Her mom waved her apology off with an impatient flick of her wrist. “It’s always something. They want you to sing it again, sing it differently, sing it better. They’re never satisfied.”
Kay swallowed her usual protests. She was tired of defending her profession to her mom. Especially since she should have understood. Her mom had been a jazz singer before getting married and had recorded a few albums.
“Okay, I’ll see you then.”
Kay kissed Hope on the top of her head and then left, her steps quickening as she approached the front door. There were days when it was harder than others to leave. Days when her mom made her feel guilty for having to work so late or days when Hope cried and clung to her. Those were the worst. Even though she knew intellectually that Hope was fine as soon as she left, it was still hard to leave when her baby girl was crying.
There were some days it was all she could do to get out while she could.
FOR NOT THE first time in the past few months, Elliott Alexander wondered if he was getting old. He was great at his job and that hadn’t changed. But being the muscle had never been this exhausting.
“The senator has asked me to convey that he will answer questions at a short news conference after the hearing.”
He ignored the riot of questions thrown out by reporters and blocked them from following his current client, Senator Ross Evans, up the courtroom steps. A particularly nasty reporter who’d been dogging their steps for days stopped short just before bumping into his chest.
Shame.
He wouldn’t have minded knocking that little twerp to the ground.
The senator hadn’t been sure about hiring a firm headed up by a former bouncer, but due to his connections from his younger brother his firm had an impeccable record when it came to protecting celebrities. Alexander Security Incorporated had started out providing protection for boy bands, but after his move to Washington D. C., they’d branched out to protecting the celebrities of the nation’s capital: senators, congressmen, and influential businessmen.
“Hey, boss, I’ve got a message for you.”
Eli turned to face one of his newest employees, Tank Marshall. He’d hired the young gun straight from the military. That was how Eli got most of his guys. They were tough, disciplined, and determined. Exactly what he needed.
“What is it?” He kept his eyes on his client as he responded. The senator was spearheading a controversial new bill about immigration. He’d contracted ASI because he expected threats against his life. He wasn’t wrong. They’d intercepted several messages in the senator’s mail that indicated he was a target.
Now they just had to keep him safe.
“Carly’s been trying to get in touch with you.
She has some stuff that needs your signature, and she also said you got a package.”
Eli’s brow furrowed. This was exactly what he’d been trying to avoid. Sleeping with an employee was the worst cliché in the book and for good reason. It was messy. It was complicated. And when it was over, it was awkward. His assistant had seemed fine with their no-strings-attached arrangement. Until she suddenly wasn’t. Now he was ducking his own business affairs just to avoid dealing with her.
“Right. I’ll take care of it. Thanks.”
“Oh yeah, she said it had something to do with a prior case. K. Wilhelm.”
Everything in Eli seized up in that instant. “Wait, which case?”
Tank backed up a step, which wasn’t surprising if Eli’s face looked half as tight as it felt. He tried to smooth his features into something resembling calm as Tank fumbled in his pockets. He finally pulled out a scrap of paper and offered it to Eli, who squinted to decipher the other man’s crappy handwriting.
Package from K. Wilhelm. Received over the weekend. Already checked by security.
He looked up to see Senator Evans was entering the courthouse. He’d assigned a team of guys to shadow him, but he’d wanted to be personally involved in this case. Pushing papers behind a desk didn’t suit him. The more he threw himself into work, the less he could obsess over how jacked up his life had become. He still remembered the soft, open expression on Kay’s face when she’d realized they were standing under the mistletoe last Christmas. Kissing her was a luxury he shouldn’t have allowed himself.
Especially since he’d had to witness the devastation on her face a short time later once she realized he wasn’t coming back.
“Wasn’t she one of the girls in the singing group? I was on that job last year. Do you need me to check on it?”
Eli shook his head and motioned for Tank to follow the senator. Even though her case had been closed, he didn’t need anyone to check on Kaylee.
He always knew exactly where she was.
KAYLEE ADJUSTED THE microphone and nodded to Jackson, who was behind the glass in the control room.
“Whenever you’re ready.” Jackson’s voice came through the headphones, a crisp whisper directly into her ear. His production assistant, Michael MacCrane, gave her the thumbs-up.