Forgotten Bodyguard Box Set: A Forbidden Fruit Series

by Ali Parker

  My phone buzzed as I grabbed my keys and locked up the beach house. I half expected it to be Ian checking in on me, but it was Jess.

  "Hello?" I pulled the key from the lock and turned to face the ocean. It deserved a moment of my time if nothing else. The white caps crashed on the shore and the tide pulled at the sand with all of its might.

  "Hey you. Are we hanging out today?" Jessica sounded much more chipper than I was used to.

  "Maybe. I'm going to run a few errands and then I'll give you a call." I walked down the stairs on the back porch and continued toward the water. Several seagulls played above my head, causing me to relax further.

  "That sounds great. How's everything going with that sexy bodyguard of yours?"

  I smiled. "Good. Better than good. He told me he loves me."

  "What? Already?"

  "We've been through some shit over the last month or so. He would have to have fallen in love with me to stick around. That or he's just crazy." I glanced around and breathed in deeply.

  "Probably a bit of both. Call me later, okay?"

  "Absolutely." I dropped the call and tucked the phone into my back pocket. After spending a few minutes taking in the vastness of the ocean, I knelt down and picked up a few seashells. Pauly had taken me to collect all kinds of shells over the years, but I wasn't sure where the collection was anymore. Maybe at his place?

  I'd have to ask Ian to take me over there so I could get them and anything else I wanted to remember him by.

  Was it such a bad thing to think that maybe Pauly was my father? Maybe my mother had an affair with him somewhere along the way. They always seemed to be such good friends, and he was involved in everything we did. So much more than my father was.

  I stood and rubbed the shells between my fingers as I walked around the beach house to my car. My birth certificate showed that Mitch was my dad, but were those thing easy to bastardize? Warmth spread through the center of my chest as the breeze picked up and tossed my hair about.

  "I miss you too," I whispered into the wind and got into my car. Life wouldn't be the same without Pauly, no matter who he really was to me. Knowing that my father killed him in cold blood left the world in complete disarray.

  I drove to the cemetery in silence, letting my thoughts guide the conversation in my head. Could someone forget their past and simply create who they would become based on their future instead? It seemed like that had to be Ian's story. We'd yet to dive into each other's pasts too much because of all the drama in the present, but I was looking forward to getting to know him better. Something told me that it would only make me love him more than I already did.

  My phone vibrated in the cup holder below me as I pulled into the cemetery and parked the car. I glanced down to see my father was calling. Did he know where I was? Did he have someone watching from the sidelines of my life at all times?

  I picked up the phone and got out of the car. "Hi, dad."

  "Hi, Pumpkin. Where are you? At the beach house?"

  "I'm running errands." I glanced around, feeling a sense of freedom that I hadn't for a long time. There was no one guarding me. It was a little frightening and yet incredibly freeing too. Did Ian trust that I would be safe, or did he just trust me? I was far tougher than anyone was giving me credit for.

  "Alright. Please remember that we're having a large event tomorrow there in San Diego. I expect you to be there beside me. Look your best like you did in Maryland, alright?"

  "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow." I didn't wait for his response, but dropped the call and forced myself to walk across the grassy knoll toward my mother’s grave. It was elaborate and fresh flowers lay in various vases all around the tombstone, which didn't surprise me. She was America's favorite sweetheart back in her time and many people still came to visit her, which was creepy, but I didn't have much room to talk.

  I glanced around, taking note that I was alone, before moving down to my knees. I pulled the seashells from my pocket and took a deep breath.

  "I wish you were here." The wind picked up and blew my hair around as if she were very much there with me. "Some part of me wants to ask you about everything as if the truth really could set me free. I'm not sure that's the case this time. It feels like it would scare me to death if I knew what really happened."

  I blinked back tears that were more for myself than her. I'd blocked so much of my childhood that my memories of her were all but gone. I reached out and plucked a purple flower that was growing at the base of her grave.

  "Is Pauly my dad, mom? Did you have an affair with him? Did Mitch find out?" It felt so strange calling my father by his first name. "Did he have anything to do with your death?"

  The accident had been closed without nearly enough investigation, or that was the murmur on the late night television shows over my mother's death. The accident had been a head on collision, but the couple in the other car were never found or heard from again. I couldn't help but wonder how two cars collided, both of them coming out of the fray completely mangled and yet only one party was affected.

  No blood, no carnage, no nothing in the other car.

  I closed my eyes and focused on the sound of my breathing combined with the soft thump of my heart. I wanted so badly to put myself back to the day of my mother's death. I could remember bits and pieces. The fight between her and my father had been epic, but I'd been pushed from the room and the door closed the minute I tried to see what was going on.

  They were both screaming, and my mother was throwing things around his office. She was always the dramatic one.

  I pushed harder into the memory and found myself standing in front of a tall wooden door with the sound of screaming coming through the crack near the floor. They never fought. I was more in shock that they were so angry with each other than the reason for the fight.

  "Come on..." I whispered and squeezed my eyes closed as tightly as I could. The memory was just beyond my reach, but maybe it was for the better.

  I growled and opened my eyes as the sun broke through the clouds and covered me in the warmth of its rays. I glanced up and shook my head.

  "Maybe it's for the better. Maybe I'm not supposed to know, right?"

  The breeze picked up again, and the sound of someone walking to my left caused me to get to my feet. I turned as a young guy lifted his hand and smiled.

  "Sorry to both you. Is that your car over there?" He turned and pointed back toward my car.

  "Yeah. I'm sorry, did I park in a handicap spot?"

  "No, but you left the keys in the car and it's running." He couldn't have been a year or two older than me.

  "Oh. Shit." I rolled my eyes. "I have a lot on my mind."

  "I can imagine so." He glanced down at my mother's grave. "Were you a fan?"

  "You could say that." I knelt and put the other seashell on the center of the tombstone.

  "You know her husband is soon to be the President of the United States, right?"

  "Mitch Moore?" I played the part, interested in what the guy thought of my dad. He couldn't have followed the campaign too closely, or he would know exactly who I was, which didn't at all seem the case.

  "Yeah. I'm not sure what to think about that guy to be honest." He tucked his hands into his pockets and glanced back at my car.

  "Seems like everyone loves him around here."

  He snorted. "That's because he helped to legalize pot. Who wouldn't love a guy in a business suit who fights for the high life?"

  I smiled and let my eyes move along my mother's tombstone one more time. "Do you think he was involved with his wife's death?"

  "Absolutely." The guy smiled. "Have you not read the stories around her accident?"

  "No. I can't say that I have." And I didn't want to. Ian getting proof that Mitch wasn't my father was starting to sound better and better.

  "You should. It's an intriguing story. The media thought she was having an affair with her bodyguard, but then again, everyone was having affairs back in the late nineties." H
e crossed his arms over his chest. "Wouldn't that be some shit if Senator Moore was wrapped up in a cold case file? Hopefully someone will drag it open."

  "Would it do any good if they did?" I turned as if to head out to my car. The encounter with the young man was odd, but it left me with a sense of responsibility. Maybe I shouldn't stick my head in the sand, but instead pull apart my father's lies until I reached the truth.

  It wasn't just about me anymore. It was about everyone who would soon hail him as something he wasn't - a good man.

  Chapter 17

  Ian

  Chloe was gone when I got back on Sunday afternoon, and I must have passed out on the couch, because that's where I woke up on Monday morning. I had three messages from the same number on my phone from the night before.

  I stood and stretched, glancing around to see if my girl was in the house. Everything was silent - peaceful.

  Walking down toward the bedroom, I pulled the phone to my ear to start listening to the messages. They were all from someone I hadn't expected to hear from - ever.

  Brant Thomas.

  I knew Cole was working to help me crack the code on Mitch's deception around Melinda and Pauly, but I hadn't realized he was quietly reaching out to Brant as well.

  "Ian, this is Brant Thomas. Your brother contacted my office on Friday. I'm in San Diego on Monday for the Democratic event if you'd still like to meet up. Just come visit around ten if possible. I'm not sure what you need from me or how you think I can help, but bring your evidence and I'll at least sit down and talk with you."

  I shook my head and tucked my phone back in my pocket. Evidence? What the fuck had Cole told the guy, and why hadn't my brother mentioned it at lunch the day before?

  Carefully I opened the door to the bedroom and stuck my head in. The chilly darkness greeted me as well as the sound of Chloe sleeping.

  I crept in and pulled the covers over her shoulders before leaning down and kissing the side of her face.

  "There's a photo album in the living room for you." I kissed the side of her mouth. "Cole got it from Pauly's. I gotta run into town. Are you going to be okay alone?"

  She mumbled something and reached for me, pulling me down into the bed with her and kissing at my neck.

  I slid my hands over her sexy curves and pulled her in for a longer kiss before rolling her onto her back and pressing her to the bed.

  "I'll be back in an hour or so. Stay in bed and I'll come join you when I get back." I brushed my nose up the side of her face and kissed her ear. "I'll wake you up the right way."

  "Please," she whispered in a way that had my cock demanding my attention.

  "Anything for you." I kissed her again and crawled off the bed, lamenting about having to leave her there. It was a little after nine, which was just my fucking luck. Had I had even a few extra minutes, I'd have spent them buried inside her tight little body.

  I adjusted myself and walked out of the bedroom and down the hall. My stomach growled angrily, but I worked to ignore it. All I had was the bike with me, but from the looks of things, it was a beautiful day for a ride.

  I called my brother as I locked up the beach house and walked around toward the parking lot. His voice was filled with sleep and he sounded slightly perturbed when he answered. Something about aggravating him made me smile. I would always be his little brother in some sense.

  "What?" He barked into the phone.

  "I just got a call from Brant Thomas. He wants to meet up this morning. Did you set that shit up and forget to tell me?"

  He groaned and cleared his throat. "Fuck. Yeah. Sorry man. I figured while we were digging, we might as well go right to the source. I was going to tell you last night, but I totally spaced. Forgive me."

  "It's all good. I'm headed over there now."

  "Let me get dressed and I'll come with you. I'd love to hear what the hell happened all those years ago."

  "No, I got this. I don't want him clamming up because there are too many people across the table from him." I got on my bike and let out a short sigh. "I'll call you when it's done."

  "Take one of those zip drives with you, Ian."

  "I have all of them still in my pockets from yesterday, but why should I take one? Did you tell him about them?"

  "No, but he has the power to shut Mitch down from the inside peacefully. Find out where he is emotionally and if he even suspects Mitch was involved in his family's murder, then give him one of the drives. We have two extra, right?"

  I reached for my helmet. "Yeah. I have the three that Jeremy is expecting to get, though I have no clue why he would want all of them."

  "And the two I made. So give one to Brant and the other you keep with you, alright?"

  "Alright. I'll let you know what happens." I reached into my pocket to verify that I did in fact still have the damn things. "Did you figure out who’s holding the camera for the video?"

  "No clue, but it’s irrelevant. Just see if you can get Brant on our side. I'm sure he has his suspicions, but maybe not. Who knows with these politician types?"

  "I'll call you later." I tucked my phone in my pocket and pulled on my helmet before heading toward downtown. My brother was fucking smart. Having Jeremy go after Mitch would most likely be enough, but pushing Brant Thomas to do the same would mean success. One of them would tear Senator Moore's secrets wide open and do our job for us. That would leave Chloe out of the line of fire, as well as me and my brother.

  It sounded like the perfect plan, but things rarely worked out that way. I forced down my doubt and tried for the first time in a long time to be optimistic about what we were headed into.

  It was the final countdown and we were running out of time.

  *

  "Ian. Come on in." The tall guy with thick grey hair and a crooked smile looked nothing like the guy I remembered from the last presidential race. Losing his family had taken a serious toll on him.

  "Thanks." I walked in and turned to extend my hand. "Nice to meet you. Thanks for taking time out to talk with me."

  "Well, your brother, Cole was his name?"

  "Yeah. That's him."

  "He called my office on Friday and said that he had been working for Mitch Moore as security detail and might have something that I would be interested in seeing."

  "Right." I shook his hand and walked to take the seat across from his desk. "My brother and I have been guarding Mitch's daughter Chloe, and during that time, a few things have come up that lead us to believe that Mitch isn't really who he says he is."

  "Interesting. Have a seat and let me hear all about it."

  "I'd rather talk about the situation you went through eight years ago when you lost your family." I leaned back and clasped my hands over my stomach. I didn't know the guy and didn't trust him as far as I could throw him. Just because Cole respected him from a political standpoint didn't mean shit.

  "Oh." His smile faded from his face as he sat down. "That was a long time ago."

  "And I bet you still think about them every day."

  "I do." He glanced down and shook his head. "What does my family have to do with any of this? If nothing, then I'd rather we just skip over that subject. It's not exactly a place I want to revisit in my mind."

  "I understand, but I think Senator Moore was involved in what happened. I can't prove it yet, but I've heard enough whispers around the edge of his new campaign to feel confident."

  "Do you have any evidence of this?" His eyebrow lifted sharply and I could see the politician coming out to play.

  "Maybe." I watched him, trying to see what Cole saw. He looked like a tired old man to me, not at all the type that would take the zip drive and turn Mitch in.

  "If you have something, then show me. My whole family died that night. It should have been me instead, but it was them." He glanced down at his lap. "I've never forgiven myself for going out for a drink with an old friend that evening. If I would have been there-"

  "You would have died too." I reached into my pocket, to
ok out one of the zip drives and tossed it to him. I wasn't sure Cole was right about old Brant Thomas, but I had insurance in my pocket if not.

  He caught it and glanced down at it. "What's this?"

  "Evidence. Pop it in your computer and let's watch it." I got up and walked toward the door behind me to lock it.

  "It's a video from the night my family died or something else?" His voice was nothing more than a hoarse whisper.

  I locked the door and walked toward him. "That's what it's supposed to be. Let's see it."

  "My family died in a fire. The authorities ruled it as an accident. The case is closed." He put the zip drive into the side of his laptop and leaned back. "Are you telling me that you believe they were murdered?"

  "Yeah. That's where the evidence seems to be leading to." I moved up beside him and squinted a little as the movie appeared on his computer screen. The large two story house being taped was wrapped in flames.

  "Dear God." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Who the fuck would video tape this?"

  "I don't know who was holding the camera. Turn up the sound."

  "It's not working on my computer. We're getting it fixed now."

  A dark-haired man moved up beside the guy filming, his long hair in a tight ponytail. He glanced over and shook his head. Pauly.

  Fuck.

  "Who is that?" Brant glanced back at me, his voice filled with anger.

  "That's Mitch's head bodyguard. He's dead."

  I turned back to the computer as Mitch walked up beside Pauly and slipped his hands into his pocket. The sick smile on his face left my blood running cold. Did they know that someone was filming the event? By the angle of the camera, my guess would be no.

  "I can't watch anymore." He reached up and turned the monitor off. "How long have you been holding onto this evidence?"

  I moved around the desk and lifted my hands. "I just got a hold of it a few days ago. One of Mitch's old associates had it tucked away for the right time, I guess."

  "Who else has a copy?" He pulled the zip drive from the computer and laid it on his desk.