Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Brinley could feel the man’s gaze on her.
She was doing her best to look calm on the outside, but inside she was shaking like a leaf. Callista had always had the ability to do that to her. To find the places that were most vulnerable and poke poke poke at them until she felt as if she were bleeding and raw.
But this time, that man had been there to stop her sister’s nastiness from festering.
She knew who he was.
Kind of. Not his actual name, but everyone at the pageant was aware of the extra security for Ayla Roling and her family. And rightly so, considering she was the Vice President’s daughter.
Some of the other contestants were extremely irritated, because they thought Ayla being there took away from the attention they craved.
Personally, Brinley thought it was sweet, the fact that her parents—who had one of the best excuses ever not to be in Fiji to watch her compete—had gone out of their way to attend.
She ignored the fact that US taxpayers were footing the bill for both the trip and the security being afforded to the VP and his family.
The fact that they wanted to watch Ayla participate was the kind of support she’d never had.
Brinley’s own mother had never told her she was proud of her.
All she heard was how ungrateful she was, how she should be doing everything she could to help her sister win, instead of everyone else.
When her mom learned Brinley would be at the pageant not because of Callista, but to help others, she’d lost her mind. It didn’t matter that it was Brinley’s job. The message she’d left on her voicemail had been full of the same insults and hatefulness she’d aimed at her oldest daughter for years.
The bottom line was that Michelle Deaton lived and breathed for her youngest, prettiest daughter, and Brinley was nothing but a nuisance and an embarrassment.
She had long ago come to terms with the kind of person her mom was.
It was unfortunate that she and Callista were at the same competition Brinley was working, but that wasn’t anything new.
She hadn’t been able to avoid them since moving away from San Francisco all those years ago.
Not when they ran in the same pageant circles.
Having an extremely good-looking man stick up for her had been…nice.
But when he’d told her that she wasn’t ugly, it felt amazing. And then he’d continued, telling her that she was beautiful.
It wasn’t true. Brinley wasn’t na?ve enough to believe him, but she did like knowing that he thought she looked like “the girl next door.” And his words about not being afraid to “muss her up” had her heart rate increasing and a feeling she’d rarely ever experienced coursing through her body.
Desire.
The thought of that particular man kissing her made Brinley yearn to understand what the fuss with sex was all about. But it was impossible for her to believe that he was being completely honest, especially when she was surrounded by the most beautiful women in the world.
Still…she couldn’t help sneaking peeks at him while she worked with her clients.
He was tall, and his black hair was liberally sprinkled with gray.
It made him look distinguished. And Brinley had always been drawn to older men.
She had no idea how old the man was precisely, but he couldn’t be too old as he was very obviously in the military, and she didn’t think he’d be there, doing what he did, being a bodyguard, if he was too old to do the job.
His light brown eyes had focused on her when he spoke, which was something else she wasn’t used to. Many times people didn’t like to look right at her because she seemed to make them uncomfortable. But not him. It felt as if he truly saw her when he looked in her eyes.
Saw the woman who desperately wanted to belong. Who’d only ever had one person, Cypress, love her unconditionally and without judgement.
Hushed voices at the back of the room caught her attention, and when she glanced over, she saw Nelson and Nazita Roling entering through the double doors, along with their entourage. Ayla had finished her rehearsal and was making her way toward her parents.
The entire top floor of the hotel had been blocked off for the VP and his family…
and a lot of the special agents and bodyguards who’d traveled with them to Fiji.
Not all of them, of course, as that would invite someone to blow up the entire building with all the “good guys” in it, but a lot.
The family wasn’t participating with the pageant groups in a lot of the extra activities that had been planned, like the tours, which seemed smart to Brinley.
She didn’t resent the extra attention Ayla or her family received.
She actually felt a little sorry for her.
But the teenager seemed unaffected and happy, despite all the safety measures that had been put in place.
She’d even overheard her talking about her boyfriend back home, who she missed desperately.
A second wave of contestants would be arriving soon for their rehearsals, and the first batch would be leaving to head out on the tour the second group was returning from.
Brinley would stay right where she was, as three of her clients were in the next group to rehearse, and she needed to be there to make sure their outfits didn’t have any issues.
Still…she couldn’t help looking for the man who’d caught her eye. Who’d defended her.
Brinley had always faded into the background. Blended into the woodwork. But right before the man walked out of the room behind Ayla and her family, he glanced back. And his gaze went straight to her.
He didn’t look around the room, searching for danger. It was as if he was purposely seeking her out.
Their eyes met across the room…and he smiled, then lifted his chin in that sexy way some men had, before turning and following the family out of the room.
Brinley put a hand on her chest, over her heart, feeling it pound under her shirt.
She had no idea what was happening, or why, but she liked it. A lot.
“Brinley! Thank goodness you’re here! I ripped the hem of my pants and need your help!”
The distraction was welcome, as Brinley was feeling way too many things to sort through at the moment. She turned to her Australian client and did her best not to think about what that chin lift meant. Probably nothing. Just the guy saying goodbye.
But even as she soothed her client and assured her that she could easily fix the damage to her slacks, Brinley couldn’t help but wonder when, and if, she’d get a chance to talk to the man again.
She had no idea what she’d say…all she knew was that for the first time in years, she was looking forward to possibly spending time with a stranger, and getting to know him better.
* * *
Two days later, Shadow felt antsy. Uneasy. And frustrated.
Uneasy because reliable intel had come through that a terrorist group may be planning something at the pageant.
He and his team had been working almost twenty-four seven to keep eyes on the VP and his family.
But the problem was that no one had any concrete intelligence.
Nothing that would warrant pulling Ayla from the competition.
Of course, it wasn’t just the safety of the VP and his family that was at stake.
Every one of the contestants, all their travel companions, and every spectator at the pageant was potentially in danger.
The organizers of the event were confident in their security staff and flat-out refused to consider canceling.
Too much time and money had gone into the event for them to call it off without any evidence that something might go wrong.
But Shadow was also frustrated that he hadn’t had an opportunity to talk to Brinley again.
Which was stupid. He didn’t know her. Had only talked to her briefly that one time.
But it didn’t seem to matter; everywhere he went, he kept his eyes peeled to see if she was there.
He’d seen her once or twice from a distance but hadn’t had an opportunity to get near enough to ask how she was doing.
To find out if her sister had harassed her again.
To do anything more than smile at her from across the room.
And that’s partly where the antsy feeling came in. Every day that went by was one less that he’d have to talk to her. Get to know her better. Once this assignment was over, he’d go back to Alaska and probably never see her again.
The very thought was making him feel almost desperate to track her down. To at least get a number or an email or something, so he could see if whatever he was feeling toward her was more than simple curiosity or pity—
No. He didn’t pity her. Not even close.
Sighing, Shadow ran a hand through his hair. He was tired. The entire team was. They’d been working nonstop ever since they’d landed. Remaining vigilant, watching for any kind of threat.
“Atlas, Zero, and I will take first watch tonight. The rest of you guys get some sleep. Go eat. Take a walk without having to look over your shoulder. Something. Especially you, Shadow. You’re on edge. Do whatever’s necessary to retain your focus when you’re back on watch.”
Torch was right, and Shadow was relieved that he’d made the decision.
“I need to call Zamora, brief him on the situation here, then I’ll crash,” Shadow told his team.
“I could eat a cow. Anyone up for some room service?” Grinder asked.
“I’m in.”
“Me too!”
Shadow wasn’t surprised Echo and Kodiak were up for food. His teammates could eat.
After making the call to the lieutenant colonel, and not getting any more intel about the potential terrorist attack they’d gotten wind of, Shadow decided he needed some fresh air more than he needed a nap.
He headed out of the resort toward the beach. Might as well scope out the area and clear his head at the same time.