Faking Ever After with the Bodyguard: A Sweet Fake Romance

by Lacy Andersen

  “I’m almost there. Just hang on, Bethany.” For the first time, she could hear the fear in his voice. “I won’t lose you. I can’t lose you.”

  The door to her bedroom burst open. A tall man with wavy blond hair stood in the doorway, his dark eyes taking in the scene. He spotted Bethany sitting on the window sill and grinned.

  As he charged across the room, she scrambled to pull her other leg over the sill. His hand snatched the back of her shirt and he nearly yanked her to the floor. A scream ripped from her throat and she tried to hit him over her shoulder. Her hand contacted with flesh, but still, he tugged harder. It wasn’t until an orange ball of fur streaked across the room, attaching its claws firmly into the man’s face, did he let go.

  “Good boy, Samson!” Bethany called.

  The man screeched as Samson used his face like a scratching post. She’d never complain again about buying him those expensive cans of cat food he liked. She’d buy him a whole warehouse full of cat food if she got out of this alive.

  There was not another moment to lose. Troy was on his way to rescue her. She had to do her part. With a deep breath, she flung herself from the window.

  The fall was surprisingly slow. Time seemed to stand still as she flailed in midair. Her feet landed first on the grassy lawn below. They absorbed the shock of the fall, sending a painful wave from her heels up through her spine. She gasped and fell to her knees, waiting for the pain to subside. The gate to the Mertens’ yard was just ahead. All she needed to do was pick herself up off the ground and run the last few feet to freedom. She was nearly there.

  Just as she was beginning to get the feeling back in her legs, an arm wrapped around her neck from behind. It pulled her backwards, toward the broken sliding doors. Hot breath fell on her left ear, making her cringe.

  “Not so fast, doll.” Mathew squeezed her neck tighter, causing little star bursts to appear at the edge of her vision. “We have a date to finish, you and I. You don’t want to be the girl that got away, do you?” He leaned in closer, his voice dangerously low. “After all, that’s not a very good ending to this love story.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Troy

  Troy urged the Sedan into dangerous speeds as he raced against the clock toward home. His pulse thundered in his ears like a stampede of elephants and cold sweat trickled down the back of his neck. He glanced at his cell phone sitting useless on the center console. The line had gone dead after Bethany jumped from the window. He could only hope that she’d lost her phone on her way to safety. The alternative explanation was enough to drive him mad.

  He couldn’t help but think about their last conversation. He’d left her sitting on her bed, tears shining in her eyes. What he wouldn’t give to go back in time and rush into that bedroom, pull her into his arms, and never let go. He wanted a do-over. A chance to make things right. But if he didn’t hurry, he might never get that chance.

  Their suburban home came into sight and the Sedan’s wheels squealed as Troy pulled into the cul-de-sac. A white car was parked haphazardly in their drive and a sleek black Lincoln behind it. He charged up onto the lawn and parked, throwing himself out of the vehicle and through the front door of their home. His gun was already in his hands, a cold hard reminder of the life or death seriousness of the situation.

  As he rounded the staircase, he spotted the shattered sliding glass door. Two people stood struggling outside it. Troy’s heart leapt into his throat when he recognized Bethany. She’d torn a hole in the knee of her jeans and had grass stains on her white blouse, but other than that, she appeared to be okay. A dark man with styled hair had his arm wrapped around her shoulders and was dragging her toward the house.

  “Freeze, FBI!” Troy jumped out the back door and onto the patio, aiming his gun at the man. Every muscle in his body tensed. “Let her go.”

  “Troy?” Bethany turned toward him. Her face was white and her hazel eyes wide with terror. She gripped the man’s arm, trying to break free. “I’m so sorry I snuck out. I messed up.”

  “You have nothing to be sorry for.” Troy kept his eyes solidly glued on the man behind her. “None of this is your fault, Bethany.”

  She’d never be in this situation in the first place if it wasn’t for Gerald Void. He was the one to blame. He was the one who’d put Bethany’s life in danger. This all came down to him.

  “Put the gun down,” the man behind her called. He revealed a gun in his left hand and pressed it firmly into Bethany’s side. She inhaled sharply. “Put it down, or I’ll shoot her.”

  Troy held his ground, but inside he was a trembling mess. He’d been taught never to give up his weapon. The moment he did, the perp would have the upper hand. But this man had the upper hand already. He had a gun pointed at the woman Troy loved.

  “Let her go,” he said sternly. “If you cooperate, the FBI can cut you a deal.”

  “Ha!” A half-crazed smile grew on the man’s lips. “The only deal I need is the one-way ticket out of this country and fat bank account my boss has promised me. He takes care of those loyal to him. Now give up your gun and we might just let you live.”

  Troy shifted his finger slightly on the trigger. He knew a lost cause when he saw one. This man had drank the Kool-Aid. The only way he was leaving here was in a body bag.

  “I won’t surrender.” He lifted his chin slightly and gave the man a hard stare. “Let her go. She doesn’t deserve this.”

  “Doesn’t deserve this?” The man stuck his gun harder into Bethany’s side, making her wince. “She’s a nobody. A zero. I could tell the minute we first met for our date. She’s nothing compared to what Gerald Void has planned for this city. He might be a bit rough around the edges, but he gets things done. And he won’t be brought down by some nameless woman with a gripe or an agent who’s too big for his britches.”

  Troy swallowed back his anger. Apparently, this man had a lot to say. The longer he could keep him talking, the more likely that backup would arrive to help. He could only hope.

  “How did you guys track her down?” he asked, lowering his gun an inch. “We were careful not to leave a trace.”

  “Easy.” The man harrumphed. “I’m a money man. I convinced someone to let me get a look at her bank account. Saw the monthly payments to the nursing home and tracked down her mother. Paid off one of the nurses to let us know when she showed up. Your system wasn’t as great as you thought it was. Should’ve kept this little lady at home where she belonged.”

  Troy chewed on his cheek. It all made sense. If only he’d taken Bethany to that nursing home himself, he could’ve protected her. Could’ve spotted the danger in time. Instead, he’d stubbornly shot down her request to see her dying mother. It was his fault they were in this mess.

  “Mathew, please.” Bethany’s eyes were glued to Troy. “Just let him go. You’ve got me. I’ll go peacefully, but let Agent Troy go.”

  Troy shook his head, his jaw tightening. What was she thinking? He was the one who was supposed to be protecting her. And he wasn’t going to let her go without a fight.

  “It’s too late, doll.” Mathew ran the tip of his tongue slowly over his lips and scowled. “I already made the mistake of letting you get away once. If I mess up again, it’s all over for me. Won’t do that again. This time, we’re all going for a ride out of town. Now, tell your boyfriend to lower his weapon before he gets hurt.”

  There was no way he was giving up his gun. Not when her life depended on him controlling this situation.

  “Troy!” Bethany gasped as the man’s arm tightened around her neck. Her face turned red and she pointed in his direction. “Behind you.”

  Her warning came too late. Something hard crashed into the back of his head, making his vision swim before his eyes. He fell forward, barely catching himself before his face smacked into the cement patio. His gun went flying. He looked up in time to see a second man step over him and snatch it from the grass, his messy blond hair falling into his face. He had a square jawline and a
layer of blond scruff. A long, black trench coat wrapped around his lean body.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Mathew said with a low laugh. “Meet Andrew. He’s an associate of mine.”

  Troy raised himself to his knees with his hands held in the air. Andrew had his Glock pointed back at him. He examined the situation as quickly as he could, determining the best way to get Bethany free. There was only one solution in his mind, but it was likely to hurt. A lot. Still, anything was worth protecting her.

  “Bethany, I want you to know I’m sorry.” He kept a wary eye on the gun as he slowly stood. “I’m sorry I hurt you last night. I was being stupid. I didn’t want O’Brien to send you away from your mother, so I tried to bow out. But you should know that I love you.”

  Bethany’s eyes glittered with tears. “None of that matters now. I love you, too.”

  He closed his eyes, letting the warmth wash over him. As far as he was concerned, there were worse ways to kick the bucket. He had the love of a wonderful and gorgeous woman to sustain him.

  “How sweet,” Andrew said, his upper lip curling in disgust. “Now, calmly head toward the front door. We’re going for a ride.”

  This was it. No going back. He had to make sure Bethany left this place alive.

  “Bethany.” Troy slowly turned toward the front door, his hands on the back of his head. “You know how I said I don’t believe in luck?”

  “Yes?” He couldn’t see her face, but he could hear the tears in her voice.

  “I think I do now.” He chuckled low and throaty. “Because becoming your bodyguard was the luckiest thing to happen to me in my life. And it’s about time you had some luck of your own. Do you trust me?”

  “Of course, I do.” Her voice was steady now. “Always.”

  He tightened his hands into fists, feeling three sets of eyes on his back. It was now or never. If they got into that car with Void’s men, they were never going to be free again.

  “Run, Bethany! Get help!”

  Troy dove for Mathew, clamping a hand on his wrist and twisting savagely until the gun went flying. He let loose a vile string of curses and shouted in pain. As they struggled, Bethany managed to break free and made a beeline for the door. A gun went off behind them, the bullet whizzing dangerously close to Troy’s ear. He couldn’t help but thank his lucky stars that Andrew was apparently a poor shot.

  Still, he didn’t have much time to be grateful. Mathew was winding up, intent on delivering a strong right hook to Troy’s ear. Troy managed to deflect part of the blow and landed his knee squarely on the outside of Mathew’s thigh. Both men went down to the grass in a tangle of limbs. The gun went off again and this time a searing pain ripped through Troy’s right side.

  He’d been shot.

  At the very least, Bethany was getting away. That was all that mattered. He looked up in time to see her sprinting through the house, toward the front door. She was inches away from freedom.

  The front door flew open just as she placed her hand on the handle. Outside stood a man in a brown police uniform, his gun drawn. A smile grew on Troy’s face as he recognized his oldest friend, Captain Shawn Richardson, leading the charge into the house. He was followed by six more deputies and Agent O’Brien himself. They swarmed Mathew and his friend, disarming them and throwing them onto the ground.

  “Troy, are you okay?” Bethany flew to the ground beside him and grabbed for his hand.

  Her fingers intertwined with his and Troy squeezed her hand. She turned him over and gasped when she caught a look at his wound. Her free hand clasped over her mouth and she stifled a sob. Troy knew it was bad, but seeing her reaction really drove it home. He wasn’t getting back on his feet today.

  “You’re going to be fine,” she said, dropping the hand from her mouth to cup his cheek. Her palm felt warm against his cold skin. “Just hang in there.”

  He wanted to take her into his arms and tell her everything was going to be okay, but the strength had left his arms. Instead, he gazed up at her head haloed by the midday sun. Soft, golden sunlight melded with the blonde tendrils that cascaded down her shoulder. Her cheeks were flushed pink and tiny sparkling teardrops hung from her long eyelashes. He’d never seen anything so beautiful. She was an angel.

  Troy couldn’t have been happier in that moment. The woman he loved was safe. And as he laid on their grassy backyard, his body growing colder, he couldn’t help but feel grateful. If his life had to end suddenly, this was the way he wanted to go. As a hero.

  And as a man who was loved.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Bethany

  Bethany’s hands shook as she lifted a cup of coffee to her lips. She glanced at the clock on the wall, willing time to move quicker. It had been six hours since the doctors had rolled Troy back into surgery. Depending on the amount of damage they found there, he could be on the operating table for several more hours. Her heart ached at the thought. She needed to be by his side.

  There was no guarantee he’d pull through this. That was the first thing the doctors had mentioned when they arrived. But she couldn’t think like that. Troy was the strongest man she knew. If anyone could make it, he would. She had to hold onto that hope. Anything else was likely to leave her in a crumbling mess in the hospital waiting room.

  As she forced herself to take another sip from her coffee cup, Captain Richardson rounded the corner of the hospital wing, still dressed in his tan police uniform. He was the latest in a line of black suits and uniforms that had passed through the hospital to check on Troy’s status. Agent O’Brien had just left an hour ago. He’d told her to hang in there. That Troy would pull through. She desperately hoped that he was right.

  Captain Richardson swung the plastic bags he held in each hand and shot her a warm smile. They were the only ones in the place, although nurses and doctors frequently passed by. Light blue arm chairs made up a giant square facing the noisy TV hanging on the wall. A few dozen worn magazines cluttered the coffee table in the middle. An ancient coffee machine and two vending machines stood against the opposite wall. They made for poor company.

  “I figured you hadn’t eaten all day,” Captain Richardson said, dropping the bags on a table. With a swipe of his arm, he shoved the magazines off and into a pile on the floor and took a seat. “My sister sent some leftovers for us. I hope you like Italian food.”

  She was about to refuse the kind offer when her stomach gave off a massive gurgle. Apparently, she was hungrier than she realized.

  “Thank you, Captain,” she said, taking one of the plastic containers he offered her.

  “Please, call me Shawn.” He handed her a plastic fork and then grabbed a container for himself. “Troy’s one of my best friends. Anyone who spends all day at the hospital worrying about him is a friend of mine.”

  She shot him a weary smile and then sat down in the chair next to him. “Thanks, Shawn.”

  Bethany lifted a forkful of spaghetti marinara to her lips and relished in the taste of homemade food. This was so much better than vending machine junk. Still, even the delight of a full belly wasn’t going to last long. Not when Troy’s life hung in the balance.

  “What’s going to happen now?” she asked Shawn as he emptied his Tupperware. He looked questioningly up at her. “I mean, what happens to Gerald Void? Do I have to go back into the witness protection program?”

  He wiped his mouth with a paper napkin and then leaned back in his chair. His dark hair fell onto his forehead, giving him a boyish look. “I imagine that you’ll be safe to return home. We’ve got enough witnesses to make even the grumpiest of prosecutors do a happy dance. Mathew Farling and Andrew Knopp sang like canaries the moment we got them into handcuffs. Between them, their statements, the testimony of the cops from the scene, and you, Gerald Void is as done as my old lady’s pot roast. He’s not getting out of this one. Rumor is he’s already pulled out of the mayoral race. The FBI will be knocking down his door any minute now, if they haven’t already.”

&nb
sp; Bethany sighed in relief. It was nice to know this was nearly over.

  “And what about Troy?” she asked, biting her bottom lip.

  “Well.” Shawn rubbed a hand across his chin, his dark eyes turning sad. “I imagine that if he makes it through this—”

  “—when,” Bethany interrupted, raising her eyebrows. “When he makes it through this.”

  He sucked in his cheeks and nodded solemnly. “When Troy makes it through surgery, he’ll be the final nail in the coffin for Void. The government doesn’t take too kindly to someone hurting one of their own. He’ll get the book thrown at him, once Troy gets a chance to testify.”

  Bethany nodded. Now she and Troy were both in the same boat. She hated how it happened, but she was glad for the company. She never wanted to be without him again.

  Seeing him charge into the backyard to save her was the most wonderful thing she’d ever witnessed. There had been no fear in his eyes. Just grim determination to save her at any cost. No one had ever done anything like that for her—before today.

  When Troy confessed he loved her, there had been no doubt in her mind that she felt the same. She would’ve taken that bullet for him, if she could. And now, the man she loved lay dying somewhere in this hospital.

  It was as if she could feel a tether from her heart to his. A thin string that connected them. The longer they were apart, the more it tugged at her chest. If Troy didn’t make it through, she knew that the tether would snap and she’d bleed out internally.

  “This is a terrible place, isn’t it?” Shawn pointed at the eerily silent waiting room. “You don’t want to know how many statements I’ve had to take in this place. How much bad news I’ve had to deliver. It would be nice for once to get good news.”

  She nodded, feeling the weight of every passing second. The lobby was too cold. Too quiet for hope to exist. It felt like a black hole that sucked out every good thought. She could feel it sucking her in, too. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, wishing they were anywhere but here.