Page 5 of Call Sign: King
Khloe was the real deal. She was beautiful inside and out and was more talented than ten other actresses combined. There was no way he’d ever want her to hide those talents from the world. She was a shooting star and deserved every accolade she received.
No, it was his life that needed to stay in the shadows, not hers.
Ryder finally added, “She wants us to go public. I’ve promised to appear in public with her as a member of her personal protection detail. Her make-up artists are on deck to modify my appearance enough to hopefully throw off facial recognition apps. And even if people recognize me and dig up any info on BSO, personal protection detail is consistent with other jobs we’ve taken. The paparazzi may snap a picture of us together, but I refuse to let them see the true nature of our relationship.”
Wrath’s voice piped into Ryder’s ear. “And like I told you; you have no control over that. The minute you are in the same photo frame as her, you’ll lose all control over your anonymity.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” Ryder almost shouted back, frustrated Wrath was echoing the same thoughts that kept him awake at night.
He hated having this very personal conversation with literally every member of his North American team listening in, but putting himself in danger also put them in danger.
“I think it’s romantic,” Arrow added, breaking the awkward silence.
“Spoken like a girl,” Tank pointed out.
“What, none of you have a significant other?” Arrow asked.
“Just Thunder. He’s engaged, but the rest of us are footloose and free,” MacGyver grinned, answering for the rest of the crew. “We aren’t home long enough for relationships.”
That was exactly how Ryder had lived the first thirty-eight years of his life. No one had been more surprised that he’d not only met but fallen in love with Khloe Monroe, and as much as being in love with an internationally known celebrity was a pain in his ass, he wouldn’t change it for the world.
“I’ll keep taking as many precautions as I need to,” he reasoned before adding, “I’ve had my entire network monitoring my oldest enemies. If I thought I was putting my Queen in any danger, believe me, I’d stay home.”
While those words were true, there were no such thing as guarantees… not in this business. Which meant living life on the edge — something he’d unfortunately gotten very good at.
Chapter Two
KHLOE
“Don’t forget to stop and give Kathleen O’Malley three minutes. The production company sold an exclusive to Entertainment Roundup. You’re supposed to have a follow-up sit down when you get back from Toronto and her story will go with the photo shoot you did last Thursday,” Ricky reminded her, holding out a compact mirror for Khloe to do a last-minute check.
She didn’t need to see her face to know there was a frown there.
Tonight was a night she’d been looking forward to for literally years. A day she wasn’t sure would ever come. Now, it looked like she’d got her hopes up for nothing.
“Khloe? Did you get that?” her agent, Angela Haskin asked from the seat across from her in the stretch limousine.
“Sorry. Can you repeat that please?” she requested, trying her best to dig herself out of her funk.
“The O’Malley interview. We have a contract with them. It’s important. She’s got the exclusive on the news of you landing the role in the next Nolan Boeing movie alongside Piper Kole, not to mention the multi-million-dollar ad campaign with the country’s number one fashion house you just secured.”
She did her best not to let her shitty mood seep into her reply.
“I heard. I won’t forget. I’m a professional. This is my job. I’m good at it.”
Okay, so maybe she wasn’t hiding her disappointment.
“He promised to come if he could. Even if he’s not here before the premier, he may get here in time for the after party.”
As usual, her best friend and personal bodyguard had his finger on the pulse of what was really happening inside her head. As an actress, she could usually fool most people when she wanted to, but Trevor McLean had proven he was the only person on the planet other than her husband, Ryder, who always knew what she was thinking.
“I know. I get it,” she admitted reluctantly. And the truth was, she did. Ryder Helms and the men who worked for him saved lives. “His job is important. I don’t blame him for not being able to get time off to go to the movies.”
“Stop it,” Trevor cautioned. “This isn’t just going to the movies for him, and you know it. He hates not being able to publicly show how proud of you he is.”
“Since when did you become the head of the Ryder Helms cheerleading section?” she asked. The two most important men in her life had bumped heads over the years.
“I just understand where he’s coming from, that’s all.”
