Читать книгу Her Soldier Protector - Soraya Lane - Страница 7

CHAPTER ONE

LOGAN MURDOCH SURVEYED the waiting crowd. After years spent serving overseas, usually in the desert and lugging an eighty-pound pack on his back, he had no intention of complaining even if he had to wait another hour for his superstar client to arrive.

“Stand by for arrival in five minutes.”

He touched his earpiece as the other security expert’s voice came on the line.

“Cleared for arrival in five minutes,” he responded.

Logan moved down the line, checking that all the waiting fans were securely behind the low, temporary fencing. A couple of policemen were on guard, keeping an eye on the large crowd, and he had a security team ready to help if he needed them. He reached down to give his dog a pat, before moving out with one minute to go to wait for the car. Logan had already led his dog around and inside the entire perimeter to check for explosives, and now their primary objective was to get the client safely from the car into the building.

“I have a visual on the car. Stand by for immediate arrival,” he said, before talking to his dog. “Stay at heel,” he commanded.

His dog knew him better than any human possibly could, and the verbal command was just procedure. One look and Ranger would know what he was thinking.

The car pulled up to the curb—jet-black with dark tinted windows—and Logan stepped forward to open the back door. He’d researched his client, knew all there was to know about her in the public domain, but nothing had prepared him for seeing her in the flesh. For the slim, tanned legs that slipped from the car, the beautiful face turned up toward him or the star power she exuded from her small frame. She was gorgeous.

“Ms. Evans,” he said, holding out his hand to assist her. “Please follow me immediately through the front door. Will you be signing autographs today?”

Her eyes—big blue eyes that were as wide as saucers—met his, and she shook her head. Logan might never have met her before, but something told him she was terrified.

“Yes!” someone from inside the car barked. “Candace, you’re signing autographs. Go.”

Logan tightened his hold on her hand as she stepped out, and suddenly they were surrounded by flashes that seemed like bulbs exploding in front of them.

“Easy,” he told Ranger, his grip on the dog’s leash firm. “Let’s go.”

He released her only when she loosened her hold, then he walked with his palm flat against her back, his dog on his other side. If she wanted to stop to talk to fans, then that was her decision, but anything that alerted him to a potential problem? Then he’d be the one calling the shots, never mind what her manager or whoever he was wanted her to do.

“Don’t leave me,” she whispered just loud enough for him to hear, a tremble in her voice.

“I’m right here until you tell me to go,” Logan replied, moving his body closer to hers, realizing his instincts had been right. “I’ve swept every inch of this place, and my dog never makes mistakes.”

Logan watched her nod, before bravely squaring her shoulders and raising her hand in a wave to her fans. The flashes from the paparazzi were still in full swing, and now everyone in the crowd seemed to be screaming out to the woman they’d queued hours to meet. He’d been doubtful that she needed such high-level security, but the worry in her voice told him that maybe it had been justified.

“Candace, over here!” one girl was yelling. “Please, Candace, I love you!”

Logan steered her forward, stopping only when she did. He noticed the slight shake of her hand as she signed multiple autographs, before angling her body toward the building. He took his cue.

“Autographs are over,” he announced, at the same time as the crowd started yelling again.

They walked straight toward the door, stopping for a few more fans just before they disappeared inside.

Logan touched his earpiece. “We’re in the building. Secure the exits.”

As the doors shut behind them, Candace collapsed against the wall, her face drained of color.

“Ms. Evans?” he asked, at her side in a heartbeat.

“I’m fine. It’s just overwhelming,” she muttered, resting her head back against the wall. “I didn’t think I was going to be able to make the walk from the car.”

Logan dropped Ranger’s leash and told him to stay, before crossing the room to fill two glasses of water.

“He won’t hurt me, will he?”

Logan glanced back and saw that his dog was sitting to attention, ears pricked, eyes trained on her. Ranger was looking at her as though curiosity was about to get the better of him.

“Lie down,” he commanded, smiling as Ranger did as he was told. “He’s a big softie and he knows his manners. The worst he’d do is lick you if I let him, and he sure seems to like the look of you.”

Her smile wasn’t convincing, but she did seem to relax. He passed her a glass of water, trying not to look too intently at her bright blue eyes, or the long blond curls that were falling over her breasts. In real life she was beyond stunning—much shorter than he’d have guessed, and tiny, like a doll.

“Tell me why you’re so scared,” he asked. “I’m guessing it’s more than just the bombings that have happened around the world lately to cause a seasoned superstar like you to panic.”

Candace nodded, sipping her water before passing it back to him.

“I’ve received threats,” she told him. “The first few to my house, then a package sent to my last tour bus and another to my manager. I was fine to start with, but it’s starting to get to me.”

Crap. He’d guessed there was more to this story, but the fact that he was head of security and hadn’t been correctly briefed was a major breach of trust from everyone involved.

Logan kept his face neutral, not wanting her to see him as anything other than trustworthy and dependable. It wasn’t her fault that not all the information had been passed along—he would save his anger for someone who deserved to be blasted. Like maybe his boss or her manager.

“I’ve worked with Ranger for five tours in warzones, so there is no chance an Improvised Explosive Device is coming anywhere near you without him detecting it,” Logan told her. “The only thing you have to do is make sure your people keep me fully briefed at all times. No secrets, no lies.”

The smile she gave him was shy, but it lit up her face, made her eyes swim to life. “Will you stay with me until I go on? I have an interview to do soon, but I’ll be in my dressing room until the show.”

“Yes, ma’am.” There was no way he was going to walk away when he’d finally seen her smile like that.

“I don’t even know your name,” she said, pushing off from the wall she’d been resting against as her entourage came down the stairs at the end of the hall, having been escorted into the building through a separate door.

“Logan,” he said. “And this here is Ranger.”

“Call me Candace,” she told him, her eyes never leaving his as they spoke. “If you’re in charge of keeping me safe, you can at least call me by my first name.”

Logan smiled at Candace and picked up Ranger’s leash, before following a few steps behind her. He might have moaned about being asked to work security by the Australian Army, but this job was turning out to be a whole lot more interesting than he’d expected. She was here to perform to a sold-out crowd and help promote Australia to the rest of the world at the same time, and being her private security detail might just prove to be the most enjoyable work he’d done in his career with the SAS.

Personally enjoyable, anyway. Not to mention it was a job that wasn’t going to haunt him in the middle of the night like his last few assignments.

* * *

For the first time in weeks, Candace was relaxed. The tightness in her shoulders had almost disappeared, and she wasn’t on edge, looking sideways to make sure no one was following her who shouldn’t be. Ever since the letters had started to arrive, she’d hardly slept and almost cancelled the last leg of her world tour, but she hated letting anyone down.

And then Logan had escorted her past the waiting crowd and into the building, and the fear and terror had slowly seeped from her body.

She’d had plenty of bodyguards over the years, usually hulking guys who could deal with any physical threat. But with the latest spate of bombings around the world and the situation with the letters, she didn’t just want men capable of brute strength around her. She’d asked for the best, and it looked like she’d received him.

“We’ll take it from here.”

She glanced across at her manager, Billy. He always had her best intentions at heart, or at least she hoped he did, but right now she wasn’t interested in doing what she was told.

“I’ve actually decided I want Logan to stay with me,” she said.

Eyebrows were raised in her direction, and she almost laughed at the stern expression Logan was giving them in response. She doubted that he was easily intimidated, or that anyone here would have the nerve to cross him, especially not with his fierce-looking dog at his side.

“This way,” Candace said, nodding toward the room with her name on it.

He followed, dog at his side, each of his footsteps covering more ground than two of hers. It was oddly comforting having his heavy boots thumping out of rhythm with the click of her heels.

“So are you in private security now?” she asked, wondering how someone who’d served in warzones was even assigned to work with her.

He chuckled. “Would you believe me if I told you I’m still SAS, but that the Australian government was so determined to have you here to promote their new tourism campaign they decided to send me here to head the security team?”

She shook her head, pushing open her door. Logan walked past her, his dog doing what appeared to be a quick check of the room.

“You’re not kidding, are you?”

“Nope. But I can’t say that I mind. After years on patrol in the middle of nowhere, it’s a nice change of pace before I retire.”

She sat down on the sofa and gestured for him to do the same, unsure of whether she believed him or not. “What do you feel like? Sushi? Something more substantial?”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re ordering lunch for both us?”

“Ah, yes,” she said, not sure why he found that so unusual. “Unless you do something different at this time of the day in Australia?”

He shook his head, a wry grin on his face. “If you’re buying lunch, then I definitely have no complaints about this gig.”

“I have a bit of a ritual that I always eat Japanese food before a show. I’m thinking sashimi and miso soup, but maybe you’d like something more.”

“Candace, I’m used to eating dehydrated army food when I’m working, so if you feel like sushi, I say sure.”

“That settles it then. I’ll order.” She stood up to use the phone, ordering way more food than they’d ever consume.

Candace turned back around, eyes locking on Logan’s as he met her gaze. It wasn’t something she was used to—a man not intimated by meeting her, not fazed by the circus they’d confronted when he’d escorted her from her car. She knew that she was no one special, but men usually reacted badly to her fame or her money, and the way Logan was behaving was the complete opposite. He was just staring back at her like she was...ordinary. Although she guessed a lot of it, dealing with the crowds and stress earlier, was more to do with his training than anything else.

“Can I ask you something?”

He shrugged. “Shoot.”

“You’re the first guy in years who’s treated me like a regular woman and not a celebrity. Is it your training or just how you are?”

He leaned back, crossing his legs at the ankle and stretching out his big body. Logan was tall and fit, the T-shirt he wore snug to his athletic frame, pants stretching over his thigh muscles. She’d sure hit the jackpot where he was concerned.

“Aren’t you a regular woman?”

She felt a blush crawl up her neck and heat her cheeks. It had been a long time since a man had drawn that kind of reaction from her, but he’d said it like it was the most logical answer in the world. Which she kind of guessed it was.

“Of course I am,” she said, refusing to be embarrassed. “It’s just that men usually avoid me, look at me like I’m some freak show because they’ve seen me on television or in magazines, or otherwise they’re all over me. Even most of my bodyguards have never gotten used to dealing with the whole fan and paparazzi thing.”

“Sounds like you haven’t spent much time with real men,” he said with a chuckle. “Or maybe it’s just that Australian men aren’t so easily intimidated. A pretty lady is a pretty lady, no matter who she is, and at the end of the day, I’d rather a camera in my face than a semi-automatic.”

He thought she was pretty? “Well, maybe I should spend more time down under. Is that what you call it here?”

“Yeah, that’s what we call it.”

Candace could tell he was trying not to laugh.

“So, are you going to hang around for the concert?”

“Is that an invite?”

“There’s a VIP pass with your name on it if you want to stay. And I can’t say I’d mind you hanging around, knowing that you’re keeping an eye on things that could go boom.”

“Sure thing. Can’t say I’ve ever been given the VIP status before, so it’ll be a nice change.”

Candace cleared her throat. “Ah, do you have a partner or anyone I should add to the list, too?”

“Yeah, but he’s probably not that interested in a show.”

“Oh.” He was gay? She sure hadn’t seen that one coming, and it wasn’t exactly easy to hide her disappointment. “If you’re sure, then.”

Logan met her gaze, his eyes dancing with what appeared to be...humor? “You’ve already met him, actually.”

She swallowed, trying to figure out why he looked like he was about to burst into laughter again. “I have?”

“Yep. He’s pretty big, beautiful brown eyes...and he’s staring at you right now.”

It took her half a second before she locked eyes with the dog staring at her, his black tail thumping against the ground as she showed him a hint of attention, like he’d figured the joke out before she had.

“That wasn’t funny,” she said, shaking her head and refusing to smile.

“Sorry, couldn’t help myself.”

“So, just the one pass, then?” she asked.

“Just the one,” he confirmed, standing up when a knock at the door echoed throughout the room.

Candace watched as Logan accepted the food and kicked the door shut behind him. He wasn’t hard to watch, the kind of guy she’d always notice no matter where she met him—tall, built and with close-cropped dark hair that matched his eyes. But he was strictly off-limits, eye candy only, because she was staying true to her promise not to get involved with anyone at the moment.

He paused, stood there looking down at her before crossing the room again.

“Candace, I won’t be offended if you say no, but are you busy after your show?”

Why did he want to know, and why did he suddenly look so...staunch? “Why’s that?”

Logan cleared his throat “I thought you might like a night out in Sydney, you know, to just have fun once you’re done with work.” He laughed. “I’ve been working around the clock for months, and I have a feeling you don’t take much time off, either.”

Candace stared at him, taken aback. He’d just managed to surprise her twice in less than a few minutes. “It’s not that I don’t want to, but it’s just not that easy for me to hang out in public.” Was he asking her on a date or did he think taking her out was part of his job description?

He put the containers down on the low table between the two sofas and sat down, leaning forward, eyes on hers. “You’re in Australia, not America, and the places I’ll take you, if it’s just the two of us, no one will even realize who you are.” Logan held his hands up. “But I have thick skin, so you can just turn me down and I’ll forget I ever asked.”

She took the plastic tops off the containers and reached for a pair of chopsticks, before looking up and seeing the serious expression on Logan’s face. He was serious. And she had no idea what to say to him.

“You promise I’d be safe? That it would just be the two of us?”

“I promise,” he said. “You’ll just be a girl in the crowd instead of a superstar.”

A shiver cascaded down her spine, spreading warmth into her belly. Now that was something she liked the sound of. “I’ll think about it, but it does sound nice.” It sounded way better than nice, but she didn’t want to lead him on, not until she’d had time to think about it.

“Well, you just let me know when you’re good and ready,” he said. “Now it’s time for you to tell me exactly what I’m about to bite into here, because I haven’t ever seen anything that looks like this before.”

Candace didn’t usually even talk much before a show, tried to rest her voice, yet here she was chatting with a cute guy and thinking about going out with him. Maybe Australia was exactly the place she was supposed to be right now, to take her mind off everything that had been troubling her since...way too long.

* * *

Logan fought not to grimace as he held the chopsticks—awkwardly. He wasn’t opposed to trying new things, but the food sitting in front of him looked downright scary. Not to mention the fact that he was more comfortable using a good old knife and fork.

“When you said Japanese, I was kind of thinking about the over-processed chicken sushi that I find at the mall.”

Candace gave him her wide smile again, the one that was making him wish he’d met her under different circumstances. Although, someone like her wouldn’t exactly have crossed paths with him if he hadn’t been assigned to mind her. She was an international superstar and he was...a soldier turned bodyguard for a couple of days. Which was why he’d taken his chance to ask her out while he could. That would teach his friends for pestering him about being single too long and not enjoying enough human company—he’d stepped completely outside of his comfort level with Candace.

“So, I probably should have explained to you that sashimi is raw fish, huh?”

Logan raised his eyebrows and wrangled with the chopsticks some more, trying to mimic her actions. Except she was already dunking her first piece in the soy sauce and popping the entire thing in her mouth, which meant she was way ahead of him.

“Here goes,” he muttered, leaning over the table so he didn’t spill any, his other hand ready to catch anything that fell.

“What do you think?” she asked.

He swallowed. “I can’t say I’ve ever wanted to eat raw fish before, but I guess it’s not half bad.”

“I do have one kind with a cooked prawn on top. Here,” Candace said, opening another box and then pushing it his way. “Try this.”

Logan shook his head. “I can’t go eating your favorite foods hours before your big concert. I’m the help, not a guest.”

She rolled her eyes. “If we eat all this I can order more, so just take whatever you like, okay?”

Logan stared at her, wondering if he was about to see her diva side firsthand. He had a feeling someone that beautiful and talented was bound to be difficult. “You’re sure?”

“Look, most celebrities have a rider about exactly what they do and don’t want backstage or in their dressing room. Me? I just ask to have someone ready to run out and grab me great Japanese food and bottled water, and I request good lighting for my hair and makeup team.” She smiled, shrugging at the same time. “I like the fact that everyone thinks I’m easy to deal with, so trust me when I say we can order more. These people are used to divas requesting a certain number of candles with a particular scent, flowers, bowls filled with expensive chocolates and imported candy. You get my drift?”

Logan got the picture. “Okay, pass me the prawn one, then.”

“That’s more like it.”

Candace pushed the container closer to him, as well as a cup with a lid on it.

“What’s this?”

“Miso soup. You’ll love it.”

Logan took off the lid, staring into the brownish liquid. “You sure this stuff won’t kill me?”

“Positive. Now stir it with your chopsticks and take a sip. The green stuff is just seaweed, and there might be a few pieces of tofu floating around, too.”

“Tofu?” he asked, pausing before the cup touched his lips. “You’re killing me. I don’t even think Ranger would eat tofu.”

As if he understood exactly what they were saying, Ranger let out a low whine that made Candace laugh.

“Tofu,” Logan muttered, taking a sip.

It wasn’t half as bad as he was expecting, so he had some more, careful to avoid anything solid that was floating around in the soup. He was probably the only person in the building who hadn’t tried this type of food before, but he was a soldier and a rancher—he was more used to simple steaks, vegetables and fries than the latest cuisines. Not to mention he was having to act like a regular guy instead of one who usually couldn’t go a day without exercising like a crazy thing—sprinting as hard as he could to outrun his demons.

“So, what do you think?” Candace asked, pulling her long hair from her face and throwing it back over her shoulders.

“I think,” he said, clearing his throat and putting down his chopsticks, “that it’s time I went and did another perimeter check.”

He was starting to become way too comfortable sitting around with Candace, eating fancy food like he did it every day.

Smoke billowed around him, obscuring almost everything. He walked slowly, not able to see even one of his feet, but he never let go of Ranger’s leash. And then he stumbled, looked down and realized he’d just walked over another human being, facedown in the sand.

Logan cleared his throat, pushing away the memories that always hit him when he was least expecting them. If he wasn’t on duty, he would have changed his shoes and hit the gym. But today that wasn’t an option, and neither was giving in to his memories.