Chapter 2

chapter

two

Hayes

Even though I'm exhausted, I'm on high alert. I look out at the crowd, and they are going crazy for Velvet Vibe, and I can't say I blame them. Their sound is more of an old rock, but people of all ages love it and they love Melody Banks, the lead singer.

I take my eyes off the crowd for a few minutes and look at the woman that is singing life into the room. She's beautiful anyway, but on stage, in her element, she is a sight to see. She's rocking her hips side to side, pumping her arm in the air as she sings about love, loss, and picking yourself back up.

The band as a whole are phenomenal, but it's Melody that everyone relates to. She has a way that makes you feel as if you're the only person in the whole damn room and she's singing every word to you. Transfixed, I can't look away, and I know I'm not the only one.

Reluctantly, I force my gaze back to the crowd. After five years of doing this, I can easily point out the men that I'm going to forcibly remove from the premises before the set ends. The guys that are here to appreciate the music are fine. It's the ones that get ideas in their head that they can touch Melody that are the problem. I've managed to keep her safe all this time, and I'm not letting up now.

I walk out from the side of the stage to the front of the pit area, putting myself between the crowd and Melody. While everyone is looking up at her, I'm watching the crowd in front of me. I know the instant there's a problem when a man starts making his way through the crowd. He's completely focused on Melody, and he doesn't see me preparing for whatever stupid move he's about to make. I watch as he looks at the barricade holding him back, and it's like I can read his mind; he thinks he can jump it. Just as he climbs up, I come out from the shadows of the stage and grab him by the throat and help him over. His eyes are huge in his face, and I'm not sure if it's the shock of me with my hands on him or that he's cut off from oxygen with my hand at his throat.

Regardless, I pull him to the side of the stage where I meet Zeke, another guard, and hand the drunk asshole over. I keep it short and sweet. "Search him, get his info, and put him on the list."

As soon as I see Zeke's got him, I go back to my post against the stage but not before catching Melody's eye. She's looking down at me with wide eyes, and I give her a reassuring smile. Her cheeks bloom a pretty pink, and I'm not sure if it's because of the heat of the room or what, but I love when she blushes. I almost stumble on my feet with her eyes on me. She's so fuckin' beautiful, and it's getting harder and harder every day to keep my feelings to myself. I need to be professional because her safety is at stake.

She keeps singing, not missing a beat with her long brown ponytail swinging side to side, and I take my spot in front of her by the stage. I keep scanning the crowd, staying alert even though I'm exhausted from last night. One way to tell if it was a good show is the way the freaks come out on social media. As Melody's personal bodyguard, it's my job to keep her safe, and that includes from all cyber stalkers, from the men that DM her, send her flowers and post comments online about what they want to do with her or to her. I was up most the night, scrubbing Melody's and Velvet Vibe's social media.

She already exited the stage once and came back for an encore, so I know this is it. As Melody starts to sing her last song, I'm double-checking everything and making sure the exit to backstage is clear. Besides Zeke, there are three other women on the detail, and they're good guards, all with military background. I trust them all with Melody, but I hardly ever let her out of my sight.

The crowd is going wild, and as she gets to the last note, I've made my way to the exit. I watch her walk toward me, and she's sweaty, her eyes are glowing like she's on some kind of high even though she never touches drugs, and she's practically floating toward me. I love seeing her like this.

As soon as she reaches me, I put my hand on her lower back and walk with her to the dressing room. I already had all the flowers removed and the perimeter checked and double-checked. I know she's safe in there, but I have Kayla, another guard, go in with her while she gets changed.

I'm standing outside her door with Samantha, my second in command, going over the itinerary for the next day when Melody comes out of the door.

Melody stumbles to a stop and looks between Samantha and me. I give Samantha a nod. "We'll talk about this later."

I turn all focus to Melody, and her frown deepens. Instantly on alert, I look into the room behind her and see Kayla standing and waiting for her next direction. "What's wrong?" I ask Melody.

"I, I, can…" She stops as her stutter starts to take over.

Shit. It must be really bad if she's stuttering. She usually only does that when she's tired or nervous.

I put my hands on her shoulders, give them a gentle squeeze. "It's okay. Take your time. What's wrong?"

She shakes her head side to side and takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She pulls her shoulders back as if she's preparing herself and then speaks slowly. "I was just going to say that if you and Samantha are busy, I can get Kayla or Zeke to take me back to the hotel, that's all."

She's not meeting my eyes, and that's not going to work for me. I'm not sure where this is coming from because I've always been the one to escort her to the hotel. Hell, anywhere she needs to go, I go with her.

"Your safety is my responsibility." I practically growl the words at her as I tilt her face up to look at me. "You'll go with me."

But that doesn't seem to satisfy her at all. She pulls her chin from my light grasp and stalks toward the exit. "I'm just saying if you and Samantha have something going on… I mean, you are allowed to have time off, Hayes. We have an entire security detail. It doesn't always have to be you, that's all I'm saying."

Doesn't always have to be me?

What the fuck does that even mean? I don't even give her a respond, I just turn in the direction of where we're going.

"Let's go," I snap.

I walk in front of her and stop her before she goes out the door. She knows I always go out first. Samantha and Kayla are following us, acting as if they're not witnessing this, but I'm sure they're catching all of it.

"I don't need time off," I say through my teeth. "What's going on with you tonight? What's this about?"

She puts one hand on her hip and with the other, she points at the door in front of us. "Can we go already? I'm ready to get the makeup shellacked on my face washed off and go to bed."

I'm taken aback by her attitude because she's never been frustrated like this with me. I slowly open the door, look outside, and see Zeke waiting in the blacked-out SUV. I walk Melody to the back door, open it, and she slides in. I shut the door and then make my way around to the other side and slide in next to her.

Zeke pulls out as soon as we're both secure, and I turn to look at Melody. "Melody. Talk to me. Did somebody say something to you? Do something? What?—"

I stop talking because the more I say, the more pissed I get. Rage is barely simmering just under the surface of my skin. I take a few cleansing breaths. So help me, if someone hurt her, I'll kill them.

She's looking out the window, and she rests her forehead against the tinted glass. Her voice holds no emotion, but I can hear the sadness in it. "Nothing, Hayes. I just realized today, and obviously that took me a long time, but I recognized that you work all the time. You've been with me five years, and you rarely do anything without being at my side."

"So…" I start, not understanding where this is going.

She shrugs, still refusing to look at me. She closes her eyes and says softly, "So… You have to be getting it somewhere, and if you and Samantha are hooking up, you should be given time off to do it properly if that's what you want to do. I just wanted you to know that. I don't expect you to be by my side twenty-four hours a day."

Shocked, all I can do is sit here and stare at her with my mouth hanging open and my eyes wide. She thinks I'm fucking Samantha?

Hell, I haven't looked at another woman in the five years since I met Melody. I'm so fuckin' in love with her there's no way I could look at—let alone hook up with—another woman.

I don't tell her that, though. Hell, I can't. It's my job to protect her. Having feelings for her is my fault. I shouldn't be so unprofessional. It's the cardinal rule of being a private body guard. You don't fall in love with your client.