by Nikki Rose
“You’d be in an unsecured club with far too many variables for me to keep an eye on all at once. I need to be in a controlled space to best keep you safe.”
“I need to get out. This is spring break and I’m not spending the whole time locked up in the house. I start school back on Monday.
“No.”
If demanding wouldn't work, maybe playing it sweet would so I changed my tone. “I just want to go out and have a good time with my friends. Please, Chris?” I needed to get out of the house and I’d do anything — even play nice to get what I wanted.
“Have them over at the house until I can better determine what you are and aren’t allowed to do.”
“I’m twenty-two years old. I’m allowed to do whatever I want.”
“Not so long as your dad is signing my paychecks. As far as I’m concerned, he’s the one calling the shots — not you — so get in.”
“Saying please wouldn’t kill you.” I rolled my eyes and slid into the beige leather seats.
“It might.” He snapped just before shutting the door.
I had no desire to be stuck in a silent car with him the whole way home and the idea of small talk with a barbarian like him was even less appealing so I pulled out my phone and dialed my friend Amanda.
“Hey, girl. You ready to go out and get our dance on tonight?”
“Definitely. But, it might be a little challenging.” I sighed.
“What’s wrong?”
“The tyrant has put me under house arrest for now.”
“Seriously? What for?”
“I don’t know. Some threat or something. He’s even assigned me a bodyguard.”
“You’re kidding. Is he at least hot?”
I cast a glance over in Chris’s direction to see if he’d heard anything but he stared straight ahead. Of course he kept his eyes on the road. He was about as straight laced as they come. Was he hot? Yeah, he was probably the hottest guy I’d ever seen outside of TV or movies. But that didn’t change the fact that he was one of my dad’s minions sent to make my life miserable.
“Eh, I guess.”
“Well, I have to come over and see for myself. Should we have a movie night since the warden has you on lockdown?”
“Nah. I think I can manage. Movie night Sunday?
“Sounds good. We can order takeout.”
“Perfect. I’ll call you in a bit with more details.”
I slipped my phone in my back pocket just as we pulled into the long gated drive to the house. Chris punched in the code and the automated gate swung open.
“Friend coming over?” He glanced my way as he parked the car.
“On Sunday. I was supposed to be going out dancing tonight but since those plans are ruined I guess I’ll just stay in and catch up on my reading.”
“Going out to a club is definitely out right now. Too many variables to keep in check and the location wouldn’t be secure. A movie night sounds like some good, safe fun.”
I let out a dramatic sigh, but truly, I wasn’t all that surprised mister wet blanket would actually think a night in reading and a movie night was a good substitute for going out to the club. Chris rounded the car and opened my door for me. His gentleness contrasted his earlier man-handling and set me back. I took his hand and he helped me out of the car.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He motioned his hand toward the door and I passed him to lead the way to my front door. “See, I can be quite pleasant when you play nice.”
I rolled my eyes and glared at him from over my shoulder. “I was starting to think you might not be a total ass but you had to go and ruin it.”
He flashed me a smug smile and shrugged his broad shoulders. I would have found him extremely attractive if he wasn’t such an asshole. I slung my hair as I turned back toward the door. The heel of my strappy sandal caught on a crack in the walkway and my body twisted as I plummeted toward the concrete. I twisted, bracing myself for impact but Chris’s arms caught me instead.
Chris held me as if he’d just dipped me like they did in those old-fashioned movies. He supported the back of my head with his hand while the other cradled the small of my back. He smelled good. Clean yet masculine. I wondered why I hadn’t noticed how good he smelled before when he had me over his shoulder. I guess I was just too mad to pay attention to those things.
I realized I was staring up at him for too long not to be awkward so I forced the only words I could from my lips. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” His voice was deeper, huskier. Or, maybe it was my imagination.
He held me there longer than was necessary until the housekeeper, Ms. James cleared her throat from the door.
“Are you going to let me up?” I teased but my heart pounded against my chest bone and not from the near fall. It was from being close to Chris. I could still feel the lingering heat from his touch on the small of my back and I wanted to feel it again. What the hell is wrong with me?
That feeling didn’t last long. He had to go and open his mouth again and ruin it as he straightened me back to stand. “It's no wonder you need a babysitter. Been walking long?”
“Asshole.” I marched up the steps passed Ms. James and straight up to my room.
Chapter 3
I stood at the bottom of the steps, watching as Caroline stormed up to her room and slammed the door. I couldn’t explain it if I tried, but I got a sick kind of enjoyment over making her mad. Maybe it was the fact that she was a spoiled brat who always got her way and I refused to be one of her dad’s employees who bent to her will or maybe it was that sexy scowl she got everytime I pissed her off. Either way, it was the only thing that made this assignment bearable thus far.
I pulled out my phone and dialed the Director’s direct line.
“Applegate.”
“Director, sir. I just wanted to let you know we made it to your home safely.
“Good. Thank you, Chris. I know this is not an easy assignment. My daughter can be...challenging at times.”
“Nothing I can’t handle, sir.”
“I wouldn’t have chosen you if I thought otherwise. I’m meeting with the higher ups this evening so I won’t be in until very late. The guest room is in on the opposite side of the house from Caroline. The extra bedroom just down the hall from her would be more suitable so you could be close in case of an emergency. You won’t have your own private bath that way but it would make more tactical sense. Ms. James, the housekeeper can show you and you’re welcome to use my study as your work base. There’s security camera monitors set up in there.”
“Yes sir.”
He hung up and I went exploring to find his study.
I walked into the study through the partially opened, large wooden door. An enormous L-shaped cherry wood desk took up almost half the room with the built in bookcase behind it. Two black leather chairs set in the corner made a nice conversation area and a drink cart sat opposite them. It was a very masculine space and nothing short of what I’d expect from the Director.
I made myself comfortable in the large office chair and opened two cabinet doors to reveal the security screens. From there, I could practically see the entire outside of the property. I hadn’t had a chance to go home to get my things but I had a go bag in my car that would hold me over until tomorrow.
I worked for over an hour, studying the client file on Caroline, researching the hacking case, willing to do anything to hurry things along. The sooner we could find the threat, the sooner I could go back to my normal life and normal missions instead of this tedious babysitting gig. I was glad Caroline was a bookworm. It made things around the house much more peaceful for working.
My stomach growled, reminding me that it was time for dinner. I decided to be nice and ask Caroline if she wanted me to order in something instead of just doing it and letting her deal with it. I jogged up the steps to the room I’d seen her disappear into about an hour before.
I knocked. No answer. I knocked again. Nothing.
Nothing.
I tried to turn the knob but the door was locked. I wasn’t wasting any more time. I broke the lock and let myself inside. The large beautiful room was the picture of elegance with gold and cream linens on the large four-poster cherry wood bed that anchored the room. But, what really caught my attention was the lack of occupancy.
“Caroline?” I rushed into the room, checked the ensuite bathroom, and searched every hiding place I could find. Cream colored curtains on the large picture window billowed in the breeze. I ran over to it and peered out at the backyard and a fire escape ladder unravelled, hanging from the edge.
“Damn it.” I hit the window sill with my open hand and looked around the room for any hint of where she might have gone.
Her laptop sat on a bench at the foot of her bed so I sat down and opened it. Although I hadn’t been on the assignment long, I made a point to know the mission well. I’d studied all the personal notes on Caroline so when her laptop password came up to be her favorite childhood pet, Lady, I wasn’t the least bit surprised.
Hacking into her Microsoft account would have been more challenging if she hadn’t selected for the computer to remember her passwords. I logged on and hit the Find my phone button and within minutes was redirected to a map with a blinking icon letting me know exactly where she was.
The club was dark with multi colored laser lights that moved to the beat of the thudding bass blaring through large speakers.
I liked hitting the club when I was looking for a hook-up. All those women in those barely-there dresses, writhing around on the dance floor never disappointed. But, trying to spot Caroline in the mob of moving bodies with the pulsing music and strobe lights was nearly impossible. Not to mention there were too many dark corners and crowds for threats to hide in.
I needed to get Caroline and get out of there as soon as possible — and before the Director found out.
I finally spotted her almost directly in the middle of the dance floor wriggling all over some idiot. Her slinky silver dress barely draped over her curves. I was certain a strong breeze could tear the delicate little straps that held it together in a matter of seconds. I could only imagine what a pair of strong hands like mine could do to that little scrap of fabric that stood between me and what was barely hidden underneath.
I shook my head and refocused myself to the task of fighting my way through the crowd to get to her. I wanted to ring her spoiled little neck for running away. But, lucky for her my mission was to protect her. If I planned to keep her safe, she had to learn to listen to me, though. I just had to figure out how.
Finally within reach, I grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the loser she was dancing with. The look of shock on her face was great, but I was far from satisfied.
“What the hell were you thinking sneaking out like that?”
“Get your hand off me. I'm just dancing.”
“I told you that you couldn't go out.”
She yanked her arm away from me and my temper flared. I needed to calm my temper before I took her to the back and paddled her ass like the immature child she was acting like. Something I doubted her dad had ever done. He might be a hardass at work but she was clearly the one in charge.
“Dude, we're just dancing. Chill,” the douche she was dancing with laid his hand on my shoulder and I snapped.
I spun around, grabbed hold of his hand, and twisted it just before it would snap. “Touch me again and I'll rip your hand off and beat you with it.”
“Owe. Dude. Okay. Geeze.”
“Chris, let go of him. I'm perfectly safe here.” Caroline pounded her fists on my back as she screamed at me.
I let go and grabbed her wrists to stop her. “We're going home. Now.”
She squirmed and fought but was no match for me. “Let go of me you asshole. Let. Me. Go.”
Before I knew what was happening, two bouncers flanked me, grabbing my shoulders and pulling me back from her.
“Let me go. I'm security.”
“The lady said to leave her alone. If you're her security it looks like you've been fired.” The bouncers joked as they drug me toward the door.
I glanced over at Caroline who was looking every bit the smug spoiled brat.
For an hour I paced outside the club trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do. If I called for backup I’d never live it down that this girl had bested me. I didn't want to risk the Director finding out I’d lost his daughter on day one either. Even if the idea of an assignment transfer had its appeal, my pride wouldn't let me.
I thought about calling my best friend and fellow agent, Hunter, but I didn't feel like dragging him out of bed to help me deal with the brat. So instead, I waited, stewing until I was sure steam was ready to erupt from my ears.
“What the hell was she thinking sneaking out of the house like a teenager. I could be on a real mission right now helping people who actually want my help instead of stuck babysitting this entitled, spoiled, little —.”
The door to the club opened and Caroline came out on her own. That prick from earlier was smart not to show his face again.
“There you are. Finally.” I rushed over to her and gripped her biceps firmly so that she couldn't get away but without enough force to bruise.
“Let go of me.”
“Not a chance. You wanna tell me what the hell you were thinking? We tell you there's a threat and you'll need a security detail until it's taken care of and your reaction the first night is to sneak out to a club so you can dance with some prick?”
“There is always some threat. It's spring break for my last year in college. I wanted to get out and have a little fun before going back to school.”
“You have some pretty fucked up priorities you know that?” I drug her down the walkway to my car parked on the side of the street. “Now get in the car before I put you in there.”
“I'm not a child—.”
“No, you are a grown ass woman and you snuck out of the house like some disobedient teenager.”
“So when I sneak out of the house I’m a grown woman acting like a kid and when I insist I'm a grown woman who can decide for myself what I do or don't do my dad assigns me a babysitter?.”
“Maybe if you stop acting like a child people would stop treating you like one.” I nudged her into the car and she slid inside.
“but I need to be free to make my own mistakes.”
“Not when the stakes are life or death.” I shut her door and rounded the hood to take the driver's seat before continuing. “You don't seem to get what's at stake here, or maybe you don't care. I don't know but your insolence is becoming a pain in my ass.”
“Well, excuse me for the inconvenience.”
“See, I know you're being a smartass but an apology would be smart about now because I'm seriously considering getting you an ankle bracelet to keep you in the house.”
Her eyes widened as a gasp escaped her lips. “You mean like they put on criminals under house arrest?”
“Precisely.”
“You can't. I have rights. And, — how did you find me tonight, anyway?”
“I have my ways.” I was not about to give away my secrets. Something told me, with the way she was, I might need them again.
With that, she crossed her arms and leaned back in the seat as I drove us back to the Director's house.
Chapter 4
By the time the Director got home, Caroline and I had already fallen asleep. The guest room was much nicer than the bedroom at my apartment. I’d never known what I was missing but I slept like a baby on whatever that pillowtop mattress was. Saturday night was another late night so I crashed there again that night. I was beginning to see why the Director needed someone there to watch over Caroline. He was never home.
I woke up late Sunday morning to the loud shrill of my cell.
“Hello?”
“Hey, wh
ere are you? You stood us up last night.”
“Hunter?”
“Yeah, man. You were supposed to come over for dinner. How hungover are you?”
“You know I don't drink enough to get hungover.”
“You also don't just not show up like that either. You go home with another girl last night?”
“No. Sorry. It was a work thing.”
“Everything okay? I've been kind of out of the loop while on vacation.”
“Yeah, just on protective detail...at the Director’s house.”
“Seriously? He chose you as his protective detail?”
“No, he chose O'Neill. He assigned me to his daughter.”
“Oh shit. Goodluck.” I could practically hear him fighting back a laugh.
I sat up in bed and looked out the window at the gloomy, gray sky and rubbed my forehead. “I'm gonna need it.”
We hung up and I drug myself out of bed. I was usually up and out of bed with the sun so I could hit the gym before work but I dreaded starting my day as Caroline’s babysitter.
I spent the morning reviewing case files and any findings I could on the hackers who had broken in to the agency's servers while Caroline made herself busy around the house.
I was enjoying the peace until she emerged from the foyer and peeked into the open door of the study.
“There's a change of plans. Amanda’s wanting me to come to her house for movie night.”
I let out a frustrated sigh and pushed my laptop aside. “You said you two were doing that here.”
“We were but she doesn't want to have to get out in the rain and I want out of this prison for the evening.”
“No.”
“What do you mean no?”
“Well you know if I said yes how you'd walk outside, get in your car and go to Amanda's?”
“Yeah?”
“It's kind of like that but the opposite.”
Caroline let out a loud huff and put her hands on her hips. “You're a jackass, you know that?”
“My job is to protect you, Caroline. Not keep you happy.”
