It was hotter than Hades, made worse by the black suit and white dress shirt I wore. Sweat rolled down my spine, soaking the undershirt tucked into my belted suit pants. I looked damn good in the custom-tailored suit that seemed to be a requirement for all personal protection agents. But in the heat of the California sun, it fucking sucked, and looking the part just made you stick out even more.
A squeal drew my gaze, and I clenched my teeth. The wannabe starlet assigned to the team was higher than a kite and sucking face with some guy we hadn’t vetted. To be honest, we hadn’t vetted any of these assholes before our arrival. Thanks to Miss Fucking Priss.
When I noticed all the unknowns at the party, I tried pulling her out of the situation, but the pampered princess stamped her childish, petulant foot and stormed off, pulling off clothes as she went.
I hated starlets.
Only thing worse than a starlet was a politician. Both of them were pouty little bitches who needed their asses busted and their ears cleaned out so they could listen to fucking reason.
And this girl was both.
She was a wannabe starlet only famous for the size of her daddy’s bank account. Her daddy was a tech genius turned wannabe politician trying to ride his granddad’s coattails. Now, that man had been a damn fine man of the people. His grandson, not so much. And all that made our starlet doubly awful as fuck.
“Declan, we need to pull her. The paps are set up on the north side. They probably already have photos.”
I shook my head. Heidi would see the head shake from her position, but the others wouldn’t, so I said, “That’s going to be a nightmare.”
“Nightmare or no, she’s gotta get out of here and pronto,” Heidi’s brother, Lincoln, said.
I agree, but I don’t fucking have to like it.
“That’s why you’re the boss man on this one, cuz,” Heidi said.
I sighed. The filter between my mouth and brain had gone offline, and the words I thought I only said in my head had made it out of my mouth.
Heidi, Lincoln, and I were cousins—all members of the Holt family and on staff with Holt Security, a division of Holt Enterprises. Our family was the largest, wealthiest family in Texas, and Holt Enterprises was the largest privately owned company in the world. It served as an umbrella corporation that held the family’s oil company, cattle ranch, a private military contractor, and now, the security company Heidi, Linc, and I worked for that our cousin Walker started. His dad, my uncle Matthew, finally convinced his son, Walker, to merge his security firm with the PMC. According to Uncle Matthew, it made good business sense.
Fuck if I knew if it did or not, but Walker must’ve agreed. I was a peon. A grunt. Cannon fodder, if you will. And I was good with that. I had no desire to be any more in charge than I already was. If I were being honest, even being the head of the team watching little Miss Sparkly Tits—why anyone would slather themselves in fucking glitter, I didn’t know—was too much. I preferred being handed my assignment and following someone else’s lead.
“Declan…”
“I’m going.”
I moved toward the pool, dreading what I would have to do next.
“Ms. Cagot?” I said her name, and she ignored me.
“Mara!” I yelled.
“What do you want, Men in Black? Don’t you have some aliens to chase?”
Her fellow fucktards burst out laughing at her antics, and I swore under my breath. Gritting my teeth, I reached down, grasped Mara Cagot under the arms, and pulled her out of the pool and off the guy’s lap she’d been fucking.
In a pool.
In broad daylight.
While snorting coke off the dude’s shoulder.
As fifty people watched.
And the paparazzi most likely took pictures with their telephoto lenses.
Screeching and flailing commenced. She was like a toddler throwing a fucking tantrum. Luckily, Lincoln was there with his suit coat, and Heidi came forward to grab Mara’s cell phone from the table, where she dropped it before jumping into the pool.
“You motherfucker! Get your hands off me! I’m calling the cops!”
Lincoln and I ignored her, walking her wiggling, screaming, bratty ass into the house by her elbows, her feet barely touching the floor. Once in the house, I looked at Heidi and said, “Find her something to wear so Lincoln can have his coat back.”
