The Trouble With Bodyguards: Part 1 Read online

  Turning out into the street, she made her way to the freeway. She turned the radio on, cranking the volume up to full blast, and broke out in laughter as she sped along the highway, the wind blowing through her hair.

  She headed to the office, wanting the peace and quiet of the empty building to get started on the editing. She knew that if she went home, that soon Rick would show up, angry that she had abandoned him to catching a cab back to the apartment. And as satisfying as it sounded to have a ball-busting argument with him when she was in this mood, with the grand finale being that she could give him the information that his contract was short-lived, she really wanted to get started on those images. She was on a roll.

  Pulling into the parking garage, she noted that not a single car other than hers was here. She smiled. She loved having the whole office to herself, no one to interrupt while she was working. She would crank up the music and dig in. She jumped out of the car, grabbing her camera bag, and headed up the stairs.

  The office was dark, everyone having gone home, and Alex flipped on the lights in her office, tossing her camera bag on the couch. She kicked off her shoes, pleased with herself, and opened the small refrigerator, snatching out one of the bottles of wine that she kept hidden there for just such an occasion. Pouring the wine into a glass, she settled into her chair, swinging her legs back and forth, celebrating her freedom.

  Chapter 23

  The sky had darkened beyond the windows of her office as Alex diligently scanned each picture, searching for the spark of perfection that she needed for this project. The wine bottle lay discarded on the floor next to her desk, several soda cans taking its place on the desktop. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything since lunch time. Relenting, she switched off the computer, slipping it into its case and throwing it over her shoulder. She would pick up some dinner, then head home and finish looking through today's pictures. She flipped off the lights in her office and headed toward the stairs to the garage.

  The amber glow of the security lights illuminated the parking garage, their light casting dark shadows between their reach. Alex paused, searching the area for any sign of danger, her keys gripped in her hand. Her car was still the only one here; she was being silly. This whole stalker thing had made her paranoid. Her father hiring Rick as a bodyguard had probably done nothing but made the situation worse. She straightened up, threw her shoulders back, and strode confidently to her car.

  Pushing the keys into the lock, she turned them to open the doors, and a hand reached around her face, blocking out the dim light with a cloth held over her face. She screamed, the sound echoing through the empty vastness of the parking garage, and whoever was behind her shoved the rag deep into her mouth, choking her scream. Alex struggled, dropping her bag, flailing her arms and legs as her attacker lifted her from the ground, his arms around her ribcage. She fought to turn her head, to see where he was carrying her, unable to catch a glimpse of the man's face. He carried her to the back of the car, the trunk popping open, and threw her inside. Her face struck the floor of the trunk, her vision going white with the pain of her nose slamming into the unyielding, steel body of the car. She tried to roll, her body cramped in the small space, and he slammed the lid, leaving her in utter darkness.

  Alex yanked the rag from her mouth, casting it aside, and screamed again. Her voice rang back to her, filling the darkness around her as she hammered her fists against the lid of the trunk. “Help!” she yelled, her voice cracking with fear. “Help, somebody help!”

  A door slammed, and then the engine of the car roared to life. Alex dug in her pockets, hoping to god that she had her cell phone, only to realize that she must have left it on her desk upstairs. It wasn't going to do her any good up there. She was alone. There was no one coming to save her. He had her, and she didn't have any idea where he was taking her, or what he was going to do with her once he had her there. Her breathing quickened, panic shooting adrenaline into her blood, her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

  She lurched to the side as the car turned out of the parking garage, heading out onto the dark city streets. Alex continued to scream, pounding the walls and ceiling of the trunk, hoping to catch the attention of someone nearby that could help her. The driver of the car turned on the radio, blasting the volume, surely hoping to drown out her cries. Hot tears rolled down her face.

  She thought of Rick, her bodyguard, her savior. Now, when she needed him, he was nowhere to be found. She had cast him off, left him at the pier to fend for himself, striking out on her own. He was probably at her apartment, sitting in the living room, ready to tear her to pieces for ditching him – if he hadn't given up on her altogether. She sobbed, sucking in great gulping breaths of air, and continued to scream. The car sped up, its engine roaring, before coming to a quick stop, throwing Alex against the wall of the trunk, knocking her head hard against the steel.

  Her vision went dark, and there was no more.

  Chapter 24

  He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, cold sweat dripping down the back of his neck, running down his spine to pool in the small of his back. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Looking in the rear view mirror, he watched as a patrol car turned out onto the street behind him, creeping down the dark city street, growing closer with each passing second. He didn't speed up, not wanting to draw attention to himself. He was so close now, his dream almost accomplished. It had taken him so much time, so much effort, waiting for the perfect opportunity to come along.

  The police involvement had thrown him, making it more difficult to move around without being noticed. He couldn't go to her, not like he wanted; it was just too risky. If the others should find out, that they were in love, that they were to be together, then everything might fall apart. No, he thought, he needed to wait until the time was right, when he could be with her, away from the prying eyes of the others, somewhere secluded, just the two of them.

  He had seen her leave the pier today, her triumphant shout as she jumped behind the wheel of her car, turning up the volume on the radio and racing off into the setting sun. She looked so beautiful, so powerful, and he had wanted, needed to be with her on that celebratory journey. He knew where she was going, where she always went after a long day of shooting: to the office.

  He had waited, hidden in the shadows, for several hours while she was upstairs in her crystal palace. He had watched her through the illuminated windows of her office, sitting cross-legged in her swivel chair, sipping a glass of wine as she focused on the tiny screen of her laptop. He was patient. He would wait for the perfect opportunity.

  It had come when he saw her heading for the stairs. He positioned himself in the darkest of the shadows, away from the puddles of amber light. He had watched her emerge from the stairwell, pausing momentarily, looking around for danger. Did she see him, waiting for her there in the dark? Did she know that it was time, that he had come to rescue her, take her away from all this craziness?

  He smiled, love welling up in his chest as he reached out, wrapping his arms around her, and pulling her to him, at last. He held her close, savoring the smell of her hair, the warmth of her body, the soft mew of her cries, as he put her in the trunk of the car.

  She was still screaming, pounding on the inside of the trunk. He wiped the sweat from his face, turning off the main road, onto a side street, darkness enveloping the car. He watched in the rear view mirror as the police cruiser continued along the main drag, heading farther downtown. He could hear her muffled cries, even over the loud music. This wouldn't do. He needed her to be quiet. If someone heard her, found her, then they could not go off together like they had planned.

  He pressed the accelerator, speeding along the dark street, then slammed on the brakes with both feet, bringing the car to an abrupt stop.

  The noise from the trunk went silent, and he smiled as he pulled back out into traffic.

  Chapter 25

  “You're okay,” he said, stroking her hair softly. Her h
ead pounded, pain screaming through her with each tender touch of his fingertips. She swam into consciousness, dizzy and disoriented as she struggled to open her eyes.

  She was lying in a strange bed, the white pillowcase beneath her head scratchy against her skin. A humming sound, as if from a florescent light bulb that was at the end of its life, irritated as it grated the inside of her skull. The warm smell of a burning candle came to her. The soft glow of a bedside lamp made a circle of light on the ceiling, the amber tint reminding her of the safety lights of the parking garage at the office.

  The parking garage, she thought, her eyes flying fully open. She had been taken, she was in the trunk. The monster was stealing her away somewhere. Thrashing, panic welling up inside her, she found that her hands and feet were bound, tied to the bed with cloth strips, holding her tight, immobile. She whimpered, her body too broken, too weak to scream, and fell back onto the pillow, defeated.

  Rick sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes warm and caring as he pushed the hair back off her forehead. “You're okay,” he said again, his voice soft, almost whispering, as he caressed her bruised and battered face. He leaned over, pressing his lips gently against her forehead, his lips warm against her chilled skin. “You're going to be okay.”

  ~~~

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25