Page 22 of Not the Bodyguard's Princess
“No, my wife flew in last night. She’s the one you spoke to on the phone.”
“I’m happy she could come out. She didn’t mention it on the phone. I would have expected her not to be so composed with you having been shot. It took me a moment to realize I was speaking with your wife.”
“She is amazing, isn’t she? My brother and I run our tiny firm together. We only have Jordan and Claire Lee as clients. Mostly, we hire temps for big jobs and have a core of six guards. One is on his honeymoon, and the rest are in India. I didn’t think it through when I asked you to call.” Blake shook his head.
“Considering you were less than an hour post-op, you did a great job of passing on information.” Andrew pulled the chair into a position where he could comfortably see the door and talk to Mr. Blake. “I don’t think I would have been half as focused.”
“You got the link to the app I sent you, right?”
“Yes. The same company that made ours made it. Jordan also gave me her panic word. We are working on our communication.”
“On set, she can’t have her phone with her and probably not in the readings either. So you’ve got to pay attention to her signs. She’s only used her word twice on set when it wasn’t in the script. Both times, a costar made her uncomfortable. She’ll tell you ifagletis in the script.” Mr. Blake pushed another pillow under his elbow to support his arm.
Andrew decided the bodyguard was coherent enough to answer his questions. “Have you seen any footage from the shooting Saturday?”
“Only what the police detective showed me.”
Andrew pulled out his phone. “These clips were up on one of the social media channels. We snagged copies of them before they got taken down.”
Blake watched the three clips. “The police showed me the second one. And one similar to the first.” He played the third one again, pausing and rewinding.
The last clip had been posted on a less-popular website by an anonymous cell-phone user who’d panned the audience seconds before the shooting began. The man identified by the police as the shooter stood five feet from one of the Hearthfire bodyguards. The camera passed the bodyguard, then the picture jumped, capturing a ducking crowd and then the pavement at the sound of the first shot. Three more gunshots could be heard distinctly, with a pause before the last. The next part of the video showed the bodyguard wrestling with the shooter.
Andrew took his phone back. “It’s the third video that concerns us. The shooter got off four shots, taking time to adjust his aim before the guard only five feet away reacted. Unfortunately, this doesn’t show the shooter in the act.”
“Has Jordan seen this?”
“I haven’t shown her, and she said she was avoiding watching media on Saturday, so my guess is no.”
“That last clip you have makes it seem like the shooter wanted to hit me. The police didn’t ask any questions to indicate they thought I might be the target.”
“Has there been a threat that might have been aimed at you?” The question had to be asked, even if Andrew didn’t like the ramifications.
“No, just the usual. Jordan’s biggest problems are the so-claimed psychics or real-life psychos who claim to know where her parents are living, buried, or hiding. She has a fairly persistent fan who proposes by email on the fourth day of every month. At first we thought he’d escalated to the black roses and notes found on the set over the last six months, but he says no.”
“You know who he is?”
“The fourth-of-the-month proposal guy? Yes. He’s never threatened her and doesn’t come to any events. There isn’t a law against proposing. There are two standing restraining orders on former stalkers, but both men are currently incarcerated on unrelated charges. The new activity doesn’t link with the old stuff. This is the longest she’s had a stalker we couldn’t trace. It doesn’t help that some things happen at the studio and I can’t always see the evidence. Stu isn’t great about sharing.”
“Someone delivered a black rose to her room last night. I didn’t get a good look at it. I don’t like how the Hearthfire guards dealt with the unexpected gift.”
“I can guess. You got Jordan out of there?” asked Blake.
“Not fast enough. I didn’t realize the Hearthfire guards weren’t going to. I don’t like the hotel arrangement. A private rental would be easier to guard.”
“Ditto. The show has done five other location shoots over the years, and I’ve always rented a house. This is the first time they’ve insisted on everyone staying together. Coupled with the fact that Hearthfire recently denied Jordan her own bodyguards, it makes me think most of the odd things this past month are coming from within. If I was the target, someone is playing a long game and knows I was the only one protecting Jordan.”
Andrew tapped his chin. There had to be more. “Can you tell me more about her contract? Jordan was rather vague.”
“This end-of-the-series special wasn’t in the original contract. Hearthfire has financial issues, and they’re cutting some of their series shows. This one was slated to be dropped at the end of last season, but the fans like it so much they chose a to do a half season with a grand finale. This meant they had to find someone to take the princess off to her happily ever after, a Prince Charming. Storm Tordon is a huge coup for them. After they signed him, they distributed the new contracts. I wasn’t surprised they were keeping bodyguards off set. That’s pretty standard for closed sets. Actors with active threats can usually keep one nearby. But this location shoot”—Blake shook his head—“only the continuing actors have the restrictions. Storm and his entourage are not staying on-site. Claire Lee will have her own accommodations for the three or four days they’ll film her piece. As you may know, the singer September will have her own guards. If Claire Lee hadn’t stepped in, I wouldn’t have been here. No one in management thinks for a moment that I’m truly guarding the dog. But the concession worked on paper. I can be anyplace Jordan wants the dog. I asked Donnetta to renegotiate after the shooting. No go.”
Not much new in the telling. But if Hearthfire was having money issues, it seemed they would prefer to use personal security so they could save money. “They are trying to keep me out of her rooms. So far, we’ve found six listening devices.”
“Six? I’ve never found over two. They are most likely Stu’s. As far as keeping you out of her suite, you’re young and handsome. They could use that against you—Jordan’s squeaky-clean reputation and all. I don’t think they’ve ever had to give her a warning about her conduct. An older bodyguard like your father wouldn’t raise the same concerns or, better yet, your mother. But I understand they don’t work out of the office often.”
“If Hearthfire is worried about reputation, why hire Storm? He isn’t exactly discreet about his love life. And it’s not squeaky clean.” Even Andrew had seen the articles and he usually avoided gossip media.
Mr. Blake shrugged. The answer was evident. Storm Tordon’s popularity was unrivaled.
