Page 6 of Protecting Bianca

A white-haired man sitting at the desk with two panels of windows behind him asked, “Who are you?”

I surveyed the office. I’d located a layout of the building last night in my research, and if I wasn’t mistaken, there was a hidden room just behind that bookshelf.

“A potential assassin, for all you know,” I said as I walked closer to the bookshelf.

“Excuse me?”

I ignored his question and placed my hand on the wooden shelves, looking for a lever.

“Steven! Get the hell in here,” shouted Towers.

A tall, muscular man with a neck the size of my thigh ran into the room. He wore a black suit and tie, and I shrugged. At least the man looked the part.

“How did this guy get in here?” asked Towers.

Steven looked at me and then at the open door behind him. He wavered back and forth, stuttering before finally spitting out, “I don’t know, sir.”

I stuck out my hand. “Mr. Towers, I presume?”

Hesitantly, he shook it. “Who the hell are you?”

“The name is Jager Payne and I’m a bodyguard. One of your employees said you are in dire need of security detail after an unfortunate delivery incident.”

The hulk of a man stepped forward. “Thanks, my guy, but as you can see, Mr. Towers already has a bodyguard.” He smirked.

I gave him a wide smile, then turned to Mr. Towers. “As I said, you’re in desperate need of security detail, and as luck would have it, I’m free to take this job.”

The bodyguard cracked his knuckles behind me. “What the fuck, man?”

When I ignored him, he reached for my neck, presumably to throw me out, but I caught his wrist and squeezed a familiar tendon that would shoot pain up to his skull. I twisted the arm behind his back and whispered harshly in his ear.

“I reached my target in less than five minutes of entering the building. You’ve installed no new cameras or security devices and on the first attempt at apprehending a would-be assassin, you find yourself in an armlock. I suggest you leave now before I show you what I can do with my pinky.”

The man’s chest heaved, and spit formed at the corners of his mouth, but he didn’t respond.

Dumbfounded, Mr. Towers picked up his phone while still staring at the two of us.

“Janis. Call the front desk and let them know that Mr. Jones will be leaving soon. Thank you.”

“I’ll escort him out myself, sir. If that’s all right with you.”

Mr. Towers nodded, and I ushered the man toward the elevator. A few heads peeked out from the glass offices as we made our way down the corridor. People whispered and others scurried to get a closer look.

“You can let go of me now,” the man said through gritted teeth.

“Only if you promise to behave.”

He grunted noncommittally, so I held him until we reached the elevator where I felt he could harm no one in there.

After escorting Mr. Jones to the front of the building, I left strict instructions with the guard that he was not allowed back in. “And you are?” the guard asked.

“Your new boss.”

He glanced back at the previous bodyguard standing outside on his phone and probably figured he didn’t want to lose his job as well, so he nodded. “All right.”

By the time I returned to the tenth floor, a crowd had formed outside Mr. Towers’ door. At least a dozen faces turned when the elevator doors opened. Then, just as quickly as I’d seen them, they were gone, scattering like leaves as soon as they saw me approach.

They all returned to their cubicles and offices, except for one. The redhead lingered by the door and raised her hand in salute as I drew near.

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