Sins of the Father

by Melissa Barker-Simpson

  Brad didn’t know how to respond. She had a faraway look in her eyes.

  “When my father first brought me to a set it felt as though all my dreams had come true. I wandered the lots, taking everything in, as greedy for this world as any child would be if they’d stumbled into a sweet shop.”

  “I bet he couldn’t keep you away after that.”

  Alicia laughed because it was true. “You’d win that bet. But Gray didn’t mind. He enjoyed it. So much in fact that he bought me the trailer I never leave home without.”

  “Ah, so that’s the reason for the trailer.”

  “It’s indulgent of me, I know. But in a strange way I get to bring him with me, make him part of the process.”

  “I don’t think it’s indulgent at all.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. But it’s easy to get lost in my own world when I’m here.” She looked out at the scene in front of them. “I mean, look at it. Do you feel the magic? I could be anyone. A struggling designer, an artist, a student – you name it.”

  Brad raised his eyebrows, trying to picture her as any of those things. “And would a struggling designer need protection?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Use your imagination. Why do you have to be a bodyguard, why not a photographer, a famous artist, renowned for capturing things of beauty?”

  Brad turned in his seat. He made a camera shape with his left hand, moving the imaginary piece of equipment to get a better angle of her face before snapping off the shot.

  The gesture caught her off guard. She could feel colour rising in her cheeks. “You’re in Paris. Don’t waste your pictures on me.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me Jack’s your brother?” The question came out of the blue. It surprised them both.

  Alicia felt a number of things in quick succession, but settled on amusement. “I didn’t like your accusation.” She studied him for a moment. “To be honest, I assumed you knew.”

  “It’s not in the file.”

  “Ah...that was probably Sarah. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Abe doesn’t know.”

  Brad doubted that very much, but he didn’t say so. “Why the secrecy?”

  “It’s surprising how quickly information leaks to the press. She’s just careful about who she shares things with.” She could see he wasn’t satisfied with the explanation. “I know people think they have a right to know everything about us because of the job we do. We put ourselves in the spotlight so why should we have a private life, right?”

  “I think that’s a generalisation. It also sounds deceptively rehearsed.”

  She smiled in genuine pleasure and his heart rate shot through the roof. He didn’t care what the reasons were as long as she continued to smile at him.

  “You’re right, of course. The reason I agreed to keep our relationship a secret, for now, is because of past experiences.”

  “Such as?”

  Alicia’s eyebrow shot up, he wasn’t going to let her off the hook. “You go from distant to intimate without breaking a sweat. It’s hard to keep up.”

  “I’m merely asking questions that are relevant to my role in protecting you. Any missing information can put your life in danger if I can’t calculate the risk.”

  “Okay, I’m not about to forget you have a job to do. It’s like I said, I presumed you knew. Sarah’s protective streak knows no bounds. I’m sure there are things she keeps from me too.”

  Brad almost winced at that. He’d meant to discuss Helen and their connection, but he hadn’t found the right moment. He had unwittingly stumbled into it. “There is something I’ve been meaning to…”

  “I’m sorry. When I realised you didn’t know I should have told you.”

  “It’s not about that.”

  She continued as though he’d never spoken. “I’d do anything for him. I don’t entirely agree with the decision to hide our relationship, but I understand why he wants to.”

  Tell her. “I’m sure you have your reasons. I shouldn’t have pushed for an answer. You’re right, I was over-stepping.”

  “There you go again.” She sighed, a weary sound that pulled at his heart. He needed to put some distance between them so he could get back on an even footing.

  Alicia had other ideas. “When I first started out, people presumed, and still do, that I owe my success to Gray. In a way I do, but not because he pulled any strings. It’s because I wanted to be like him. I wanted to make him proud.”

  “Alicia…”

  “Gray was my father in every way that counts. It still hurts that the press cheapened our relationship. They didn’t understand his reasons for taking me in, any more than they understood my reasons for accepting the life he gave me.”

  “I’m sorry,” Brad said, fighting the uncontrollable urge to touch her. She looked so lost when she spoke of her past that his heart ached. “That I misunderstood your loyalties to Jack.”

  “You aren’t the first. In truth it’s time we came clean.”

  He tried as gently as he could to lead her down the right path. “Perhaps the fact that you’re related has something to do with why you’re being targeted.”

  “How is that possible? We’ve been apart most of our lives.”

  “There’s the obvious connection.”

  He saw something flicker across her face when she realised what he meant. “If you’re talking about my mother…”

  “Damn it.” He’d been so close.

  Alicia looked at him in confusion.

  “Hey, guys,” Tim called out, clearing things up for her. “A few of us are going for a drink. Do you want to join us?”

  “That sounds great. I could use a little fun.” She looked at Brad. “Is that okay?”

  “Of course, just give me one minute.” He was on his feet again and back to business. It took only a moment to update the two CPO’s on patrol. He was already working out the logistics in his head.

  The bar was on the far side of zone six. He could picture the security detail clearly – they had it covered.

  He turned back towards Alicia just as a member of the crew was swerving into view on a buggy; his four passengers hanging on for dear life. Bringing up the rear were two others; one holding his backup for the evening.

  “Hop in, Timmy,” the driver of the second buggy shouted. He slowed but didn’t stop completely.

  Alicia had to stop herself from patting Brad’s arm in sympathy as she tried to keep her laughter at bay. The look of horror that crossed his face was priceless.

  “It’s a nice night for a walk,” he muttered, angling his head.

  “It’s bigger than it looks.”

  He caught the suppressed giggle and couldn’t resist a responding grin. At least the buggy had come to a stop.

  Tim hopped on and glanced back at them. “Climb aboard. Next stop oblivion.”

  Brad shrugged and squeezed his large frame into the seat next to him.

  “You can cut that out,” he said when Alicia joined them.

  She let the laugh out in a rush of pent up sound. “Sorry, it’s not that big after all!”

  Tim tried to keep out of it but the scowl on Brad’s face set him off too.

  Watching the muscles work across his back sobered her pretty quickly. He was holding himself half out of the cab, so the tension in his body emphasised every angle. She wanted to run a hand over those hard contours, so she bit her lip instead. She seemed to do a lot of that.

  “The torture’s over now, man,” Tim said as they drew up outside the bar.

  Brad was out of the buggy before it stopped. He resisted the urge to stretch out the kinks and instead sent a signal to the others that they were going in.

  He stayed close to Alicia, his eyes scanning the crowd as they entered. She made her way over to the bar when she spotted her friends.

  “I didn’t think we’d see you tonight.” Carl stepped forward to give her a brief hug.

  “Are you kidding? This is the first chance I’ve had to relax in days.” She gave J
ennifer a wink. “It’s worth missing a little beauty sleep.”

  Jennifer grinned back. “Who needs sleep when we have makeup artists?”

  Brad was doing his best to remain invisible but he knew it couldn’t last.

  “Speaking of which, you’re causing quite a stir on Twitter,” Carl said, turning to him.

  “I’m sure it will play itself out eventually.” He worked up a smile. For some reason the guy irritated him.

  “From what people are saying it’s a good thing. I don’t think I’d make a move on her knowing you were close by.”

  “You’ve made plenty of moves on me – they just didn’t work!”

  “Ba-dum-ch.” Carl blew on imaginary drumsticks and mimed putting them back in his pocket. “So…are you having a drink or what?” he waved his own glass in the air as though she needed a visual prompt.

  Alicia looked doubtfully down the bar. “I don’t think...” She glanced back to find him at the other side with a glass in his hand. “You’ve done that before.”

  “He’s just showing off,” Jennifer said, placing her own empty in front of him with a cheeky wink.

  Alicia shrugged. “What the hell. I’ll have a glass of dry white.” She chuckled when she noticed the barman looming.

  Brad took a step closer because he didn’t like surprises. He had to swallow his own amusement when the barman gave Carl a prompt with his foot, hard enough to have him jumping back over the bar. The guy didn’t even break his stride, with a friendly grin he gave Carl a tray with their drinks on and walked back to his other customers.

  “That’s happened three times since we got here,” Jennifer confided.

  Alicia touched her glass to his. “I’ve missed working with you, Carl. I forgot how much fun you can be.”

  “It’d be like old times if Sarah could join us. I haven’t seen her all day.”

  “Don’t worry, she’s back tomorrow.”

  Jennifer swung her arm around Alicia, leaning a little. “For someone who’s rumoured to have an army doing her bidding you seem incredibly short staffed.”

  “Yeah, my entourage of one – she’s so good they should clone her or something.”

  Carl almost choked on his beer. “I don’t think the world can cope with more than one.” He clapped his hands together to demonstrate a collision. “She’s a whirlwind, there’s no stopping her when she sets her mind to something. It’ll be fun tomorrow, that’s for sure. Dougie’s got a crush on her.”

  The first assistant director was usually the senior member of the film crew and pretty scary by most people’s standards. He was putty in Sarah’s hands.

  “Hey, Alicia, we’re having a game of pool, do you want in?” Tim shouted across to them.

  “I’m in.” She sent an apologetic look to Carl and Jennifer.

  “Watch her, she’s a hustler,” Carl shouted across.

  “Do you want in too?”

  He pulled Jennifer by the arm, giving her no choice. “I’m on Al’s team.”

  Brad fell into step behind her, listening intently to the noise on his two-way.

  The time it took to choose the teams was long enough for an actual game. Carl was the only one who knew about the hours Alicia had spent in Gray’s game room. She’d been taught by a pro. Still, it was a surprise when they appointed her captain of the first team. Tim was chosen to captain the second, mainly because everyone else refused.

  Brad agreed with some reluctance to even the teams out. He was on the opposing side, and it became a two-man match, though Alicia reluctantly accepted that he was playing a little better than she was. It wasn’t easy to claw it back.

  “You’re toast, Morgan,” she teased when they came to the deciding match.

  Brad grinned at her, enjoying a little healthy competition. “Game on.”

  He watched her move around the table as she prepared to break. He was impressed by her skills, the way she controlled the cue with quiet competency. It had been a surprising challenge to play against her. He wanted to prolong the game just so he could see the laughter in her face – watch it light up when she made the shot.

  But she surprised him again. From the first thwack of the cue ball he began to suspect he’d been duped. She let out a whoop when a striped ball shot into the top-right pocket exactly where she’d intended it to go. A few others joined it.

  “Ah, oh,” Carl said, making a sign of the cross. “Unless she misses, my friend, you can kiss the game goodbye.”

  Brad looked at the table and saw immediately he’d been right – this was her party trick. He didn’t doubt she could do it. Her confidence was evident in the way she was leaning on the cue, calculating the best angle for her next shot. The slight nod to punctuate an internal discussion was incredibly sexy.

  She knew he was watching her before she turned in his direction. She always knew.

  When their eyes met, she felt an excitement that had nothing to do with her love of the game. For a split second, his expression was open and in it, she could see the unbanked desire. Then it was gone, trapped behind the shutters of his self-control.

  She dropped her eyes to the table, feeling a tug of disappointment. There were six shots left, including black. She usually savoured this part, milked it a little, but Brad was putting her nerves on edge. The last thing she needed was to overthink the shot.

  She shut out the sounds around her and lined up the cue. The angle of the ball was perfect. No doubt about it, it was going in. The rest followed one after the other, earning a cheer from the crowd.

  “Yes!” Carl came forward to reward her with a high-five. She gave him a victory hug instead.

  “Great game, everyone,” she said, giving Brad a sheepish look.

  “Let’s rack em up for another round.” Tim was already digging for change.

  Alicia shook her head. “You guys play. That’s all the excitement I can take for one night.”

  Brad gave their status as he moved forward. He was angry with himself for the reaction he felt seeing Alicia in Carl’s arms. It was jealously pure and simple and he had no right to feel it. He couldn’t afford to lose his head.

  “I’ll make sure she gets back,” Carl said, swallowing the rest of his drink. “You can’t be on duty twenty-four hours.”

  “My responsibilities don’t end until a member of the team is in place.” The harsh tone pricked along Alicia’s nerves, but she knew he was right.

  “It’s true, honey. He has a job to do. But I appreciate the offer.”

  “Okay, I get it. He’s the real action hero and I’m just a guy who likes wearing the suit.”

  “Come on, Carl, don’t over-egg the pudding. We both know you’d much rather stay for another drink.”

  “Well, maybe just one.” He searched the room and found what he was looking for. “JEN!” he shouted across the bar. When she turned, he was wiggling his glass along with his eyebrows.

  Alicia shook her head, pleased that there were no hard feelings. “See you tomorrow, bright and early.”

  She waved to the group as she followed Brad out.

  There was a buggy waiting for them when they got outside. “Good evening, gentlemen,” Alicia said as they climbed aboard.

  “Evening, Miss Gladstone.”

  She’d expected Brad to fill the ensuing silence, but when he didn’t she let it settle around her. It wasn’t unpleasant.

  The cool breeze blew through her hair, making Brad’s stomach clench when he caught the scent of her – dangerously sweet. It was a long ride back to the trailer. The close proximity was not helping him bank his desires. If anything he felt a clawing panic. It was a relief when they arrived.

  “I’d like to do a walk through before I go off shift,” Brad said, following her to the door. In truth it was the last thing he wanted to do. He was afraid of being alone with her.

  Alicia waved him in ahead of her, a little irked at his tone.

  It took him less than a minute to check she was secure. They stood facing each to her,
Alicia with her back to the door and Brad itching to be on the other side of it.

  “Well, everything seems to be in order. I’ll be back on duty at 0600. Have a pleasant evening.” He took a step towards her but she didn’t move aside.

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  He narrowed his eyes, annoyed that she was preventing him from putting a little distance between them. “I don’t understand.”

  “I thought we’d moved past the formality. Have I done something wrong?”

  “I’m just trying to find some even ground. It’s difficult to strike a balance because you insist on dragging me into your world.”

  “You’re already in it. Is there somewhere in your code that states we can’t be friends?”

  “You have enough friends. Why is it so important for everyone to like you?”

  “Are you saying you don’t like me? Is that what the problem is?”

  Brad cursed her for pushing him. He wanted to pick her up just so he could clear an escape route. “You know the answer to that. It’s the exact opposite.” That was all he would say. He wasn’t going to spell it out for her. He was in enough trouble.

  “And that compromises you in some way.” She took a step forward, ignoring the wall of chest to look up into his eyes. “You’re shutting yourself off from feeling because you’re attracted to me?”

  “I’m not a robot. It’s not that easy.” It was getting harder, having her so close.

  “It feels like it.”

  He wasn’t sure if it was the challenge in her voice or because of her proximity. He acted before he could stop himself.

  Alicia waited in anticipation. She knew he was going to kiss her. She could see it even if he couldn’t. When their lips met, she felt a slither of panic run up her spine. Not because she was afraid of him, but because of what he made her feel.

  She couldn’t think. Her mind was empty of everything except the feel of his mouth on hers.

  To Brad it felt like drowning; he was lost in the taste of her. It wasn’t until he heard the soft moan deep in her throat that he realised what he was doing. He let her go abruptly, then cursed again when she stumbled, as dazed as he was.

  “Alicia...I-”