Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE_
DOMINO
The woman standing before me was a vision. Even with the baby puke all over her shirt, her hair a mess, and the conflicting emotion across her face.
It wasn’t until she told me who she was that it clicked I’d seen her before.
“You were John Libsy’s CO, and I was—”
Oh shit. “His Maggie.” I’d seen countless photos, heard endless stories, and practically knew her already because of it.
She nodded solemnly.
Even though it had been over ten years since John was under my command, and he’d lost his life not long after being transferred out of my unit, I hadn’t been able to go to his funeral. I was on doing my third tour of Afghanistan.
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
She forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “It was a long time ago. My life took a bit of a detour after he passed.”
I glanced around the large mansion, the famous person Maggie shared children with, and noticed the vast difference between her life now and what it would’ve been like back when she was with John. “I’d say detour might be an understatement.”
Her face lit up, and I immediately knew I was screwed.
My gaze ping-ponged between Ryder Kennedy and Lyric Jones. I knew they were together, and Maggie was their child’s mother, but where Maggie fit in with them in a relationship sense was less obvious.
“Well, then,” Ryder said. “This little guy needs to be put in his crib.” He lifted the baby up to kiss the top of his head. “Lyric, come help me.”
“Help you?” Lyric’s nose scrunched. “What, you worried you’re going to throw him in there or something? Suddenly forget how not to drop a baby?”
They bickered back and forth as they made their way down the hall, leaving Maggie and me alone.
The tension was thick between us, but I couldn’t read the vibe. Was I attracted to her? The immediate gut reaction to her said yes. I could’ve sworn I saw a flicker of interest on her side too. Until she realized who I was.
John wasn’t under my command when he was blown up by that IED, but I didn’t think that would matter to Maggie.
I could remember all the stories John told us about her. How he said he was going to marry her one day. They were going to be together forever, and that she was the one.
“This is … weird,” she said, tucking a rogue piece of hair behind her ear.
“If you want a new bodyguard, I’d total understand. There are five of us assigned to the tour, and—”
“I never wanted a bodyguard to begin with, but if I have to have one, you’d be the best pick.”
I cocked my head. “Without sounding like I’m fishing here, why would I be the best pick?”
Her eyes turned sad. “Because John trusted you with his life. It means you don’t have to earn my trust. You already have it.”
Well, damn.
In this business, carrying out a protection job was always referred to as babysitting. I had been tailing Maggie and her kids for a week already—ever since the lead up to the tour began getting fan-crazy—and at every turn, she took babysitting to a whole new level just to frustrate me.
Tonight was the first show of the tour, and she was still being stubborn.
“Please let me carry something?” I asked Maggie who had the baby strapped to her chest while carrying a diaper bag on one shoulder, pushing a stroller, and holding Kaylee’s hand with her singular free hand.
“But how will you stop all the bullets if you’re wearing a diaper bag? What will that do for your masculinity?” She gasped.
Maggie was snarky. A smoking hot, snarky, competent, smartass.
“Bullets?” Kaylee looked up at her mother. Though, she wouldn’t be looking up for long. She was only eight but was already up to Maggie’s shoulder.
Maggie smiled and patted her daughter’s head. “I was just being silly. No one would shoot at us.”
It was true. Mostly. Other than a close call with a stalker, Harley Valentine hadn’t ever seen violence from a fan, and he was the most famous one out of the boy band.
Though, all of them were household names when it came to Eleven. Their solo careers were a different story.
“Then why do we need him?” Kaylee nodded toward me.
Hey, kid, if it was up to me, I wouldn’t be here either, but with Trav away, and half of the team on assignment, there wasn’t any other option.
Harley’s partner Brix used to be one of us, but he left to head up Harley’s security team.
His guys were all on other jobs because this music tour wasn’t exactly planned.
It was an impromptu idea they came up with on vacation when talking about their next album.
It was supposed to be a year out at least. But when a boy band gets together and drinks, they come up with really stupid ideas. And then post it on socials.
According to Brix, it had been a rough month, throwing together everything for this tour. Sets, security, roadies, venues.
He asked for a favor, and Mike Bravo always had each other’s backs, even if they weren’t members anymore.
I knelt down to Kaylee’s level. “I’m only here to make sure none of those annoying photographers outside the arenas get photos of you or accidentally step on your toes or hurt you while trying to get images to sell to the tabloids.”
“Paparazzi are annoying,” she said.
“They sure are,” I agreed.
“We ready to go watch your daddy’s show?”
Kaylee nodded, and she was so cute I wanted to boop her on the nose, but I refrained.
That would’ve been weird. Just because she reminded me of a young Maggie but with innocence and outrageous eight-year-old things she had said, it still would’ve been weird for me to act … fatherly. She already had two of those.
We made our way out to the car, Maggie still refusing to let me help her with all the baby crap.
“You know, the whole strong independent woman thing doesn’t mean doing everything yourself and refusing help,” I pointed out.
“It’s not part of your job,” she reminded me.
So instead of helping her, I stood there watching and feeling completely helpless.
How was it possible even her stubbornness was a turn on? I might have felt like a lazy-ass, but it was fun to watch Maggie be so determined.
There were moments. Brief fleeting moments where I could’ve sworn I caught her staring at me, but I was sure that was wishful thinking on my part.
I couldn’t get over how stunning she was. How … put together she was yet I could see the sadness inside her. The longing for a man who died ten years ago.
The way John used to talk about her, I got the impression she was this lively, strong-willed woman. And while her will wasn’t gone, that brightness he would brag about was.
It shone in moments with her kids. When she would get playfully exasperated with Ryder or Lyric. But it was always temporary.
I wanted to make her shine brighter for longer.
Indefinitely.
Turning down being Maggie's bodyguard would have been the smart thing to do—conflict of interest and whatnot—but her putting so much trust in me because of how John saw me all those years ago, I weirdly felt like I owed it to John.
I wasn't sure how he would react if he knew I was checking out his woman, though. Whenever I found myself trailing my gaze over her from head to toe, I'd look up to the sky afterward and send up an apology to him.
Maggie finally got the car all packed, Riff strapped to his car seat, and she climbed into the back of the Escalade with Kaylee.
It was one of those modified rides for celebrities where the back seats faced each other instead of the front, and when I glanced back in the rear view mirror, I could see Maggie and Kaylee.
I had to force myself to watch the road and not Maggie or the headlines might have risked reading "Bodyguard kills Ryder Kennedy's family in fatal car crash."
That was not life goals.
I pulled up to the arena, where the Eleven boys were already rehearsing for tonight's show and let Maggie and the kids out by the loading dock where Brix was waiting to take over from me while I parked the car.
By the time I made it inside and found them, Kaylee was onstage with her dad and Riff was asleep in Lyric's arms.
Maggie was nowhere to be found.
I approached Jamie, Harley Valentine’s assistant. "Have you seen Maggie?"
"Yeah, she stole Harley's new bodyguard."
I frowned. She wanted to fire me? "Should I be offended?" I try to joke.
"Oh, not like that. I think they're just talking in the band's dressing room. You know ... army chick stuff." Jamie's cheeks flushed, but I didn't read into it.
"I'll let them have their talk then." Though, I wasn't entirely sure what to do with the kids being preoccupied and Maggie being with Angel.
Angel could handle anything that came at them. Fans who snuck in, stalkers ... Hell, knowing Angel, she would've protected Maggie against an innocent stagehand. That poor guy.
Yet, when Angel came into the backstage area alone, I cocked my head at her.
"You're not with Maggie?"
She smiled. "I was. She's alone in there now though. Maybe you should go make sure she's not being attacked by jealous groupies."
"Are there a lot of those in the dressing room?"
"Hundreds. I barely escaped with my life," she deadpanned.
I tried to hide my smile but failed. "Guess I should go do my job then."
"Yes, you should. And do it well." Angel winked.
Okay, I knew I wasn't exactly being subtle when it came to checking out Maggie, but it couldn’t have been that see through … right?
Angel went to stand beside Jamie, and they smiled at each other in a way that let me know they had a secret. Or shared a secret.
Was it about Maggie? Did they know something I didn't?
I headed for the dressing room where Maggie was supposed to be, but she wasn't in there.
The bathroom door was closed, so I went to check in there before searching the rest of the building.
Maggie made it well known she didn't want a security detail, and knowing the kind of women I served with in the army, I wouldn't have put it past her stubborn ass to skip out.
Her kids were with their dads, plus had me overlooking them, so if she wanted to leave, she could have.
Hell, Angel probably helped her. Sisters in arms and whatever.
But when I reached the bathroom and raised my hand to knock, the door flung open, and Maggie spilled outside. She flinched at my presence, but I was too stuck on what she was wearing to do anything about it.
Holy damn. She'd changed into tight leather pants and a glittery black top that tied at her neck and a tiny string behind her back. Her hair was in a military braid, tight and low.
Considering she'd only given birth six months ago, she looked damn phenomenal. She was still carrying some of the baby weight around her stomach, but it was sexy as fuck. She was sexy as fuck.
My mouth hung open, but instead of finding my blatant ogling inappropriate like she should've, her lips twitched upward.
"What? Didn't realize I had real clothes that weren't covered in spit up?"
Sure. That was why I couldn't tear my gaze away from her. "Are you going out onstage or something?"
She laughed. "Nope. Just ... felt like looking good. It's been a while."
I frowned. "Lies. You look good every time I see you." I wasn't just saying that either.
From the moment I walked into Ryder Kennedy's house and saw her in dirty sweats, her hair a mess, she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. Did she look good in her dressy clothes? Of course. But I didn't care about the clothes.
Ugh, there I went again. I stared up at the roof and whispered, "Sorry, brother."
"What was that?" Maggie asked.
"Nothing." My voice cracked.
She didn't believe me. I got the impression she knew exactly what she was doing. Especially when she turned and bent over the couch, reaching for her leather jacket on the opposite side.
I had to chant in my head. "Do not objectify a fellow soldier. Do not objectify a fellow soldier. As my old CO used to say, no hooking up with your battle buddy."
It didn't work. I had so many thoughts, so many fantasies, running through my mind.
She was smiling at me, but if she knew what I was thinking about, she probably would've slapped me. I wouldn't have blamed her.
I didn't know what it was about Maggie. It wasn't as if we'd had any deep conversation or anything. But it was as if I knew her. Or, I knew John's version of her.
I wanted to see that woman. Bring her out of the shell she had put herself in since John's passing and becoming a family woman.
"It's almost a shame for you to get all dressed up when you won't be seen hanging backstage."
Her smile was back, mischievous this time.
I couldn't tell if I was nervous or excited at what she had in mind.
I should've been scared. I was responsible for her life, and if anything happened to her, I was sure the Eleven boys would hire a hitman.
Hell, Brix, my old teammate, my subordinate, would probably volunteer for it if Harley told him to.
"What are you planning?" I asked suspiciously.
"Well, like you said. It would be a waste to let all this remain unseen. So, I'm going to the concert."
I thumb behind me. "This concert? In public?"
"Yup. Angel is looking after the kids tonight, and—”
"Wait. Angel Angel? The woman whose name is the Angel of Death? She's looking after your kids?"
“It’s okay. Jamie will be with her too, and she’s babysat for me before. After Lyric makes an appearance on stage, he’ll take over. Plus, Angel says you trust her, and John trusted you, so …”
“There’s that blind trust again.” It was daunting. Someone putting that much faith in me when they barely knew me. I appreciated the hell out of it because I knew how hard trust was to earn, but it was a lot of pressure.
I just hoped I wouldn’t fuck it all up.
Angel had better protect those kids with her damn life because suddenly, the worst thing that could happen to me was breaking Maggie’s trust.