Steel Rush (In the Shadows#5) (6 page)

He’s so fierce, I know he’s not going to back down. I fold my hand over his on my cheek and exhale some of the tension inside me. At least I’ll have one ally in this house. “I’ll talk to them.”

Calder dips his head in a curt nod and his fingers flex around my jaw. “I’ll wait here for you.”

“What do you mean he’s
staying
?” Gregory huffs his fury, his chair slamming back against the wall with his swift move to his feet.

When Phillip quickly stands from his chair in front of Gregory’s desk and buttons his jacket, muttering, “We’ll just see about that,” I close the door and lean against it.

“He’s a Navy SEAL. You won’t stand a chance.”

Phillip pauses for a second, but when a determined expression sets on his face and he starts toward the door once more, I hold my hand up. “I asked him to stay.”

Phillip halts and both men say in unison, “
What?
”

I might be shaking on the inside, but I meet their shocked stares with confidence. “If you want me to continue to be Celeste, then Calder staying on as my guard is a condition of my agreement.”

Phillip slices his hand through the air, spitting out, “Absolutely not!”

I ignore Phillip and turn to Gregory. “Your daughter might have wanted to keep things running smoothly for the sake of your career, Mr. Carver, but I refuse to put myself in harm’s way. Whether you believe Celeste is just being stubborn or not, I want the one person she handpicked as my guard while I’m here.”

Gregory jams his hands in his pants, his gaze sharp. “Resorting to blackmail doesn’t instill trust, Miss Rockwell.”

“Your lawyer seems to have no issue with that tactic,” I quickly counter without sparing Phillip a glance. “Calder will be another set of eyes. Everyone benefits from that. All I’ve told him is that you’ve decided to give him a trial run for a couple of days at my request.”

“You’re not really considering this, are you?” Phillip asks Gregory, his tone clearly annoyed with me.

The stubbornness that flickers in Gregory’s eyes knots my stomach with worry. Before Phillip can talk him into nixing Calder, I fold my arms and call their bluff. “If you don’t agree to Calder, then you may as well file a missing person’s report with the police today. I won’t continue as Celeste without protection I can trust.”

“Marco is your security,” Phillip snaps.

My gaze flicks to his irritated one. “He’s useless.”

Gregory’s jaw muscle bunches before he finally speaks. “You’ll have two guards then. Everywhere you go, Marco follows.”

I start to argue, but Phillip interrupts. “You seem to be forgetting that you’re a guest in this house, Miss Rockwell. If Gregory insists that Marco be everywhere you and Mr. Blake are, then you have no choice but to accept.”

I grudgingly nod my agreement to Gregory’s terms. I don’t like it, but it’s better than the police hauling me away for questioning. At least Celeste’s room is off-limits to Marco, which means I’ll have privacy to do a more thorough search of her recent internet history.

Addressing Gregory, I ask, “Will there be an evening event tonight?”

He nods, sliding his hands into his pants pockets. “Yes, one at a hotel in Manhattan and there will be another event here tomorrow evening.”

“Then I’m going to have Beatrice prepare a room for Mr. Blake. I understand these kinds of social events can run late.”

Phillip’s gaze narrows, but Gregory just waves dismissively, already clearing me from his presence. “Just be where we ask you to be and things should run as planned.”

“About the events, Miss Rockwell,” Phillip chimes in. “
All
of Celeste’s social roles and responsibilities must be maintained, which includes her engagement to my son, Ben.”

Even though I genuinely enjoy talking to Ben, I instantly stiffen.
What is he implying?
“It’s a marriage in name only.”

He offers a cold, brittle smile as he brushes lint off his suit jacket sleeve. “Be that as it may, you must conduct yourself as if you’re a happily engaged couple. That includes posing for photo ops and conversing with constituents and Carver Enterprises board members in attendance about causes you plan to support and issues you want to defend as a married couple.”

My eyes widen. “I—I have no idea what those are.”

“Just let Ben do his doctor thing. All they need to see is you being supportive.”

I frown slightly at his unspoken, yet implied—
like a good wife should
. “But as Carver Enterprises’ CEO, wouldn’t they expect to hear Celeste’s thoughts on worthy causes and social issues?”

Phillip snorts out a laugh as he folds his arms. “Do you really think Celeste runs Carver Enterprises? She knows the role she plays.”

So this is what Celeste meant by her CEO title not meaning anything. How sad that she gave up her ability to choose whom she married in exchange for a business role with no substance.

I bite back my instinctive snarky response to Phillip’s dismissive comment. He apparently never witnessed Celeste bend people to her Queen Bee will in high school. “I’ll bet Celeste could easily run a business.”

“Capability and willingness are two entirely different things,” Gregory says on a sigh as he sits down and picks up a folder, his expression shuttered. “Don’t forget the media interview is at four today. Please be dressed and in the living room ten minutes before. That will be all, Miss Rockwell.”

Marco stands guard just outside the library door when I walk in and close it behind me.

Calder says goodbye to whomever he’s speaking with, then slips his phone into his pants pocket. When I press my finger to my lips to let him know we have an audience, then nod to answer the question in his eyes—
Did Gregory approve him as my security?—
an arrogant smirk crooks one corner of his mouth.

Striding in my direction, he says in a low tone, “Let’s go. I need to run a quick errand to rearrange my coaching schedule with some other trainers at the gym, then I’ll grab some clothes.” He passes me, continuing his line of thought. “Will I need a tux?” When he realizes I’m not on his heels, he quickly turns, his light brown brows pulling together.

Once he steps back into place in front of me, I speak so only he can hear. “The only way Gregory agreed to you as my guard is if Marco goes everywhere you and I do. You use the gym under your MMA persona, right?” When Calder scowls his frustration, I shoo him on. “I know you need to keep “Steel” anonymous. Go sort out your schedule.”

Calder’s fists clench and the vein down his neck visibly pulses. I can tell he’s conflicted, but he can’t commit to being here with me until he takes care of his other responsibilities. I rest my hand on his chest. “I’ll be fine, Calder.”

Trapping my hand with his much bigger one, he lifts my palm to his mouth and presses a warm kiss into it. “Don’t go anywhere alone with any of the men connected to the Carver family…including Marco. That asshole is probably leaving snot trails on the door right now.” As I snicker at his comment, he continues, “It’ll probably be three before I can get back here. Keep in touch with me every hour so I know you’re okay.”

We turn and just before I reach the door, he tugs me back into his arms, saying gruffly against my throat, “I don’t want to leave you here.”

I melt into him and curl my fingers along his jaw, enjoying the smooth feel against my fingers. It’s an equally arousing contrast to his evening beard that left goose bumps along my skin late last night. I inhale against his neck and savor his smell, knowing it’ll be the last time I can do this until I’m no longer Celeste. Stepping back, I swallow my emotions. “Once we leave this room all eyes will be watching. You must treat me like a client under your guard and nothing more.” I nod toward the closed door. “To the world out there, I’m Celeste Carver and Ben’s fiancé.”

Calder’s expression quickly darkens. “You said the engagement was a business arrangement.”

I nod. “It is, but appearances must be kept in the public eye. You can’t let on that you know I’m not Celeste. The only people who know my real identity are Phillip, Gregory, and Beth. Neither Ben nor Jake will be told.”

“What?” His eyes flash, taking on the unusual green hue of the sky before a tornado hits.

I take a step back and he follows me right up to the door, his words a low, harsh growl. “I
don’t
share, angel. If that upstart doctor makes even one inappropriate move toward you, he won’t be able to stitch himself up, let alone anyone else.”

I jerk my head back and forth. “You can’t touch him. Ben thinks I’m Celeste. He has every right to clasp his fiancé’s hand, or wrap his arm around her waist in a social gathering like any fiancé would. I’ll keep him at bay.”

Calder’s gaze narrows. “Let him fucking try it—”

I press my hand against his mouth to cut him off and whisper harshly, “
No
, Calder.”

Biting down on the fleshy part of my palm, he steps back, his tone suddenly professional and his expression military stoic. “If you’ll see me out, Miss Carver, I’ll collect my things and be back here at fifteen-hundred. Will formal attire be required for the evening events?”

If my palm didn’t still throb, I would seriously question whether I dreamed Calder’s display of territorial dominance. “Yes, you’ll need a tux.” Digging shaky fingers into my tingling skin, I uncurl my fingers and open the door.

G
il’s cane echoes down the hall that leads to his office, it’s slow resounding thump drowning out the sound of the guys’ wrestling against the mats in the gym. Or maybe that’s just my guilt ratcheting. I feel bad that he has to come in and cover my shift. When I saw how he was struggling to recover from the beating he took for daring to challenge the MMA EUC group, I offered to take on a few mornings for him so he could ease back into work, but as bad as I feel over Gil, the thought of leaving Cass alone in the Carver house takes precedence. I’ve never been so on edge.

That whole situation at the Carver estate is one big clusterfuck.

I know Cass was trying to do the right thing for her father, but now that she could be implicated in Celeste’s disappearance, I’m beyond furious. Especially after I learned that son of a bitch Phillip Hemming was the one who coerced her into continuing on as Celeste by threatening her. Gregory Carver might be complicit in keeping Celeste’s disappearing act under wraps, but from what I’ve seen Phillip is the one pulling all the strings.