Page 8 of Regally Binding

Bear coughed like he was choking.I’ll take that as a win.The all-seeing bodyguard was fun to surprise.

“If you could drop me in that parking bay there, that would be very kind,” Nana proclaimed. Her accent changed from cockney to clipped and faux posh during the day.

Liss glanced out of the window. “Why are we at the airport?”

Nana unclipped her seatbelt as Strike pulled over to the curb. “I’m flying to Italy to visit friends. Do you remember Sergio? He suggested I stay at his villa while this blows over. I’m afraid the invitation only included me.”

Liss’s heartbeat raced. “But—”

“Let me stop you before you get dramatic again. Bear and Strike will protect you for the next two weeks. I called in a favour, as my contacts helped them grow their business.” Her nana kissed her on the cheek before getting out of the car with Strike’s help. “I’ll be in touch. I love you, Felicity.”

Liss slumped against the seat as her grandma waved goodbye. “Love you, Grandma.” But Strike closed the door.

Alone again.

A tear slid down Liss’s cheek. She’d been unable to rely on her grandma, even when her mum was dying, and she was foolish to hope it would be different after the day’s chaos. She wanted to cling to her grandma, but every time she did, she got hurt. Liss’s head dropped, and her lips trembled.

Bear cleared his throat, reminding her she wasn’t completely alone. Just alone while sitting with a stranger. That was worse. She swiped at her tears, but they were falling quicker now and harder to hide.

“It will be okay, Felicity,” he said, his gruff voice soft. “Strike and I will keep you safe.”

Liss covered her face with her hands. She was used to being deserted but didn’t want strangers to witness her humiliation. She knew how to do pain alone.

“There will always be at least one of us with you. We’ll follow you everywhere.”

“If this is your way of comforting upset women, you need practice,” Liss stuttered between sobs.

“I don’t tend to do a lot of comforting when I’m with women.” Liss dropped her hands and eyeballed him. “I mean, we’re safe people. You don’t need to worry.”

“I don’t know you.” This version of him was different from the earlier version and equally fascinating. Maybe crying women scared him.

He fumbled in his pocket before turning to look at her. Small lines appeared around his eyes as he held out a tissue. It smelt so heavily of him that she wondered how long it had sat in the jacket. She dabbed her eyes with it before blowing her nose loudly. Bear offered her a smile that barely lifted his lips. “Well, I’ll tell you, I’m not a naturist. Although, I don’t have time for hobbies. Maybe I am a naturist and don’t know it. You could imagine me naked if you get nervous about things.”

Liss’s eyes bulged from her head, and she choked on her breath.

Bear’s ears pinked. He added quickly, “Because that’s what they say when you’re doing speeches, right? Do you need some water or something?” She shook her head as he fumbled with his words. One tear and the badass bodyguard was all over the place. “Anyway, it will be okay. I expect you’d prefer to be in an Italian villa with your nana, but at least you’ll be safe with us.”

“It depends if the Italian villa also involves you being naked,” she joked, smiling when his eye twitched, and he cleared his throat. Strike returned to the car. From the rear-view mirror, she glimpsed his brow furrowing in Bear’s direction. Bear dropped his head as he studied his phone.

“It’s Liss, by the way. Only Nana calls me Felicity,” she said to Bear. He nodded subtly as his back flattened against the seat, but he didn’t look at her again. “Can we go back to my flat?”

“Certainly, Felicity,” Strike replied.

“By the way, I wouldn’t want to go to Italy,” Liss said to the front seat as she pulled herself up, unsure if they were listening.“I’m not going to run away from this. I’m not leaving my friends and home. It’s only a small flat, but it’s mine.”

“Okay, Liss,” Bear said, the gruffness returned.

Liss imagined Bear trying to fit through her doorway as the car sped through the city. Goosebumps covered her arms, and anxiety coiled in her belly as she gripped the tissue he’d given her.

Chapter Five

The four-by-four vehicle with tinted windows and an air of mystery suddenly stopped outside the pub. Liss’s rented flat was across the road above a garage. It was called a coach house, but that was a fancy name for a tiny shit hole.

But it was her shit hole.

“They’re here already,” Strike murmured to Bear. Neither spoke to her the entire ride. Energy flowed out of her like air, bleeding out of an inflatable rubber ring as she looked where they were staring. Even through the Range Rover’s tinted windows, the odd camera flash intruded on her space.

“Who are here?” Liss asked, but no response came.

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