Page 11 of Protecting Christina

Despite our closeness, my army brothers didn’t know about my parents. They also didn’t know where I hung out after work. I worried they’d asked too many questions like why I spent so much of my time helping these women.

“I came here to ask you something.”

I slapped a smile on my face. “Shoot.”

If he saw through the smile he didn’t press further, instead, he moved on. “Okay. Well, I wanted to talk to you about a potential bodyguard assignment.”

“Potential? What do you mean?”

“Nikole is concerned about a colleague at work. She was nearly killed two days ago when some goon ran her off the road. But Nikole says she’s resistant to hiring a bodyguard.”

I smiled. A genuine smile this time. “I recall Nikole being resistant to you protecting her as well.”

He groaned but his mouth twitched. “Oh, I still remember some of the stunts she pulled, so you don’t have to remind me.”

We both chuckled but I wasn’t keen on taking on this assignment, especially if the woman didn’t want protection. “If she isn’t interested in our services, then maybe we should respect that.”

“I agree, except Nikole says she got banged up, and my wife won’t leave me alone until we at least look into it. Christian has been MIA since his last assignment, Jager is currently protecting a Saudi prince, and I’m leaving again to accompany my mother-in-law on her next campaign rally. I wouldn’t ask you if I could do it myself.”

“I don’t know…”

Jake bit his lip. “I did a background check on the girl while I was protecting Nikole. She’s had it rough.” He rubbed his mouth. “And Nikole thinks her sister might be in some sort of trouble with these guys.”

My protective instincts snapped to attention and I couldn’t ignore the plea in Jake’s voice. “All right, I’ll look into it.”

“Thanks, Will. It may all just be a simple misunderstanding.”

“Mmm… maybe.”

“I’ve got to run. But call me if you need anything. Oh, and you’ve got Nikole’s number, right?”

“Yeah. I’m good. What did you say her name was again?”

“Christina Polito.”

“And you did a check on her already? So, it should be on file.”

“Yeah, it’s all in our shared drive under the Adams case.”

“Thanks.”

Jake nodded and rushed out the door.

I clicked on the Adams folder and opened Christina Polito’s file. According to Jake’s research, her parents had been murdered in a drive-by shooting. Police believed they were innocent bystanders.

Her brother, on the other hand, was in prison for selling drugs and her sister had been arrested a couple of times for possession. But nothing on Christina.

I closed the file and decided to head over to Nikole’s office and meet the woman myself.

***

The law office where Nikole worked was one of the best in the country, but the lack of security surprised me. Jake said it was worse before he had installed more cameras and a guard at the front.

I guess war and life experiences made us different from others. I’d seen what people were capable of and prepared for the worst to happen.

I showed the guard my ID and signed in with the front desk receptionist. She was a nice, if perhaps overly cheerful woman.

I texted Nikole when I arrived and spotted her as she rushed down a hallway toward me. “Hey, Will. Good to see you.” She looked over her shoulder and pushed her hair behind her ear. “Um… this isn’t a good time. I spoke to Christina, and she doesn’t like the idea of a bodyguard. I shouldn’t have gotten you involved.”

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