Page 19 of The Bodyguard

“Lena?”

“Yes?”

“The people your father’s talking to…”

“The Novak family. I know the kind of people they are.”

He looks like he’s about to say something else, but he doesn’t. He stops himself.

“Is that it?” I ask, in the vain hope he might tell me a little bit more about why all of this is necessary. But he just shakes his head before dropping it, and that’s when I see something, a moment of – what? Weakness? No. This man is anything but weak, but maybe he’s just as vulnerable as the rest of us. Sometimes. And when he looks up and his eyes meet mine there’s something different about him. Again, I can’t explain it, it’s just – like there’s something else there, hiding behind this arrogant façade he’s built up.

“It doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“You should be telling me everything.”

He should. They all should. Exactly what kind of shit are they hiding from me?

“Listen, Lena, everything your dad is doing…”

“… is for my own good, I know. I get that. And I also know that you and me, neither of us want to be here, in this situation, but, maybe you’re right. What you said back there, about us learning to tolerate each other more. Maybe we should try to do that. Try to make the best of it. For our sakes, if nothing else.”

I’m not sure there’s much else I can do, for now, apart from get on board with this, and hope it won’t last too long.

“Yeah. Maybe we should.”

I have to trust this man. He has a job to do, and I know he hasn’t told me all that much, and maybe that’s because he doesn’t know enough to tell me anything more, but I really do think it’s time I started to trust him.

“Tell me one thing.”

He looks at me, and he frowns.

“Just this one thing. Am I in danger? Is my family in danger?”

“I’m here to protectyou, Lena. So, please, just let me do my job.”

Not the answer I was looking for, but it seems like the only one I’m going to get, so I’m drawing my own conclusions. Whatever my father’s involved in, it’s obviously something big. Something that, if it goes wrong, could mean the shit hits the fan in a way that involves us all. And if Bodie is my only hope of staying safe, then I really am going to have to trust him. Idon’t think I have anyother choice.

Six

In the few days since Bodie and I started our fake relationship he’s become a popular figure here at work. Or an unnecessary distraction, for some, but nevertheless he’s managing to blend in and play his part with surprising ease, which leads me to wonder if he’s had to do this kind of thing before. He’s charming, friendly, and he’s giving nobody any reason to think he’s anything other than the old family friend he’s supposed to be. The man who’s come back to town and finally won my heart after David the prick broke it. Except, of course, in reality, the last thing David broke was my heart but that’s the story we’re peddling, and I’m not comfortable with it. I’m not comfortable with any of it. In fact, it’s exhausting, having to play pretend every day, but this isn’t a game, even though, sometimes, that’s exactly what it feels like. A very dangerous game, the rules of which I’m not entirely privy to, and that continues to frustrate me.

“You okay?” Bodie asks, sliding up onto the stool next to mine.

“I’m fine. It’s just starting to feel like a very long week, that’s all.”

He glances back over his shoulder at the crowded bar. I didn’t really want to come out for a drink after work but it was either this, or go back home to a house that isn’t mine. Given those choices, I’d rather stay out for as long as I can.

“Well, just let me know when you want to leave.”

I nod and pick up my drink. The cocktails are helping me relax, a little. After all, I’m supposed to be in some kind of “relationship” with this man, not trying to avoid him. So I throw him a smile, which he returns, and it’s far more convincing than mine.

“You need to loosen up more, Lena.” He leans in closer to me, his mouth almost touching my ear. “Where you and me are concerned.”

“And if I don’t feel like loosening up?”

He reaches out and gently strokes my cheek with his thumb, and my first reaction is to grab his wrist: pull his hand away from me, but he stops me. He shakes his head, smiles, and leans in to drop the lightest, quickest kiss on my unsuspecting mouth.

“What the hell are you doing?” I hiss between gritted teeth.

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