“Oh, honey, you can keep a close eye on me anytime,” Imogen said in a sultry voice that left nothing to the imagination.
Red smiled, casting off Imogen’s words. “Sorry, I only take on one client at a time.”
Imogen laughed. “Don’t sweat it, I can look after myself.” She dabbed her makeup sponge in the blue foundation. “But if you took me seriously, that means all the time my sister spent teaching me to act paid off.” She smirked at Kate in the mirror. “One day I’ll get my lucky break. Just like you did, Kate Kellan. Street Life wasn’t it?”
“It was, I got lucky.” Kate grimaced as Imogen blended in the makeup a little too energetically.
“I’m sure luck had nothing to do with it.” So that was it, a jealous streak ran through Imogen. Not a great attitude if she ever wanted to be a movie star herself.
Red imagined there were plenty of aspiring actors and actresses on set who were just killing time waiting for their big break. But who was he to knock the dream of one person? Everyone was entitled to their own dream.
I hope our dream becomes reality, his bear said as he watched their mate transform from a human being into a… What even is she supposed to be?
I don’t know, I’ve watched Space Monkeys, but I’ve never seen a blue goddess in the movies before, Red answered.
“So, Red, that’s an interesting name,” Imogen was asking, eyeing him greedily.
“My mom loved movies.” Red usually kept his full name to himself, but he had to admit it to Kate at some point.
“Now I’m intrigued.” Imogen gave him a searching look. “Oh, she didn’t?”
“She named me after Robert Redford. But decided Robert was much too common, so she called me Redford.” Red shrugged. “If a kid can survive school with a name like that, I could survive anything.”
Imogen grinned. “I like your mom’s style.” She nodded and then the grin dropped from her face as she noticed the tide of grief that swept over Red. “She’s passed?”
“She has. Recently.” Red couldn’t say any more, his words were stuck in his throat behind a huge lump of emotion that he could not allow to burst. Instead, he turned toward the door leading out of the trailer and said, “I should just go check outside.”
He ducked out of the door and jumped down off the steps to land lightly on the ground. Immediately on his guard, he looked all around, both on the ground and up in the air. Although the sneaking suspicion they were being watched had gone.
“Everything okay?” He closed his eyes briefly, wallowing in the nearness of his mate in the same way his bear wallowed in a cool stream on a hot day.
“Yes.” He turned to face Kate as she exited the trailer, a smile playing across his lips. “You sure are blue.”
Kate pressed her lips together. “I’m a Jaroma fighter, what do you expect?” She held out her arms which were the same blue as the sky on a summer day. “The Jaroma are a new race that has been brought in for this movie.”
“I like it.” He shook his head. “But I hate to think of how long it takes to get all that blue off.”
“Don’t ask.” She glanced around the movie set. “My only concern is it makes me a target. I mean, being the only blue woman on set makes it hard to blend in.”
Red gave her a reassuring look. “I don’t think there’s anyone here.”
“Is that one of your super senses talking?” Kate asked as she turned a full three-sixty. Despite her upbeat tone, she looked nervous. Red didn’t believe it was stage nerves, and he wanted to chase all her fears away. He could protect her. He would protect her.
“It is.” He grinned as Carter stood in the doorway looking down at them. “Are you wearing eyeliner?”
Carter shook back his perfectly combed hair and stroked his thick sideburns, which totally blended with the rest of his hair. “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. I’m told it makes me look more intense.”
Carter walked down the steps and turned to face them. In a moment he transformed his expression into one of smoldering longing. Kate giggled and Red looked appalled. “That is all kinds of wrong.”
Carter laughed. “I save it for my most devoted fans.”
“And what about Caroline?” Red asked.
“If I gave her a look like that she’d take the children and leave. Or get me locked up in an institute for the insane.” He relaxed his features as a guy sauntered toward them. Red immediately tensed, but Carter shot him a quick glanced and said, “Assistant director.”
“Morning. Carter, you look great as always. Kate, can you go get into costume, we’re starting with a solo scene from you.” He took a piece of paper and handed it to Kate, who glanced at it and nodded.
“I’ll get going.” She smiled at the director, but there was friction between the two. Was this another possible avenue of inquiry Red would have to pursue? Was it possible the assistant director was behind the attack on Kate?
Red inhaled deeply, sucking in enough air for his senses to analyze. The guy was not a shifter. Nor did he match the tall willowy silhouette they’d seen running across the park. Pity, Red might have liked for this guy to be the stalker, there was something about him that set off an alarm in Red’s head.
“And who is this?” the assistant director asked as Red made to follow Kate. They both swung around to face the guy. Side by side, shoulder to shoulder. Yeah, there was an off vibe about this guy.
“Mike Greville, meet Red. Red, this is Mike Greville, the assistant director of Space Monkeys Four.” Carter smiled evenly, but he wasn’t as relaxed around Mike as he was around every other person they had met so far this morning.
Red held out his hand and gave Mike a polite smile, infusing it with as much warmth as he could muster. He was sure he looked like a cold January morning, but it would have to do. “Hi, Mike.”
“I’m sorry. But who are you?” Mike’s eyes slid down from Red’s face and rested on the visitor badge.
“Last night, Kate was followed and only narrowly escaped being attacked,” Carter said quietly. “My good friend Red was visiting with me and has agreed to accompany Kate for a couple of days to make sure it was a random incident and not something more sinister. He’s her bodyguard.”
Mike’s head jerked back. “I’m sorry that happened, Kate. Are you all right?”
Kate nodded but didn’t smile. “It shook me up. But I’m okay.”
“If there’s anything I can do, just let me know.” To Mike’s credit, he did look genuinely concerned, but there was still an undercurrent of tension in the air.
“Thanks, Mike.” She thumbed toward another trailer. “I should go get changed.”
“See you on set,” Carter called as Kate walked off.
Kate raised her hand and waved but kept walking.
“Is everything okay?” Red asked.
“Sure, why shouldn’t it be?” Kate asked as Red caught up with her and they fell into step together as if their bodies were synchronized.
“You don’t like Mike?” Red asked.
“He’s okay…”
“But?” Red pushed her for more information. “It might help. If there is history between the two of you.”
“Not really history.” She slowed and then halted, her arms folded across her chest. “We ran into each other early on in our careers and didn’t exactly hit it off.”
“Any particular reason?” Red’s fists clenched at his sides.
“Nothing like you are thinking. He didn’t make a pass at me or ask me to sleep with him for a part.” She ground her heel into the ground and then looked into the distance. “He wasn’t overly complimentary about my acting skills and tried to get me fired.”
“Oh.” Red didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t ever seen Kate act, and although the bond between them meant he would always support her, for all he knew she might suck at acting.
And lying to your mate was not a thing he could do. This might get awkward.
“Hey!” She playfully poked him in the chest. “
Wow, those pecs are hard.”
He caught hold of her finger and small sparks of electricity filled the air around them. His skin tingled at the closeness of her and by the way her cheeks flushed pink, she must’ve felt them, too. “I train every day.”
“Don’t change the subject.” She gave him a stern look but couldn’t hold it in place. “And don’t immediately jump to the conclusion I wasn’t a good actress.”
“I didn’t… Okay, I’m sorry. But you might have been. Everyone has to learn and grow whatever they do.”
“Are you a soldier or a diplomat?” she asked.
“Sometimes you have to be both.”
“Well, the rumor I heard at the time was that Mike wanted the part for his then-girlfriend who had auditioned for the role and didn’t get it. He figured if he got rid of me last-minute then they would hire his girlfriend.”
“What happened?” Red asked as they continued walking toward wardrobe.
“My mom happened. She saw what Mike was trying to pull and insisted the head of the studio dealt with it.” She glanced over her shoulder. “They replaced Mike.”
“Ouch.” That must have hurt his ego and his career. Which made him perfect suspect material for the attack on Kate.
“When I heard he was the assistant director for Space Monkeys, I nearly passed. But the money was too good and why should I hide from the man?” She took the steps into wardrobe two at a time.
“Hi, Kate. Come in, I have your costume ready. I made a couple of alterations after yesterday. I think it should be more comfortable.” A young woman held up a bodysuit, which was almost the same color as Kate’s blue skin.
“Won’t you look naked in that?” Red asked breathlessly.
“Wait and see,” Kate teased as she took the costume and entered another room and shut the door. “Thanks, Wanda.”
“And who are you?” Wanda asked with a look of curiosity. “Because I sure would like to make a costume for that body. You look as if you were sculpted from hard stone.” She held her hands up and flexed her fingers as if she was squeezing a sponge.
“He’s my bodyguard,” Kate called out from behind the closed door. “So hands off.”
Wanda rolled her eyes. “There’s no fun if I can only look and not touch.” Then she leaned forward and whispered, “You can guard my body anytime.”
The door behind Wanda opened and Kate stepped out in a blue suit that fit her voluptuous body like a glove. Red’s eyes most likely looked as if they were popping out of his head. He couldn’t help himself, he wanted to strip the fabric from her body and kiss her skin.
“What do you think?” Kate held her hands up and twirled around.
Wanda cocked her head to one side. “He’s too busy drooling.”
Red snapped his mouth shut and stood up straight, as if his old sergeant major was standing in front of him calling him to attention. “It looks good.”
Real good, his bear said, his tongue hanging out like a dog in desperate need of a drink.
“Only good?” Kate asked.
“No. You look great,” Red assured his mate. He wasn’t lying, she looked incredible. The blue suit sheathed her body but over the suit, she wore pieces of hard leather body armor. The costume was so well-made that the leather emphasized Kate’s figure but not in an overtly sexualized way. Instead, the woman before him looked strong, powerful and ready to take on the might of the Zengarian Empire.
Yes, he might not know who the Jaroma were, but he knew who the recurring bad guys of Space Monkeys were.
“Okay, we should go.” Kate turned to Wanda. “Thanks, lady, I’ll see you later when you can help peel me out of this costume.”
“Oh, I think Rrrrrred here can do that.” Wanda purred his name and jerked him out of his daydream and back into reality. A reality where his mate was in danger and he was responsible for keeping her safe.
And if he failed. Well, that didn’t bear thinking about.
Chapter Nine – Kate
The costume hugged her body, making her self-conscious. During fittings, she voiced her concern to Wanda, telling the wardrobe technician it was too tight, too revealing. But Wanda had reassured her the finished product would leave her feeling empowered.
Wanda was right. She did feel empowered. Over Red at least, his expression had been priceless, one that would live with her forever.
Although she might prefer it if Red himself lived with her forever. She sighed as she glanced sideways at the tall, upright man beside her. Something in him had shifted. After his initial adoring stare, as his eyes caressed her body encased in the blue costume, he’d become distant.
Focused. Yes, that’s the word. He’d become focused on his job. Not on her.
She should be grateful, after all, he was here to keep her safe.
Reluctantly, her thoughts returned to the events of last night, those that surrounded their first meeting. Who was the person in the shadows? Where had they come from, what did they want?
She swallowed down the panic that threatened to build when her mind sifted through all the nightmare scenarios of how last night might have ended if Red hadn’t been there. Kidnap, imprisonment. Rape.
Perhaps taking the part of the female lead on Space Monkeys was a mistake. She’d drawn too much attention to herself.
Kate stopped herself right there. She was not responsible for what happened last night. No one had the right to hurt her or cause her pain. No one.
Straightening her spine and tilting her chin up, she passed through the doorway and on to set. “Thanks, Billy.” She practiced Carter’s smile, hoping it didn’t look as false as it felt on her lips.
“You’re welcome, Miss Kellan. Have a good day,” Billy said. At five foot five, Billy was small, fair-haired and not exactly handsome in a traditional way. He’d been a boxer in his previous life before becoming one of the security guards. His nose was crooked, Kate figured it had been broken more than once, and one of his ears was flat where it had been pummeled by a fist. He also had a scar over his brow bone. But when he smiled, his face lit up and he had a warmth that put people at ease. Unless you harassed one of his movie stars.
“See you later, Billy.” She crossed the warehouse to where the director stood, looking into the camera and talking with the camera operator about the first shot.
“There you are,” Sam said as he saw her approach. His eyes flicked up to Red who was standing behind her. “No guests on set.”
“Can I speak to you in private?” Kate asked quietly.
Sam glanced at Red with suspicion, he was old enough and experienced enough to sniff trouble when it walked on his set. “Sure.”
“Wait here.” Kate held out her hand to stop Red from following as the director stalked off looking anything but happy.
“What’s this all about, Kate?” the director asked. “We were scheduled for an early start and this is holding us up.”
“I’m sorry.” She cleared her throat and tried to formulate the words in some kind of coherent order. “Last night I went for a walk in the park to clear my head. I was coming around by the lake when I noticed someone was following me.”
“Following you?” Now she had his attention.
“Yes. I stopped and ducked under the trees, I thought whoever it was would just keep on walking but instead…” Her voice wobbled, and concern flooded the director’s face.
“Are you all right?” Sam asked.
“I am. Red was passing by. He kept me safe while the attacker ran off.”
The director raised an eyebrow. “This guy happened to be walking past?”
“I know what you’re thinking. But it turns out he knows Carter. He goes way back with Carter’s wife, Caroline, and her brother, Jamie.” The director still didn’t look convinced. “He’s ex-Army and I trust him.”
Kate pressed her lips together, ready to fend off any argument the director had. He glanced sideways, his gaze assessing Red before he turned back to Kate. “If you trust him, that’s good enou
gh for me. Did you report it to the police? Of course, it could have been an opportunist.”
“No, I was going to, but I haven’t gotten around to it,” she admitted. “I figured it was an opportunist. But I joined Carter and his wife for dinner and the guy showed up there, too. At least we think it was the same guy.”
The director’s head jolted back. “Damn it, Kate. This might be more serious than you think.”
“It might be,” she agreed. “Which is why I’d like Red to stay close for the next couple of days. If nothing happens, if I don’t see the guy again, then there’s a chance he’s moved on.”
“Kate, I want you to be vigilant. I’ve been in this business long enough to know how these things can linger.” He took a step toward her. In so many ways he was like a fatherly figure. Not that she would know, Kate had no memory of her dad.
“I know. I’m being careful.” She straightened her shoulders back. “Let’s get to work. It’ll take my mind off all this.”
“Good girl. I’ll make sure security at the front gate is aware of the situation. It wouldn’t hurt for them to be aware that they need to be extra vigilant. Big movies like these, where there are long-term fans, are the best movies to make for so many reasons. A built-in fan base at the box office is always a bonus. However, we also attract an often-weird subset of fans.”
He didn’t elaborate as he walked back to the cameraman, pulled his phone from his pocket and made a call that Kate guessed was to the head of security. With nothing else to be done, Kate focused on the movie and the next shot.
Walking back toward Red left a tingling in her stomach. It was as if she were a small child on Christmas Eve all tucked up in bed and waiting for Santa to fill her stocking. Only this time she already knew what her gift was. A big handsome man who promised to stay by her side.
And protect her. Because that was his job.
Why did she keep forgetting that? Why did she keep reading more into the situation than she should?
Because of the way he looked at her. His eyes watched her every move, his gaze caressing her body. Not in a predatory way. But in a protective way.
Bodyguard Bear (Bear Creek Protectors Book 1) Page 7
