Chapter 2
Tabitha was bored, but that often came with the job.
She worked for Steele Securities as both a private investigator and a security specialist, and her current assignment was guarding Trista Bellinger, one of the hottest actors around.
Trista was mainly known for rom-coms with a few dramas here and there, but the current movie she was filming was an action flick.
The first few weeks were fun, traveling back and forth from the hotel to the dojo where Trista was training with Joey Palamo, a fellow Goyle.
Even though she had a stunt double, Trista was filming some of the action sequences herself and needed to be able to make it look realistic.
Tabitha sparred with Trista, having to rein in her Gargoyle strength.
She’d grown up learning to fight with her cousins and Clanmates, all of whom were shifters.
It was going well until someone got too close to Trista’s co-star, Craig Kilbrook, and they were now sequestered at the hotel while Craig’s management team and the studio worked with the local police to ensure it wouldn’t happen again.
A man named Brad Campbell had threatened Craig with a knife and kept shouting “this isn’t over,” when he was arrested.
He clammed up once in custody. The powers that be didn’t know if someone else would target Craig.
Being unable to leave their hotel rooms without a bodyguard, everyone was going stir crazy.
Trista and Craig were going over their lines in the living room of Trista’s suite, while Marilyn, Trista’s assistant, sat in an armchair looking out the window with her tablet on her lap.
Tabitha often forgot the quiet woman was in the room.
She rarely spoke, but when she did, it was clear she was well-organized.
It was also clear by her narrowed eyes she wasn’t a fan of Craig.
This was the actors’ first time working together, yet Craig would stop Trista and instruct her on how she should deliver her lines differently.
Marilyn scowled at Craig, but Trista took his criticism in stride.
Tabitha found being behind the scenes fascinating.
She couldn’t wait until they were on location and filming started.
They had a couple of months in Atlanta until they relocated to New York.
Tabitha would miss being near her twin, but she would be close to her parents and little brother there.
She would also be close to Major Lazlo, a Gryphon shifter who happened to be her fated mate, and hopefully they could spend another weekend together, if not longer.
When her phone rang, Tabitha went into her bedroom and closed the door. “Hey, Mason.” Mason Steele owned the security company she worked for.
“Good evening, Tabby. I just got off the phone with Kilbrook’s manager. The studio has decided the security company guarding Craig is no longer a good fit, and they’ve hired us to step in.”
“I was waiting on that. So, who are you sending?” It wouldn’t be her twin, Anthony, since he’d recently found his mate and wouldn’t want a long-term assignment.
“All the males here are on jobs, so I reached out to Major Lazlo. He’s flying in tomorrow morning. I told him to text you his flight information, and you can meet up with him in the hotel lobby once he arrives.”
Tabitha pumped a fist in the air. Act casual. “Sure. I can do that.”
“Thanks. I’ll let you get back to it. Have a good evening.”
“You too, Mason.” Tabitha disconnected and tossed her phone on the bed, then did a little dance.
It had been months since the long weekend she spent with her mate.
Granted, Major wasn’t aware of that little fact, but Tabitha wanted him to fall for her organically, not because the fates determined they were destined for forever.
On paper, they didn’t work. She was driven to the point of being a perfectionist. Major was laid-back.
She wore designer clothing, and Major dressed like the biker he was.
Well, Tabitha dressed the same when she was riding, so maybe that wasn’t a good criterion.
Would you stop it? If you were the same person, life would be boring.
Her Goyle was right. Their differences didn’t matter. Their chemistry did, and man did they have that in spades. Then of course they would since he was who fate chose for her. She bit her lip to keep from squealing.
I can be professional. I can be professional.
Dammit, being around her hottie was going to be tough.
Maybe now you’ll tell him.
You know why I won’t.
Bah! You’re being stubborn. How’s he supposed to know he’s ours otherwise? Gryphons don’t have fated mates.
Tabitha’s beast was correct, but she wouldn’t budge on this.
She would not trap him by admitting what he was to her.
She had come close during their weekend together.
Leaving Major in New York when Mason called her home for a job had been disappointing, but in the months since, they had texted and called each other quite often.
Major Lazlo, hot male specimen of the Gryphon kind, was goofy and thoughtful.
He was fierce and funny. She would not think about the sex, at least not until later when she was alone in bed and not worried about her charge in the next room.
When Major and his dad had gone to West Virginia to help Sebastian go up against Dakota’s former wolf pack, Major jokingly asked if Tabitha was as hot as her mother.
That pissed Anthony off, but it was smoothed over quickly.
Tessa hadn’t waited to get home to call Tabitha and tell her about the hot younger Gryphon.
She was intrigued, so when she visited her parents, Tabitha dropped by the Steele Securities office to meet the male, and he asked her out for a drink.
She had immediately felt the telling nausea indicating he was her mate when he kissed the back of her hand.
Of course, she said yes. Who was she to deny destiny?
With Major living in New York, the logistics of a relationship weren’t the best. He had his brother and twin sisters there, while Tabitha had Anthony, his new mate, and all their cousins in Atlanta.
Granted her parents and little brother were in New York, but Tabitha couldn’t see leaving Georgia any time soon.
That was a problem for future Tabitha. She picked up her phone and typed out a text.
Me: I hear you’re headed to my neck of the woods.
Her phone soon pinged with a response from THM, or Tabitha’s Hottie Mate.
THM: Yes ma’am. Can’t wait to see your pretty face. Flight booked for the a.m. Gotta stop by the office and pick up a vehicle, then I’ll be there.
Someone knocked on the outer door, cutting their conversation short.
Me: Duty calls. See you tomorrow, gorgeous.
Tabitha put her phone in her pocket and moved from her bedroom to the living area.
Trista and Craig had stopped going over their lines since Perry Collins, Trista’s manager, was the one who knocked.
Trista’s former agent, Vanessa, let Trista go as a client at the last minute due to a family emergency, and Perry was her replacement.
His presence wasn’t uncommon, so Tabitha walked to the kitchenette and grabbed a can of fruity water from the fridge.
“Craig, please give us the room.” Perry strode to the mini bar, pouring himself a hefty dose of vodka, while Craig, followed by his guard, left without arguing.
Tabitha excused herself, but Perry stopped her.
“This involves you as well.” Tabitha took one of the armchairs, and Perry downed his drink before refilling the highball glass.
“The studio has rented a house near Stone Mountain where they feel it will be safer for Craig. It’s in a gated community on the lake, so there’ll be less people around than here at the hotel.
We will be joining them so that you and Craig can continue to run your lines. ”
Trista tossed her copy of the script onto the coffee table. “Why did you send Craig out when this involves him too?”
“Daniel wanted to talk to him.”
“When are we moving locations?”
Perry gestured to Tabitha with his drink. “When is your guy getting here?”
Tabitha almost asked how he knew Major was her guy, but she realized he meant as a coworker. “He’s flying in tomorrow morning.”
“Then we should probably wait until then so we can all go together.”
Tabitha twisted the bracelets on her arm.
“Actually, it would be better security-wise to go separately. A bunch of people traveling together is a sure sign that we’re relocating, and if there is someone working with Campbell, we don’t want to take that risk.
I have disguises ready for Trista and myself.
We can leave first, then Marilyn can drive over separately. ”
Perry narrowed his eyes. “Disguises?”
“Yes. They’re the same prosthetics used by the special effects department in most studios. My great-uncle is the one who originally created them.” Jonas Montague was a genius, and a long time ago, he designed the masks to hide the fact that he didn’t age.
Perry’s frown deepened. “Your…”
“If you’re trying to do the math, don’t bother. It’s easier to say great-uncle than great-great-however many times removed.” Tabitha waved a hand in the air. “But yes, I made several prosthetics while Cailín watched over Trista.”
“You made them?” Marilyn asked.
“Well, I had my cousin make them. He delivered them to the hotel this morning. After what happened with Craig, I thought we might need them for this very reason. But I can also fabricate them. The knowledge has been passed down through generations of our family, and one of my cousins has the technology at his lab. Moving about unnoticed won’t be an issue, as long as Trista’s whole team isn’t going at the same time. ”
Perry sighed. “You are the security specialist. If you think that’s best, I’ll agree.”