Stay With Me (KRK Security #5)

CHAPTER ONE

Ian knew there were worse things than covering an overpriced concert—he'd been on deployment, after all—but knowing it didn't change the fact that being here brought back memories he preferred not to linger on, these days.

Although today had been going quite differently from what he was used to in the past, what with the star of the night making everyone's job today harder than it had any reason to be.

"Check?" Jasmine asked through his earpiece.

"Torres, in position at the dressing room door." Ian looked around the empty corridor one more time. "There's been no activity for around ten minutes now. The hair and makeup team is in the room with her, and everyone else is gone."

The hour before that, it had been a mess, with people running around back and forth trying to make up for the fact that Sasha had been horribly late for no reason Ian could fathom even though he'd been there at the hotel and seen multiple people try to hurry her along.

At the arena, the sound check and the stage prep had all happened without her, but some things could not, which put everyone on edge.

Thankfully, things had calmed down now, and Ian hoped they would stay that way.

"Jackson, I'm on my way back towards Torres." Clay, Ian's partner, had been making a sweep through the premises and his voice was a bit echoey through the earpiece. "Nothing suspicious so far. Several crew members are pissed, but that's—"

Ian straightened at the pause, instantly on alert. "What? What is it?"

"No trouble, continuing the sweep."

There was clearly something, but Ian knew better than to try and make Clay talk when he didn't want to.

Today's assignment had been a weird one from the get go.

The norm at KRK Security was to refuse offers to be a one-time addition to someone's usual protection team from another company, but this was a friend of a friend request, so they'd agreed.

Ian was not going to make that mistake ever again.

They knew too little to feel truly comfortable—they hadn't even been told the identity of the special guest who would be making the appearance during the show—and the restrictions chaffed.

He was used to the easy flow of KRK Security's protocols he knew by heart, and this was anything but that.

Coupled with Sasha's entitled behavior… Well. Ian would be more than happy to see the back of her as they transport her to the plane later tonight and thus conclude their assignment.

Hopefully, the memories of a guy he'd promised himself not to think about anymore would go away, too.

A movement on his left made him turn his head, only to see his partner appear down the corridor.

"All clear?" Ian asked, grateful for a distraction from that train of thought.

"Yes, the exit route should remain clear, and we can go straight to the back without alerting anyone on the way out. The whole crew has been screened and they're the only ones with access."

"Them, and the mysterious guest."

"Yeah, about that." Clay grimaced. "Not so mysterious anymore. I saw him from afar. It's Alex Reed."

Damn it. It was as if Ian had summoned the man with a brief thought he hadn't even allowed himself to delve into.

"You sure it was him?"

"He took off his hat, and there's no mistaking that hair." Clay's voice was almost apologetic, and Ian needed to get a grip, quickly.

"I see."

Clay turned the mic off and nodded for Ian to do the same.

"He's bound to make his way here before the show, so… Do you want to switch posts? You can be on the monitors instead."

"No need, honestly. I'm fine."

"You know I'm not buying it."

"Well, you should," Ian insisted, trying to convince them both at the same time. "I'm here to do a job, and that's all I care about, former clients or not."

Clay looked at him for a long moment before he finally nodded and unmuted himself. "Jasmine, check if anyone leaked it yet."

"Already on it, but it's been quiet so far. Nobody has seen him in town, so he's not even on anyone's list of potential surprise guests."

"Yeah, because DC is usually swarming with rockstars," Clay muttered. "Okay, good. While it will be all over social media the moment he appears on stage, of course, that should be too late to cause serious trouble, hopefully."

"With how he's been lying low for months now, we can't rule anything out." Ian went over the plans in his head. "How are the alternative routes?"

"The first one's fine, the second's been closed off, but it might be prepared for him. I'll ask directly once I'm up there, since we know it's him now. He didn't seem to have anyone with him, though, so who knows how that's playing out."

Ian's frown only deepened. He had a good guess why they hadn't been approached, but to get into this mayhem without any security?

"I hope there's someone, because that's just stupid."

"Yeah, well." Clay shrugged. "Not the stupidest thing we've seen."

It was true, but it didn't make Ian any less worried now. Disappearing off the face of the Earth, fine. Showing up alone to an event this big? That was courting trouble, and Alex was smarter than that.

Or he used to be, at least.

Or Ian had seen what he'd wanted to see, yet again.

"Anyway, I'm going to talk with the head of the arena's team to figure out if we need to change anything, and then I'll take my post in the security room. Unless you want to switch?"

A part of Ian appreciated another out, but he was mostly irritated that Clay had figured out Ian might need it.

Sure, there had been rumors going around the company for years and Ian had received a tremendous amount of teasing for Alex Reed asking for him personally each time he contracted KRK for security, but it was one thing to be teased, and another to be worried over, especially after the last time.

Thankfully, no one at the company knew about that. Not even Clay.

"I'm good." Ian nodded at his partner, who clasped him on the arm.

"Good luck, then."

With that, he was gone, and Ian exhaled slowly once his friend was out of sight.

Damn. What were the chances? Months of no contact, not only with Ian but seemingly with anyone who would state so publicly, and now this? A cameo at Sasha X's concert was what brought Alex out of hiding?

When Ian heard the steps down the corridor again, at first he figured Clay was coming back, but then there was a familiar—too familiar—rhythmic thud accompanying them, and Ian straightened in his stance again, ignoring a lurch in his stomach.

He only got half a second to take Alex in—dressed in full black, with his long blond hair falling far below his shoulders and with the black and silver cane which had started off as a stage prop and became his signature accessory. Then their gazes met and Alex froze.

"Oh."

Yeah, something like that.

Ian owed Clay a beer for the heads-up, since he might have embarrassed himself otherwise, flailing between longing and anger at Alex and himself in equal parts.

Out of the various scenarios he had imagined of them meeting again, a random backstage corridor wasn't it. Especially with him covering someone else, while Alex—

"Please tell me you didn't actually come here all alone."

The words were out of Ian's mouth before he could stop them, and he cursed himself internally.

So much for staying indifferent.

Then again, he'd been the one responsible for Alex's safety way too many times in the past. Instincts were what they were.

He discreetly turned off the mike as he watched Alex clasp his cane with both hands before slowly stepping closer.

"I didn't. Sasha's manager brought me in and he's going to escort me back out as well. You've seen him, I'm sure. I'll be fine."

The man was 6'4 and built like a tank, so Ian could see the point, but… "He's not a professional."

"Well, the only professional I was considering was busy tonight, so." Alex shrugged, pausing a few feet away. "Here I am."

Ian opened his mouth, then closed it quickly. He shouldn't get into it. He shouldn't.

"I did ask," Alex added, quieter than before, and Ian's defenses weakened.

"You called the office?"

"Yeah."

Good to know your phone still works.

But Ian was too old for that kind of talk, so he just nodded, looking ahead at the wall.

"I should have—" Alex started, then shook his head. "I'm sorry I didn't text you, or call."

"I'm sure you had your reasons."

Alex frowned briefly before his face smoothened again. "I did, actually, but that's not an excuse after—"

The door opened and half-dressed Sasha appeared in the doorway, prompting Ian to quickly turn the mike back on.

"Would you—" Her eyes widened as she caught the sight of Alex. "You're here! Oh, it's so good to see you! It's been ages! Come in, come in, I can't hug you like this and I'm dying to!"

Alex glanced at Ian before smiling at her and following her inside, complementing the wings she had on.

Then the door closed and Ian was once again alone in the corridor.

And the silence over the comms spoke volumes.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "His only so-called-protection is Sasha's manager, so I'm guessing the sealed-off exit is for him, as you suggested," he said.

"Yeah, the boss here told me the same thing a minute ago," Clay said. "The rest of Sasha's crew is going to use that as well, which means there's a chance of him blending in with them on the way out. Not our problem tonight, though."

"Yeah." Ian rolled his neck. "We still have our plan A and B in place."

"Exactly. They'll start letting people in soon, but I'll notify you when they do. I'm about to go into the security room. You good?"

"No one's been around aside from Alex just now, and she's not going to be going anywhere with the setup she already has on, so we're good here."

"Roger that."

In the silence that fell, Ian tried not to think about Alex and the last time they'd seen each other, but it was hard when the man was so close, barely on the other side of the door.

When he'd looked at Ian as if no time had passed. As if he hadn't—

You need to let that go, Ian told himself firmly, like he had hundreds of times before.

It had barely been anything. Sure, the connection between the two of them had been building up over the years and it had felt real, but…

Maybe it was all that there was—a feeling, a hope—and maybe things could be almost right only so many times before Ian needed to finally realize they might never be, in the end.

And yet, whenever he'd been nearly ready to let go, to finally move on, Alex would show up and the spark would reignite all over again.

Last time, that spark had finally turned into a flame, but it had only lasted for a few hours. Alex had left, promising to call, and then days and weeks had flown by without a word.

Until tonight.

It would be so much easier if Ian didn't feel anything anymore—if the sight of the man didn't make his heart beat faster, if his hands didn't itch to touch Alex again.

Sadly, nothing about this was easy.

Almost four years had passed since they'd been introduced to each other and Ian had first thought oh, no, and now things were as complicated as they had ever been.

To force himself to focus back on the job, Ian asked Clay for an update.

"There's been some hold-up at the line, but the issue has been resolved," his partner said. "Seems like they're going to start allowing VIP ticket holders in right about now, so if Alex is still with Sasha, he should move before the place gets busy."

"Okay, I'll let them know."

Not giving himself any time to overthink, he turned to the door, but before he could knock, it opened and Alex stepped out.

"See you out there, Sash," he said, then caught Ian's gaze as he closed the door.

"People are starting to enter the arena," Ian told him. "You may want to move to wherever you're staying through all this."

"Sure, yeah, okay." Alex nodded, then hesitated. "Can you—" He motioned towards his ear. "It would only take a minute."

Ian let himself stare at Alex for a few seconds.

He could say no.

He should say no.

He turned the mike off.