The Assignment (Massey Security Duet Book 1)

by S. Nelson

  My sister peeked over at who seemed to be the friendlier of the two while I gawked at Ford. The words barreled out of my mouth before my brain could filter them, to figure out a different way to say what I was about to.

  “I don’t want him,” I scoffed, my hands finding their place on my waist in a show of defiance. “I’ll take Owen.”

  “No. I’ve already made my decision.”

  “But I. Don’t. Want. Him,” I repeated, glaring at my dad in hopes he’d give in just so he wouldn’t have to listen to me complain. My tactics normally worked, and I prayed this time was no different.

  Ford took a step closer and opened his mouth, but Owen seized his arm and stepped in front of him. He whispered something to him before stepping away. Ford’s jaw clenched as well as his hands, but every second our stare down lasted only heightened my nerves. I swore I saw him smirk, but I couldn’t be sure.

  “It’s done, Cara. Get on board.”

  “I don’t understand what makes this threat any different than the ones before. Nothing ever happened with those. So why are you going to this extreme?”

  “Well, for starters, you two are older and more in the public eye. Which means whoever is making the threat has a better chance of following through on it.” My dad’s poignant stare told me he wouldn’t budge. When he put his mind to something, he was stubborn, a trait of his I inherited.

  While I continued to physically show my displeasure with sighing and head shakes, my sister was calm—stunned, but calm, sneaking a peek at Owen every now and then, when she thought I wasn’t paying attention. “There’s something else.” What other demand was he going to lay on us? “I want your car keys.”

  “Whose?” I asked, looking at Emily as if she had the answer.

  “Both of yours.”

  “Why?” my sister asked, sounding genuinely confused, as was I.

  “Because they’ll be accompanying you two wherever you go. So to eliminate the possibility that you’ll take off without them, I’m giving them your keys.” My dad squared his shoulders and held out his hand, patiently waiting until both of us handed over our fobs. Emily did so quietly, but I was the opposite.

  “I don’t want anyone driving my Porsche except me.” I clutched the device in my hand.

  “I’m sure he’s a fine driver, honey. Nothing is going to happen to your vehicle.” My dad’s hand was still stretched toward me, patiently waiting for me to concede. I did so with an exaggerated squint of my eyes.

  “Oh, there’s one more thing.” He walked through the kitchen and opened the French doors which led to the patio. “These men will be staying in the guest house until further notice.”

  * * *

  Ford

  A barrage of expletives swirled in the air behind me as Walter escorted us to the guest house, where apparently Owen and I would be staying until the job was over. I’d read my brother the riot act the entire way home yesterday, even telling him I wasn’t going to accept the job, but he begged me to stay on. He’d pleaded with me, something he rarely did, explaining that Walter Dessoye would be a huge client for us, and his referral would go a long way for our security company. He could’ve had one of the other guys help him out, but he insisted it was me he needed.

  I’d finally relented but warned him that if he ever pulled this shady shit again, he’d regret it. I kicked him out of my house while he sported the biggest grin of appreciation.

  “And this is where you’ll be staying,” Walter announced, as we passed the biggest inground swimming pool I’d ever seen. Once through the sliding glass door entryway, he gave us a quick tour of the place. It was close to one-hundred feet away from the main house, the space bigger than my current home, with every amenity I could imagine.

  It boasted a spacious living room, white walls and furniture, bone-colored tile covering the entire floor.

  The kitchen was also white. White cabinets. White marble countertops. White speckled, marble tile. The stainless-steel appliances were the only things to break up the color, or lack thereof, depending on how one described it.

  Various art hung on the wall, but I couldn’t care less about the décor, still wrapping my head around the fact I’d have to stay on the premises until the job ended.

  There were windows everywhere, letting in ample amount of light, something I wasn’t used to seeing since I always had my curtains drawn. I preferred the dark, but it looked like I didn’t have much of a choice in this place.

  Three bedrooms and two full baths completed the guest house, but for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why this place existed at all. With the size of the main house, which was beyond the scope of what ten people would require, let alone two twentysomething-year-old women, who the hell needed this place, too? But I supposed, if you had the money… why not?

  We came to a stop back in the living room after the tour, Walter taking a seat on the couch and encouraging us to do the same.

  “Do you have any questions?” He reclined against the sofa. His wife, Diana, had just walked in, quickly followed by their two daughters.

  From my research online the prior night, I’d discovered the women were not only sisters, they were fraternal twins. However, they seemed to be polar opposites. Emily was involved with multiple charities, spending most of her time helping others—from animals to the elderly to the homeless. Cara, however, was a completely different story, one painted with alcohol, partying, and everything else that went along with that scene. The stereotypical rich girl who didn’t have anything better to do than spend her old man’s money. And of course, I’d been the one allocated to watch over her.

  I took a seat opposite him and leaned forward, my forearms resting on the tops of my thighs. “Does the main house have cameras?” I saw my brother, who sat to my left, nod after my question.

  “There is one in the front of the house, on the porch. One near the French doors coming from the house to the patio, and… I think that’s it.” I was surprised with all their wealth that they weren’t better prepared, for safety’s sake. They lived in a gated community, but in case someone got past the security guard posted near the entrance, there was no protection once they reached the house.

  “So, there are no cameras inside the house?” My surprise prompted Cara to throw in her unwanted two cents.

  “Of course not. And there won’t be any, either.” She refused to sit with the rest of us, not even next to Emily who’d chosen to sit next to her mother.

  I declined to give her my attention, instead focusing solely on Walter. The man calling the shots.

  “I want cameras in all rooms of the house, except for the bathrooms. Then everything will be linked up to mine and Owen’s phones so we can monitor the activity around the clock, if necessary.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Cara interrupted once more.

  Again, I ignored her, but I could feel the heat of her stare.

  “I have a friend who specializes in this type of security. We could have it all set up tomorrow,” Owen offered. “All I need is your approval.”

  “Dad!” Cara was still insisting he listen to her, but thankfully the man forged ahead and allowed us to do what he’d hired us to: keep his family safe, no matter how much one of them refused.

  “Go ahead,” Walter agreed. “You have my approval. Whatever you need.” He stood, reached for his wife’s hand and helped her to her feet. “Ford. Owen. Come with us. I want to have a few words with you before you settle in.”

  We followed them outside until we reached the corner of the patio, disappearing inside yet another building, this one smaller. The pool house.

  Walter released his wife’s hand and took a step toward my brother and me. “Listen, I don’t want there to be any misunderstanding between us. I’ve hired you to watch over our daughters. My little girls,” he emphasized with a raised brow. “That means you keep your distance but be close enough to jump in if anything happens.” He advanced closer. “Do you understand me? Are you reading between
the lines, fellas?” Gone was the laidback, casual man from yesterday’s meeting. Hell, even from moments ago. Standing before us was a father warning two men to keep their hands to themselves, to do the job they were hired for and nothing more. If possible, I had even more respect for the man because he held nothing back.

  “Loud and clear,” Owen and I responded simultaneously.

  He nodded before turning around and walking out, Diana shaking her head and flashing us a small smile before she followed him.

  The next day was lost to a flurry of activity. Owen contacted our buddy Seth and managed to convince him to work on a Sunday, something he normally didn’t do. And since he was used to setting up high-tech systems for the rich and famous, this job was right up his alley.

  It took all day to complete, but the result was peace of mind, not only for Walter and Diana but for Owen and me. The women, not so much, although Emily adapted quickly, realizing her father was only doing what he felt he should in order to keep them safe. The other one, though, gave resistance at every turn, and I couldn’t envision her yielding to any of the intrusive behavior anytime soon.

  Motion detecting cameras were placed in every room of the house, except for the bathrooms as I’d instructed. Additional ones were installed by the front door as well as by the back. And there was one on each end of the patio. We even had them installed by the entrance to the guest house, as well as inside, again skipping the bathrooms. We couldn’t be too careful. After the threat was found and eliminated, the family could remove the ones they wanted or keep everything in place.

  There was an alarm system already in place inside the main house, but neither one of the women used it. They rarely armed it when they left or while they were inside, proving how easy they would be to get to if someone had half a mind to do so.

  Seth replaced their existing system, going over in detail how to use it. He ensured it was easy to understand and left it up to Owen and me to make sure they enabled it. All the damn time. All four of us had the code. Five, if you counted Seth, but we trusted him implicitly.

  We’d retrieved the essentials from our places and set up in the guest house. The drive back was at least three and a half hours, depending on traffic, so we grabbed as much as we could.

  This was to be our new home for the foreseeable future. I could only hope the culprit would be found soon, ending our employ but at the same time, I was grateful for the money we’d receive for the job. I’d left the running of the business to Owen, a selfish thing to do I realized, but I was in no shape to watch over others when I could barely function after what happened. He’d kept the business afloat, but it was time I stepped up and did my part, even though my instincts told me to run far away.

  Sunday blended into Monday, and since we both took our jobs seriously, we made the first of three rounds inside the main house, checking every room thoroughly, Owen taking the downstairs while I ventured up to the second floor. For the upcoming nights, we were assured the security guard on duty would walk the premises at least three times, no doubt being paid extra by Walter.

  Closing the door to one of the spare bedrooms, I cursed under my breath because the next room I had to check was Cara’s, and based on our prior encounters, she wasn’t a fan of mine. I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. It was early, close to eight in the morning, so I assumed she was still sleeping and didn’t hear me, and because I couldn’t leave without checking things out, I rapped against the door once more. Still nothing. Turning the handle, I pushed it open until I cleared enough space for me to enter, quickly scanning the area for any unwanted guests. All clear.

  My eyes found Cara’s bed empty, but before I could wonder where she was, knowing she hadn’t left the premises because I would’ve known, the bathroom door flung open, a burst of steam billowing in. I tried to announce my presence, but she caught me standing there before I could say anything.

  “What are you doing in here?” she shouted, clutching her towel, her wet strands sticking to the tops of her shoulders. I should’ve felt bad for scaring her, but all I could do was take in the sight of her. With a face free of makeup and water droplets glistening on her skin, she looked innocent, and I’d forgotten for a moment that her personality belied the illusion which bombarded me.

  “I’m doing my rounds.” I averted my eyes so as not to appear as some sort of creeper.

  “You’re what?” She stood taller and dropped her arms to her sides, watching me like a hawk.

  I moved farther into the room. “Making my rounds.” The frown on her face caused me to elaborate. “We have to check every space in this house three times a day.” I walked toward the walk-in closet. Opening the door, I stepped inside, shaking my head at the sheer amount of shit she had in there. So many clothes, piles heaped in the corners because there wasn’t enough space. To be clear, any normal person would’ve only needed half the space with what they owned, but as I suspected, Cara had gone overboard. From the little I knew of the woman, I guessed overindulgence in many areas was common for her.

  “But this is my bedroom. Don’t you think I’d know if someone was in here with me? If I was in danger?” Her voice trailed off as I emerged from her closet, kicking a pair of shoes out of the way before I tripped over them. “Hey, those heels cost more than you probably make in a month.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” I mumbled, not in the mood for her attitude so early in the day. I approached her bed and crouched down, peering underneath.

  “Hello?”

  I didn’t answer, continuing about my business, thankful I was almost finished.

  She clapped her hands. “What the hell? Helloooo?” I swore if I continued to ignore her, she’d probably stomp her foot. I walked past her, and because she stood so close to the bathroom, my next venture, my shoulder brushed hers as I passed. “Where are you going? I just came out of there.”

  “Just making sure.” A quick check and I was finished, heading back out and across the room.

  “Hey.” I kept on walking. “Ford!” I stopped and turned my head slightly to the right, refusing to give her my full attention. Several seconds of uneasy silence passed. “Are you ever going to take off your sunglasses?” Her question surprised me, but what was even more shocking was the tone she used. It seemed, dare I say… sincere and not at all bitchy.

  I never answered, instead walking into the hall and toward the top of the steps. She mumbled something under her breath behind me and slammed her door.

  It just so happened that during the second time we checked the house, Owen and I switching floors, Cara was planted on the sofa as I passed through. I stopped in front of the TV to check the cameras from my phone, completely engrossed with confirming they were working properly. What I didn’t realize was that she had been watching a show and she wasted no time in telling me what she thought. Any normal person would’ve politely asked me to move, but not her.

  “I can’t see through you,” she barked. “I can’t believe I have to put up with you until God knows when. This is so unfair.” I heard every fucking word, even though she griped to herself. I wanted to shout that dealing with her spoiled and bitchy ass wasn’t my idea of time well spent, either, but I kept my mouth shut.

  Once satisfied everything was in order, I waltzed into the kitchen, stumbling on Owen and Emily. They’d been talking about something but stopped as soon as they saw me, Owen giving me a small smile before he checked the mudroom. He reentered twenty seconds later.

  “You good?” My question to my brother was answered with a nod. I returned the head jerk and walked back into the living room, being sure not to stand in front of the TV again. “Are you planning on going anywhere in the next hour?” I asked Cara, my eyes on her, watching, waiting for a response.

  She never looked at me. “No.”

  I rolled my eyes when I passed my brother. Since I couldn’t abandon my post and go for a walk, leaving the women without added protection, I chose to take a swim.

  Quickly changing, I stro
lled to the other side of the pool and dove in the deep end, but I hadn’t finished a full lap before I heard her voice.

  “I changed my mind. I need to go shopping.”

  I should’ve just released the air in my lungs and sank to the bottom of the pool. It would’ve been a better fate than having to deal with that woman for one more second.

  * * *

  Cara

  I didn’t realize Ford was in the pool until I walked out onto the patio, hearing the splash and drawing my attention toward the deep end. I watched as his arms sliced through the water then disappeared underneath, only to resurface seconds later. From the little that I saw, the man had amazing arms, but because I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of staring, I looked away, only speaking when I knew he’d hear me.

  “I changed my mind. I want to go shopping.” I never waited for his response before walking back to the house. Already showered for the day, I dressed, threw on some makeup and swept my hair up into a strategically styled top bun. Twenty minutes later and I stepped outside, covering my eyes with a big pair of shades. Ford was dressed and ready, leaning against the bumper as I brushed past him and reached for the driver’s door handle, but I was halted with a growl.

  “Not gonna happen,” he said, stepping up next to me, my keys in his hand.

  “What? So, you’re my driver now, too?” I smirked when the muscles of his jaw tightened.

  “I’m not your driver in the conventional sense.”

  I retreated and stood by the back door. He looked in my direction, although I couldn’t tell if he was looking at me. Damn shades.

  “What?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.