“Right on,” Sam murmured, visibly impressed.
Jacob reached into his inside pocket and pulled out his phone. After clicking it, he held it to his ear, his blue eyes fixed on mine. He greeted somebody by the name of Colt, then said, “Gonna get some photographs overnight couriered to you. Need a full examination of them and a profile put together.”
A wave of calm washed over me, and I closed my eyes.
This was exactly what I needed. Amongst all the anxiety and uncertainty, I couldn’t help feeling grateful for Jacob’s no-nonsense attitude and air of capability. Despite our complicated past, he was here when I needed him, and okay, he was getting paid for his trouble, but the peace of mind it brought me was priceless.
He was displaying the same protectiveness as the night we met, and it filled me with a sense of comfort that I hadn’t felt in weeks. I couldn’t have been more appreciative of how his confidence instilled the same assurance in me.
My shoulders relaxed, and for the first time in a long time, a genuine smile crossed my face.
“Thanks, brother. Appreciate you. I’ll keep you posted,” he muttered before saying his goodbyes and ending the call. Slipping his phone back in his jacket, he leaned across the table to address me. “You don’t leave my sight,” he stated. “If I go anywhere, Gambit takes over until I get back. He’s ex-SAS, British Special Forces, and his instincts are on par with mine. No midnight walks on the beach and no silly games where you decide you don’t need protection and try to slip away. This is serious, Saint. Whoever’s doin’ this to you is getting more desperate for you to notice them. You need to accept that until we catch this guy, you’ve got a new shadow.”
“She’ll be good,” Talia assured him.
“Need to hear it from you, Saint,” he insisted, his icy blue stare still locked with mine.
“Of course,” I agreed. “I’m not stupid. It’s starting to hit me just how serious the situation is.”
As much as I wanted to wave everything off and put it down to an over-enthusiastic fan, I was beginning to see just how dangerous things were becoming. Those topless photographs had made me feel so goddamned vulnerable that it was no longer something I could brush off.
“No unnecessary risks,” he ordered.
“Agreed.” I gave him a resounding nod and repeated, “No unnecessary risks.”
He nodded thoughtfully before turning to his men. “Gambit, you’re with Boomer. Ghost with Sam, and Trick with Jonny. We’ll keep vigilant around Talia, too. The first thing we need to do is sweep the house, check for anything that shouldn’t be here, then walk the perimeter and discuss how we can increase security.” He turned back toward the table and tapped the topless image of me angrily while lifting his stare to me. “This is unacceptable, and it won’t happen on my watch, but it means you have to play it smart. You can sit out here in the daytime but not at night, and never alone.”
“Saint had a new security system fitted a few days ago,” Tally relayed.
“We’ll need to go over it,” Jacob advised her. “I also want the details of the company that fitted it so we can vet them. From now on, wherever Saint and the band go, my guys dig into the people they’re meeting in advance. Colt can do a deep dive in minutes, so it shouldn’t inconvenience you too much.”
Talia grinned. “I’m starting to see just how shitty at security Covershield really is.”
Jacob shrugged. “We’re ex-military, so we don’t cut corners. You may think we’re over-cautious at times, but Saint’s stalker is getting more confident andmore desperate. That confidence may give us an advantage eventually, but in the meantime, I don’t want to take any chances.”
“It wasn’t a criticism,” she assured him. “I’m glad you’re taking Saint’s safety more seriously than Covershield did. Whatever you need from me or the label is yours.”
“We’ll start with the band’s itinerary,” Gambit interjected. “We can ping it over to Colt, get him to check everything out, and Trick can plan the routes.” His head turned to one of his men. “Right, brother?”
Trick jerked a nod.
“No last-minute bookings,” Jacob instructed. “We know stuff can crop up, and we’ll work with it, but we need to plan ten steps ahead. That’s impossible if you’re throwing spanners into the works.”
Tally dipped her chin. “Got it.”
“Any questions?” Jacob asked.
Silence.
He got to his feet. “We’ll sweep the perimeter, look for any gaps in security. Then we’ll all settle in with each other. Sound okay?”
We all murmured our agreements, watching as the SDSS guys stood from the table and headed down toward the beach.
My stare followed Jacob’s high, muscular ass as he walked away, and my mouth went dry.
“Put your tongue back in, babe,” Tally whispered from beside me.
“What?” I muttered, feeling my cheeks pink at being so blatantly caught checking out a member of the opposite sex. I was all about respect and consent, but something about that man messed with my control.
