Page 5 of Last Resort

“I’m willing to pay whatever it takes. You kept Leo’s situation quiet, and that’s what I need—someone with both discretion and skill.”

“This isn’t necessarily about the money. What about your own security team?” Brax asked. “Will they feel threatened by us coming in here on top of them? That sort of divided energy makes a difficult situation even harder.”

They’d dealt with that exact situation with Leo Delacruz, and it had ended in bloodshed. None of them wanted to take that on again.

Nicholas shook his head. “No, it won’t be like that at all. I would not even be here talking to you if my team hadn’t vetted you. As a matter of fact...”

Nicholas walked over to his desk and typed something. A few seconds later a man walked through the office door.

He was maybe in his late forties, with salt-and-pepper hair styled neatly to match his black suit. It was tailored, but not designer, and the slightly worn quality of his shoes told Chance he didn’t sit behind a desk all day like LeBlanc. He was on his feet a lot.

“This is Dorian Cane, my head of security. Dorian’s been with me since I started the company, and he’s known Stella her whole life. Dorian, these are the Patterson brothers.”

Dorian stepped forward and shook everyone’s hand as they introduced themselves. When it was Chance’s turn, he watched Dorian’s calculating eyes run over him, stopping briefly at the places where Chance had a weapon of some sort stashed. He only missed one, which said Dorian Cane was good at his job.

Chance sat and cleared his throat. “In your opinion, how dangerous is the stalking situation, Dorian? Based on your experience, are these pranks, someone seeking attention or something worse?”

To his credit, the other man thought before he spoke. “It definitely felt like a game at first, but the messages have been getting stranger as time wears on. I’m worried about escalation becoming a very real possibility in the future.”

It was one thing for a concerned father to say he thought a stalker was dangerous. It was completely different for someone of Dorian Cane’s experience to say the same.

And Nicholas was right. There was nothing about the other man’s actions or mannerisms that suggested he felt threatened or angered by their presence.

But Chance asked him anyway. “You’re alright with Nicholas bringing us in?”

“My top priority is figuring out who this stalker is. Something about him—although it could be a her—has got all my internal alarms going off. You guys are good. I checked you out myself.”

Chance had no doubt that was true.

“I can’t let Nicholas’s other security concerns fall to the side while concentrating on the stalker. Bringing in people we can trust, who can keep it quiet, is the best solution.”

“If we take this job, we’ll need to know that Stella will actually listen to us,” Weston said. He was the quietest of all the brothers, but he knew from personal experience that trying to guard someone who didn’t want to be guarded could be dangerous for everyone. “From what you’ve said, she may not be interested in that.”

Dorian looked over at Nicholas, who gestured for him to go ahead and answer. “Stella is spoiled. She’s used to getting what she wants, and she doesn’t understand that this stalker isn’t something to joke about. It’s unsafe and getting more dangerous by the day.”

Nicholas adjusted his tie. “Dorian’s not wrong. I’ve definitely spoiled and sheltered her more than I should have, but she’s my whole world.”

Nicholas reached for one of two framed photos on his desk and held it out to Chance. He took it, nearly doing a double take.

Ah, hell.

“We’ll accept the job,” Chance said. The picture solidified any doubt he had in his mind.

All three of his brothers looked at him with raised brows until he turned the picture around. Chance wasn’t the type to blindly accept any deal without analyzing the details of the contract, but this time was different.

Stella LeBlanc looked exactly like Maci Ford.

And there was no way anyone who had Maci’s face was getting stalked on Chance’s watch.

Chapter Two

“I’ve been waiting for this all day.”

The soft-spoken words tickled the skin of Maci’s rib cage as the feel of warm, calloused hands on her waist made her shiver. She writhed as those hands slid down to her hips, pulling her closer, and those lips climbed to brush her neck and shoulders. She couldn’t stop her groan at a soft swipe of a tongue along the hollow of her throat.

“Maci, you taste so good.”

Chance’s voice was so low it was barely a sound, and the heat of his breath on her skin gave her goose bumps. Threading her fingers through his hair, all Maci wanted to do was feel.

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