Mandy had obviously chosen the photo for the file. He liked that better than downloading it from social media as they often did. It was far more personal.
Sierra was a redhead. That, he hadn’t been expecting. In the photograph, her hair had been loose and flowing past her shoulders. He realised that Mandy, too, had her hair down, and wondered if he had even seen her like that before. He didn’t think so.
“She’s cute,” he murmured. Duncan gave him a severe look. “I know!” Blake replied, without having to be told. Hands off. He always was. He knew that the consequence would be an immediate firing if he wasn’t. Didn’t mean he couldn’t look, though.
“You can start as soon as you leave this office. Mandy said that she took the morning off work, which concerned her. Apparently Sierra is a bit of a workaholic. So you can meet her at her apartment. The address is in the file.”
Blake glanced at the address and whistled. Classy neighbourhood.
“Thanks, Duncan.” He stood, already mentally planning ahead now that he had a new mission.
He was halfway to the door when Duncan’s voice stopped him.
“And Blake?” He spun around, eyes settling on his boss’ stern features. “Like I said, don’t screw this up.”
He swallowed around the lump in his throat. His shoulder ached with the reminder that he wasn’t even close to his best, but Blake nodded with all the confidence he could muster.
He needed this. He wouldn’t screw it up. Couldn’t.
In a small way, his life—and his sanity—depended on it.
Chapter 3
The look of righteous fury on Mandy’s face as she stormed into his office half an hour after Blake left let Duncan know he was in a whole lot of trouble.
“You gave Sierra’s case to Blake?” she hissed as she shut the door. He took the closed door to mean that he was about to get yelled at. A lot.
“He was the only one available,” he half-heartedly defended himself.
She strode across the plush carpet, her sharp heels sinking deep. “Then you should have taken someone else from another assignment and given them to her. Zack would have been perfect. Or Sam.”
Duncan shook his head. “Zack is on a long-term assignment. I can’t pull him out now without looking incompetent. And believe it or not, Sam is taking a holiday.”
“Then you should have brought her back.” Mandy placed her hands on the desk and leant forward. Her teeth were practically bared. He’d never seen her this intimidating in the year and a few months that he’d known her. He was surprised by how hot he found it.
Duncan raised a brow, trying to keep his cool. “Would you be brave enough to make that call?”
Mandy seethed, but didn’t answer. Duncan allowed himself a moment of smugness, but wasn’t stupid enough to mention it aloud.
“This is my friend you are talking about.”
Duncan softened as he saw the fear in her eyes. “And Blake is good at his job. She’ll be okay.”
“Normally, I would have agreed with you. But he was just shot. He nearly died!”
“Now, that’s an exaggeration,” he tried, but Mandy wasn’t having it.
“I can’t have anything happen to her. She’s too important to me.” Tears shimmered in her eyes, and Duncan crumbled. He reached out to clasp a comforting hand around hers. Surprisingly, she didn’t pull away.
“She’ll be fine. Bodyguards are normally used as deterrents, anyway. They don’t need to know he’s not quite at his full strength, yet. Though, knowing Blake, he will be soon enough. Besides, he can still take a bullet for her, if it comes to that. He’s proven that recently.”
His attempt at lightening the mood backfired as Mandy glared at him and tugged her hand away. He immediately missed its warmth, so scowled to himself. Mandy must have noticed the expression, because she stiffened.
“How would you feel if it was your friend?”
“All of my friends can take care of themselves,” he retorted. Off her angry look, he conceded. “I see your point.”
Then, inspiration struck. “The thing is, bodyguarding is one thing, but it’s a short-term solution.”
Confusion crept into her face. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, that hiring a bodyguard is fixing a symptom, not the cause. We need to find out who is doing this stalking.” If anyone is, he added to himself. But she didn’t need to know that. “Blake will try to find this bad guy while sticking close to Sierra. It’ll mostly be grunt work. He’ll be working and out of our hair, Sierra will have protection, and we’ll be getting paid. It’s literally the best of all worlds.”
Mandy let out a shaky breath and the fight just drained out of her. “We have to pull out all the stops for her,” she told him in no uncertain terms.
“Sure. Though she did say when she was in here earlier not to treat her differently to any other client.” Sierra had arrived at seven a.m., a few hours earlier than the time they normally opened. But Duncan had already been in the office. The jobs they did required all-hours work and he didn’t sleep much these days. He preferred the office to his too-quiet apartment.
“She’ll get the full treatment, whether she likes it or not,” Mandy declared. Duncan nodded. There was no reason to disagree and for once, he decided to pick his battles.
Mandy softened. “I’m glad she finally decided to get help. She’s had this feeling for over a year, but kept insisting she was imagining it. She’s been a ball of tension for months, and it’s only been getting worse.” She took a deep breath. “I only hope Blake can help her.”
Duncan suddenly felt guilty about his dismissive attitude earlier. Maybe Sierra really was in trouble.
“He will. We all will. Promise.” Mandy offered him a watery smile, then stepped out of the room.
Duncan quickly texted Blake the new plan about investigating. No doubt the man would have done so anyway, given his thoroughness, but it never hurt to check.
Then, he glanced back down at the pages he’d been perusing when Blake had interrupted him earlier. He’d been trying to get through those financial reports all morning, but they were just making his mind all tangled.
He was sure they’d say the same as they always did, though. They were barely breaking even, and had been since they opened. They needed bigger cases, more high profile. They needed to start making back some of their investment. Well, mostly Mandy’s investment. The reminder left a sour taste in his mouth.
Maybe Sierra’s case would be it. Their big break.
If Blake didn’t screw it up.
Chapter 4
Sierra finally felt ready to face the day.
She’d taken the morning off work—the first time she’d ever done that—due to a sleepless night. After finding those flowers, she’d tossed and turned, unable to stop picturing them sitting outside her apartment, looking more sinister with each passing moment. When she did snatch moments of sleep, she dreamt of rotting flowers and blood.
Now, however, in the light of day, Sierra had managed to wrest some confidence back. She’d probably overreacted about the roses. They were just flowers, and could have been a completely innocent gift from a secret admirer. Or the card had been lost. Something.
But she couldn’t quite convince herself.
Mandy had promised a bodyguard later today. Someone that would likely meet her once she got to work, in time to escort her home. At that knowledge, the freezing terror that had been creeping over her, slowly icing her veins, began to ease just a little. Enough for her to take a proper breath.
She put the finishing touches on her makeup—as much to disguise the dark circles under her eyes as putting on her usual armour. She’d once read that women who wore makeup to work were considered more trustworthy. She knew how to play the game in a male-dominated world.
She smoothed a hand over her sleek red bob and tugged down her cream suit jacket. Her knees were still a little shaky, but it would have to do.
She strode over to the apartment doo
r—still faking confidence for her own benefit—and pulled it open. She instantly reared back at the sight of the big man on the other side of the door, his hand raised. All her hard-won confidence shattered as she faced that fierce frown. She clutched a hand to her chest, trying to keep her racing heart from leaping out of her ribcage.
With the other hand, she tried to slam the door shut, locking him out. But he was too quick. His hand reflexively shot out to hold the door. She pushed, but to no avail. He was as solid as a tree trunk.
“Please,” she murmured, and then instantly hated herself. Her stalker would be a man that got off on fear and cowardice. She refused to reveal any and give him the satisfaction. Straightening her spine, she attempted to stare him down
The stranger became aware of her terror, his eyes widening. Rather than advancing as she had expected, he stepped back, letting the door swing shut. As it locked with a solid click, Sierra let out a shaky breath and fell against the wall. It was the only thing holding her upright.
Silence crowded her. Her confusion grew.
Eventually, she could hear past the roaring in her eyes to her heavy breaths. Her heartbeat began to settle as she thought maybe he had disappeared.
“Let’s try that again,” said a male voice from the other side of the door, deep and steady. “My name is Blake. I’m your new bodyguard from Soldiering On. Mandy and Duncan sent me.”
Sierra let out a breath of relief that sounded suspiciously like a sob.
Pushing herself off the wall, she stepped forward, this time looking out the peephole first. He was tall, taller than she even in heels, and she was average height for a woman. He looked clean cut and reasonably respectable, but she knew that meant nothing.
He must have stepped back from the door, since Sierra could see most of his torso. A black shirt clung to a broad, well-defined chest and expansive shoulders. His left arm was folded a little stiffly against his body. His features held a harmless, pleasant look, but Sierra wasn’t fooled. Her instincts told her this man could be deadly. Which was a good thing, if he really was on her side.
She cautiously opened the front door, poking her head around and trying to keep the heavy wood between her and the man. Perhaps she should consider getting a panic room door installed on the apartment.
His eyes zeroed in on her, searching her face. He seemed particularly intrigued by her bob. Sierra smoothed a self-conscious hand over her hair.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hello,” she replied.
“I’m sorry I scared you. I thought you were expecting me.”
She shook her head. “Not until later. After I got to work. How did you get up here?”
His face cleared. “I signed in at the security desk. He let me come right up. And, yes, we’re a little short-staffed at the moment. I guess Duncan was hedging his bets on whether he’d be able to provide someone at this short notice.”
She nodded. Made sense. It was always better to give a client moderate expectations and then surpass them. Good business practice. But she would have to have a word with the security guards at the front desk. They needed to be more careful who they let through.
“Can I come in?” Blake asked gently.
Sierra had no idea what he was seeing as he looked at her, but it must not be good if his caution was anything to go by. Galvanised, Sierra threw her shoulders back and looked him dead in the eye. “No. I need to get to work. I’m already late. Something that I can’t afford this week.”
He raised an eyebrow in surprise, but she slipped out of the door and shut it firmly behind her.
Frustrated that he’d seen her so weak, Sierra strode past him and down the corridor. He held up one hand mockingly, as a gentleman might, to usher her forward, and Sierra noticed that it was a prosthetic. She stumbled slightly at the realisation. Recovering quickly, she led him to the elevators without looking his way. She had to prove that she could be tough, or he’d think she was just another pathetic client with no sense who was getting afraid over nothing.
He had to jog to catch up. “It’s not a race,” he said jokingly.
“I already cancelled three meetings this morning. I’d rather not cancel my next one. Plus, I have a huge presentation to prepare for this week. I have far too much work to do to dally.”
“It’s only ten a.m.,” he replied.
She looked over her shoulder at him as she pressed the button to call the elevator. “I generally start at seven.”
“Do you finish earlier, too?”
She snorted. “No. Most nights I get out at eight. Though getting out later is not unheard of.” The eight p.m. finishes had only started in the last year. Prior to then, she had regularly stayed past midnight, or even slept in the office.
“When do you get time to do anything fun?” he asked. It was a little flirtatious, as if he just couldn’t help himself. Sierra rolled her eyes where he couldn’t see and immediately soured towards him. She didn’t have much respect for players.
“I don’t,” she said shortly, shutting him down.
He was silent after that.
She still felt tense and jumpy. Even that small moment of unnecessary terror had permeated her bones. She could admit that Blake’s solid presence beside her helped, though. It was nice to have someone else on her side.
But as she stepped outside, she glanced over her shoulder, checking she was safe.
Just in case.
Chapter 5
“We’ll be taking my car,” Blake announced as they got to the garage under her building. He made a beeline for the Range Rover parked over by the wall.
Sierra frowned up at him. “Why?” She looked longingly over to a new-looking silver Lexus in the other direction. Nice. The workaholic had good taste in cars.
“Because it’s a company car and therefore bulletproof. Or as bulletproof as a car can be. If I’m to be your bodyguard, we’re going to do this right.”
She deflated. “I can see how that might be useful. Though, I haven’t ever been shot at before. Do you think that’s a possibility?”
He shrugged. “There’s a first time for everything. Better to be prepared.”
She seemed to take that in stride and reluctantly walked over.
The car was a little worn, though Duncan kept it well-maintained. The interiors saw the most damage, as they used the company cars to haul equipment around between various jobs. It was amazing how much that could ruin the interior finish of a car.
Sierra slid into the passenger seat, careful not to flash him an eyeful in her tight skirt. Blake jumped into the driver’s side, wincing a little as he hauled himself in using the handle. He’d almost forgotten about his shoulder for a minute.
“Are you okay?” she asked. Too perceptive, damn her.
“Just an old injury. It plays up occasionally.” He had no intention of telling her about the recent hospital visit. He knew it wouldn’t reflect well on himself or Soldiering On if she found out he’d recently been shot. Any military-trained person, from any branch, got used to picking themselves up when they weren’t at their best and just getting on with whatever needed to be done. Particularly if they were a SEAL.
But civilians didn’t understand that. They applied their own logic to situations. If they were shot, they wouldn’t be able to continue on. Besides, they had a skewed perception of how long a bullet wound took to heal. They either thought it was normal in action movies where Bruce Willis got shot and kept fighting like nothing happened, or they thought it took months and months to recover. The truth, as it often does, lay somewhere between.
“Seatbelt,” he said to Sierra as he eased out of the park. The modified Range Rover purred beneath them.
She glared at him, but pulled the belt across her chest and clicked it definitively into the lock. “Just for the record, I always wear my seatbelt. You don’t have to tell me.” She stuck her nose in the air, haughty with annoyance.
Blake nearly explained to her that he was getting paid to look after her sa
fety, and therefore it was going to be his first priority whether she liked it or not. But he was tired. If she wanted to get shitty with him for doing his job, it wouldn’t stop him from doing it right.
He pulled out into traffic, nosing the big car through the busy streets.
“Wait, how do you know where I work?” she asked.
He slanted her a look. “It’s in your file.”
“I have a file?”
“Of course. We have one on every client.”
She went silent for a moment. “I wonder if he has one on me,” she mused.
“Who?”
“Him. My stalker. Whatever he is.”
“How do you know it’s a he?” he asked. Then, unable to help himself, “How do you know he’s there at all? You said yourself that all the proof you have is some roses.”
She slanted an ugly look his way. “Isn’t it always a he? If I’m going by percentages, the chances of him being a he are like ninety-eight percent. Maybe more.”
Blake conceded this with a nod. “So, go on. How do you know that it wasn’t just an admirer that sent you the roses?”
The colour drained from her face, but he could see she fought to stay calm. “They had thorns,” she murmured. Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“What do you mean?”
“The roses. They still had their thorns on them. I don’t know what florist would do that. Either he sourced them himself, or he made a very special request.”
“Not a bad deduction,” he told her, impressed.
“It’s not just that, though,” she continued hesitantly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that she slanted a quick glance his way, as if trying to judge his reaction. He schooled his face into blandness. “He’s been watching me. I’ve felt it. Flashes at the corner of my vision, footsteps echoing behind me. I never see him, but he’s there. Always. And every now and again, there are these phone calls…”
“Phone calls?” Blake perked up.
“Yeah. There have been four in the last year. It’s not many, but it’s enough for me to know he’s out there.”
Guarding Sierra: (Soldiering On #2) Page 2
