Shame.

He wouldn’t have minded knocking that little twerp to the ground.

The senator hadn’t been sure about hiring a firm headed up by a former bouncer, but due to his connections from his younger brother his firm had an impeccable record when it came to protecting celebrities. Alexander Security Incorporated had started out providing protection for boy bands, but after his move to Washington D. C., they’d branched out to protecting the celebrities of the nation’s capital: senators, congressmen, and influential businessmen.

“Hey, boss, I’ve got a message for you.”

Eli turned to face one of his newest employees, Tank Marshall. He’d hired the young gun straight from the military. That was how Eli got most of his guys. They were tough, disciplined, and determined. Exactly what he needed.

“What is it?” He kept his eyes on his client as he responded. The senator was spearheading a controversial new bill about immigration. He’d contracted ASI because he expected threats against his life. He wasn’t wrong. They’d intercepted several messages in the senator’s mail that indicated he was a target.

Now they just had to keep him safe.

“Carly’s been trying to get in touch with you. She has some stuff that needs your signature, and she also said you got a package.”

Eli’s brow furrowed. This was exactly what he’d been trying to avoid. Sleeping with an employee was the worst cliché in the book and for good reason. It was messy. It was complicated. And when it was over, it was awkward. His assistant had seemed fine with their no-strings-attached arrangement. Until she suddenly wasn’t. Now he was ducking his own business affairs just to avoid dealing with her.

“Right. I’ll take care of it. Thanks.”

“Oh yeah, she said it had something to do with a prior case. K. Wilhelm.”

Everything in Eli seized up in that instant. “Wait, which case?”

Tank backed up a step, which wasn’t surprising if Eli’s face looked half as tight as it felt. He tried to smooth his features into something resembling calm as Tank fumbled in his pockets. He finally pulled out a scrap of paper and offered it to Eli, who squinted to decipher the other man’s crappy handwriting.

Package from K. Wilhelm. Received over the weekend. Already checked by security.

He looked up to see Senator Evans was entering the courthouse. He’d assigned a team of guys to shadow him, but he’d wanted to be personally involved in this case. Pushing papers behind a desk didn’t suit him. The more he threw himself into work, the less he could obsess over how jacked up his life had become. He still remembered the soft, open expression on Kay’s face when she’d realized they were standing under the mistletoe last Christmas. Kissing her was a luxury he shouldn’t have allowed himself.

Especially since he’d had to witness the devastation on her face a short time later once she realized he wasn’t coming back.

“Wasn’t she one of the girls in the singing group? I was on that job last year. Do you need me to check on it?”

Eli shook his head and motioned for Tank to follow the senator. Even though her case had been closed, he didn’t need anyone to check on Kaylee.

He always knew exactly where she was.

KAYLEE ADJUSTED THE microphone and nodded to Jackson, who was behind the glass in the control room.

“Whenever you’re ready.” Jackson’s voice came through the headphones, a crisp whisper directly into her ear. His production assistant, Michael MacCrane, gave her the thumbs-up.

It was still a little weird to sing by herself. She’d grown up singing in the church choir and had performed with her friends for years. But it was only recently that she’d started singing solo. It was exhilarating and wonderful. It was also incredibly scary.

There weren’t many things she was good at. Kay considered herself a good cook and great mother. But there was only one area of her life where she never entertained insecurity. One thing she knew she could do better than just about anyone else, without question.

Sing.

Kay knew she had the voice. It was all the rest she was worried about. She wasn’t fashionable and she wasn’t thin. These were things that shouldn’t have mattered but did. People expected their pop stars to be glamorous. Kaylee wasn’t glamorous.

But she knew what it was like to hope for something more. That was what her songs were about. It had taken months and her best friend Sasha threatening to do it herself before Kay had worked up the nerve to show Jackson any of her music. The songs she’d written were personal and it wasn’t easy to open them up to criticism. But Sasha was right. Kay didn’t want to record other people’s songs. If she didn’t put herself out there, she’d never know if she had what it took. More importantly, she wouldn’t have an album that felt like it was truly hers.

The glass door to the recording booth opened and Jackson entered. He crossed the room and stood next to her for a few moments before speaking.

“Kay, we don’t have to do this song if you’re not ready. We’re actually a little ahead of schedule, so if you need to just take a day, it’s cool.”

“No, I really want to record this today. It’s just the first time I’ve sung it in front of anyone.”

“It’s a great song. The title, “Don’t Stay So Far From Me”—I’m assuming it’s personal?”

She couldn’t look at him as she nodded. Sharing her voice was like breathing. It was as natural as talking and walking. She’d been doing it her whole life. But her songs had never been public before. She’d always written in the seclusion of her room, keeping her songs as a private record of her innermost thoughts and feelings. Sharing them now, even with people she liked and respected, was difficult.