Page 2 of Guarded By the SEAL

“Thanks, Dad,” I whisper instead. “A safehouse, plus protection, sounds good. I don’t think I have ever been as scared as this. I just… I can’t believe it. All of this… it’s too much for me.”

Dad shoots me a grim look before he makes the call to this friend of his, leaving me stewing in all of my worries. Today was just a normal day. Everything was exactly the same as always when I woke up. I wasn’t supposed to have the rug pulled out from underneath me. I shouldn’t be headed off to some safehouse with a stranger, all paid for by my father. My life shouldn’t be on the line.

“Okay, Max is on the case,” Dad reassures me. “Now we need to check that you have everything you might possibly need for an extended period. I don’t quite know how long you’re going to have to be in hiding, but I will try and ensure it isn’t forever. I will… I’ll get the police involved. Try to take down the criminal organization Jake is involved with. Put an end to this once and for all.”

“I’ll have to hide until Jake is in jail, won’t I?” My dad doesn’t answer me, not even with a nod. “And his associates, too. It’s the only way to keep me safe. But how will I be sure about your safety?”

“Don’t you worry about me. I’m going to be fine,” he shot back grimly. “Let’s just get you out of here first. Right now, keepingyou away from that man and his plans is top priority. Nothing else matters.”

My life is about to change for good. The life that I thought would be a constant forever is gone, out the window, and I’m never getting it back again, which really is scary. I don’t know what I’ll be coming back to once all of this is over. It might not be great for a very long time. But I can’t let Jake kill me. My dad has already lost my mother. He can’t lose me as well. All because I was naive and dumb, and I fell for the wrong person.

2

HARRY

Irub my knee. The pain twinges, as it does every so often as if to remind me of why I left my old life behind. No one joins the Navy SEALs assuming they will leave by the age of thirty-one, especially not me. That was my family, my life, my everything. Fighting and protecting were all I ever wanted to do, but one goddamn injury changed everything for me. It fucked me up bigtime and left me with nothing.

At least, nothing until Max came along and dragged me from the thick cloud of depression that came from losing my identity by giving me another shot at life. Offering personal protection doesn’t have quite the same prestige as being a Navy SEAL, but it gives me a new purpose to life, and man, do I need it desperately.

“Your knee being a little bitch again?” Max laughs as he takes a seat on the other side of his desk. “That little fucker is going to bother you forever. You don’t need any more treatment, though?”

I shake my head. “Nah, all that’s behind me. It’s alright, it just gives me a little shock sometimes.”

“Well, I hope it isn’t going to piss you off too much because I have a very high-risk job for you. Obviously, I can’t give you all the details here and now, but it will involve your taking a young lady offshore.”

Whoa. We only have one safehouse that we refer to as ‘offshore’. It’s on a little island just off the coast, and it’s the most remote for a reason. It costs the most to set someone up there, so if a young lady needs to be taken there, she must be in a seriously shitty situation. Then again, most of the people who come to us are. Not everyone needs the sort of protection that we offer, but still, this is huge.

“I see.” I nod slowly. Actually, this is good news for me. Things have been a little stale in my life recently, and I need something to lift me up and boost my spirits. Having a job that will take all of my focus can do that for me, I’m sure. “And is this an immediate thing? Do I need my bugout bag?”

As Max nods, my fingers move up my arm to finger the chip resting just below my skin. I might have protested to having a tracking chip inside me at first, but I’ve seen how it’s saved the lives of some of my colleagues when things have gone tits up. It means Max always knows where we are and if we’re in any kind of danger. These sorts of jobs don’t always have smooth outcomes.

I’ve never had to use mine yet and I hope I never will, but it’s good to know I’m watched over and that my boss gives enough of a shit about me to keep me alive no matter what happens.

“So, this is the address. Your bag which is stocked with everything you might need is already in the van. I suggest you get going right away. Time is really of the essence with this one.”

I take the slip of paper with the only information I have at the moment, not even the client’s name, and I head out to the car. Excitement builds as I start to drive while I try and mentally work out what this might be about. I’ve never been to the offshore house before, but from what I’ve been told, it’s usually reserved for famous or powerfully connected people when their lives are in danger, so this could be someone I know. Not that I know many famous people these days. I’m kinda out of the loop in that department. But it’s definitely going to be thrilling, anyway. I can already feel my protective nature shining through, growing in anticipation. Keeping people safe is what I’m born to do.

Who is that?As soon as I pull up to the pick-up point, my heart pounds like crazy. This woman doesn’t look familiar, but she has to be someone. She has the striking looks of a supermodel. Tall, blonde, bright eyes, striking cheek bones… I’m sure she’s someone. But I can’t ask. It isn’t my job to ask.

“Are you the guy?” She leans in the car and whispers, “Taking me to the safehouse.”

“Yep, I sure am. Do you need a hand getting anything into the van?”

She shakes her head and shows me two small bags. The woman has packed in a hurry, which means Max is right. Clearly, time is of the essence here. I need to get her offshore as quickly as I can.

I eye her as she climbs into the back seat, wondering what her story might be. She has the weight of the world on her shoulders, that much I can see, but where has it come from? I suppose I will have to wait for the documents from Max to reach me so that I can find out. I will only be told what I need to know in order to help me protect her, but it’s better than nothing. I need to knowwhat to be aware of. One of the other guys once had to protect an online influencer from a stalker, and she damn near ruined everything by continuing to post online. It’s shit like that I want to be aware of right away so I can stop things quickly.

“My name is Harry,” I declare once she’s seated. “Harry Norman. Feel free to ask me anything.”

“Petra Thompson. No, actually, Petra Robinson. Fuck my married name.”

Okay, so that gives me some insight as I begin driving. It definitely isn’t a name that I recognize, though, married or otherwise. So, she isn’t a celebrity who’s big enough for me to have heard of her. Maybe if we keep on talking, I’ll be able to discover a little bit more. We have to find some way to pass the time. We’re going a long way, and it’ll be better to talk a little than sit in awkward silence.

“So, Petra, have you done a lot of long-haul traveling? Because this might be a big ass drive if not.”

She doesn’t answer me. She actually pointedly turns away from me to shut me down right away. It seems she doesn’t give a shit about the awkward silence and would prefer that to chatting. Well, I suppose I can understand that. Clearly, this isn’t going to be the best day of her life, is it? So, I turn the radio on to break up the tension a little bit with some incessant radio DJ chatter and shitty music, and I drive.

Offshore is going to be a lonely place with someone who doesn’t want to talk to me at all, but I suppose some thinking time combined with alertness on another level to keep her safe will be beneficial. There are a lot of thoughts I could do with getting organized so I’m in a better place mentally when I return.

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