Page 23 of Bodyguard Crush
I’m not exactly sure what this means for us. All I know is that I’ve grown even more attached, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to let her go when the time comes. I don’t know how she feels about the situation either. Does she feel for me what I feel for her? Am I just a good time for her? Use me while she has me? Neither of us has opened up about our true feelings yet, and I don’t know if we will. It all seems so crazy to think about how fast we’ve moved. My brain knows it’s fast and sudden, but it all feels right in my heart.
We finally make it back home, and she immediately goes upstairs to unpack and get cleaned up before dinner. I strap my gun into place and take off on the side-by-side, wanting to check in with the guys and get all the updates. As I’m driving around the property, I see how many cameras we’ve lost in the week and a half we’ve been gone. It seems he made it his mission to take out several a day. I find Bear at his post, and I slow the vehicle to a stop. I climb out and walk over. He immediately holds out his hand to shake.
“Good to see you back. How was the trip?” he asks, looking down at me.
I nod. “It was good. I think she really enjoyed herself. She got to unwind and forget about all of this for a while. What’re the updates?”
He runs his hand over his bald head and then shrugs as he shakes his head, letting out a long-drawn-out breath. “I don’t know how he’s doing it, man. He’s squeezing in somehow. We keep someone set up at the gate always. The staff come and go, and we check their vehicles going in and out. Cameras are slowly getting smashed to the point now several areas are no longer monitored. Human eyes can only see so far, and we’re limited. We can’t watch the entire wall.”
I nod, taking in all the info he’s given me. “And do you think he’s realized she’s been gone? Did the attacks get any worse?”
“At first, it was quiet. Nothing but finding smashed cameras. He took out enough that he was able to get in undetected. Once he was in, I guess he stayed in. There were a few days that we found nothing and heard nothing. I think he was watching, waiting for her. When he realized she wasn’t here, that’s when things started getting stirred up. Windows were busted in the outbuildings, and the potted plants around the house have been smashed. The horses were spooked one night, and it took them forever before they’d relax. He’s just been messing around and setting off alarms. The house alarm, the gate alarm, the silent alarms we’ve set up. He’s just making himself at home.”
I let out a long breath as I lean against the front of the side-by-side. I scratch the side of my head and try to wrap my mind around all of this news. “I want this over. Sooner rather than later. He’s getting braver if he’s entering the buildings around here. Who’s to say he won’t try coming into the house next?”
Bear nods in agreement. “We need more men…or less area to guard.”
“I’ll look into finding some more men to join the team tomorrow,” I reply, turning around and climbing back into the side-by-side. I make a quick lap around the property before heading back to the house. When I walk in, Abby is just coming down the stairs.
She sees me and smiles. “Hey, you ready for dinner?”
I nod and follow her in. We have a seat and go about serving the food prepared for us.
“What’s wrong? Something seems off,” she says, lifting her fork and taking a bite of her salad.
I cut through the steak on my plate. “I just got back from talking with the guys. Nothing we’ve done so far has stopped this guy.”
She reaches over and runs her hand up and down my bicep in a loving manner. “We’ll figure it out,” she assures me.
I’m pretty quiet all through dinner, and she seems to understand why. She doesn’t push me to talk, and she doesn’t try to make anything better. She knows I’m not happy about the situation, and there’s not much we can do about it. We’re already doing everything we can. But it seems this guy is getting bold. He’s getting closer to her with each passing day. One of these days, he’s going to be close enough to touch her, to take her. And I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I know I’ll die before I let anything happen to her.
The two of us take a shower together, and then we crawl into bed, both exhausted from the day of traveling. I hold her close and let her warmth, her scent, the lull of her heart ease me into a deep sleep.
We’rejolted awake by the sound of an alarm going off. I’m still dead to the world, and I’m not even sure which alarm it is. All I know is that it’s my chance to end this for good. I jump out of bed and grab my gun. Abby rushes to stand in front of the bedroom door, blocking me.
“Abby, move. Stay here. No matter what you hear. Understand?”
She shakes her head. “No, I’m not letting you go out there. We’ll call the police and let them handle it.”
“This is why I’m here, Abby. Let me finish this.”
“No!” she yells. “I don’t want you hurt. I can’t lose you.” Tears fill her eyes.
I place my hand on her cheek. “You’re not going to lose me,” I tell her, moving my mouth to hers to give her a long, slow kiss. All the fear leaves her body, and she melts against me. When I know she’s relaxed, I pull back. “Stay in the bedroom and don’t come out. Hide.”
She nods and finally steps to the side. I rush out the door and down the steps.
I unlock the front door and step out, being sure to close it behind me. Before me, nothing looks out of the ordinary. I can tell now that the alarm that’s going off isn’t the one for the house or the gate. It’s an alarm for one of the outbuildings. I don’t know which one, but I can tell the direction it’s coming from, so I rush down the front porch steps and head in that direction.
The night is dark. Glancing at the sky, I don’t see any stars at all. It’s nothing but thick clouds as a roll of thunder moves overhead. I stop at the edge of the house to look around the corner and see the guys off in the distance. They’re checking out the barn. The alarm is coming from the barn, and now that I’m close enough, I can hear the horses fussing. I move to head over that way, but that’s when I catch movement out of the corner of my eye from the front of the yard. It looks like someone was hiding behind a tree. His plan quickly runs through my head. Set off the alarm in the distance and draw everyone away from the house. With everyone at the barn, he’ll be able to get inside. And I left the door unlocked when I came out.
I swing around to chase after the movement. A gunshot fills my ears, and I’m blinded by the flash of the bullet leaving the chamber. I’m struck in the shoulder, and I fall back as a blinding pain sears its way through my chest and shoulder. My eyes zero in on a dark figure as I lift my head. The pain is taking over my body. My eyes are becoming blurry with blood loss. Not knowing what else to do, I raise my gun and shoot. I’m not sure if I hit my target, but the man cries out and takes off running away from the house.
Using every bit of strength in my body, I push myself up and head toward the porch. I should go after the man, find him, and finish this, but I have to get back to her. A gunshot wound will be reported, and we can track him through the hospital. Right now, I need to make sure she’s okay.
It takes everything I have to make it up the front porch steps. I’m almost to the door when it flies open, and Abby appears, fear painting her face. I lose my balance. I’m dizzy. My eyes are blurry, and I can’t stop myself from falling forward. She catches me, and we fall to the ground together.
“Kaden?” she cries out. Acknowledgment washes over her as she sees the blood covering her hands. “You’ve been shot!” she screams. The pain in her voice is too much. The pain in my body is too much. Even with as strong as I am and as badly as I want to be here to care for her, I’m not strong enough. It takes me under. One moment, I’m looking at the pain covering her beautiful face. The next, I’m gone.
