Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open (Hollywood Legends #2) (24 page)

He had his enemies watched — constantly. Any weakness. A
tiny chink in their armor could be invaluable. One never knew when a seemingly
innocuous fact would be the one to give him the leverage he needed.

The devil is in the details. That had been his father’s
favorite saying. Overlook nothing, he would tell his son. Sloppy people lose.
Be meticulous in everything and one could conquer the world.

The world didn’t interest him. What would he do with it? No,
his focus had always been much more localized. A block of buildings. A chain of
stores. A racehorse. He never wanted what he could easily buy. He wanted the
unattainable.

To get it, he destroyed anyone who stood in his way. That
was where the fun lay. The more he hurt the person who stood in his way, the
better. The problem was the pleasure was fleeting. The luster quickly wore off
his shiny new toys leaving him dissatisfied and looking for the next thrill.

He had been working toward his current goal for some time.
The chase was sweet. His prey, elusive. Now that he could see the end in sight,
he would not let anything stand in his way.

“The place is swarming with armed security. They spent most
of the day installing surveillance equipment.”

“Can you get around it?” He swirled the expensive brandy,
warming it through the crystal. The finest of everything. Some would say there
was no difference between a bottle that cost four thousand dollars and one that
was a thousand more. It wasn’t true. He tasted it on his tongue. In the back of
his throat. The difference was exclusivity. The more expensive the item meant
fewer people could afford it.
That
made it better.

“I can’t get close enough to tell what they’re using. I
thought some of the men might leave once they were finished, but they are
patrolling the area. Half a dozen at a time. Every few hours they—”

“I don’t give a shit what the guards are doing.” He threw
the expensive crystal glass across the room, spilling the precious liquid in
every direction. “Tell me what is going on inside.”

“My ears are down.” He referred to the remote listening
device he had used during the first few hours after the security crew’s
arrival. “Something is blocking the signal.”

“Then unblock it.”

“It will take some time.”

“You have until tomorrow. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

He sat back in his chair. Opening the top drawer of his
desk, he took out a framed picture. Paige Chamberlin. The moment he saw her, he
knew she was what he had been looking for.

Beautiful. Elusive. Her blond hair gleamed in the sunlight.
Natural. He made certain she didn’t get those highlights from a bottle.
Everything about her called to him. Refined and wild at the same time.
Educated. Well spoken.

Paige hadn’t been spoiled like so many attractive women
were. Women like her friend who used her looks to get what she wanted. Paige
worked hard, never asking for handouts. He admired that.

Soon she would have anything she wanted. He would see to
that.

He ran a finger across the glass, imagining it was her skin.
He wouldn’t grow tired of Paige. She would amuse him for months. Perhaps years.

When the time came for him to find a new toy, he would
regret getting rid of her.

“GREAT JOB. THAT is a wrap for the day.”

Eight solid hours. Nate considered that a triumph. All the
drama hadn’t slowed them down or disrupted their rhythm. If anything, everyone
seemed more focused and intent on making the best movie possible.

“Same time tomorrow?” Wilt asked.

“I want to get some exterior shots.” Nate walked the man to
his car. “The forecast is calling for rain next week so Homer and I are going
to take advantage of the sunshine while it lasts.”

“Need any help?”

“Enjoy the time off,” Nate said. “You and Edith have some
heavy scenes coming up. I want to tackle the plate throwing fight on Monday.”

“Think you can churn up the rage?” Edith teased Wilt. “When
was the last time you were mad? Really mad?”

“That’s easy. The time you deliberately dropped a bowling
ball on my foot. The memory of two broken toes should do the trick.”

“Dare I ask?” Nate enjoyed the banter between Wilt and
Edith. It was done with the ease of long-time friends. “Why did you drop a
bowling ball on Wilt’s foot?”

“To rile him up, naturally.” Edith had the good grace to
look contrite. “It was an impulsive decision. I didn’t take the time to think
it out.”

“It was two weeks before I could walk without a limp.
Luckily, we were doing a production of The Man Who Came to Dinner. That
wheelchair was more than just a prop.”

“Now you can thank me.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Edith gave Wilt a big, innocent smile. “I was preparing you
for this part. If I hadn’t broken your toes, you wouldn’t have anything to draw
upon for our fight scene.”

“Thank you? Thank you?”

“You’re welcome.”

Nate laughed as his leading man and lady continued to argue
as they got into his car and drove off.

“They could take that act on the road.”

“No need. They have a standing room only crowd every time
they perform in Basic,” Nate told Travis.

The man had acted as his shadow all day. Not an ideal
situation. When Nate sent for reinforcements, he wasn’t thinking about himself,
but after speaking with his parents that morning, Nate was resigned to it.
Callie had given her enthusiastic seal of approval. She felt better knowing
someone had his back.

His mother would worry. She said it was part of the job.
Therefore, if it relieved her mind to have him saddled with a glorified
babysitter, so be it.

“Small towns can be the best. And the worst.” Travis
shrugged. “I left Mississippi behind because I wanted to see the world. I
thought the Army was my fastest way out. What I saw I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”

Nate couldn’t begin to understand what Travis had been
through. He seemed well adjusted, but he learned from his brother’s fiancée
that outward appearances could be deceiving. You never knew what another person
was going through.

Between Garrett and a professional counselor, Jade said when
she was able to talk about what happened to her, she finally began to heal.
Nate hoped that Travis had someone to confide in.

“I can’t imagine going back to Tupelo. It’s been ten years.
I’m not the same kid who left looking for adventure. Excuse me.”

Nate waited while Travis listened as one of his men checked
in. The Bluetooth headset kept the men connected no matter where they were on
the ranch. Now, Chuck had an escort while he checked fences. Paige worked with
one of her horses. She was in the corral by the barn, making it easy for Nate
to keep an eye on her. Two men from the crew had her in their sights at all
times, but he liked checking for himself that she was safe.

The sun gleamed off her long, honey-blond hair. Nate knew
that it was as soft as it appeared. Waking up with Paige in his arms, he had
run his fingers through the thick, silky tresses. Having her so close, warm,
and sweet, it had taken all his willpower not to make love to her. She was temptation
personified and he had never been a man to turn away from a willing woman.

Surprisingly, he found there was something to be said for
simply holding someone as the first ray of sunlight streamed through the
bedroom window. No. Not someone. Paige. The moment was special because she was
the woman. Because
she
was special.

As though she sensed his scrutiny, Paige looked his way. Her
smile was slow, followed by a wink before she returned to brushing the dappled
horse’s coat.

“She’s amazing.”

“I can’t fault you for noticing.” Nate turned his head,
giving the other man an even stare.

“Impressive,” Travis said with a grin. “I had a drill
sergeant who could knock a recruit down to size with one look. You could give
him a run for his money.”

“Just making sure you know that Paige is not available.”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Nate knew it was
the truth. Paige was his. Simple as that. He waited for his stomach to clench
with panic. It didn’t happen. He felt calm even though his heart raced. He felt
grounded and light at the same time.

“Ah,” Travis nodded. “You’ve staked your claim.”

“I guess I have.”

“Does Paige know that?”

“No. But she will,” Nate said emphatically.

“Maybe she won’t want you. Maybe she would like another
option.”

“You?”

“Maybe.”

Nate couldn’t believe the nerve of the man. He had the nerve
to stand there, practically throwing a challenge in his face. Was he crazy or
suicidal? Luckily, Nate caught the twitching of Travis’ lips.

“You have a dangerous sense of humor.” Nate shook his head.
“Try grinning with a broken jaw. I could have hurt you.”

“You could have tried.” Travis gave Nate a measuring look.
“I’d say your chances would be fifty-fifty.”

“Idiot.”

“Hey,” Travis shrugged. He was still smiling, but his eyes
were serious. “I have a younger sister. I wouldn’t want a guy fooling with her
if his intentions weren’t honorable.”

“Honorable?” Nate laughed. “Jesus, do people still talk like
that?”

“They do in Tupelo. I doubt that Basic is much different.”
Travis tapped the device in his ear. “Copy that. I’ll be right there.”

“Trouble?”

“Probably nothing.” Seeing the worried frown on Nate’s face,
Travis patted his shoulder. “Colin, our tech geek, found a hiccup.”

“What does that translate to in non-geek speak?”

“Every morning, Colin does a check of the monitoring from
the previous day. The system is set up to alert us when there is any kind of
breach. Most of the time it turns out to be nothing.”

“Breach?” Nate didn’t like the sound of that.

“Come with me.” Travis headed toward the van that housed the
monitoring equipment. The vehicle was parked by the side of the barn where the
satellite feed was the strongest. “Colin can explain it to us at the same
time.”

Nate had been inside the van. Travis showed him the setup
yesterday when it arrived. It wasn’t what he had expected. Instead of banks of
flashing lights and multiple computer screens, the equipment only took up one
wall. The rest of the interior looked like a luxurious dorm room. A coffee pot,
a microwave oven, and a mid-sized built-in refrigerator on one side. A bed on
the other. Colin spent a lot of time cooped up in here, Travis had told him.
H&W wanted him to be comfortable.

“What’s up?” Travis hopped in the back. Nate stayed outside
by the door. The van was luxurious, but it wasn’t meant to accommodate three
adult males.

“Could be nothing.”

“But…” Travis prompted. He knew how Colin operated. Under
the gun, the man was the fastest tech he knew. However, he loved to draw out
moments like this one.

“We are still in catch-up mode so I was late doing the usual
morning run-through. Man, there are a lot of deer in this area. If Jack and
Drew hadn’t given the system that
wildlife
upgrade, the alarms would be
going off constantly.”

“Colin, you’re wandering.” Travis rolled his eyes at Nate.
“Circle back to the point.”

“Right.”

Colin’s fingers moved over the keyboard at sonic speed. For
someone who spent much of his time in a small, enclosed space, he had the look
of a man in prime condition. It was a requirement when you worked at H&W
Security. No matter what your job was, you stayed field fit.

“There,” Colin pointed to the screen.

Nate leaned closer. “What are we looking at?” All he could
see were a bunch of lines.

“Right there.” When Nate shook his head, Colin hit two keys,
increasing the size of the lines. “There is a jump — it looks like a little
wave.”

Reaching between the men, Nate tapped the screen. “That?”

“I wouldn’t have called you in for one jump. They happen.
Even with beyond state of the art equipment like this.” Colin moved the line
along. “This is what got my attention.”

“Another jump.” Travis frowned at the screen.

“One I can justify. Two means an attempted breach.”

“Someone tried to listen in,” Travis explained to Nate. “A
long range device. They can be effective. But it would easily be blocked by our
stuff.”

“They wouldn’t get anything but static. They tried at eight
o’clock and again at nine.”

“That was it? Just a second.” Travis tapped his earphone.
“Go.” He listened then turned to Nate. “There is a Dr. Mount at the first
checkpoint. She’s on the approved list, but we like to double check first-time
visitors.”

“Irene is a friend of the family. Let her in.”

“Roger that.”

“I can’t trace this after the fact,” Colin sat back in his
chair. He took a drink of coffee before continuing. “If I caught the person in
the act, I could pinpoint where the signal came from. I have set up an internal
watchdog. I’ll be alerted if it happens again.”

“They know they’re being blocked,” Nate said. “It would be
stupid to try again.”

“Luckily for us, stupid is more common than you think.”
Travis hopped out of the van. “We make a lot of hay on the stupidity of
would-be criminals.”

“I don’t want to keep Chuck and Paige out of the loop. Is
this something we should be worried about?”

“It’s worrisome,” Travis admitted. “On a scale of one to
ten, I’d call it a three. We have the advantage because we know it happened.
The who and the why is still up in the air. Maybe it was a reporter trying to
get a scoop. You’re hot news right now.”

“That makes sense.” Nate’s gaze automatically wandered to
Paige. “If it hadn’t been for the explosion, it would be the only logical
explanation. Of course, if it weren’t for the explosion, you and your crew
wouldn’t be here and we wouldn’t know about the would-be eavesdropper.”

“I would tell you to relax and let us handle it, but I don’t
suppose you can do that.”

“Not in the DNA.”

“Mmm. It’s a common trait in my circle of acquaintances.”
Travis slapped Nate on the back. “If worrying keeps you on your toes, that’s a good
thing. Don’t let it consume you.” He nodded toward Paige. “Let yourself enjoy
the first blush of love.”

“When did I mention love?” Nate hadn’t used the word. Not
yet. He found it disconcerting to hear it from Travis before he admitted it to
himself.

“Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt.” Travis walked away,
laughing at his witticisms.

“That one is as old as the trees,” Nate called out.

“Old but accurate,” Travis replied, not turning around.

Nate opened his mouth, but the retort he had planned didn’t
materialize. He wasn’t in denial. He was being… cautious. Yes, he thought of
Paige as his. Yes, he began to envision a future beyond his time in Montana.

Nate always pictured himself finding what his parents had.
He wanted to be in love. He wanted a woman to share his life — have his
children. Someone who was a friend. A lover. A mate in the truest sense of the
word.

He had been fortunate to see firsthand what that looked
like. It was a hard standard to match, but Nate knew the right woman was out
there.

“Hi.” Paige appeared before him, her smile bright as
sunshine. “I’m done for the day.”

“Me too.”

Nate took her hand, carrying it to his lips. Beautiful
Paige. The right woman. After all his travels, who could have guessed that he
would find her on a ranch just outside a place called Basic, Montana.

“I like when you do that.” Paige’s eyes were a warm,
chocolate brown.

“You like my lips on your hand?” Nate kissed her again,
lingering on her soft skin. “Where else do you like them?”

“I like them everywhere. Anywhere. If we weren’t in plain
sight with I don’t know how many eyes watching, we could play show and tell.”
Paige’s voice lowered. “I tell you where to kiss me…”

“And I show you how good I can make you feel.”

Paige closed her eyes. Looking at Nate made her want things.
Hot, sexy things that right now, weren’t possible.

“We need to be alone.”

Nate’s mouth was close to her ear, the touch of his breath
on her sensitive skin sent a shiver down Paige’s spine.

“Yes.” Her mind raced. “The tack room. It’s private and you
won’t be breaking the ‘no sex in the house’ rule.”

“You go first.” Nate moved away, trying to look like a man
who wasn’t arranging a sexual rendezvous. “I’ll follow in a few minutes. Wait.”
Nate fished the key out of his pocket. Since the smashed camera incident, he
and Chuck were the only ones with keys.

“Crap,” Paige’s attention moved to something over Nate’s
right shoulder. “Keep the key. It was a nice thought.”

“What?” Nate frowned, turning to see what Paige was looking
at. He sighed. Irene Mount was getting out of her car.

“Irene,” Paige called out.

Nate saw the frustration he felt mirrored in Paige’s eyes as
she turned to greet her friend. With a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair. He
was pushing thirty. At this point in his life, sex wasn’t supposed to be this
complicated. Between Paige’s father, exploding trucks, and friends who dropped
by without notice, getting her naked was more of a challenge than he liked.