Page 16 of Bossy Bodyguard

My phone trilled, and I only stepped back to check my screen and sighed. He told me he’d take care of himself only to call me back again. I was used to it now. He only ever called when he needed something from me and most of the time it was money, even though I gave him more than enough allowance. Flickering my eyes to Emma, I made sure she was being cared for before picking up the call.

“Hey… uh, can you pick me up?” His voice was casual, but I knew my son enough to know that he was nervous. He seemed sober too.

“What happened?”

I could hear loud people in the background, and I knew he was still at the party.

“I—not right now Tania—can you just pick me up?” He seemed annoyed, by me or Tania, I didn’t know. “I’ll text you the location.”

“Caleb.” I tightened my hand on the phone as I looked at the unconscious woman on the bed. “You told me specifically that you will take care of yourself when I asked where were you. Can’t you call a cab? If you are hurt, I’ll be there in ten—”

I heard him laugh, making me frown. “I shouldn’t have fucking called you. My bad. Sorry to disturb you from your work, Dad.”

The call ended before I could say another word. He said the word Dad as if it was a curse. Maybe he thought it was ever since…

Shaking my head, I glanced at Emma. Her golden hair was splayed on the bed, and she looked much better than how I had found her. Her brother was looking after her. I could get the ring later. It seemed little matter when Emma was unconscious and my son had called me twice.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I told Damon I was leaving, promising him I would be back to ask if they caught the person who roofied her.

For now, I needed to go pick up my son and make sure he was okay.

11

MALEFICENT VIBE

EMMA

Before

The day my mom died was one of the happiest days of the eighteen years of my life. Oops, nineteen. It was my birthday, after all.

It started with me waking up to Caleb’s phone call, demanding me to open the curtain of my bedroom window and looking over the vast backyard towards his parked Jeep. My boyfriend was waving at me with white balloons and shouting, ‘Happy Birthday, Emma fucking Moore!’ Despite how it could have angered Mother (when one of her maids updated about my life), I was grinning.

I was happy.

“Miss Moore, are you listening to me?” the sweet voice of Mrs. Karen cranked through the phone, making me snap out of my head and shiver. I looked around at the dinner table, Mia and Summer laughing at Caleb’s dad joke.

My head felt heavy and tongue felt like lead. “Can you hear me, Miss Moore?”

“Yes.” I stood up, briskly walking out of the restaurant and breathing in a lungful of crisp night air. It was such a good weather. “I can hear you, Mrs. Karen. Can you please repeat what you just said?”

The door behind me opened. I turned around to see Caleb’s small smirk and a raised eyebrow that clearly meant, ‘Are you done? Can we go have amazing, raunchy birthday sex now?’ It had been a while, after all. Months.

I blinked.

“No.” The slight pause was the only sign of my disbelief. “It can’t be.”

“I’m sorry, dear.” Mrs. Karen, bless her, really sounded apologetic and sincere. “It’ll be all over the news in a few hours and Mr. Grant told me to have you at home... or those reporters will hound you.”

“Damon called you?” I asked, walking away from Caleb’s narrowed eyes. I didn’t want to explain to him about everything. I couldn’t even look at him right now.

“Yes, Miss Moore.”

I clenched the phone in my hand. Of course, he did. He couldn’t call his own sister to wish her happy birthday or... break the news of our mother’s death.

“Okay,” I said softly. “Okay. I’ll be back soon.”

“You going somewhere?” Caleb asked, holding my arm. Mia and Summer stepped out of the diner.

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