Page 6 of Her New Bodyguard: Colton

COLTON

Ihad thought this would be a simple bodyguard gig. Take the client to a safe house, entertain them with movies and my questionable cooking skills for forty-eight hours, then take them back to their family.

Yeah, not this time.

Everything would be different now. Julia was breathtaking, and it was nearly impossible to keep my hands off her. And now I could no longer trust my own company.

As I called the main line of the Barrow Agency, I tried to appear relaxed. With every other job, if I needed drone surveillance, technical inquiries, or backup, people and resources would be sent my way immediately. But now I didn't know if I could trust any of it.

"Hello, and thank you for calling the Barrow Agency. How may I direct your call?"

"Christine, it's Colton."

There was a tiny shuffling sound as if she were holding the phone differently. "Colton, there's some stuff going on," she whispered.

"Has the agency been breached?" I asked.

"There are rumors. We don't know. There was a blowup with Jackson, and Easton has gone…hold on…"

It sounded like she was moving to a different location, possibly the coffee room. She quickly filled me in on some of the details of the other two families under our protection.

Then she moved again, and I heard the squeak of her desk chair. "He just arrived now. One moment, please."

There was a click as I was transferred to Warren's office.

"Colton," the familiar gruff voice barked. "How's the safe house? You got there fast."

I looked over to Julia, who was admiring the nature photos on Heath's office wall. "Took a little detour," I said as casually as possible. "Stopping off for a burger."

Warren's heavy exhale sounded irritated. "Is there a problem beyond hunger?" he asked. "Everything okay?"

I recited the text that had supposedly come from Julia's father, Tristan Carlisle.

"I wasn't with him," Warren said. "Dammit."

Heath came back in the room, writing something on a notepad and turning it toward me.

"Hey, Warren, do you happen to know anyone in Portugal?" I asked.

Absolute silence. Finally he ventured, "Why do you ask?"

"That fake text was routed through Portugal, from a very insecure data point."

Warren was silent again, giving me a moment to make the connection. Then it clicked.

"Warren, don't you have a brother who is based there now?"

I should have held the phone away from my ear for the loud string of curses that followed, but I didn't want Julia to overhear them.

Once he calmed down, Warren said, "Okay, so tell me where you are now."

"Absolutely not."

"What the hell did you just say to me?"

I wasn't sure whether Julia could hear Warren's side of the conversation, but she probably caught his tone.

"Warren, we've worked together a long time. You know I put the clients first. So you can understand why I'm not telling you. Just know that our phones and all agency equipment are in a well-protected place."

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