by Cassie Cole
“Nice to meet you,” I said. I started to offer him my hand but stopped when I remembered the tattoos he would see. “Call me Elizabeth.”
“I’m Ethan.”
So that is his real name. Or he used a fake name for both jobs.
I nodded to the police officer and then let him inside.
We lingered in the entrance hall. My brain was screaming at me: the escort you’ve been hiring is here in your apartment.
He smelled enticingly familiar, a soft lavender and vanilla cologne. Would he be able to smell me too? I usually wore perfume when we got together, but I never did while I was on the Hill.
“The contract Ms. Hanram sent me was very specific, so let me go over the ground rules,” he said. “I’m still waiting on my clearance, so I can’t follow you around inside the Capitol Building itself. But I’ll be covering you the rest of the day without exception. I’ll be here all night and when you wake up. I’ll accompany you on your morning jog, then on the commute to the Hill. While you’re there, I’ll remain in your car. Car bombs aren’t common, and the Hill garage security is legit, but your campaign manager told me not to take any chances. When you leave the Hill at night, I’ll escort you home or wherever else you want to go. Then I’ll remain inside your apartment throughout the night again.”
I chuckled. “Are you going to sit on the foot of my bed and watch me sleep?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll get a chair.”
I blinked. “I was joking.”
“I’m not. I heard someone tried to kill you this morning.”
“That’s not supposed to be public knowledge,” I said.
“Ms. Hanram wanted me to understand the gravity of the situation. Don’t worry. Discretion is my specialty.”
It sure is.
“Want me to show you around?” I asked.
Blond hair swung around his eyes as he shook his head. “I already looked up the blueprints. All I need to know is where the coffee machine is.”
“It’s in the bathroom,” I said sarcastically.
He grinned. “I probably deserved that for asking a dumb question, huh?”
We went upstairs. I could feel him just behind me, shadowing me like a good bodyguard. It reminded me of the way he covered me with his body in the hotel. It was only two nights ago. My arms broke out in goosebumps at the memory of his touch…
“If you’re watching me throughout the night,” I asked, “when do you sleep?”
“I don’t sleep much,” he admitted. “I’ll catch a nap while you’re on the Hill.”
“Bums sleep in cars,” I pointed out.
“Bums and bodyguards! I’ve had some of my best naps in a reclined car seat.”
It felt so strange talking to him in a totally different context. Or, you know, talking to him at all rather than having him tease me with what he was about to do to me. But I liked it. Heck, it was nice just to see him with my own eyes without a mask on.
I paused at my bedroom door. “I’ve had a long day, so I’m going right to bed.”
“Can’t blame you,” he said. He loomed over me, a giant of muscle. “Being attacked can destroy a person’s trust in the world. Make them feel vulnerable wherever they go. That’s why I’m here.” He gripped me by the shoulders to bolster his words. “As long as I’m here, you’re safe, Elizabeth.”
I loved the way my name sounded on his tongue. We never kissed when we were together. I wondered what his tongue felt like, or those lips…
“Listen,” I said, clearing my throat. “I’m not going to be able to sleep with someone sitting in the corner of my bedroom. It’s just not going to work. You can hang out in the guest bedroom.”
He twisted to look at the door across from my bedroom. “Yeah, alright. I can accept that compromise.”
I wasn’t sure what else there was to say, so I said, “Goodnight, Ethan.”
“Goodnight, Elizabeth.”
I went through my evening routine of removing my makeup, applying lotion, and brushing my teeth. I got in bed and stared at the closed bedroom door. My secret lover was right across the hall, and he didn’t even know who I was.
I knew I couldn’t tell him, but oh did I want to!
Footsteps, then a shadow darkened the light underneath the door. I held my breath. Was Ethan coming inside? Had he somehow figured out who I was, and now was going to take me the way he took me in the hotel room?
I heard the sound of a wooden chair being dragged across the carpet, and then planted outside my door. The wood creaked as he sat in it. Watching right outside my door instead of the guest bedroom.
He sure was persistent.
My phone buzzed on the bedside table. A text from Megan.
Megan: You doin okay?
Me: I’m fine. But the bodyguard you hired showed up. He’s sitting outside my bedroom door as we speak.
Megan: SHIT. I forgot to call them back and cancel. I’ll take care of it.
I texted her back without ever thinking about it.
Me: No! He’s fine. I feel safer with him here.
Megan: You sure?
Me: Can’t have too many people protecting me, right?
Megan: Glad you’re finally taking your safety seriously. I knew you’d come around after a few hours to process everything.
I put my phone away and curled back up with the pillows that still smelled like Anthony. I stared at the shadow underneath my door. I did feel safer with Ethan right outside.
What have I gotten myself into?
15
Elizabeth
The next morning my alarm did wake me. It was a strange intrusion until I realized what it was, then slapped it to turn it off.
I crawled out of bed. I hadn’t even begun my campaign and I was exhausted already. I almost went to open the door, then remembered that I needed to keep him from seeing my tattoos. I quickly put my robe on over my pajamas.
Ethan was sitting in the chair right outside my door. An eReader was in one hand, and a steaming mug of coffee was in the other.
“Morning, sunshine,” he said cheerfully.
I took the mug of coffee from him and sighed as the steam hit my face, then took a long sip. It was the perfect drinking temperature.
He arched an eyebrow. “There’s a fresh pot in the kitchen.”
“Why get myself a cup when you were nice enough to have one waiting?”
He snorted as if that were only half funny. Good lord, his eyes were piercing and vibrant even at this early hour.
“What’re you reading?” I asked while sipping more coffee.
“Sphere. I’m a big Michael Crichton fan, so I’m going back through all the classics.”
It was counterintuitive seeing a massive, muscular bodyguard reading a book. I shook off my assumption. Maybe I needed to avoid judging people by how they looked.
I gulped the rest of the coffee and then went back in my room to change into my running gear. Ethan followed me downstairs and to the front door.
“I’m going for a jog,” I told him.
“Yep.”
I eyed him up and down. He still wore the same jeans and leather jacket. “Are you going to follow me in that?”
“Why not? I changed into trainers.” He lifted one foot to show off the pair of New Balance sneakers.
“Suit yourself.”
Laughter drifted from outside. I opened the door to find Luca waiting for me. Unlike Ethan, he’d switched into proper running attire.
The USCP officer laughed and pointed at him. “Agent Santos was telling me about the time he ate the last bowl of Frosted Flakes in the White House residence.”
“Nearly started a nuclear war,” Luca said with a tight smile. “POTUS was always grumpy when he didn’t have his Frosted Flakes. We never made that mistake again.”
“Which one?” Ethan asked. “Which president was that?”
Luca blinked as Ethan stepped into the doorway. “Can’t divulge that. Who are you?”
“This is Et
han,” I quickly said. “He’s my private bodyguard.”
Luca stared. “Private bodyguard?”
“My campaign manager insisted.”
“Uh huh.”
The two of them stared at one another like territorial cats.
“Try to keep up, boys,” I said. “I jog like I legislate: fast and without hesitation.”
I took off down the steps, forcing them to keep up.
As I ran down the sidewalk of my neighborhood, I forced myself into a stronger pace than normal. I wanted to show these two who was in charge. And to show off a little bit.
Granted, I didn’t want to leave them in the dust because I needed their protection. Especially on my first jog since the attack. But I wanted them to have to ask me to slow down so they could keep up. It was petty, but I was feeling like a woman who was no longer in control of her life. I needed to be able to own something.
Another thing made me run faster: the nagging feeling that, at any moment, the attacker would return and try to finish the job.
Every shadowy alley filled me with a tingling sensation of foreboding. I was absolutely positive a man would jump out of the first alley we came to. I knew it in my bones. The closer we got to the alley, the more certain I became.
And then I passed it, and everything was fine.
Somehow, my two protectors kept up easily. Luca looked like he’d been running his entire life, but Ethan should have been too muscular to maintain this level of cardio. Yet there he was, on my right side, arms pumping as he matched me stride for stride.
He caught me looking, then grinned widely. “Nice morning for a jog.” He was hardly sweating. His cheeks were a little red, but otherwise he had the audacity to look gorgeous while jogging.
Jerk.
“You’re not bad, Ethan,” Luca said on the other side. “It’s actually impressive you can run so fast with that form.”
“What the hell is wrong with my form?”
Luca gestured. “You’re heel-striking like you’re trying to leave craters behind you.”
“Oh?” Ethan snorted. “That’s better than prancing along like a gazelle.”
“You’re supposed to land on the balls of your feet,” Luca insisted. “That’s proper running form.”
“Proper form is whatever gets you from point A to point B.”
“My runs are usually peaceful,” I snapped.
That shut them both up.
Nobody jumped out of an alley to mug me this morning, a fact which relieved everyone involved. I made myself a smoothie for breakfast and then showered, did my hair, and put on makeup. That was a full hour-long process. Being a woman sucked sometimes, but if I didn’t take care of my appearance I’d end up an internet meme, ridiculed until the end of time.
It wasn’t fair, but it was the shitty reality.
Ethan seemed unhappy about having to sit in the back seat of my car while Luca drove us to the Hill. And on the other end of things, Luca grinned widely at his displeasure.
“Been a Secret Service agent long?” Ethan asked.
“15 years,” Luca replied. He glanced in the rear-view mirror. “You been a bodyguard for very long?”
“On and off for a year.”
“What other work do you do?” Luca asked.
I perked up to listen to his response.
“I do odd jobs here and there,” he said casually. “Handyman stuff around town. Carpentry. Plumbing, especially in the winter.”
It took every ounce of willpower in my body not to make a joke about Ethan cleaning pipes for money.
“Handyman,” Luca mused. “That’s quaint. What makes you qualified to be a bodyguard?”
“What makes you so interested all of a sudden?” Ethan asked with a touch of attitude.
“Well, Senator O’Hare has two U.S. Capitol Police officers watching her apartment throughout the day,” Luca said. “And I’m a special agent with the Secret Service.”
“So?”
“So… Don’t you think you’re a little underqualified by comparison?”
“Play nice…” I warned.
“You know, I was thinking about that,” Ethan said. “What’s a Secret Service agent doing guarding a senator? You running for president or something?”
“Candidates only receive protection once they win a primary,” I quickly said. Maybe a little too quickly based on the sideways glance Luca gave me.
“That’s what I thought,” Ethan said. He leaned forward into the front section of the car, a grin on his face. “You must be a shitty special agent to get downgraded to this kind of work.”
“Excuse me?”
“You must’ve fucked up real bad,” Ethan went on. “What happened? You get caught sleeping on the job? Or did you bang the First Lady?”
I waited for Luca to explode at him the way most guys would’ve, but he only stared straight ahead. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”
“Why? Because it’s true?”
“No,” Luca responded with icy calm. “Because Secret Service agents are above arguing with ‘roided out plumbers.”
“The fuck did you say…”
“Stop it!” I snapped.
They both cut off instantly.
“Do you honestly want me reporting to your superiors that you bickered on my detail like a child?” I asked Luca. “Because if you were assigned to me as punishment for something, I’m guessing that wouldn’t go over very well. And you,” I said, twisting to face Ethan. “You do work for me. One call from a sitting senator and Silver Springs Security will have you out on your ass faster than you can blink. So unless you want to clean old ladies’ pipes full time, I suggest you keep your mouth shut.”
Both of them were sufficiently cowed. It felt good to let out some justified anger at them. And I was a senator. It wouldn’t hurt to throw my weight around like that when they were being ridiculous.
“Cleaning old ladies’ pipes,” Ethan said, chuckling. “That’s funny.”
I winced. Hopefully he didn’t think the pun was intended.
Luca pulled into the underground garage for the Capitol Building. “See you on the other side,” Ethan said, giving a mock salute as we left. He crawled into the front seat and reclined the back all the way.
“Asshole,” Luca muttered as we walked into the building and through security.
“Give him a break,” I said. “He was up all night.”
“So were the USCP outside your apartment. Except they’re qualified to keep you safe. They actually know what they’re doing.”
I started to dismiss his comment, but then stopped myself. Maybe I was letting my stealth relationship with Ethan cloud my judgement of him as a bodyguard. I hadn’t asked about his qualifications. I’d just accepted that he would keep me safe since he was big and muscular.
I accepted him because I wanted him closer to me.
I shook my head. What was I even doing? I should have let Megan dismiss him since I had Luca now. It was reckless letting him stay close to me. He might figure out who I was. But it did make me feel safer knowing he was outside my bedroom last night, and I slept so soundly that I barely even heard my alarm.
I need to get control of my life.
That morning, we had an early senate session to debate a budget bill. It was a demonstration of the worst part of politics: it was an endless line of senators attempting to tack riders onto the bill. Pork spending that would help their home states but had nothing to do with the bill itself. Steel subsidies for Pennsylvania; corn research for Iowa.
Politics really pissed me off, sometimes.
Nobody commented on Luca’s presence by my side all morning, but I still got plenty of stares. His presence was noted. People were wondering. And when I couldn’t see them, I knew they were whispering.
Megan was right that we needed to announce my campaign as soon as possible.
I ducked out of the senate session once my vote was cast. I needed to get an early lunch before the important subcommi
ttee meeting I had at noon. “Hungry?” I asked Luca as we headed to the cafeteria. “My treat.”
“Special agents get free meals,” he replied.
“Well then it’s really my treat. Get whatever your heart desires!”
The cafeteria was mostly empty except for a few junior senators and representatives, all glued to their phones while they ate. I sat at a table over by the windows so I could enjoy today’s blue sky. It was the first in a while—it had been overcast for practically a month straight. At least snow storms were more mild here than back in Ohio. I did not miss lake-effect snow.
My phone buzzed. A text message from Megan.
Megan: Change of plans. We’re announcing tomorrow.
Me: What!
Me: Why?
Megan: Some journalists are sniffing around the assassination attempt. Capitol Police can’t keep the story under wraps much longer.
Megan: We NEED to time our announcement soon after that news breaks. I’m lining up the events as we speak.
Me: Are you sure it’s not too soon?
Megan: Positive. We’ll discuss the details tonight. Get your game face on, girl. In 24 hours you’ll have more press coverage than Jesus.
She added a GIF of fireworks exploding to the end of the last message.
I stared at my salad. I’d already mentally prepared myself for announcing this weekend. Tomorrow was too soon. I wasn’t ready.
Everything was happening too fast.
Luca tried to sit three tables away, but I waved him over. I needed to talk to someone to take my mind off the overwhelming news. “Everyone knows who you are. You might as well sit with me.”
He hesitated, then joined me.
“Hey, speaking of being recognized,” I said. “Why don’t you have one of those ear pieces like the other agents?”
He bit into his club sandwich. “I’m a team of one. There’s nobody else to communicate with.”
“Oh. I figured they’d be feeding you intel or threats or something at all times.”
“Nope.”
We shared an uncomfortable silence while he ate his sandwich and I picked at my salad.
“Where are you from?” I asked when the silence became unbearable.
