Hayden Calver is the man Amanda Claridge recommends when a woman doesn’t want flowers, conversation or the illusion of romance.

At The Labyrinth, Shadow offers something considerably rarer: the feeling that nothing can reach you while he is standing beside you. Immaculate in a black suit and almost unnervingly quiet, he has built his reputation on discretion, control and the simple understanding that his clients are paying for a fantasy. When the night ends, so does his protection.

Until a young heiress books him for an entire week.

She tells Amanda she needs a convincing bodyguard for a string of appearances in Chicago, someone intimidating enough to discourage the press and polished enough to stand beside her without attracting the wrong kind of attention. Hayden accepts because the arrangement is straightforward, extremely well paid and none of his business. It takes him less than a day to realize she has lied about almost everything.

Someone is following her, the security team surrounding her family cannot be trusted, and whatever sent her running has nothing to do with photographers. Hayden should hand the problem back to Amanda and walk away before a carefully constructed fantasy becomes something neither of them agreed to. Instead, he stays, and the woman who hired Shadow to make her feel protected begins to discover exactly how dangerous Hayden Calver can be when he no longer considers it a job.

She paid for seven days of protection. Neither of them planned for what would happen when the contract ended.

Releases October 17, 2026