The Bodyguard's Catch

Chapter One

Jordyn Souliere wasn't the paparazzi. She hadn't set out to take the pictures or record the video. It just fell in her lap. The famous singing artist, Maximillian Chanteur, getting dumped by his fiancée in the restroom of the famous L.A. restaurant, Spago's. And she had a front row seat. Sort of. If peeking out from behind the door of a stall was considered front row.

She was on the verge of leaving the stall when Sasha Gomez burst in, followed moments later by the talented, temperamental Maximillian. Talk about awkward. Her only choice was to stay where she was, since she sure as hell wasn't walking out into the middle of all that drama.

When things escalated and another man burst into the women's restroom, it took everything she had to stifle a gasp that would alert the other three they weren't alone.

Remo Vashenko.

No. Fricking. Way. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned off her phone. Right now she'd give anything not to be where she was. To have a magic wand she could wave and be transported somewhere else. Anywhere else. Her need for the money suddenly not so important. Please, God, don't let this be happening. I promise to be a good girl from here on out.

"Max, you and Sasha need to get out of here. Now. Your voices are carrying into the restaurant, and it won't be long before the paparazzi are crawling all over the place. The car's pulled up outside. We need to move."

Max let out an epithet so loud her ears rang, and took Sasha by the arm. Gently, which surprised her considering his demeanor.

"C'mon, Sasha. Remo is right, this is a discussion we need to have in private. We've given the paparazzi enough fodder in the last year and I don't want to get banned from another restaurant. I shouldn't have followed you in here in the first place. It's just that I love you so much I can't think straight."

"I'm not coming with you Max. I mean it this time. We don't work. The combination of the two of us has more drama than a soap opera. I don't love you anymore. I love Adam. I'm going to Dubai with him tomorrow. This emotional rollercoaster we're on is killing me. Adam makes me feel alive for the first time in a long time. We. Are. Over. For real."

"Are you goddam kidding me?! Not only have you cheated on me, it's with my road manager?"

Max dropped his hand from her arm and balled his fists at his sides. Tipping his head back to look at the ceiling, he sucked in a deep breath. It was the money shot of the epic scene, and Jordyn couldn't stop herself from taking it, as much as her heart hurt for the man. Between her dire financial straights and her inner photographer screaming at her to capture all that emotion, it was a losing battle.

She forced herself to take a slow deep breath. All was lost if one of the three found her there. This was the celebrity scoop of the year and if she cashed in, her financial worries could take a back burner. She stifled the pang of guilt that shot through her when she looked at the real life Maximillian Chanteur, rather than the one on the screen of her phone. That's when it hit her, this was a real person. A real person whose heart had been ripped in two. She bent her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. She couldn't let herself go there. She was a real person too. Her life had fallen apart a few minutes ago too. She needed to protect herself first. But, damn! She knew the horror of having your private pain become public property. If she ended up getting out of here with no one the wiser, could she really sell the story?

"Let's go, Remo. I can't stand to be anywhere near this—woman—right now."

He spun around and headed towards the door, but Remo grabbed him by the arm and halted him in his tracks. No mean feat as Max was larger than most men, but Remo outdid him in height and broadness of shoulder. Wow. Had he filled out nicely since high school. Not that he'd been a lightweight then either. She stifled a groan. Now was not the time to be admiring Remo. It had taken what seemed like forever for her to move on from that pain, and she didn't need to let any of her feelings for him come back to life. Especially not in the middle of this predicament.