Page 16 of Guarded By the Phantom

She pinched the bridge of her nose and said nothing. We were in the family living room that no one used normally. I sat curled up in an armchair, Phantom’s heavy jacket wrapped around me. It was shockingly cold when he first threw it around my shoulders, but it warmed up fast, and I clung to it. It was ridiculous, but that jacket felt like the only piece of affection I got after the entire ordeal.

My mother hadn’t said a word to me since we entered the house. She talked to the doctor briefly, asking him if I was all right, but that was that.

All I got from her were a few pinched looks. They weren’t exactly annoyed, but… weary. As if she meant to say, “What have you done again, Barbara?”

I sighed and shook my head. No, I was projecting. She cared about me. I knew this.

My bare feet were freezing. I curled them under me for warmth, wishing I could have a hot bath. I didn’t feel particularly shaken or distressed. Just cold. Was it even a proper reaction after someone tried to kill me? I had no idea. I just knew I was tired, uncomfortable, and my mother didn’t even give me a hug.

“Will you require a bedroom?” she asked Phantom after a beat, her voice strained but polite.

“No. I’ll stay mostly outside. I can go without sleep for weeks if necessary. You’ll have to feed me, though. I enjoy raw meat and lollipops.”

He said this without a hint of humor, like it was a perfectly normal preference to have. My mother’s jaw twitched with annoyance while I snorted. Phantom gave me a quick look, his dark eye sockets turning to me before he addressed her again, his voice matter-of-fact.

“I’ll also need a room where I can store my things. An office space would be ideal. With bookshelves.”

“Are you planning to read on the job?” she asked, her lips pursed, her long, perfectly manicured nails tapping against the polished wood of the sofa arm.

“Sometimes. I mainly need some space for my emotional support paperbacks.”

He said that in a completely neutral way, which made it sound even more ridiculous. I snorted again, and my mother shot me a quelling look.

“Mister Phantom, I don’t appreciate being toyed with. My daughter’s life is at stake,” she said pointedly.

“I am aware, since I just saved it,” he said with a polite nod. “I am the most efficient when I have everything I need, Madame Ashford. Surely you want me to be at my best?”

My mother clenched her fists, took a deep, controlled breath, and unclenched her fingers with a shallow nod. I stared at him in awe. I hadn’t seen anyone get one over her in such a short time. Either she was truly distressed about what happened to me, even if she didn’t show it, or he knew exactly how to play her.

Or maybe he was simplythatcharismatic on top of everything else.

His manner was commanding in a way that inspired trust, and his unyielding, well-worded arguments spoke of quick wit. But it wasn’t just that.

He cut a striking figure, and what I told him in the garden was true, even if the memory of it made me want to crawl into a hole and stay there. Hewaspretty—for a skull-faced type of person, obviously. As he stood under the light of bright lamps, I saw all of him and found only more things to like.

He stood straight and confident like a soldier, his feet planted wide, so he took up a lot of room. His body was lean and strong, and he was clearly a professional. He wore black, thick cargo pants, and his belt wasloadedwith things, most of them hidden in sheaths and holsters, but I had no doubt they were deadly.

Now that his jacket was gone, I saw he wore a simple, snug black shirt and a harness securing more holsters. The lines of his body were clearly visible under the tight material. He was chiseled, with a taut stomach and a powerful chest. Masculine energy oozed out of his every… well, not pore. He didn’t seem to have those.

But he gave it off in waves, and just being in his presence made me feel safer.

He was a fighter, a protector, a soldier, and his entire attention for the foreseeable future would be on keeping mealive. To have someone so strong and skilled assigned to me felt… Well, it made me feel taken care of and important for the first time in years.

“Barbara!”

I jolted, realizing I drifted away from the conversation, too busy staring at my new bodyguard.

“Yes, Mother?”

“Do you need anything? Food? Sleeping pills? I can get Doctor Andanza on the phone for you, if you need to talk it out.”

My lip curled, and I turned my face away so my mother wouldn’t see it and scold me. That meant I faced Phantom, who watched me with an unreadable expression, his unsettling grin somehow smaller than before, making him look serious. I had no idea how he did it. Wasn’t his face all bone? God, I wanted to touch it and find out.

“I’m fine. I’ll go to my room, then. Goodnight.”

I stood up, clutching the jacket so tightly, my knuckles were white. I just wanted… I didn’t even know. It wasn’t like I should have expected anything from her, really. My mother was never big on private displays of affection. I was more likely to get a hug or a caress from her when we were out in public.

Yes, I knew what she was like and it still hurt. I almost died, and I was alive only thanks to Phantom’s above-and-beyond dedication to his job. From what I learned from his report, he wasn’t even supposed to be here yet.

---