Page 13 of The Bodyguard

“All set?” Bodie asks, car keys swinging from his index finger, and I nod, and then he reaches for my case and I almost fall over myself in my rush to stop him, swatting his hand away from the handle like it’s on fire.

“I can take care of that myself, thanks.” I look at him, and it’s then that my eyes catch sight of the gun tucked down the waistband of his jeans. “You’re armed?”

“I’m here to protect you, whatever it takes.”

“Even if it means killing someone?”

“You’re a big girl now, Lena. You know how this works. Shit like this shouldn’t shock you, given the family you belong to.”

I narrow my eyes as they meet his. “Not sure it’s your place to judge me or my family.”

“No-one’s judging anyone. You ready to go?”

I look around me, and I wish I didn’t have to leave. I want to stay here, alone, and forget who I am, what I do – what my family does. But I can’t. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to do that.

I close the front door behind me and lock it, tucking my keys into my pocket as I follow Bodie to the car, one of my father’s, a black 4x4, a fairly run-of-the-mill vehicle, but my father never was one to draw attention to himself.

Throwing my case and bags onto the back seat, I climb into the passenger side and buckle up.

“So, that photograph I saw you tossing into the trash. Anything to do with your ex?”

He pulls away and turns out onto the road that leads from this quieter end of the village into the much busier centre.

“Not sure that’s any of your business.”

He looks at me, the corner of his mouth inching upwards, just slightly. Cocky arsehole. “No, you’re right. It’s not. I just thought you might want to talk about it.”

“Why would I want to do that?” With a stranger, of all people.

It’s only a short drive to the centre of this popular little seaside town, but it’s still within walking distance from my house to the harbour, to the many pubs, restaurants, shops and cafés.

“If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine. It’s just, I got the impression you’ve been single for a while, yet, you still had his photograph up?”

He’s really starting to piss me off now. But I don’t react, I keep my head turned away from him, continue to look out of the window at those lucky people walking along the pretty promenade, people who don’t have a father like mine. People who are able to live their lives without constraints, and that used to be me. I had the same freedom as any one of those people out there, in spite of my family. Until now. And I still want to know what the fuck changed, because something did. Something has.

“Look, I’m sorry, okay?”

Alright. An apology. I’ll take that. “Okay.” I look at him, and when he smiles this time it actually reaches his eyes. He isn’t smirking, so maybe he really does mean it.

“I shouldn’t get so personal. None of that shit is my business.”

His eyes are back on the road now, and I too stare out ahead as we turn offfrom the main drag and headback towards my parents’ house a little further up the coast.

“I don’t know why I kept that photograph up. Not really.” Okay. What happened to me telling him nothing? Seriously, one smile and I’m giving into him? “And, just so you know – although, for the life of me, I have no idea why I need to tell you this – I haven’t been single all that long. A couple of months, that’s all.”

“Still pretty raw then, huh?”

“Not really. He was a grade-A dickhead. No great loss.”

I can feel his eyes on me again, and I turn my head – just slightly – to look at him. He’s got one eyebrow raised, and the smirk’s back.

“Okay,” I sigh, and I still don’t know why I’m continuing with this conversation, but I can’t seem to shut up. “He wasn’t when we met. Or, he was just good at hiding it, but, in the beginning, there were no obvious signs he was going to become the absolute, utter arsehole he turned out to be.”

Bodie lets out a low whistle, his eyes, thankfully, back on the road.

“He must’ve been one hell of a brave man, to piss you off. He knew who your family were, right?”

“Sort of. I mean, he knew my dad, and Ollie – he knew they were involved in shit he was better off not knowing about, but I wouldn’t call him brave. Stupid, yes. Not brave.”

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