Page 20 of Beast

Just then, there was a light tap at the door.“Come on in,” Ace called out.

The door opened and a man I assumed to be Piper’s father entered.He nodded to Ace before striding over to Piper.“You okay?”

She stood up, giving him a big hug.“Yes.Thank you.Sorry about this.I didn’t know who else to call.”

He dropped a fatherly kiss on her forehead.“No problem.I’m glad you thought of me.”

Ace spoke up.“Beast, this is Sam, Piper’s father.Sam, this is Beast.He’s the one who brought your daughter back for you.”

Sam looked over Piper’s head at me.“Thanks, Beast, for looking out for my little girl.”

Not so little, but I occasionally knew when to keep my mouth shut.“Just doing my job, sir.”

Ace motioned us all to sit down, and this time I followed instructions, taking a chair on the far side of Piper where I could still see her.Being her only security all the way across the country I’d gotten used to having her in my sight at all times.

“We need to talk about next steps.The threat is still out there.”Ace ignored me, talking to Piper’s father.

“I can take her to the Bureau headquarters.We have a couple of apartments there for guests.She’ll be safe.Lots of security.”

“That works short term, but you need a solution that eliminates the threat for good.”Ace leaned back in his seat, gazing at each of us in turn.“Her ex has mob connections.High level ones.The kind that don’t just give up.Sooner or later, he’s going to figure out where she is, and you can’t protect her 24/7 for the rest of her life.She’ll have to leave the headquarters eventually.”

“So what do you suggest?”

“We need to investigate the ex, hopefully figure out why he wants her dead, and then find some way to neutralize the threat.”

“You mean kill him?”Piper’s brows shot skyward.

Ace shook his head.“Not necessarily.That might just ramp up the threat.Those guys are big on revenge.We need to find out why he put the hit out on you, and what we can do to make him decide to rescind it.The mob is a business.If there’s no reason to kill you, they won’t bother wasting the money or resources.”

I spoke up.“I’m sure Shadow can do some more digging, but that’s going to take time.I have a suggestion to keep her safe in the meantime.”

All three of them looked at me.

“You told me your agent offered you a singing gig, traveling around the southern states with a band for backup.”I looked at Piper.“If it’s still an option, it might just work to keep you out of sight, at least for now.”

Piper looked thoughtful.“I think it is.The band’s lead singer got in a car accident and is out of commission, which is why they made the offer.I’d be a stand-in for this tour, so I’m not on any of the posters or advertisements.I have until this Friday to give them an answer.”

I looked at Ace.“We give her a fake identity and send her on tour.Maybe change her hair color, whatever it takes so she doesn’t look like the woman they’re searching for.She won’t be in one place for very long, so she’ll be almost impossible to track.I can go with her as a bodyguard in case they do figure it out.Lots of performers have bodyguards so it won’t seem out of the ordinary.If she passes on this contract, she might not get another offer for years.Or at all.Accepting this kills two birds with one stone -- a real break for her career-wise, and a chance to hide in plain sight while we figure out what’s going on.”

“Would that work?”Piper looked hopeful.“I mean, the tour schedule would be public knowledge.”

“It’s already set, so your name won’t be on the playbill.”Ace steepled his fingers.“It could work.”

“Does this Drake asshole know about the tour?”her father asked.

Piper shook her head.“I don’t think so.The offer came months after we split up.”

“How long is this tour?”

“I think they said six weeks.It’s basically a loop across the southern states and back.”

“Are you willing to take the time away from the twins to go on this tour with her?”Ace and Sam both looked at me.

I nodded.“Jasmine and Jewel are going to Europe with their mom.She wanted to do it as a just-us-girls thing.Mom and daughters bonding before they’re all grown up and go their own way.It’s been planned for over a year now, scheduled it with the summer vacation from school.They’re leaving in a couple of days, so the timing is good for me.”

“You okay with Beast as your bodyguard?”Ace looked at Piper.

I narrowed my eyes.What he was really asking was if she felt uncomfortable being forced into close proximity with me now that he knew we’d hooked up.

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