Page 56 of Close Protection

‘This was all I had.’ Teddy shrugs, grinning.

‘I would go and ask Milosh to lend you some clothes, but I don’t think they’d fit.’

Where Teddy is slender and toned, Milosh is broad and muscular.

Where I’d place Teddy at 5’11”, Milosh is at least 6’3”.

Milosh looks like if you sat on his lap it would be firm and strong and secure, whereas Teddy, bless him, looks like if you sat on his lap he’d ask you to get up every now and again to give his legs a break.

Teddy is still strong and lean, don’t get me wrong, but against Milosh, or even Henry, he wouldn’t stand a chance. However, what he lacks in muscle, he makes up for in looks.

Teddy is the definition of a pretty boy. With his curly blond hair and his blue eyes protected by his glasses, he’s the poster boy for‘Take me home to meet the parents. I’ll bring flowers and white wine.’ And for the last nearly eighteen years that’s what I’ve gravitated towards.

But then there’s Milosh. With his dark hair, sharp features and overwhelmingly striking face, he can command a room simply with his presence, his quiet dominance oozing out of every pore.

‘Even if his clothes did fit me,’ Teddy says, abruptly pulling me from my thoughts, ‘I think I’d be the last person he’d help out. I’m pretty certain if I was trapped in a burning building, he’d leave me there.’

‘Oh… that’s not true.’Bold-faced lie.

‘Yeah, sure,’ Teddy says sarcastically. ‘Anyway, shall we start with a warm-up jog to the bottom of the garden?’

‘Sure.’

‘Do you have any secret entrances or exits in your garden?’ Teddy asks as we begin.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, you know, I wanna make sure this house is properly protected and there’s no way for anyone to get in or out.’ He starts looking around the garden for any doors or broken fencing.

‘Oh well, in that case, you’re completely safe. There isan exit through –’ I point to the far end of the garden – ‘there, but it’s locked and gated, and during the day there’s a security guard positioned there. Daddy even said he hired someone to keep watch there at night too. He starts tomorrow, I believe.’

‘So he’s not there now?’

‘No, but don’t worry, you’re completely safe.’ I smile.

‘Ah… yeah, good. That’s good, thank you.’

We reach the bottom of the garden and stop. ‘Why don’t we do our workout down here today?’ Teddy asks, looking around.

‘Okay, sure. Let’s stretch first.’ We start with our arms, stretching one across the front of our chest and holding it there for a second before switching to the other. We continue making our way through arm and back stretches before moving on to a standing forward bend. As I lean down, my necklace falls, dangling in front of my face for a second before I tuck it back into my jacket, rezipping it fully.

‘So that necklace that you’re wearing, where did you get it?’ Teddy asks innocently enough but I instantly tense up. It’s not the question, it’s more the necklace itself. I don’t know why but I always seem to get a little cagey about it when someone asks.

‘My mother used to wear it,’ I answer. Teddy knewmy mother; he was twelve when she died and his family practically moved in for a month to help bring life back into the house.

‘Oh, that’s why I remember it,’ he recounts slowly. ‘Elizabeth used to wear it all the time.’ I flinch involuntarily when I hear my mother’s name. I can’t remember the last time I heard that name aloud and a rush of sadness dawns as an assortment of memories crash back into my mind.

‘Yeah,’ I respond, my voice small and remote as I slowly begin to roll up out of the stretch. Teddy takes one look at me and walks over, embracing me in a warm hug.

‘Sorry Daph, that was a bit thoughtless of me,’ he mumbles into my hair. He rubs my back but his hands settle near my neck. He starts rubbing it and I feel his fingers skimming the back of my necklace.

I jerk back and his face heats as his hands fall. ‘What are you doing?’

‘I was just checking if the clasp was secure.’ He looks at my chest. ‘It is.’

Before I get a chance to respond we hear footsteps coming from the top of the garden.

‘Amelia!’ Teddy cries, way too enthusiastically. ‘You’re here. I didn’t realize you were joining our little late-night workout.’

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