Page 8 of Trust My Bodyguard

“I will always drop everything for you, Iris. I care about you.”

Her face softens. “What about your job?”

“It will be here when this blows over. I don’t care. I just need you to be safe, okay?”

She looks down, combing her fingers through her chin-length brunette hair. In the past week, I’ve learned that the action is a result of nerves.

“Okay?”

She meets my eyes and nods. “Okay.”

“We’ll do it,” I tell Callum.

“Good. Just pack up whatever you’ll be needing.” His eyes flit to Iris briefly. “I’ll set you up in a hotel tonight and tomorrow, I’ll take you to meet Brody.”

Brody. I hope this Brody is good at what he does because I need my sister to be as safe as a joey in a mama kangaroo’s pouch.

CHAPTER THREE

Brody

I take a deep breath of the cold, thin air. It fills my lungs and energizes me, even though I’ve been up and about since four a.m. getting ready for the day. The military does that to you. Only a few hours of sleep are enough to reset and go again.

Yet, there’s nothing like standing on a snow-capped hill and staring down at the world. It’s empowering. It makes the impossible feel possible. And I’m about to do something I haven’t done in years.

I grip the poles tighter and stare down at Scare Run, the path I will take. The weak sun is slowly climbing up into the sky in the distance, lighting up the run for me. It’s the most hazardous run in Pine Peaks, and even the best skiers think twice about it before taking it.

The more difficult the task, the better I can concentrate. And I need my head for the day that lies ahead. Hawke, Everett, and Yates officially begins operations today. We don’t have a client yet, but building our client list is one of our first courses of action.

I inhale deeply and plunge downward.

Instinct kicks in, freeing up my mind. I take the turns between the trees and the rocks easily, spinning away and straightening back up.

This used to be my life years before. Every day, Nick, Zane, and I would steal away from our chores to race downhill. Of course, Cliff would catch us. Instead of punishing us outright like he ought to, he’d race us, giving us a chance to win our freedom. We would always lose. And then we would serve our punishment. It always felt like a reward after the exhilaration of competing.

A smile flits across my face. Perhaps, it’s fitting that I’m back here after all these years. This snow-covered landscape and the man who owns it lit a fire in my heart. Made me want to be more than a rebellious teen from a small town with no direction.

Mom probably misses my presence at home, but I need to be here. I need to be in this boundless, limitless space. After leaving the military a couple of months ago, I still haven’t adjusted to the lack of routine yet. I need to make my own. And the resort affords more freedom and flexibility than staying with Mom would. She probably wouldn’t appreciate me waking her up before sunrise with my five hundred push-ups or boxing practice too. It’s a good thing she understands so we can be close but not in-your-face-every-day close.

Plus, she doesn’t know about the firm me and the guys have started. None of our moms know. It’s a surprise we would only divulge when our first client is on our roster.

And then they’ll receive the biggest shocker—we are all moving back to Pine Peaks permanently. Just having me home overjoyed her. I can’t imagine what knowing I’ll be staying will mean to her.

I reach the bottom of the slope and gaze out at the terrain. The sun is brighter and I can see the figures moving out and about around the resort. It’s time to head back. I need to set a standard for punctuality at the office. I can’t do that if I’m spending all morning relearning the slopes. There would be enough time for that in the future. Right now, work is calling.

The adrenaline rush from skiing has me pumped and ready to begin the day. I march into the lobby, beelining for my room.

“Brody? Is that you?” a voice says.

I turn around and scan the area. A group of women stand by the front desk, all staring in my direction. One of them, probably the one who spoke, leaves the group and heads my way.

Something about her face and her steps jolts a distant memory. I wrack my brain. I know that look. That walk.

“Brody Hawke.” She stops before me with a wide smile. “Look at you.” Her eyes sweep up and down my body, pausing at the midsection where my shirt clings to my abs. It’s a wonder she manages to pull her gaze back up—it looks difficult for her. “I saw you walk in and I thought that was a familiar face.”

Aw, shit. I know who she is.Ugh. I thought I escaped her when I left Pine Peaks all those years ago. What a cruel turn of events to run into her.

“Don’t you remember me?” She flicks her sandy curls and bats her long lashes. “I’m Kerianne. Kerianne Spriggs. We went to high school together. “

---