Chapter 1: Introduction
The hot, sticky air clung to my skin as I trudged down the narrow corridors of the Manchester Arena, wrangling my radio headset up for its sixty-seventh time since the first show of the night. My secure this, secure that, the monotony wore me thin—playing trailing-edge security on touring bands for the last five years left little of the excitement and adventure promised by the job description.
Lost in a hopeless daydream, I stumbled into a dimly lit door when the sound of laughter pulled me back to reality.
I glanced around before setting eyes on the source of the disturbance.
Matt, a co-worker I'd been avoiding like last year's flimsy New Year's resolutions, was charming his way through a conversation with two burly stagehands. He met my gaze for a moment, half-drunken and smug, his short brown hair gleaming under the fluorescent lights.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite security guard," he said, a devilish grin spreading across his ruggedly handsome face.
"You're just the person I've been looking for."
I slipped past him with a curt nod, "Hardly. I'm sure there's a stagehand missing a beer bottle."
Matt's laughter echoed down the hall, flirting with the cool air. It was a wonder he could make a mockery of the job while maintaining the respect and admiration of our colleagues.
That perplexing charm slipped beyond the barriers of our work lives, teasingly crossing the line that defined friendship and attraction.
At 28, I had the looks of a successful woman, an intricate ecosystem of beauty and fitness. I worked hard in the gym for the body I'd earned, kept my dark hair healthy and shining, and had even mastered the art of liquid eyeliner. It didn't hurt that I'd studied criminology and psychology in my attempts to understand the criminal mind.