Passenger Princess: A Grumpy Sunshine Bodyguard Pageant Queen Romance (Evergreen Park Book 1)

It’s been three days since I made Ava mine.

Three amazing days where I don’t have to pretend there isn’t something so palpable between us, I might explode. Three days where I can act on whatever impulse, tugging her into my body as she walks past me in the hotel, leaning over in the car to press my lips to hers, or sliding my hand over to rest on her leg while I drive.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

While I’m still forced to remain professional and act like she doesn’t exist to me outside of being my assignment in public, as soon as we’re behind closed doors, she’s mine, and we have a fuck ton of time to make up for.

But now I have some alone time and need to make a call. That conversation I overheard right before everything went down has been sitting on the outskirts of my mind. Something tells me the pieces of this puzzle I’m missing are absolutely critical, so I leave Ava and Peach safely locked in the hotel room as she gets ready for tonight’s event, while I go on a coffee run.

On the drive back, I dial one of the smartest men I know.

‘Miles,’ I say when he picks up, skipping the hellos and jumping right into it. ‘Got some time?‘

Miles is a computer genius with crazy hacking and investigation skills. He worked for Five Star when Hank owned it, doing any research required on potential threats, but was let go when the business changed hands. As I’ve learned, Greg doesn’t believe in spending time and money on preventative security.

‘Well, hello to you too, how are you? I’m just fine,’ he grumbles.

‘I don’t have time for niceties.’

‘Does this have anything to do with this pageant queen of yours?’ he asks with a laugh, and I groan. I avoided calling Hank because I didn’t want to deal with his teasing bullshit, and yet here I am, dealing with it anyway.

‘Let me guess, you talked to Hank?’

‘He’s got a big mouth, and now that he’s retired, he gabs more than any chick I’ve ever met,” he says with a laugh. “But I’m just fucking with you. What’s going on?’

Scrubbing a hand over my face, I sigh.

‘I don’t know. Some things aren’t adding up over here, and I need to see if you can find any connections not visible to outside eyes.’ If there’s any connection to be found between the hotel break-in, the assault, and whatever the fuck Regina and Anne were talking about, he’d be the one to figure it out. ‘It could be nothing, but I’ve got a bad feeling about it.’

‘I’ve never known you to be wrong about a bad feeling. If your gut says something is off, I’d trust it.’ My stomach churns because he’s not wrong. I’ve learned in this business to trust my gut, and when red flags are waving, they’re never false alarms.

‘Yeah, that’s kind of what I’m afraid of.’ I sigh. ‘I’m kind of stuck, though, especially since no one seems to be taking this seriously. You know Greg wants to do the bare minimum now. If I send you a list of all of the things that have happened while we’ve been on tour, can you try to find any kind of connection besides Ava?’

‘Of course. Give me the details,’ he says, any hint of humor gone from his tone, and then I dive into what I’ve been seeing. It only takes a few minutes to give him all of the details and names I have.

‘Can you make sure your search goes deep into Anne Holmes and Regina Miller?’ I ask.

‘Regina Miller, as in the runner of the Miss Americana pageant?’ he asks, keys typing.

‘That’s the one. She’s got it out for Ava, and I can’t tell if it’s just because she doesn’t like her or because there’s something more there. A threatening letter was sent to the organization for Ava, and they still haven’t mentioned it to me. Regina and Anne were the ones who insisted I not watch Ava the day she was assaulted, and I already told you about the conversation I overheard.’

‘Got it,’ he says like he’s got everything he needs now. ‘You’re right; red flags are waving.’ Keys clack a few more times in the background. ‘I have a few projects I’m working on in the next few weeks, but I’ll try and see what I can do.’

‘I really appreciate it, man,’ I say as I pull into the hotel parking lot.

‘Anytime. So you’re in love with the pageant queen?’ Miles asks with a laugh, and I groan. ‘I gotta say, a few weeks ago, Hank called me, told me you’d met your match, and you were head over heels for some chick. I thought he was crazy until I saw a paparazzi photo of you with some tiny little thing. Then it started to make sense.’

‘Fuck off,’ I say, feeling suddenly protective of her. Fuck, even before things were concrete between us, I was protective of her in a way that went well past my duties as her bodyguard.

I told Ava that once I make a decision, I don’t waver, and I meant it. I’ve decided Ava is mine, meaning that I need to do whatever I can to make sure she’s not just safe, but happy.

‘Have you made that official yet?’ he asks. I don’t speak, trying to decide how to answer, considering things are so new and still under wraps, but I suppose my silence says enough. ‘Good for you, man. From what I’ve seen, she’s a good one, won’t take your shit.’

I groan and run a hand through my hair. ‘She’s giving me an ulcer,’ I say.

‘As she should. You need someone to keep you from becoming the most boring person on the planet.’

‘Oh, fuck off. I won’t be boring when Greg finds out I’m dating my assignment and fires me.’

‘Fuck that job,’ Miles groans. ‘I’ve been telling you for months to quit there, that you should start your own firm. Your references are spectacular, and you know exactly what clients are looking for and are willing to go the extra mile for them. Five Star let me go, and I’ve had more business since then than I can even manage.’

‘Sounds great and all, but I’m just three years from my retirement, and I don’t want to work in a field until I’m sixty.’

‘Not everything has to be fieldwork, and that retirement bullshit is negotiable. In my severance, they gave me a portion of it. Hank did us a solid with that contract before he left; put it into the selling agreement so you’ll receive what you’ve earned no matter what. Greg is just holding it over your head because he knows if he loses you, he loses clients.’

Interesting, I think, because I had no idea. Maybe it’s time I took a look at that contract myself or finally tell Hank what’s going on. I hadn’t wanted to tell him how shitty things have been since he sold the company so he could enjoy his well-earned retirement, but maybe that was a mistake.

‘So what, I just say fuck it and out us?’ I ask, joking.

‘Absolutely not,’ he says, voice firm. ‘You and I both know you have to keep things under wraps for her safety. If you out your relationship, from what I’m understanding, you’re putting her in danger with the pageant and giving them another reason to fuck with her. We don’t know their true intentions right now. And Five Star will take you off the case at the very least. We both know no one can adequately replace you and keep your girl safe.’

My gut drops with the confirmation of what I’ve been thinking this entire time. It’s why it took me so long to give in to Ava—this constant thundercloud hanging over us. Greg can pull me from this assignment at any moment, and between Regina and Anne plotting whatever I know they’re plotting and Greg being more worried about getting the contract than actually keeping Ava safe, I’m not risking it.

‘Gotta say, though, you two going public is going to be hilarious,’ Miles continues with a laugh.

‘What?’

‘The way people are obsessed with her every move, they’re going to have a blast with the two of you. God, I can’t wait for you to have to smile for the cameras. You’re gonna love that shit.’

‘Fuck off,’ I say, pulling the key from the ignition. ‘I have to go. Keep me updated on anything you find.’

‘Aw, come on, I—’ he starts, but I grab Ava’s coffee and head up to my girl, hanging up before he can say another word.