by Rye Hart
Tony Martin.
Four months ago, I had been surrounded by that God-forsaken country in Iraq. Then, it had taken one well-placed bomb to end Tony’s life within a matter of seconds. He had only been one step ahead of me. I still couldn’t shake those images of his body flying through the air in a spray of sand, blood, and debris.
“Harley.”
I looked up sharply at the sound of Logan’s voice. “What?”
“You’ve been going to get help, right?” he asked, cautiously. “You’ve been home for almost four months, and this is the first time I’ve seen you since Tony’s funeral.”
“Yah. It was one of the requirements my Mom set up when I came back,” I said, nodding. “I agreed to get help as long as she let me help pay the bills around the house along with treatment.”
“Then, promise me you’ll consider this job. I know your Mom could use the extra help while she’s in remission. She’s been in our prayers during her treatment,” Logan said.
“Thank you, that means a lot.”
“Remember Robert Carter?”
I frowned at the familiar name. “That’s one of the federal prosecutors who put terrorists behind bars, right?”
“Correct. He wants to hire a bodyguard for his daughter who recently graduated law school and is going on a trip to Spain.”
“How old is the daughter?”
“I believe she is—” Logan picked up the file in front of him to flip through the papers quickly. “—twenty-two. She graduated from Harvard a few weeks ago. Obviously a smart girl, so she can’t be that much trouble. You know Robert doesn’t put up with anything. I can’t imagine how strict the guy was on her – not to mention how much balls he must have busted all these years. In my opinion, this is easy money man.”
I rubbed at the back of my neck and sighed.
The last thing I wanted to do was leave my Mom while she received treatment for Stage II breast cancer, but our bills had to be paid. I had been discharged with honor, and a hefty sum to start early retirement, but my Mom struggled enough as it was financially. Growing up, we had no money, but she always made ends meet for us – and now it was my turn to step up.
The doctor I had arranged her to see was expensive. Damn expensive. Though, she was worth every fucking penny I could scrounge up - and then some. I’ve never imagined taking up a job like this, but maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea if it meant helping out with my Mom’s situation. I could swallow my pride and get through it.
The appeal to babysit a rich prosecutor’s daughter was not high on my list of things to do now that I had the time to do whatever I wanted. I had respect for Robert Carter though. While Logan and I took the bad guys out on combat through deadly force, Robert Carter put them behind bars for the rest of their lives as a form of punishment.
“How much is the mission here?” I asked.
“$500,000,” Logan said and laughed when I nearly choked on air. “That ain’t nothing compared to what some celebrities pay. That’s just your cut too. I’m not including mine.”
“Shit,” I exclaimed. “You could’ve started with that number.”
Logan grinned at me. “Good to know. Figured you might like this job since we’ve dealt with Mr. Carter previously from handing his reports for court. He’s a hard hitter, but you knew that, man.”
I nodded. Hard hitter was putting it nicely.
“My Mom’s receiving treatment this summer,” I said. “I have a feeling he wants a bodyguard for this summer.”
“Just for one month. All the travel expenses will be paid for as well along with the hotels.”
“I’ll make my suggestions about Madrid,” I said, shaking my head. “There is some corrupt bullshit going on over there within that country. I don’t trust any personal guards there.”
“I take it that means you’re accepting the job then?”
“As long as I know you and Jade can help my Mom,” I said, pointing a finger at him. “I’m helping you, so you help me here.”
“Always,” Logan said, nodding. “Brothers are always first. No matter what. Here’s all the information.” He handed over all the papers. “I don’t know the exact dates besides that it’ll be in a week or so. Just sign and leave the contract here. I’ll call Mr. Carter to let him know you’re coming into Manhattan to speak with him this afternoon.”
I sat back in my chair. A headache pounded in my temples while I flicked through the papers quickly. Libby Armstrong. I glanced down at her photo attached to a piece of paper.
There was the best friend I’d be protecting too— the tall and leggy blonde with a sultry smile. I snorted. Abigail Carter. A timid woman with shoulder length brown hair and large frame glasses looked up at me from the photograph. She was small too. 5’3. 125 lbs. She could easily be abducted without a fight. It didn’t help her case either that she looked like a sexy book nerd with those glasses and innocent expression.
I cleared my throat at the last observation. Easy boy, Jordan, if you’re thinking of bangin’ a top US prosecutor’s daughter then you’d better be ready for another kind of war.
“Okay,” I said. “Call him up. I’ll be there within an hour.”
CHAPTER THREE - ABIGAIL
“You have to be kidding me.”
I stared at my Dad in disbelief as he handed off a case file to his paralegal. She scampered by me, well-aware that an argument was about to ensue. When Robert Carter got angry, all hell broke loose, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. Yet, I could match my Dad’s angry voice tone for tone easily without batting an eyelash, and I would.
How dare he shit all over my plans?
He stood in front of the row of windows that overlooked the entire city of Manhattan dressed in a sharp navy blue suit with a crisp white button up my Mom had ironed for him this morning. His brown hair was peppered with grays, and a few faint lines covered the corners of his eyes, but he was sharper than ever. Age had never slowed him down.
“I’m not kidding you, Abi,” he replied, steadily. “I have hired a bodyguard to come with you to Spain. There's no argument about it.”
“You just want someone to tell you how I’m behaving,” I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest. “You don’t think I know how to defend myself, or how to keep an eye out for trouble?”
“No, I don’t have any confidence in you for those reasons.” I winced at the harshness of those words. “You are incredibly naive when it comes to foreign places, Abi. You can’t imagine the concern I have for you. Especially with Libby tagging along on this adventure.”
“Libby is not a bad person,” I said, defensively. “She’s the only friend at Harvard who isn’t afraid of you!”
“For that,” he said, sitting down at his desk with a sigh, “I admire her for, but it’s already done. The bodyguard will be here any moment now.”
“You promised to trust me on this one thing,” I pointed out in exasperation. “This is the one time you promised that I could do this without someone hovering over me the entire time.”
“Things change, Abigail, and if we’re being honest, I do trust you. It’s everyone else in the world that I’m leery of. You’re my daughter, and when I’m concerned, I’m going to take precautionary measures to make sure you’re protected.”
“Protected against what?”
“I have taken on a case that involves a high profile terrorist leader who is currently in a US prison,” he said. “This man happens to mean a lot to his group of followers. They will do everything they can to get him back.”
“And you think that involves me?”
My Dad sighed heavily in exasperation as well. “Yes, Abigail. It does involve you because you are leaving the country, and I have a feeling you have posted your feelings about being away from me without any supervision.” He smiled thinly when I looked away guiltily. “That’s what I thought. This is where I feel much more comfortable having a bodyguard following you and Libby around Madrid.”
“I’m twenty-two, Dad,” I hal
f-whined, not sounded twenty-two at all. “I can handle my life on my own. You’re being paranoid about everything as usual.”
“You’ve been a bit sheltered, dear. Your life has been lived in a bubble thanks to me and your Mom making sure that you were always within reach” he said, and at the look on my face, clarified, “I admit that I’ve sheltered you a bit too much, but I’m your Dad. I’m going to protect you as much as I can. Since I am paying for this trip, the bodyguard stands. Period.”
He had me at that and knew it. I sat down in the chair in front of his desk with a dejected sigh. Libby is going to be fucking furious. There was no changing my Dad’s mind once he was convinced of something. I’d have to deal with another bodyguard reporting things back to my Dad as usual. How the hell was I going to enjoy myself with some muscle-head leaning over the top of me the whole damn time?
Right. I wasn’t.
A knock echoed on the door before anything else could be said. I turned in my chair as the doors to my Dad’s office were opened. My breath caught in my throat when a handsome, muscular guy with short brown hair entered the room with an air of confidence about him.
Muscles pressed against the fitted shirt he wore, and I couldn’t help but notice the bulge in the front of his pants. It seemed like his arms weren’t the only thing he was working out. I wanted to snort at my joke, but my sour mood helped to hold back anything resembling playful.
His eyes, a forest green color, flicked over my Dad and me with an indifferent expression. He was tall, and easily towered over everyone. Tattoos covered the patches of skin that were visible. There was something irresistible about him. I couldn’t pinpoint it besides that my stomach fluttered when he raked his gaze over me sitting in the chair.
“Ah, Mr. Jordan, I presume?” My Dad stood from his chair to hold out a hand for the man to shake. “I’d like to thank you for coming to Manhattan from Queens today. Your friend, Logan, mentioned you were making the trip to meet with us. I appreciate that more than you know.”
“Thank you for seeing me, Sir,” he said, voice deep and steady. It was beautifully masculine and left something in my stomach fluttering around.
My Dad extended a hand toward me. “This is my daughter, Abigail. You have probably seen her pictures from the files I sent to Logan though.”
“Pictures?” I asked, shooting my Dad a glare. “You sent them pictures of me?”
“I apologize for her lack of manners,” my Dad said, crisply. “She is not pleased with this arrangement at the moment.”
I stood up from the chair to offer a hand to him. “Abigail Carter. Call me Abi for short if you want.”
“Harley Jordan,” he said, but didn’t take hold of my hand. He nodded at me instead and returned his attention to my Dad pretty quickly. “Logan mentioned you had some documents for me, Sir?”
I rolled my eyes when my Dad smiled, obviously pleased with being addressed so politely. The few bodyguards he had hired were rather brash, or impolite by his standards. Not that I wasn’t interested in Harley. My stomach did that little flutter when I caught him looking at me before flicking his gaze over to my Dad. He smelled like something fresh mixed with an outdoorsy musk. Manly. Delicious. Ridiculously good.
“Yes. These are your plane tickets.” My Dad thumbed through a pile of papers on his desk. “Oh, Julia forgot to give me the information on the hotel. Stay right here, Abi. Don’t go running off until I’m done talking to you.”
I waited until my Dad left his office before I turned to look at Harley. He stood rigidly in front of my Dad’s desk, hands clasped behind his back. It took him a minute, but he finally turned to face me. He watched me for a second before arching his eyebrow. “Yes?”
“Look, I realize that my Dad is hiring you to follow Libby and me around,” I started, giving him a pointed look, “but, I’d appreciate it if you try to make yourself invisible as much as possible.”
“Whatever your Dad says, I will do,” Harley said, firmly.
“Right, but I’m also in charge over there,” I said. “This is my spring break and my last chance to do something fun before I commit myself to working at this firm. Understand?”
Harley chuckled, a deep type of chuckle of amusement.
“I don’t want to spend my time supervising you. Believe me,” he said, “but, this is what I’m being paid to do. So unfortunately for you, that’s all I’m going to do.”
I knew what he was thinking. Spoiled rich brat. I could see it in his eyes, but there was something else there too. Maybe? I didn’t get a chance to decipher it.
He turned away to focus on the windows that overlooked Manhattan, his shoulders stiff and back straight as a board. Ex-military. Had to be.
Gathering that our conversation was over, I gathered my things from where I had set them on the chair.
“Your Dad told you to stay,” Harley said as he glanced back over at me.
I slipped the strap of my purse over my shoulder. I gave Harley a withering glare, but he didn’t bat an eyelash. His face remained an indifferent mask.
“You’re not in charge,” I said, coldly. “I’d appreciate it if you don’t tell me what to do. It won’t go over well.”
I opened the office door, but it was Harley’s voice that stopped me dead in my tracks.
“I’m not in charge yet,” he said, “but once we are over there, you’ll have to listen to me whether you like it or not, sweetheart.”
Anger skittered through me at the cockiness. I debated on arguing with him, but it was pointless. My Dad had most likely already handed over a hefty check, so it gave everyone a false sense of authority. Except, there was something different about the way Harley said it.
I shut the office door instead of replying. Striding through the office toward the elevator doors, I tried to regain my composure, to find my sense of control again, but it was useless.
It was going to be one hell of a month with Harley Jordan shadowing me. That much I could tell, and I had no idea if it was going to be a good thing or not.
CHAPTER FOUR - HARLEY
The morning sun felt warm on my exposed skin as I stepped out of the airport to hail one of the many cabs lingering about in front of the terminals. While a cab eagerly pulled up to the curb, I kept one eye trained on Abigail and Libby who were following behind me in the middle of an excited conversation.
“I can’t believe we’re actually here!” Libby said. “It’s so wonderful already. Can you believe how warm it feels?”
Abigail laughed. “It was warm in Manhattan too, Libs.”
“Well, I know, but you know what I mean.” She looped an arm through Abigail’s. “Better stick with me. I’ll protect you from the scary men your Dad is afraid will kidnap you.”
I didn’t bother replying. Libby from my experience was the outspoken one who clearly dictated Abigail’s social life. She made a point of ignoring me out of irritation, but I didn’t give two shits if Libby or Abigail enjoyed my presence. Some part of me hoped that they didn’t enjoy it at all. I had a $500,000 check waiting for me either way. The less attention they paid to me, the better.
“Hola, senior,” the cab driver called out. “Do you need a ride?”
“To this address here,” I said in fluent Spanish.
He took the paper from me in surprise. “You speak Spanish?”
“Yes, I do.”
I turned to find Abigail watching me curiously. “What?”
“I didn’t know you spoke Spanish,” she said, clearly impressed. “I tried to take Spanish in High School, but I failed it two times.”
I sighed inwardly. I didn’t care for idle chit chat, and I wasn’t in the mood for mind games with Abigail. Our last encounter hadn’t ended well in her Dad’s office. She was a spoiled brat, and I was a well-paid babysitter.
“We should get to the hotel,” I said and grabbed the luggage cart next to them. “Don’t get into the cab until—”
Libby let out an exasperated noise. “You’re paranoid - you kn
ow that? Worse than Abi’s Dad.” She tugged Abigail to the cab doors. “We aren’t in middle of Iraq or whatever third world country that has a reputation for kidnapping women.”
I tossed their luggage and bags into the back along with mine. Not caring for their protests to be careful, I climbed into the front passenger seat with Abigail sitting right behind me. I turned to look over at Libby who was now busily scrolling through her phone.
“I’m not being paid to make sure you aren’t kidnapped,” I said, flatly. “It’s Abigail I’m here for, so please, feel free to go down any dark alley you find, by yourself here. Drive, please.”
The cab driver gave me a long look before putting the van into drive. I sat uneasily in the front seat wishing I had my .22 holstered at my side. Madrid was beautiful no doubt, but I had seen a few too many horrible things coming through this city. Granted, there were worse countries out there, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling that we were being watched.
“You just want Abigail all to yourself,” Libby said, grinning. “Hey, if you two want some alone time then—”
“Libby,” Abigail started, sharply, “please don’t.”
Libby sighed dramatically. “Fine, but I’m not even tired yet. We just got here and I’m not ready to call it a night just yet.”
“Probably because you never go to bed before 2:00 am,” Abigail said. “It’ll start hitting us once we’re at the hotel.”
“What do you think, Harley?” asked Libby.
I looked back at Libby in annoyance. “What do I think about what?”
“You’re the expert here,” she said, not looking up from her phone. “Will we start to feel the time difference soon?”
The hell do I care? I didn’t see the expression on Abigail's face when she flicked her large sunglasses down to cover her eyes. Keep your patience, Jordan. $500,000 is on the line. Ignoring her was my best option. Fuck, it was the only option.
We arrived at the hotel twenty minutes later. As I suspected what would happen, Libby quieted down on the drive there. They were barely fighting yawns when we pulled up in front of the hotel to check in. I waited until they gathered their bags from the back of the cab before I paid the driver, and walked into the expensive marble lobby with them in tow.
