Page 37 of Stars and Scars

“I’m sorry if I upset you.”

She pauses, and turns a baleful eye on me.

“If?”

I sigh and then nod.

“I’m sorry that I upset you. I get a little intense sometimes, especially when I’m worried.”

“You get a lot intense a lot of the time,” Charlotte replies. “But usually, you don’t turn that intensity on me in a negative way.”

Her pretty face morphs into a deep frown.

“I know it seems silly that I post what I have for breakfast, but it’s my job. It’s enabled me to not only support myself, but to help my parents out, too. They never went to college, they’ve worked low-paying jobs their entire lives.”

The wind picks up off the ocean, bringing the scent of salt and stirring her midnight black hair. She is lovely in the moonlight. Her dress still nearly stops my heart when I slow down and take a look at her.

“If all it takes for my parents to be able to live comfortably is for me to hawk a teriyaki-flavored toothpaste to millions of people, then that’s what I’m going to do. I don’t need your approval, Grayson, but I don’t need your disdain, either.”

I nod. “All right, fair enough. I’m sorry about how that came across. I just want to make sure we’re taking the threat from the Order seriously.”

She blinks her deep brown eyes, and then a smile stretches over her face.

“Thank you. That sounded very sincere. And believe me, I do take the threat seriously, which is why you’re here.”

I gesture toward her to concede the point.

“I do try to be sincere, when I’m not tricking the bad guys.”

Charlotte arches her brows high on her forehead.

“And do you only trick the bad guys?”

“I try to be real whenever possible, but I’m only human.”

I pause for a moment, recalling something she said earlier.

“Teriyaki flavored toothpaste?”

She laughs, dispelling a fraction of the tension.

“It actually tastes better than it sounds, and my teeth have never been whiter thanks to the miswak component.”

“I’ll have to look into it, then.” I nod toward the villa. “Shall we see what Wyatt’s place is like on the inside? From out here it seems like a hell of a party.”

I’m not exaggerating. The thudding bass of music competes with shouting, laughter, and frequent splashes from what I assume to be a swimming pool. Colored searchlights flash and swirl just on the other side of a ten foot high privacy wall.

I offer her my arm. After a moment, she takes it. Her fingertips slide over my sleeve. My pulse quickens, and my senses reel in her intoxicating presence. I can see why so many people want to follow her on the internet. There’s just something special about Charlotte.

As we draw near the marble steps leading up to the entrance, I increase my level of vigilance. I’m taking the woman I’m supposed to protect with my life into a potential den of danger. I could be putting her right in the hands of the Order, if I’m not careful.

Two big bruisers flank the double doors, thrown open to allow the vanilla smoke and chaotic ambiance of the party to spill out into the night. I take in subtle clues from their appearance to assess their threat level.

They’re big, and I’m sure there's strength to back up their bulk. However, the skin on the backs of their hands is smooth, rather than scarred with frequent brawling. Their noses don’t have the telltale bend of a deviated septum, and the way they stand suggests their muscles are more for show than anything else.

If I have to, I can take them out swiftly, but I don't expect to. The Aegis Order would employ people who can blend in seamlessly with normal society. These behemoths stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.

Charlotte beams a smile at the bouncers. In spite of their seeming grimness, they both smile back. She really does have that effect on people.

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