Penny was our client.
Nadir was technically my team leader and supervisor.
My mother and father had been a rare couple, since most tiger shifters never found a forever mate to settle down, cursed to roam for years and settle for empty, temporary matings to spread their genes.
Last, and most important of all those things, I’d spent my entire life contemplating if I was gay, never experiencing more than fleeting interest in a woman. Or any men either, for that matter, though I had tried my damnedest on more than one occasion since reaching America, hoping anything—or anyone—would satisfy me.
All right. Technically many issues drove a wedge into my tentative plans to bend Penny over the living room sofa next time we had her for dinner.
What the hell was happening to me?
Whatever it was, I needed it to end. Fast.
I packed my bags the night before our scheduled departure and said goodbye to Nadir’s apartment before reporting for duty with him as Penny’s escort. I’d never been to a concert as big and crowded as this before. We ushered our client from her home to the venue before dawn, where she immediately joined her road crew in preparing for the night’s concert. Nadir and I used the time to sweep through the building and speak with the on-site security. Beyond the front doors, people were already camped out, waiting for entry.
“Is it always like this?”
“Sometimes it’s crazier,” Nadir replied. “You’ll see.”
The world on the other side of the curtain was an eye-opening experience. Penny took a midday nap after a hearty lunch with her band, then she joined a flurry of preparation that Nadir and I monitored from a safe distance. For the show, we both donned matching suits and ties. I tugged at mine, hating the way it felt too snug around my neck. Ties and tailored jackets weren’t my thing, but Nadir looked like he’d been born in them. He moved with ease and confidence.
But as captivating as my partner was, it was Penny who demanded all my attention once she finally emerged from the dressing room. Her copper hair fell in tight, glossy spirals around her shoulders, her lips were painted a bold scarlet, and gold glitter accented her smoky eyes. My gaze swept lower, to the spangled black tank that bared her midriff then down to the snug golden shorts she wore over black fishnets. Her black, calf-high boots had three-inch heels. How the hell she moved around in those things on stage was a mystery to me.
The rest of the band were similarly dressed. Harper had streaked her blonde pixie cut with bright bubblegum-pink and vibrant teal. She wore dark jeans with artful tears in the knees and thighs, and a glitzy gold top. The two guys hadn’t colored their hair, but their black and gold attire matched the theme.
From that point onward, Nadir and I were basically on alert, each of us to one side of the stage where we could monitor the crowd unnoticed. As soon as the concert started, it all passed by in a blur of music, cheers, and flashing lights. Watching Penny live was far different than watching a recording. Her tireless performance impressed me in more ways than one. Each time she hopped to the edge for a quick drink of cold water and to blot away her sweat her smile never faded. She thrived under what I could only assume was immense pressure. Then again, maybe it wasn’t for her. She looked vibrant and alive out there on stage in front of her fans.
“Stand ready for exit.” Nadir’s voice came across the comms clearly in my left ear. “We’ll extract straight to the bus.”
“Copy that.”
The final chords rang out through the amphitheater and the crowd’s cheering sounding like a hurricane. The final pyrotechnics lit up the stage in dazzling lights.
“Thank you, Houston!” Penny cried out, one arm thrust into the air. “A special shout-out to my girl Ashanti and her band. Keep rocking strong.”
Near the front of the stage, excited squeals rang out amidst all the other cheers and shouts.
Penny left the stage first, and then the curtain fell, but recorded music continued to play over the sound system. Nadir crossed the stage and joined us. A brief stop at the dressing room allowed the ladies to grab their bags and then we worked our way out the back to the secured lot.
Penny’s team traveled in three buses. Since Nadir and I were part of her primary protection detail, Ian assigned us to ride in the main vehicle that served as the songstress’s home whenever she traveled on the road.
Inside, it smelled of female skin, leather, and orange blossoms, a mélange of their shampoos, perfumes, and body lotions beckoning me deeper into the luxury sleeper coach.
How the hell did Nadir endure this for weeks, if not months at a time?
The money. It had to be the money that tempered any discomfort of being surrounded by gorgeous women, though only one had the ability to stiffen my cock harder than steel with a glance.
Working for her in such close quarters would be a season-long exercise in self-control, pushing my restraint to the limit. The tour schedule stretched from February until the end of spring, which meant I’d be raking in money hand over fist.
Money was something I couldn’t afford to turn down, not when it meant supporting my relatives back home. My disabled father, fragile grandmother, and so many siblings relied on my help, even if his last words to me had been to worry about myself and to enjoy all that America offered.
How could I enjoy this beautiful country when I knew they were stuck at home in our little village, still struggling to survive? The loss of my mother had impacted my father in a way no shifter ever wanted to endure. She had been our village’s greatest defender. Perhaps it was from her that I inherited both my gift and my desire to guard and my lust for protecting others.
I never knew I would be putting those skills to use for a rich American woman.
Every surface gleamed, whether it was marble or leather upholstery on comfortable seats. A big-screen television spanned one section of the wall, bigger than the set mounted in Nadir’s living room.
“Unfortunately,” Penny was saying as she led us down a spacious pathway through the lounge, “there are only six bunks, so you won’t both be able to sleep at the same time. Sorry.”
Nadir chuckled. “That’s not a problem. One of us will be up at any given time, so it works out. We’ll just swap.”
“That is no problem,” I replied immediately. I don’t know what I expected when I stepped aboard the sleek bus parked outside. Riches beyond anything I’d ever make in my whole life wasn’t it. “I can sleep anywhere.”
I had spent my childhood sleeping on a hard floor with only a blanket, in a little house my father built alongside my mother. We had no electricity in those early days, but we had each other.
Then, with hard work from within the village, our lives had gradually improved. My mother fought off poachers and terrified thieves who would prey on our village. Little by little, life improved for all.
There was still so much more to be done. One of my younger sisters had a promising future as a doctor, but in the meantime, they needed my financial support until she completed her education. My brother had taken up the mantle of village protector, but at the age of fifteen, he was not enough. He’d been just a little over eleven when I left India, and I felt like shit every minute of that overseas flight, wondering how the hell they would survive without me.
Pretty fucking well, it turned out.
The tour led us past a kitchenette with a small stovetop, microwave, and a full-size fridge. Next to that was a small washroom for Penny’s team, adjacent to a stacked washing machine and a dryer. Her bus had more amenities than my last apartment prior to moving to Quickdraw to live with my cousin’s family.
Fuck. It was much larger too.
“My room and dressing area are back here.” She opened the door and let me peek in. Nadir hung back, already familiar with the space.
As we made our way back to the front, others were coming aboard. Harper occupied a spot on the sofa beside their make-up artist, Aiko, working on getting her face wiped off. Then their manager stepped on, he
r teeth brilliant white against her dark face, smile wide and eyes bright.
“Great show, ladies. They’re still in there screaming for an encore. Have a seat and cool off before you head to the lounge to meet your VIP ticket holders.”
“Thanks, Shantal.” Penny smiled and dropped to a seat beside Harper.
“Once your special fans are satisfied, we only have to repeat the main event one more time, then we’ll blow this popsicle stand and be on our way to Dallas to rinse and repeat. The rest of the tour schedule is a little more hellish. Three performances in each city.” Shantal’s gaze swung to Nadir then me. “You boys ready?”
Nadir and I bumped fists. “You know me, Shantal,” he said, grinning as widely as I’d expect of a jackal. “You ready, bro?”
“Ready.”
Nadir
The next night in Houston passed easily. Suraj paced like a caged tiger at night, but adjusted well to dozing in a recliner. It’d be different once we were on the road, however, in a bus that was almost constantly in motion and stopping at rest areas to gas up. Sometimes Penny or a bandmate wanted to stretch their legs or pick up a snack, and that’s when some weirdo always recognized her.
Penny’s mini-tour from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and Phoenix over the summer had prepared me for the suffering ahead. I learned many things during that month of concerts in the sweltering desert.
Traveling all night on a bus didn’t bother me nearly as much as the long wait to get into the shower that morning. I learned during that first concert tour to be among the first to rouse, and to be up at the crack of dawn if I wanted more than two minutes of water without one of the ladies screaming that they were going to be late.
The Marines taught me to perfect the in-and-out anyway. You didn’t want to be the guy who took longer than his allotted time in the shower.
I passed on all of my experience to Suraj that night as we occupied oversized leather recliners facing the wide-screen television, each of us holding a cup of coffee.
“Are you sure you don’t want the night watch again?” I asked, noticing he was on his third cup.
“Hm?” Suraj glanced away from the television, his gaze gilded pools reflecting the explosions on screen. “Yeah, I’m positive, unless you want me to do it. I have no problem either way. Why?”
I chuckled. “The way you’re slamming those double espressos, you should be able to see sound by now. How will you sleep?”
“Nah. I can drink a dozen of these and still pass out. I lie down, and I’m gone. Doesn’t matter how much caffeine I drink.”
“All right then. I’ll go up and chat with the driver. You get some rest.” My hand fell warmly to his knee for a subtle pat, but the electricity that shocked through my fingertips and raced up my arm left my entire body abuzz.
One touch always led to me wanting another and craving the next moment of contact between us, whether it was a pat on the shoulder or friendly, one-armed hug.
This was hell.
It couldn’t be the jackal in me sensing my fated mate. I refused to believe, not because he wasn’t one hell of a spectacular man anyone would be fortunate to have, but because I knew him. I partied with this guy, shared beers with him, and gone on other protective details during his training for the company.
I would have known by now if he was meant for me.
Leaving Suraj behind on the sofa, I wandered up front and took a seat near the driver. Penny’s label hired a pair of co-drivers for each vehicle, guaranteeing no matter what happened, someone could move her tour party toward her destination. The backup was snoozing in her bunk, as were the rest of the ladies. Dallas was only a short drive and we had a full day ahead of us.
And that was only the start of what was going to be a long tour.
Chapter Eight
Penny
The Dallas concert was a smoking success. We played three nights then spent two more recuperating in the city before heading north to St. Louis.
Suraj meshed with my team like he’d been there all along, a handsome face I became accustomed to seeing at all hours. I adored him, and he seemed to like Harper’s cooking, which scored him instant points in the morning.
What I loved most about Suraj and Nadir was that they rolled with whatever was thrown at them. When we wanted to stop to take photographs at a landmark or to stretch our legs, the guys took a five-minute break to figure out the safest way to arrange it.
At concerts, they didn’t hover like a pair of menacing brutes. They reminded me of friends looking out for my wellbeing. Hot friends. With rock-hard bodies and concealed weapons under their blazers.
Whoa, girl. Keep it professional.
With a free day scheduled before concert day in St. Louis, we headed out to enjoy all the sights the city had to offer. The band tended to split and go their own directions, with Harper, Aiko, and me going on a food tour. Every so often someone recognized us. So long as the crowd was small and friendly, we took the time to snap a few photos with our fans.
A local pointed us in the direction of a fabulous Cajun restaurant not on the main drag. I’d never had a shrimp-and-grits cake before, but it was so goddamned delicious I planned to figure out how to make it myself. Between the three of us girls, we devoured two dozen oysters, our dinners, and shared a bread pudding. Nadir and Suraj consumed a mountain of alligator nuggets, of which they gave me several to try. One more bite and they would have to roll me out of the joint.
“We need to get some of this to-go before we leave town tomorrow night. Think we could arrange to have a delivery made?” Aiko asked.
“I bet Shantal could arrange something.”
It became apparent when we stepped outside that we weren’t gonna have an easy time of it. Cameras flashed from across the street, five or so paparazzi rushing forward to try and get a good picture. Someone had to have tipped them off because we were all bundled in heavy coats and scarves.
“This way.”
Nadir stepped between me and the cameras while Suraj moved to my other side. I noticed he had one hand on Harper’s arm, who in turn held tight to Aiko’s hand. I kept my head ducked and shrunk into Nadir’s side, trusting him to get us away from the situation.
“Penny, tell us what happened in the break-up.”
“Penny, smile for us baby. Let’s see that million-dollar smile.”
“Is it true you and Grant are getting back together?”
The mere mention of my ex churned my stomach and flooded my mouth with bile. It didn’t matter that I was here for a concert, all they cared about was my personal life. Not the music. Not the band. Fuck. They didn’t even care about my personal life. They wanted the money a video of me would fetch them on the tabloid market. A blurry photo could earn a paparazzi a few hundred bucks, but a good one of me up close and personal sometimes earned a couple grand.
A video of me fessing up to a reunion with Grant would be the prime rib of pap finds.
Fuck. Them.
“This way.” Nadir kept the crowd at bay, Suraj sticking close with the others in tow. We’d planned on walking, a poor decision on my part, but as with everything else, my guards had a plan. Rounding the next corner, Nadir urged me toward a parked black van. The side door slid open, allowing me a brief glance at an unfamiliar woman who ushered us inside and another man in the driver’s seat. Nadir climbed in the back with us, but Suraj took the front passenger seat.
Being in a vehicle didn’t stop the press, even though they couldn’t see me thanks to the heavy tint on the windows. But I could see them. A few pressed up against the van, banging hands against the glass, still yelling their questions. What had begun as a handful had become over a dozen.
“Pull out slow, King. We don’t need to run anyone over,” Suraj said. “They’ll move.”
“Are you all right?” Nadir asked softly, placing his warm hand over mine. A spark jumped between us, snapping my gaze to his face. Our gazes met and held for longer than was proper or comfortable.
“I…I’
m fine.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Part of the life, right?” My smile felt weak. I looked to Harper and Aiko and reached out to them with my free hand. “You two okay?”
“We’re fine,” Harper replied.
“Good.” My gaze drifted back to the man sitting beside me. He hadn’t taken his hand from mine, and I relished each second of contact. “How did you know the van was there?”
“They’ve been tracking us since we left the hotel, staying a block away,” he admitted.
“Oh.”
It made sense. It was smart. I should have figured he’d have some sort of secondary plan.
Five harrowing minutes passed, though it felt like an eternity, before the van was free of the mob. We drove off and the tightness in my chest eased. Tomorrow, maybe even tonight, our faces would be splashed all over the entertainment section of the news. Not because of the concert, but because they wanted to pick apart my personal relationships. As if that’s what mattered.
“A good thing you did,” Harper spoke up. “Walking the whole way back with them following would have been a pain. I remember once we tried to get in a taxi and the driver turned out to be an uber fan and tried driving us back to his place to meet friends. That was scary.”
I remembered that day too and shuddered. As much as I loved my fans, we could never forget that sometimes, some of them went overboard.
Suraj
Mobs were nothing new to me, but this was something I’d never seen before. People screaming, not for blood or for whatever they believed in, but for just one touch of their idol. It was madness.
I didn’t breathe easy again until the van passed the secured checkpoint at the venue. Once we saw the ladies onto the bus, Nadir gestured for me to follow him around the front side of the bus.
“You good?” he asked.
“Yeah. I knew to expect things like that, but seeing it…” I whistled, long and low. “That happen often?”
Jackal of All Trades (The Wild Operatives: MacArthur Security Book 1) Page 6
