Page 20 of Control

I held her stare for a beat.

For the first time since her car accident, I really took her in. She was pretty. Her wavy hair, which fell to maybe two or three inches past her shoulders, was mostly dark brown, but when the light hit it at just the right angle, there were spots that looked caramel in color. Her sapphire eyes were stunning, but it was her prominent cheeks that I was drawn to most when she smiled.

“So, what’s going on? What led to you coming here today? Or, I guess, what makes you want to hire a bodyguard?”

She sighed. “I think you might be the only person I can trust.”

To say I was caught off guard would have been an understatement. I’d just met Alana, so I wasn’t quite sure how she could make such a grand statement. “I’m glad that you see me as someone trustworthy. I’d like to think that’s the kind ofman I am, but something about you saying that after this being our third encounter with one another has me a little curious about what’s happening.”

“That’s fair. I realize this probably seems strange, but I feel like I might be out of options at this point. I assumed, based on the work you do, that you might be able to help,” she explained.

I nodded. “As I told you when I visited you in the hospital, I’m happy to help in any way that I can.”

Alana sent an appreciative glance my way. “I met with Dale today. I’m not sure if you recall, but he’s the news director for the station. I thought I’d be able to convince him to change his mind about my coverage of the story I’d been working on when I got into the car accident.”

“How’d that meeting go?”

She shook her head. “Not the way I had been hoping. He refuses to allow me or anyone else at the station to cover it.”

It seemed strange to me, even if the thought of someone like Alana putting herself in danger left me unsettled, that this guy wouldn’t want to break a story like this. Considering I didn’t know him personally, I couldn’t say what his motives were. Perhaps he merely wanted to look out for the people on his team. “So, how can I help?”

“I’m going to do it.”

My brows drew together, my head tipping slightly to the side. “Do what?”

“I’m not walking away from this story. I think Annie’s family and the community, as a whole, deserve answers. Plus, there’s the whole situation with my coworker. She’s improving, but it’s been slow. And they’ve been working on reducing the sedation medication, so she’s been in and out of it, mostly out of it, from what her mom says, but either way, her family should know who is responsible for putting her there.”

“I don’t disagree. Am I to assume you don’t trust justice will come to those who deserve it?”

She shrugged. “I’m not suggesting the police aren’t doing everything they can to get to the bottom of this, but I don’t think it hurts for more people to be involved. I mean, think about it. A lot of people are uneasy around cops, so I think it’s only natural they’re not as forthcoming if questioned. For someone like me, they might be more willing to talk, because it feels less threatening. I just think it’s possible for me to have some success where the authorities might not.”

That wasn’t a totally unreasonable assumption. “And how would I factor into this?”

“Right. Well, I can’t work on this story when I’m expected to be working on whatever comes across my desk at the news station. But I am prepared to do it in my free time. I know it’ll take longer, and I won’t get nearly as much accomplished as I would if I had a full day to work on it, but something is better than nothing. I’m prepared to take the risk the station isn’t. I realize there’s something sinister about this whole thing, but I can’t let it go. I also can’t tell anyone else that I’m going to be doing this. In a worst-case scenario, if something happens to me, nobody will know why. So, I was hoping I’d be able to hire you to come alongside me, to keep me safe, while I do what I’ve got to do to uncover what happened to these women.”

If there was one thing I could say I understood and appreciated about this whole situation, it would be Alana’s sense of determination and commitment to the cause. She had wound up in such a scary situation with that car accident, and she wasn’t letting that stop her. She understood there was a level of risk involved with the work she did, particularly on a case like this, that went beyond the risks of reporting on something like the weather.

And it didn’t scare her.

Or, maybe it did, to a degree. Why else would she be here?

But despite the harm that could come her way, regardless of the fact she could wind up in a situation like her coworker—or even Annie—Alana refused to back down.

I understood that sense of duty, the calling someone experienced when it came to the work they did each day. If I didn’t agree to help her, it was likely she was going to do it anyway.

Fortunately, I didn’t have any concerns about watching out for her while she did what she had to do and would be happy to help however she needed. I certainly wasn’t going to stand by while she’d been directly threatened.

Before I could relay that information to her, Alana had assumed my silence was enough of a response. “Listen, Ty, I completely understand if this isn’t something you want to be a part of. I signed up for this job and knew the risks. I don’t expect you to put yourself in a dangerous situation for me. I was just trying to be smart in a less than desirable situation.”

“You do know what I do for a living, right?”

She nodded. “Of course. But being a bodyguard for a celebrity is much different than actively putting yourself in a scenario where murderers are willing to do whatever is necessary to keep the truth from coming out.”

“Fair enough. But I also served in the military before I became a bodyguard here. I’m not afraid of dangerous situations. If anything, I’d be more concerned about you heading into something like this on your own. Plus, as a man who was just burned by someone who lied to me, I have this thing about honesty and truthfulness. So, no, Alana, I’m not afraid of this, and I’m certainly not turning my back on you. I offered to help you, and I will do that.”

As much as the relief swept over her, there were questions lingering in her gaze. Whatever they were, she didn’t ask. “Really?”

“Yes. So, what did you have in mind?”

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