tussle with anyone right now. This was the type of business which she hoped brought her far from her ghetto roots. Yes, she used some of the techniques she’d learned on the streets, but those had been refined by her martial arts training.
She hated using them unless it was in the line of duty.
“What do you want with him? A brother can do anything he can,” Gold Tooth said.
She shuddered. She hadn’t felt this way since she left the hood. Their gazes roved over her like she was a piece of meat and if she’d wanted to, all of them would be writhing on the ground. She took the high road instead.
“You boys need to run along. I have business with Mr. Brennan.”
Gold Tooth’s gaze attempted to undress her one more time then he walked away. “Lucky Mr. Brennan.”
She watched as they all climbed into a limousine then left. She turned to see a tall, lanky man with black hair in the doorway. He had his hands in the pockets of his ripped jeans that fit him perfectly. A small smile occupied his face.
He cocked his head. “Excuse them. They’re off their meds.”
She had to laugh. “Really? They aren’t just assholes?”
“They won’t be back. I caught them getting high and I have no need for high musicians.”
“I see.”
He took a step away from the door. “Come in. You must be Tamra. Larry said you’d be here today. I’m Colin.”
As she approached the door, he held out his hand. She held it for a moment, a strange tinge going up her arm.
“My partner Kelly will be along in a moment.”
He nodded as if he had people in his house every day. Maybe he did. “Can I get you anything? Soda, coffee? I’m sure there are some drugs lying around if that’s how you roll.”
“No, drugs. Nothing to drink. Thanks.”
He closed the front door then padded in his bare feet down the hall. “I’m dying for a Diet Coke so I’m getting one. We can meet in the kitchen if you want.”
Tamra looked around the front hall. Based on its size she might get lost if she didn’t follow him. “Kitchen is fine.”
She hurried to catch up to him.
For some reason, her gaze was drawn to his ass. It was a small one. Just enough to fit into her tiny hands. Before he entered another doorway, he looked back at her and she knew she’d been caught checking out his butt.
If she could blush, she would . She wasn’t normally one to check out men. She had no time for them when building her business. Now that she probably did, she liked her life how it was.
“We also have water. Bottled, still and sparkling.”
“Nothing for me thanks. Will Larry be here?”
“Yes, oddly enough. That would be three days in a row he got out of Manhattan. Probably a record.”
“Doesn’t he go on vacation?”
Colin laughed. A melodic sound if she’d ever heard one. “Have you known Larry long?”
“Since high school. Dumb question.”
***
Colin pulled a can of Diet Coke out of the refrigerator then opened it. This was his security detail? She came up to his chest. How would she ever take down a bad guy? He sipped the soda then put it down on the granite countertop.
She stood in the doorway. Her gaze hadn’t stopped, as if she were taking it all in. Those eyes were amazing.
“You’re welcome to take a seat at the island. I don’t bite.”
“Your proclivity to bite or not was not my concern. I was merely looking around. I’ll want a tour when Kelly gets here.”
Proclivity? “Sure enough.”
“Is there an alarm system?”
“Yes, but I haven’t ever engaged it. Not sure I know the passcode.”
“Find out what it is. You renting? Ask the landlord.”
“Okay.”
She moved farther into the kitchen, her gaze still bouncing all over the place. “I’m getting the impression you aren’t worried about this stalker.”
He leaned against the counter and crossed one foot over the other. He was going to have to trust Larry that this woman could do her job, but he thought he might have to save her instead of the other way around. “When you’re in the public eye, crazies think they know you. They think they own you. It’s nothing new.”
“Larry seems concerned.”
He laughed. He paid people to do things that he didn’t want to or wasn’t good at. Doing that freed him up to create the music that paid everyone’s salary. His face was known the world over so he couldn’t exactly hit the supermarket when he had a craving. “That’s Larry’s job.”
“Is there anyone in your past that might want to hurt you?”
He laughed. Where would he start? He hadn’t stepped on anyone on the way to stardom but there were people who had felt that way. “That list could be pretty long.”
“Then maybe you should get started on it.”
“When you are successful there are others that think you don’t deserve it, that they do and not you.”
“Anyone you’ve fired recently?”
This woman certainly can talk the talk. “No. Most of the people closest to me have been around since I was an unknown. I figure anyone who was supporting me when I was poor is supporting me when I’m rich. I can trust them.”
“Good policy but you’re sure none of them have a long-standing grudge?”
“Not that I know of.”
“I’ll need a list of those people closest to you. Ex-girlfriends, too.”
“Hey. Wait. You aren’t going to go around accusing my friends.”
She didn’t flinch. Those blue eyes stared through him. “Everyone is a suspect, Mr. Brennan.”
“Colin. Mr. Brennan is my father.”
“Just trust me to do my job. Larry does.”
Colin wondered if Larry had a history with this woman. He’d have to pick his agent’s brain at some point. She was pretty hard ass, but on her it was sexy.
The doorbell rang.
*
“That’s probably Kelly,” Tamra said
Colin left her in the kitchen. She’d never met a man who had such a presence. When he left she felt she was now in a vacuum. He had taken the life of the room with him. No wonder people were drawn to him.
Which came first? The fame or the presence?
She walked around the kitchen looking to see the quality of the windows. Kelly chattered as she walked toward the kitchen. Of course she would. He was probably already eating out of her hand.
Too bad she was fresh from a divorce and not interested in the male population.
Kelly smiled at Tamra when she entered the kitchen. “Have you taken a tour yet?”
“No, I was waiting for you,” Tamra said.
“Then let’s go,” Colin said.
He led them up a back stairway.
“Two sets of steps to the second floor?”
Kelly typed it into her phone. She always took notes as Tamra noted problem areas.
“Is that a problem?” Colin said.
“Not a problem, just something to note,” Tamra said.
“What do you do with all of those notes?” Colin said.
“Kelly is a whiz with gadgets and she’ll install cameras and such so we can keep a recording of things that go on. It’s useful if someone breaks in when the house is empty.”
“So no walking around naked for me anymore,” Colin said.
Kelly didn’t flinch but the statement stopped Tamra in her tracks. She had a lovely vision of this long, lean and pale man in the buff. Damn. Would he be all sinewy muscles? This guy was driving her nuts. She didn’t think like this on appointments. She had to get her libido in check.
She cleared her throat and caught up with them. No one had noticed her reaction. Good. That would have been embarrassing.
“How many bedrooms?”
“Six,” Colin said.
“Which one do you use?” Kelly asked.
He pointed to the end of the hall. “The master suite.”
“Sorry to intrude on your personal space but we do need to look at it,” Tamra said.
He opened the door for her. “You wouldn’t be the first two ladies in my bedroom.”
Tamra cleared her throat. She was not good at flirting or being on the receiving end of it so she let the statement stand. “Bathroom attached.”
“You need to look at that, too? See where I shower?”
She thought he was goading her. “If there is a window, yes, we need to see it.”
He pointed to a door on the opposite wall. “Right through there. Hopefully I don’t have anything embarrassing in there.”
Tamra let that one slide also. One of these days he’d get tired of trying to get a rise out of her. She entered his bathroom. The shower was a large one with clear glass walls and doors. There was a rain shower head in it.
A window sat on the opposing wall from the shower. It was opaque. “We’ll have to check what’s under this window. Make sure there is no way to get up to it.”
“Noted,” Kelly said.
She’d been quiet throughout this trek and Tamra really wanted to know what she was thinking. Guess they’d talk after the tour.
***
He cut the letters from several different newspapers. They couldn’t be traced. All had been printed in different locations. No one would figure out what he was doing.
No, he was smarter than all of them.
He laughed as he glued the letters onto the paper. He liked the message this time. Worse than his last.
She’d see the threat. She knew all about stalkers and would know that this was more serious. He wouldn’t. He was a dumb rock star.
He bet that Colin didn’t even understand the seriousness of a stalker.
No matter. They would. All of them would see his success. All of them.
He laughed again. How easy this was. He’d already paid someone from the neighborhood to deliver it. Not yet. In due time.
The person couldn’t identify him because he’d worn a disguise. He should have been in show business instead of babysitting the talent.
No more. They would all know his genius. The campaign would be a success.
Then everyone would give him the respect he deserved.
Everyone.
Even that bitch Tamra.
***
Colin brought them back to the kitchen. The women had been all business and no matter what he’d said to Tamra, she didn’t take the bait. Tough lady.
Larry was sitting at the counter and had helped himself to a bag of potato chips. He offered some to Kelly and Tamra who both declined. “So what do you think?”
“Securing the place is the easy part,” Tamra said. “When Colin is on the move it will be tougher. We’ll need your schedule on a weekly basis.”
He picked up his soda again. “Not much to report. I’m recording here every day for the next three weeks.”
“No doctor appointments? Haircuts?”
“Haircuts? I’m a rock star. No one cares what my hair looks like.”
“So no emergency runs for hair gel?” Tamra said.
Was she goading him back?
Colin laughed. “That’s what I have an assistant for.”
“That goes back to the list of everyone who is going to be in this house,” Tamra said.
“Right, so you can background check them,” Colin said.
He didn’t like that idea.
“They are just doing a thorough job,” Larry said.
He’d been quiet and then Colin noticed him eyeing Kelly. The horn dog already had his sights on the woman. Should he warn her?
He could probably say something if he could get her alone. Larry was not the long term commitment type. Maybe Kelly wasn’t either. Maybe he should stay out of it.
“Okay, when do you need it by?”
“Yesterday.”
Colin frowned, then sipped his soda. “I’ll do it tonight.”
Tamra pulled a business card out of her back pocket. “Here’s my contact info, shoot me an email with this list attached.”
“Sure, right.”
He fingered the card then put it on the counter. “Anything else you need to see?”
“Where do you keep your car?”
“In the garage.”
“Can we see that?”
“You go ahead, Tam. I want to look at the front door again,” Kelly said.
Tamra walked beside Colin as he showed her the garage. “Is there a code for the door or is it by remote?”
“Remote. Does it matter?”
“Remote is harder to overcome.”
As she walked past him back into the house, he caught the scent of strawberries. That was his favorite fruit.
“Anything else?”
“Not at the moment. I’m sending someone to stay here for the night. His name is Jeff Gold and he’s a professional. I don’t want anything to happen before we can get security installed.”
“Whatever you say.”
***
Tamra met Kelly outside at her car.
“Holy crap,” Kelly said.
“What?”
“If that man could have undressed you right then and there he would have. I’ve never felt more like a third wheel.”
“Who?”
“Colin Brennan. I’ve never seen someone flirt so hard. With anyone, let alone you.”
Had she been in the same meeting? “I don’t see what you mean.”
He’d been trying to get a rise out of her, but she didn’t think that was flirting. Maybe she was out of practice. Didn’t matter. He was a client.
“You are so oblivious. He is so hot for you, he might as well have been on fire.”
Tamra blinked. She hadn’t notice. She was in work mode. “Doesn’t matter. I’m not interested.”
“Well, maybe you should reconsider. I hear he’s hung like a stallion.”
Tamra laughed. “Then you go for him.”
“Nope. No men for me remember? Though I did get a vibe from Larry.”
Tamra sighed. “Larry isn’t a really great relationship guy. I’d tread lightly.”
“I’m not treading anywhere.” Kelly patted her friend on the back. “I’ll have my report in about an hour.”
“Good. I’m sure you can install the stuff as soon as you are able.”
“Colin doesn’t seem worried.”
“I don’t think he’s taking this seriously,” Tamra said.
Maybe he should. If all went well, they would find the stalker before anyone got hurt.
“That makes our job harder. He might run out for a midnight snack without a bodyguard.”
“We’ll figure it out. We always do.”
“You really didn’t see that he was flirting with you” Kelly said incredulously.
“Even if he was, I’m not good at flirting. Not my thing. It’s all just games.”
“Flirting is fun. Loosen up.”
“Like you have room to talk,” Tamra jabbed back.
“Okay fine. Let me get back to the office and get my report done.”
***
Kelly entered the office and realized her phone battery had died. She plugged it in and it indicated she had a voicemail. Her tween daughter from her marriage. “Why would she be calling?”
As far as she knew, her daughter was spending a few days with her husband. With an uneasy feeling in her gut, Kelly called her daughter Sophie. The phone went to voicemail.
“Hi, Sophie. Returning your call. Call back when you can. Love you.”
Probably some crisis that had already passed. That was the way of girls at that age. She’d been pregnant with Sophie when she married Mark. Too bad he really wasn’t a great husband. A pretty good father but not good at being faithful.
And he thought he’d get away with it. That’s the funniest part. As if he didn’t realize that she was in law enforcement at the time.
He act
ed as if he had no respect for what she did for a living. Catch bad guys and cheaters and stalkers.
Both she and Tamra had come to this company with baggage. It was that baggage that made them good at their jobs.
On impulse, Tamra called her ex-husband. His phone went to voicemail, too.
Maybe they were just having fun and there was no need to worry.
Jeff Gold knocked on her office door. “Hey, got a minute?”
“Of course. You need some last minute advice?”
“No, I can handle tonight, but not sure about later in the week.”
“Why?”
“The wife’s about to pop out kid number two and I see the nesting behavior starting. I think it’s soon. Will you be able to have someone relieve me?”
Kelly tapped her manicured finger on her desk. “Hm. Wish I’d known that. I might have put someone else on.”
“From what Tamra said, there was no one else. At least not for tonight. You have some many cases right now.”
“Okay, Jeff. It’s fine. We’ll work it out.”
“Sorry to leave you like this.”
She put a hand up. “No problem. We’ll work around it. We’d hate to lose you.”
“Anything I should know before I go?”
“The person you’re protecting doesn’t think they need it.”
“That’s common,” Jeff said. “Is he going to give me a hard time?”
“No, he seems pretty easy-going. He’s a little intense and he’s got a thing for Tamra.”
“Really?”
“It was so funny watching this hot rock star try to get her attention. She was so oblivious.”
Jeff laughed. “Well she can be serious about her job. Not that you can’t, but she takes it to a new level.”
“You are not wrong on that. Check in with me when you get there.”
***
Colin was in the basement studio when the doorbell rang. Someone had wired it to ring down there. He saw on the video feed that it was his assistant Roger. If he could have, he would have pushed a button and let the man in.
Sadly, he’d have to wander upstairs to actually answer the door.
He did, and snagged himself a new Diet Coke before he went to the door. He didn’t drink alcohol or do drugs so the soda was his one vice.
“Took you long enough,” Roger said as he entered the house.
He was younger than Colin, but only by a year. They’d been fast friends since high school. Colin trusted Roger with his life. That was when he realized that when Tamra did a background check, Roger’s time in prison would come up.
Rock Your Body: A BWWM Romance Page 2
