Page 7 of Behind the Scenes

Instead of discussing his comment, Persephone ignored it and began to read from a file in front of her on her desk. “I got a call earlier tonight about a principal who needs your special kind of help.”

“My special kind of help?” he asked, wondering exactly what part of him she considered special.

“Do you know who Alexis Marchand is?” she asked, answering his question with one of her own.

Hunter thought for a moment. Had he ever heard that name? Nothing rang any bells about it. Shaking his head, he said, “No. Should I?”

“That’s why I chose you for this assignment. Something told me you aren’t like those two Peter Pans. I’d bet they both know who she is.”

Sure that meant she had something to do with sports, Hunter focused his mind on female athletes and tried to remember Xavier or Gideon ever mentioning that name. Alexis Marchand. Sounded like she might play tennis.

As he ran through the many conversations he’d had with them, Persephone began to explain who the woman actually was. “Alexis Marchand is one of the biggest actresses in Hollywood today. She might even be called America’s Sweetheart. She has legions of devoted fans who adore her, which is where the current problem comes in.”

“Let me guess. Constant adoration is now considered a problem. Oh to be America’s Sweetheart,” he said, not trying to hide his irritation at how too many people bitched and complained about every last thing in their lives.

Persephone’s face twisted into a scowl, cluing him in to how his comment hadn’t been received well even before she snapped, “Don’t be a smartass, Hunter. Your BFFs downstairs might find the insensitive ass act appealing, but I don’t. Miss Marchand’s problem isn’t that her fans adore her. It’s that one fan in particular is stalking her and making her life a living hell for the past few months. Her manager tells me she’s moved across the country to get away from him and still he found her. This is where you come in.”

He held his tongue and waited for her to explain what that meant, wondering what special talent he possessed that could help some Hollywood starlet. He’d met more than his fair share as a detective out in LA and had happily left that world behind him, so she may have chosen wrong this time when she picked him for this assignment.

“You’re going to join her security team and while you’re protecting her, you’re going to figure out who’s stalking this woman.”

“A bodyguard for some diva actress? You’re kidding, right? She’s famous, for Christ’s sake. I’m sure the police wherever she’s living now will be bending over backwards to help her. Trust me. I worked in the LAPD. I know we worked overtime for celebrities. I’m sure nothing’s changed in that area.”

His complaining earned him a nasty look. “You’ll join her security team in New York City tomorrow. Tess will give you all the details. See her on your way back to your seat in the game room.”

Hunter saw that she’d made her mind up and there would be no getting out of this, so he stood to leave and asked, “Any chance I’ll get some time off after this assignment?”

She looked up at him and nodded as she gave him a rare smile. “I promise after this one you’ll get some much-deserved time off. You will have earned it.”

Well, at least he could look forward to a vacation after this case. Not that he wanted anything to do with babysitting some celebrity while at the same time trying to figure out which pathetic soul was out there trying to get close to her.

Tess sat at her desk with a packet ready to hand to him as he exited her boss’s office. Handing it to him, she smiled. “For you.”

He took it and sat down on the edge of her desk again. “Will you miss me?”

“Of course. I get more exercise when you’re around, Hunter. All that chasing you do.”

“It’s the least I can do. See you when I get back.”

A look of concern suddenly filled her eyes. “Stay safe, Hunter.”

Brushing off her worry, he stood and began to walk back to the game room. “Don’t fret about me on this one, Tess. This might be the easiest assignment I’ve ever gotten since I started working here.”

He returned to the empty leather recliner across from the frat brothers who sat watching the football game and flopped down in the chair. At least he didn’t have to leave that afternoon, so he’d get to see a game or two.

“So what did she want? You going out again?” Xavier asked before muting the TV to hear his answer.

“Yeah. Some actress who needs to be watched. Like I’m some fucking babysitter. I get to play bodyguard because some sicko is stalking her.”

Gideon threw his head back and laughed. “Bodyguard? Man, you must have pissed off the boss. Who are you guarding?”

“Some actress named Alexis Marchand, whoever the hell that is. Persephone seemed to think you two would know who she was, which is why I got stuck taking this assignment. Maybe if I start acting like you overgrown juvenile delinquents I could get out of work too,” Hunter grumbled.

Xavier whistled. “Damn. Alexis Marchand. She’s hot.”

Turning in his chair, Gideon agreed with him. “Dude, she’s smokin’ hot. I’d take that case in a heartbeat.”

Maybe this would be better than he thought.

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