“Thanks.” Kay turned back to the mirror and tried to suck in another inch. Jackson seemed really confident that taking each of them solo was the right way to go, but Kaylee wasn’t so sure. Singing solos in front of the choir was a whole different thing. No one could make fun of you when you were singing for Jesus. That would just be wrong, and as her mother liked to say, “you’d go straight to hell.” Although her mother thought pretty much everything would send you straight to hell.

Either way, she knew she had the voice. She was confident in her talent, but pop stars needed a certain look.

She didn’t have that.

This was the final show that she’d have the other girls on stage with her. It was a really scary thought. The only one she was close to was Sasha. She knew the other girls, Mandy and Christina, didn’t really like her much. But at least when they were on stage there was someone to cover for her if she forgot a lyric. The crowd wasn’t just looking at her.

After this, she’d be on her own.

*   *   *   *   *

MATT HELD UP his walkie-talkie, listening to Eli’s update. The first few weeks of his employment had taken a bit of adjustment. To Matt’s surprise, there were few hard and fast rules governing who could be a bodyguard. Most states just required you to go through a short training program and be licensed by the state, so he’d spent a week training in D.C.

It was almost laughable to be required to take an entry-level firearms course since he was an expert marksman. He was used to shooting everything from a 9mm to an M-16. However, it had allowed him another week of being close to Penny, so he didn’t care. It was so natural to go to sleep with her each night.

It made him wonder if he would have been able to walk away from her even if she hadn’t come to him. Likely, he would have gone crazy the first week without her and come back, begging her to reconsider. He had to laugh at himself. He’d teased his friends about being whipped by their women and now he was in the same boat.

He’d been assigned to a security detail for a senator last week. This was his first week working in southern Virginia. He called her every night and they talked for hours, often falling asleep with his cell phone still in his hand.

“Everything okay?” Tank appeared at his elbow. His eyes darted around. Matt had instantly liked the ex-Army captain. He’d been helping Eli on the Divine group’s detail for a few months now, so he’d been helpful in bringing Matt up to speed on their case. All the guys on Eli’s team had been welcoming so far. They treated him like he’d been there all along.

He had a new team now.

“Yeah, Eli was just telling me everyone else is in place,” Matt answered.

Tank nodded. “The show is about to start. The girls decided to add an extra song to the set. I’m not sure why,” he added under his breath.

Matt understood the other man’s disgruntlement. That would mean a slightly longer show. If they were supposed to be on the alert for someone after Kaylee, wouldn’t it make more sense to cut the show short?

“I don’t get it either, but I trust Eli. If they want to do an extra song, I guess a few more minutes won’t make much difference in the long run.”

They did another lap of the backstage area, meeting back at the side entrance.

Eli looked up when Matt approached. “The girls are on in five minutes. After the show, we’ll leave through the back entrance.”

Kaylee stood in the center of the group of girls. Her head was bowed and she looked like she was praying. Spending time with her over the last few days, he’d been humbled by her talent. The first time he’d attended a practice session for Divine, he hadn’t expected the sounds that had come out of her mouth. She’d blasted out a particularly high note and Matt’s jaw had dropped. Eli had let out his deep grumble-laugh.

“I’m guessing you’ve never heard her sing before?” he’d commented.

Matt had just shaken his head and continued watching in awe.

Despite her amazing talent, Kay was one of the sweetest, most humble people he’d ever met. No matter how long their practices ran or what she was asked to do, she always wore a smile.

“Okay, you two guard the separate stage entrances. I’m staying here by the dressing room.”

Tank and Matt spread out, following Eli’s orders. Matt took the left-side stage entrance. A few minutes later, the girls filed past him and out onto the stage. There was a roar from the crowd. He smiled. It was interesting to see the entertainment industry from this side of the stage. Few people knew how much hard work went into the performances they enjoyed. He wasn’t distracted by the show because he’d seen it many times as they’d rehearsed in the days leading up to the event. It was to be their final group event before each of the girls started working on their solo projects.

Matt sensed movement behind him, so he turned. A young man who looked about early twenties with dark, spiked hair walked toward the stage entrance.

“Clearance pass?” he called. The guy stopped, then turned slowly.

“Sure. Here’s my pass.” He handed it to Matt. It was a green pass, which meant he had backstage access. Eli scrutinized the list of backstage passes that were issued and he’d personally manned the door to allow people into the backstage area. So he would have known if the guy was legit.

“Thanks, man. If you’re here to meet the members of Divine, you might want to wait in the Press area.” Matt pointed to a cordoned-off lounge with refreshments. The girls would give several interviews tonight, the most important to Entertainment Weekly.