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  “Dude, you’re the man!” Slade said.

  “Yeah, this is a total score, dude!” Wreck said.

  “How the hell did you hook up with Lucky fucking Lazzarini, man?” Bones asked.

  Ryder caught my eye and winked, always the silent type.

  “Thank you,” I said to him, before turning to the others. “I’ll explain everything later. But first, you can unload all your bags in the tour bus. We’ll be traveling in our own bus during the tour. It’s waiting in the parking lot out back.”

  “No shit?” Fury asked.

  “No shit, man,” I said. “This is the real deal.”

  “Unbelievable,” Stryker said, as we all began to make our way outside.

  “Hey, Ziggy,” Slade said, siding up to me. “How is she?”

  “Lucky?” I asked.

  “Yeah, man. In the sack? Is she a wildcat?”

  “Dude, I don’t kiss and tell,” I said, laughing and shaking my head.

  “That says it all,” he laughed, slapping me on the back.

  “I didn’t say a word,” I replied.

  “You didn’t have to, man,” he said. “A woman like that? Whew-boy! She’s sexy as fuck.”

  “Hell, yeah, she is,” Colt said. “Did you see her latest video? She was practically naked. All wet and soapy in a bathtub. I watched it again last night. Twice!”

  They all burst out laughing as we walked out of the lobby, the misty rain falling down around us.

  “Alright, y’all,” I said. “You can say whatever you want to me, but please keep it professional with Lucky, okay?”

  “Of course, we aren’t pigs,” Riot said.

  “Speak for yourself,” Slade said.

  “You’re a snake, Slade, not a pig,” Riot replied.

  “Enough, guys!” Ryder barked. “Let’s remember that we’re professionals and we’re here to do a job. The tour lasts for a few more weeks and from what I’ve learned, there’s a very dangerous guy that we’re up against. We’re going to need to stay alert and think quickly on our feet. We don’t have time to be messing around.”

  “Yes, boss,” Slade said, nodding, his expression matching Ryder’s now. “We’ll snap to it.”

  “Thanks, guys,” I said. “Lucky’s really cool actually. I think you’ll all like her. She’s been dealt a pretty fucked up hand and found herself in a terrible situation. I just want to make sure she stays safe.”

  “You know we’ll do a kick-ass job,” Slade said. “Don’t worry, man.”

  “I’m not worried. That’s why I begged Ryder to take this job. Because I knew the only people who could do it right are us.”

  “Damn straight,” Fury said.

  “Alright, let’s get going,” I said. I led them to the tour bus we’d be using, parked amongst the sea of other buses that made up the fleet used for the tour. They broke out into a chorus of whistles and hoots and hollers.

  “These are some first class digs right here!” Nate said.

  “I feel like a fucking rock star,” Slade said, sliding on his sunglasses, stretching out on the white leather couch, and putting his feet up. “Do I look like a rock star?”

  “You look like a douche,” Riot teased. Slade laughed and flipped him off.

  It was indeed luxurious. All white leather and shiny, golden trim, the bus seemed to be practically brand-new. With a large bedroom suite in the back, it also had small bunks lined up on each side of a small corridor.

  “Smells like a new car!” Blade said.

  “Like a new fucking limo!” Vick replied.

  “It’s going to be a tight fit,” I said. “But we’ll make it work.”

  “So when do we get to meet Lucky?” Slade asked.

  “Now,” I said. “Let’s all go up to her room so you can all meet her.”

  “We should start work right away,” Riot said, as we all began pouring out of the bus. “I’ll draw up some assignments and we’ll make sure every entrance and exit is covered. I’ve been working non-stop on making all the arrangements with her management, who I gotta say, is really not happy with us taking on this job.”

  “Yeah, they’ve been giving her a hard time about it, but she’s adamant about this, so just ignore that as much as you can,” I said, as we walked through the parking lot.

  Since leaving Lucky alone in the hotel room, I’d been sick with worry, and I was anxious to get back to her. Now that the other guys had arrived, I wouldn’t have to leave her alone at all anymore. The relief that they brought with them helped me breathe a little easier.

  Sure, Lucky and I were hooking up, and it was amazing, but I wasn’t fooling myself. A woman like that didn’t stay with a man like me for very long. I was just a tool to scratch an itch, I figured. I’d let her use me for that, making no mention of anything more, and neither had she. We both knew what this was.

  This whole thing had now become a job.

  As of today, I was personally holding myself responsible for her safety.

  Sure, I’d brought on the Gods but I put it all on my own shoulders. That’s why I was nervous about leaving her. If I never left her side, then there’s no way that asshole Nicholai could get close to her. That’s the only reason I didn’t want to leave her alone. So I could make sure she was safe.

  It wasn’t the fact that I was quickly becoming addicted to her twinkling laughter. It wasn’t the fact that when she was within arm’s reach, I couldn’t help but touch her. It wasn’t at all the fact that my heart started beating like I was running a race when she touched me back.

  Ryder pulled me aside before we boarded the elevator to the penthouse.

  “Ziggy, we need to talk for a second,” he said, his voice somber.

  “Of course,” I said. “Ryder, thank you so much for taking this job on. It really means a lot to me. I know it’s not what we usually do.”

  “We’re happy to help,” he said. “I’m glad you thought of it. Gives the new guys some good experience, and it sounds like she really needs the help.”

  “She does.”

  “Ziggy, I need to ask you a personal question. Are you involved with Lucky?”

  I blinked, hard.

  “Yes,” I nodded, finally. “I met her in a bar and we hooked up, to be blunt. She told me what was going on and I suggested we could help her. That’s the extent of our relationship so far.”

  “I see,” he nodded. “That’s what I thought. I hate to do this, Ziggy, but I need to ask you to hold off getting involved with her any deeper until this is all over.”

  “What?” I asked, my face falling. There’s no fucking way he was saying what I thought.

  “Not only is it a Solid Ground policy, but it’s also a way to make sure we succeed at our job. It’ll just cloud your mind, man.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” I asked, laughing in his face. “I don’t mean to be rude, Ryder, but how many Gods have found love when they were working a case?”

  “Is that what you’re looking for?”

  “Huh?”

  “Love? Is that where this is going with Lucky?” he asked, staring me down, his eyes demanding an honest answer.

  “I - um, well — shit, I don’t know, man,” I stuttered, not even realizing I’d uttered the L word.

  “Right. That’s my point. You just hooked up, that’s all. It’s best to cut it off at this point and keep it professional from here on out. You aren’t in love, there aren’t any feelings involved, it’s easier this way. Trust me, this is the right thing to do. You’ll thank me for it later.”

  “Right,” I said, stunned, as he patted me on the back and walked away to join back up with the other guys. I stood staring after him, wondering how in the hell I was going to keep my hands off of her.

  CHAPTER 10

  LUCKY

  Meeting all those men at once was like walking through a wildfire. By the end of it, my head was swimming and the rest of me was a hot mess. I stood staring at them after Ziggy introduced each one to me. They stood in the livi
ng room of the penthouse, dripping in leather and denim, slathered in demon tattoos, adorned with everything from shaved heads to epic beards and cocky grins — a cornucopia of sheer masculinity that left my knees quivering.

  And yet, even in this sea of rippling flesh, I only had eyes for Ziggy.

  His long, flowing blonde hair and warm smile made him stand out amongst the brooding gang that lingered behind him.

  “Come in and sit down, please,” I gestured to them, finally regaining some sense. “Take a seat wherever you can find one.”

  Jesus, I thought, there’s so many of them. So many, I could barely remember their names. They sprinkled themselves around the room and I stood in front of them, feeling like I should say something.

  “Thank you for coming,” I said. Usually, Becky or Nicholai, or anyone else, really, except for me, would be handling this, but I’d pissed off Becky so badly that she’d insisted she wanted nothing to do with hiring the Gods. “I know this is an unusual request. But I could really use the help.”

  Ziggy was the only one standing nearby and he took a step towards me, his comforting presence behind me calming my nerves.

  “Lucky, can you tell us from the beginning, what’s been going on with Nicholai? It will help all of us to have some background, so we know what we’re dealing with,” Riot said. He and Ryder seemed to be the leaders of the group. Both of them were tall and mysterious, much quieter and more serious than the others.

  “Sure,” I said. I took a seat near the fireplace and dove in. “Nicholai and I were due to be married. He used to be my manager. He knows all the ins and outs of how everything works behind the scenes of my tours. He’s been my closest ally for the last ten years. Unfortunately, I discovered that Nicholai killed someone very dear to me shortly after we met. I left him at the alter. Fired him, of course. I even contacted the police with the evidence I’d found, but by the time they went looking for him, he was long gone.”

  “And yet, he’s been stalking you on the tour?”

  “Yes. Nicholai’s mother worked in the theatre in New York when she was young. She was a costumer and a special-effects expert. Unfortunately, she later used her skills as a criminal. She used Nicholai in her crimes when he was a boy, dressing him up as a girl and having him carry drugs or money onto planes, or whatever other scheming she needed help with. In the process, she taught him everything she knew. Nicholai has the uncanny ability to transform himself into anyone he wishes. Age, gender, race, size, all of these are things that Nicholai can use to adapt into an exact imposter. It would be magical really, if he didn’t use it for such evil.”

  “I bet he couldn’t impersonate me,” a voice sounded from the side. I looked over and saw the crooked grin of the man Ziggy had introduced as Slade. Indeed, he was very unique, from his missing tooth and slightly crooked nose to the bold confidence that dripped from his pores.

  I smiled, shaking my head.

  “I’ve seen Nicholai impersonate old women, young teens, even. You’d be surprised what he can do.”

  “So, is he trying to kill you?” Ryder asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “Not yet. He keeps leaving me roses, red ones, as if he’s just letting me know how close he can get. And I never would have imagined I’d have to worry about Nicholai, but once I found out he killed Eddie, everything changed. There’s no telling what he might do now. I need a security team that can not only keep me safe, but also keep an eye out for him if he shows up. If we can detain him, then the police will come and detain him for questioning in Eddie’s death.”

  Riot stood up and began passing out eight-by-ten photographs of Nicholai, and I cringed at seeing his face. Ziggy, standing beside me this whole time, put a hand on my back and I sighed and relaxed, leaning back into him.

  Abruptly, he pulled his hand away. I glanced up at him in confusion, but he looked away, avoiding my gaze.

  “This is the guy,” Riot said. “But, like Lucky said, he could appear as anyone else. Lucky, how did he get past the other security teams?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine,” I said. “That’s why I fired them. The first breech was at my record studio. He somehow found his way into the sound booth when we took a break. Left one of his stupid roses on my seat. That was with the first group I fired. The second time was a few days ago. I was in British Columbia. I had security guys lined up all the way around my dressing room, and yet when I entered my dressing room, he’d left another rose and a note, mocking me. I fired them on the spot. My management team is very unhappy with me, as you’ll quickly hear from my assistant Becky. So angry, in fact, that they’ve left everything up to me to handle, once I told them I was hiring a biker gang.”

  Laughter rippled up from the guys and it was nice to see how much handsomer some of them became when they smiled. They all seemed like nice, easy-going guys, but even more than that — they were intimidating. Muscular and tall, with thick, wide frames and some of the angriest resting bitch faces I’d ever seen would hopefully make Nicholai think twice about trying to harass me again.

  “Ma’am, I want to assure you that we will do our absolute best to keep every area secure,” Riot said. “I’ve already downloaded blueprints to all the venues left on your tour. There’s only a few weeks left and after the tour’s over, we’ll reassess your security requirements and come up with a new plan.”

  “I’m hoping this will all be temporary,” I said. “Nicholai isn’t stupid. He doesn’t have a death wish. And he’s not a big guy, not at all. So, I can’t see him putting his life at risk to get to me.”

  “And that’s exactly what he’d be doing, from today onward,” Ziggy said, still standing beside me. “Because you won’t be left alone for a minute, Lucky.”

  I smiled up at him, wishing he would reach out and put his hand on my back again. Since I’d met him, I’d begun to feel something that I thought was out of reach for a long time — comfort and security.

  I gazed out at the sea of eyes looking back at me and took a deep breath. I had to trust them. They were my last hope.

  “I think that’s enough for now,” Riot said, standing up. “We’re going to break away for a few minutes and disperse throughout the hotel and a few men will be standing guard outside your door.”

  “We leave for Los Angeles in an hour,” I said.

  “That’s just enough time for us to get our plan in order,” Riot said. “Are there any other concerns or information you’d like to share, ma’am?”

  “Please call me Lucky,” I said, “all of you. And don’t for a minute underestimate Nicholai. He could pull off the craziest of disguises, things you’d never expect. Just be careful.”

  “We will, ma’am — I mean, Lucky,” Riot said. “In the meantime, if there’s anything you need, here’s a list of all of our cell phone numbers.”

  I took the list and put it in my purse sitting nearby as they all rose to leave, feeling better already.

  CHAPTER 11

  ZIGGY

  I walked the guys to the door and stopped Ryder and Riot on the way out.

  “I’ll be along in a moment,” I said. “I just need to talk to Lucky.”

  “Remember what I said,” Ryder warned.

  “That’s what I need to talk to her about,” I said. I was thoroughly disgusted with the whole thing, but I couldn’t deny that Ryder was right. “Meet you in the lobby?”

  “Sure,” he nodded.

  I ran back inside, closing the door behind me.

  “Lucky, how are you feeling about everything now that you’ve met them?” I asked. She stood and smiled up at me, her lips begging me to kiss them.

  “I feel much better,” she said. “I like them. A lot.”

  “They’re great,” I said. “And even more so, they’re going to keep you safe. We all are.”

  “Good,” she said, wrapping her arms around my waist and pulling me close. She leaned up on her tip-toes, pressing her lips against mine. It took all my strength to reach around and grab her ha
nds and pull her away. She looked up at me questioningly.

  “I need to tell you something,” I said.

  “Oh, God, you’re married,” she said.

  “What?” I asked. “God, no.”

  “Oh, then what? This doesn’t look like good news.”

  “It’s just…now that we’re working together, I hate to say it, but I think it’s best if we don’t…well, you know.”

  “What?”

  “It’s best to keep things professional.”

  “What are you saying, Ziggy?”

  “I’m saying we probably shouldn’t kiss anymore. Or sleep together.”

  She burst out laughing, then stopped suddenly.

  “You’re serious?” she asked, raising a brow.

  “It’s Solid Ground’s policy,” I shrugged, taking the coward’s way out. If I was a man, a brave man, I’d have told Ryder that as much as I respected him, I couldn’t agree to his demand. Instead, I’d let him barrel all over me and make me think it was for the best. I mean, shit, maybe it was, but tell that to my throbbing cock and Lucky’s accusing eyes.

  “Policy,” she said, nodding. “Right.”

  “But that doesn’t mean I’m abandoning you, Lucky! I made you a promise and I intend to keep it. I won’t leave your side, not for a minute, not until this is all over. We just can’t…”

  “Fuck. We can’t fuck.”

  “Right.”

  She shook her head slowly, her anger fading into something else I couldn’t recognize. She smiled slowly and then turned away, leaving me standing there alone with a raging erection.

  “Whatever you say,” she said, flinging the words over her shoulder as she walked away. My gaze fell to her swaying hips, and when she stopped in the hallway and turned around, it took a surge of Herculean strength not to close the painful distance between us.

  I fucking hated this. There was no other way to put it. But Ryder was right. I couldn’t put her safety in jeopardy, no matter what I had to sacrifice.