Chapter 2 #2
For once, she doesn’t argue. Maybe she sees something in my expression that warns her not to push me right now. Or maybe she’s finally realizing how drunk she really is.
Riley helps Maddie stand, and Vander moves to steady her other side.
As we make our way toward the exit, Maddie stumbles again, and this time I’m the one who catches her. She looks up at me, her pupils dilated from the alcohol.
“My hero,” she chirps, followed by a giggle.
“Let’s go,” I say, already moving toward the door.
Behind us, I hear Riley laughing on her phone and telling someone—likely one of her fiancés—about how intense we all are. Rhodes mutters something I can’t hear, but his tone is amused.
The cool night air hits us as we exit the club, and Maddie takes a deep breath, steadying herself. “I’m fine,” she says, trying to pull away from me. “I can walk by myself.”
“Sure, you can,” I tell her, but I don’t let her go.
She looks at me for a long moment, then relaxes against me slightly, letting me guide her toward the SUV without further protest.
The drive to Riley’s place is quiet except for the soft music playing through the speakers. Maddie’s leaning against the window, her eyes half closed, while Riley chatters away about something her fiancés are planning for next week.
When we pull up to Riley’s house, her three men are already waiting outside.
“Thanks for the ride,” Riley says to Rhodes, who’s driving, before she turns to her friend. “Don’t forget to fill out that form, Mads. Trust me, you won’t regret it.”
Maddie mumbles something that might be an agreement as Riley slides out of the vehicle.
She’s immediately surrounded by her men, all three of them checking her over like she’s been gone for days instead of hours.
The tallest one, Archer, shoots me a nod of acknowledgment before they disappear inside.
“Home,” I tell Rhodes, and he pulls back into traffic.
The rest of the drive is silent. Maddie’s asleep, her head resting against the window.
When we arrive at her place, I’m the one who carefully opens her door and extracts her from the SUV. She stirs as I lift her, her arms automatically looping around my neck.
“Mmm not that drunk,” she mumbles against my shoulder.
“I know,” I tell her, as I carry her toward the entrance. Vander’s ahead of us, clearing the path, calling the elevator, and unlocking her door when we get up to it.
Once inside, I take her to her bedroom. The space smells like her, something floral and sweet that’s been driving me insane since the day we started this assignment. I set her down on the bed as gently as I can, and she immediately curls onto her side.
“Shoes,” she mutters.
I kneel and carefully unbuckle the straps of her heels, sliding them off and setting them aside.
“Can you manage the rest?” I ask.
She nods, already reaching for the straps on her dress.
I turn away to give her privacy and find Vander standing in the doorway with a glass of water and what looks like pain meds.
He moves past me and sets both on her nightstand while I keep my back turned. I hear the rustle of fabric, then the soft sound of her sliding under the covers.
“Okay,” she murmurs quietly, and I turn back around.
She’s tucked into bed, the covers pulled up to her chin. She sleepily stares at the water and medicine Vander left, then up at him.
“Thank you,” she says, and Vander actually smiles at her and nods.
Rhodes appears with a small wastebasket, setting it on the floor beside her bed. “Just in case,” he says.
Maddie’s eyes are already drifting closed again. “You guys are too good to me,” she mumbles.
As we file out of her bedroom, I pause in the doorway, then glance back at her one more time.
I close the door quietly behind me and follow the others into the living room.
Vander takes up his usual position by the window, his arms crossed, while Rhodes sprawls on the couch. I remain standing, too wired to sit.
“So,” Rhodes says after a moment, “what are we going to do about this Wild Steps thing?”
Vander shrugs, his eyes fixed on the street below.
I run a hand through my hair as I pace. “I might have to talk to her father, as I’m not sure I could watch her . . .” I trail off, not wanting to finish that sentence.
“Watch her get fucked by strangers?” Rhodes says.
“It’s more than that,” I snap. “Our job is to protect her. How the hell are we supposed to do that when she’s off in the woods with men we haven’t vetted?”
Rhodes sits forward, with his elbows on his knees. “You know, Maddie already feels like her privacy is being breached just by having security. We follow her everywhere, monitor her movements, and stand outside her bedroom door. What if we did the chasing?”
I stop and stare at him. “What?”
“Think about it,” he continues. “Our contracts state we do whatever it takes, use any means necessary to keep her safe. If she’s determined to sign up for Wild Steps—you know she is because she is stubborn as hell—and as you said we can’t vet random strangers, then maybe we should be the ones behind the masks. ”
“That’s out of the question,” I tell him.
“Is it?” Rhodes quips, and his expression turns calculating. “We would be in complete control of the situation and know she’s safe. And she would get what she wants without actually putting herself in danger.”
I look at Vander. He’s still staring out the window, but I know he’s listening.
“Vander?” I prod.
He doesn’t turn around, but after a long moment, he gives a single nod.
“You can’t be serious,” I say, but even as the words leave my mouth, I’m thinking about it.
“It solves multiple problems,” Rhodes points out. “She gets her fantasy. We maintain control over her safety. And nobody has to know it’s us.”
“Except we will,” I growl out. “We would know.”
“And?” Rhodes raises an eyebrow. “You’re telling me you haven’t thought about it? Because I saw the way you looked at her tonight—both of you.” He glances at Vander, then back at me. “We might as well have it work out in our favor.”
I want to argue. To tell him he’s wrong, and I haven’t thought about Maddie like that.
How I’m a complete professional and this is a terrible idea.
But I would be lying, and he knows it, especially after my moment of weakness tonight.
Seeing him on his knees for her set me off; he only gets on his knees for me.
On the other hand, I want to be the one on my knees for her.
“Her father would kill us,” I remind him.
“Only if he found out,” Rhodes counters. “Why would he? The whole point of Wild Steps is it’s anonymous. The clients don’t know who fulfills their fantasies, and the workers—or in this case, us—don’t reveal their identities.”
“This is a bad idea,” I mutter, but I’m already running through the logistics in my head. How we would keep her safe while giving her what she wants.
“Probably,” Rhodes agrees. “But it’s better than the alternative. Would you rather some random guys put their hands on her?”
The thought makes my vision go red.
Vander finally turns from the window. His eyes meet mine, and I see the same conflict. We’re already in too deep. We crossed a line the moment we started feeling anything beyond professional duty toward Maddie. At least this way, we can protect her.
“We need rules,” I hear myself saying. “Boundaries. This doesn’t change our job—we’re still her security.”
Rhodes grins. “Of course. Strictly professional masked men, providing a fantasy—”
“Shut up.” My sharp words cut him off as I walk over to the window and stand beside Vander. “We don’t tell her,” I add quietly. “Not unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Agreed,” Rhodes says from behind us.
Vander nods once.
I don’t know whether we’re making the right choice. Actually, I’m pretty sure we’re making a terrible one. Yet the thought of watching someone else touch her, chase her, fuck her is not an option I can live with.
“We’re doing this my way. Complete control and safety. The second it becomes a problem, we stop,” I tell them.
“Deal,” Rhodes says.
I look at Vander. He meets my eyes and gives another slight nod.
We’re really doing this. Maybe through some stroke of luck, Maddie will change her mind, and nothing will come of it.
I have worked for her father, Julian, for almost five years, and the first few years, I was security for the band.
He trusted me to take over with Maddie after the first incident at one of the concerts, and for the last ten months I have kept her safe.
I really fucking hope this doesn’t ruin everything I have worked so hard to build.