Page 6 of Flirtatious

I open my mouth to deflect attention to my missing cousins and their girlfriends, but just as I begin to say their names, the two happy couples walk out the back door to join us all. Hoping to take advantage of that, I smile and say, “Just these four. Long time, no see. Where have you guys been?”

Cade senses I’m trying to push attention onto them and gives me a knowing smile. “In the house getting something to drink. So who was missing?”

I level a glare at him and shake my head. “Payback’s going to be a bitch, dude.”

Cash decides to join in and ask the same question, and within a few seconds, everyone on the goddamned porch is asking about who’s missing. Jesus, this family is like a dog with a bone once they get onto a topic.

Since it’s obvious I’m going to have to answer their question if this party is ever going to even have a chance of getting better, I say, “Mia. The singer. Well, I thought she was a pianist, but that seems to have been some mistake. She was missing. Now she’s not. Are all you amateur sleuths satisfied? Now how about we turn the conversation to something interesting, like if today’s the day we find out one of the happy couples are getting married.”

Unfortunately, nobody takes the bait. From the other side of the porch, my grandmother chuckles. “He’s just like you, Kane. We’re not going to fall for whatever subterfuge this is, Liam. Everyone knows you’re working for that girl, so what’s the scoop?”

So much for moving on. Once Alexandria March decides we’re talking about something, we’re damn well talking about that and only that. Fucking terrific.

“I’m not working for her. That fell through months ago. She’s crazy on wheels, so when they asked me again to take on being her security chief, I politely declined.”

Cash slaps me on the shoulder and laughs. “That’s not your circus and those aren’t your monkeys? Sounds like you made the right move considering all I’ve been seeing on TV about her. That press conference with her mother made it sound like some terrorists had taken her. So she’s okay?”

“She’s fine, so we can all stop talking about it since it has nothing to do with me or any of us. Time for a new subject. How about the one where the happy couples tell us all when the big days are?” I suggest before taking another gulp of beer.

I’m going to need a whole lot more of that if this party doesn’t stop being a discussion of Mia and her insanity. The only thing worse would be everyone asking how living with Wilder is going.

Since my mother can’t leave well enough alone, she asks, “Why did you turn down that assignment? I thought you were a lock for that.”

As much as I want to say every reason I have can be found in the hour after hour of news coverage of Mia and her disappearance over the past few days, I simply smile and answer, “It didn’t feel right, Mom. I’m not the right kind of person for that job.”

Everyone around us agrees, but my mother won’t let the subject die. “I disagree, honey. You’re exactly what that girl needs and desperately, I might add. I’ve watched all the news reports about her. She needs someone to set her on the right path, Liam.”

Looking down into her blue eyes so full of earnest concern for someone she’s never met, I can’t help but think my mother’s too kind for this world. “Mom, she’s never going to change. Too many years of being allowed to run wild means she would never want to work with anyone like me. For God’s sake, her last chief of security was the person who helped her run away. It’s not my job to set someone on the right path.”

I want to add that if I could do that, I’d try it with her other son, but I don’t. If I think this topic is tiresome, that’s nothing compared to the Wilder discussion. Most of the family thinks he’s good for nothing, but my parents keep hoping against hope that he’ll turn out to be that sweet, wonderful person they’re so sure he is deep down inside. They don’t deserve to have to defend him yet again from the truth everyone else in our family already knows all too well.

My mother takes my hand and tugs me off to the side as everyone moves on to something else to talk about, thankfully. “Honey, that girl needs stable people around her. You’re the most stable person I know. Why do you think I asked you to let your brother stay with you? Yes, I wanted some time alone with your father, but I also hoped you might rub off on him.”

“That’s not how things work, Mom,” I say quietly, hating how the hope never fades from her beautiful eyes. “Not with Wilder and not with this Mia girl. If they wanted to be like me, they would be already.”

She doesn’t say another word, but even as that hope remains, I see disappointment begin to cloud her expression. Whether it’s for the client I turned down or my brother, I have no idea.

By the timeI get back to my place a few hours later, the discussion of Mia and her crazy life is a distant memory after a day of good times with my family. Falling back onto my bed, I hear Wilder turn up the music out in the living room, a sure sign he’s planning to continue the party here tonight.

My phone rings, and I see it’s VIP Security. Maybe I was too hasty in thinking they’d never offer me another assignment again.

“Liam, it’s Jonah Bradley. I can offer fifty percent more in pay and a bonus of ten grand to take the job.”

“The Mia job? You still haven’t found anyone to take that assignment?” I ask, stunned I can’t stop this woman’s name from invading my life once again.

“Yeah. Fifty percent more than your usual pay and a ten grand bonus the second you say yes. So will you do it?”

Instantly, the word no forms on my lips, but then all that stuff my mother said about Mia needing stable people around her comes back to me. Maybe I could help her.

“Fine. Fifty percent more and ten grand right now and I’ll do it. But you better warn them. I’m not taking this job to be just another clown in the Mia circus. I take my job seriously, so I expect them to understand I’m there to handle security like a professional.”

“Great! I’ll be sure to tell her mother that. She’s her manager, so she’s the one you’ll be dealing with, for the most part. She returned back home two days ago, so you’ll need to meet with them at her home tomorrow to get things going. I’ll have my assistant send you the details. Make it late morning. She likes to sleep in.”

“The mother or the superstar?” I ask, not trying to temper my snideness.

“Both. Good luck, and remember I have the utmost faith in you.”

I toss my phone beside me onto the bed and let out a heavy sigh as Wilder’s music fills the room around me. Christ, I hope I haven’t made a mistake. The last thing I need in my life is a diva like Mia.

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