The Book Critic's Bodyguard

by Michele Ciuzwo

  “Kate!”

  Kate spun around, eyes wide. “What-” She saw Chris smirking at her, and her eyes narrowed. “Very funny. Why would you do that?”

  “Because you’re still under my protection, and you shouldn’t be trying to run from me, no matter how pissed you are,” Chris replied.

  Kate rolled her eyes and continued towards her office, marching with purpose. As soon as she was behind her desk, doing what she was good at, she would feel better. More in control.

  The elevator ride up to her floor seemed excruciatingly long. Kate made a concerted effort to look straight ahead, determined to maintain a silent dignity. Chris, on the other hand, had no such ambition.

  “Wow,” he remarked after three consecutive floor stops. “This is literally taking as long as possible, huh? Pretty awkward in here. The tension is palpable.”

  Kate ignored him. As soon as the doors parted at the thirty-third floor, she darted off, fists clenched.

  He is such an asshole, she thought bitterly. Obviously whatever happened between us meant nothing to him. God, maybe that’s why I felt so guilty about it; because I knew he wasn’t serious. She slammed her things down on her desk and buried her face in her hands. She felt like such an idiot.

  A knock on her door jolted her out of her dark thoughts.

  “Ms. Burt?” A timid voice asked.

  Kate looked up. Cynthia’s head was peeking through the open door. Kate groaned. She had forgotten Cynthia existed, and what a world that had been.

  “Oh, good, I’m glad you waited for a response to the knock before you let yourself in,” Kate rolled her eyes.

  “Huh?” Behind her glasses, Cynthia’s eyes swam with confusion.

  “Nothing. What do you want, Cynthia?”

  “Oh, um…” Cynthia’s mouth gaped, and the blank look on her face pushed something inside Kate to the breaking point.

  “Are you kidding me, Cynthia? You forgot? I can’t deal with you any longer, I’m sorry. I just can’t,” Kate exhaled noisily and slapped her palms down on her desk. “You’re fired. Okay? You’re fired. Go. Get out. Now, please.”

  Cynthia stared. “I’m…fired?” Her brow furrowed, and Kate saw hate flashing in her enormous eyes. There was no shock, or sadness, and Kate recoiled at the strangeness of the response. She wouldn’t be surprised if Cynthia had been purposefully being a poor assistant to her, waiting for this exact outcome.

  Kate nearly shook her fists at the heavens. “Yes!” she cried. “My God, Cynthia! No person could reasonably be expected to put up with an assistant like you for this long!”

  Chris, drawn by the shouting, appeared next to Cynthia. “Hey, hey,” he scanned the room quickly. “What’s the problem?”

  Cynthia sniffled, turning her already tear-stained face up to his. “Ms. Burt fired me,” she sobbed, snot dripping from her nose. Despite her theatrics, Kate couldn’t help but feel that Cynthia’s performance rang false. It was as though the woman had been hoping to be fired. “Because I d-didn’t give her Mr. O’Bannon’s m-m-message quickly enough.”

  Chris looked quizzically from one woman to the next. “Wait…what?”

  “What message from O’Bannon?” Kate leaned forward. “What did he want?”

  Cynthia twirled to face Kate, a runner of snot dangling from her nose. “It’s not my job to tell you that anymore!” she shrieked, eyes screwed shut. “So just…just…figure it out for yourself!” With that, Cynthia turned on her heel and stomped out of the office, bawling.

  Chris looked at Kate, eyes wide. “Um, what the hell was that all about?”

  Kate shrugged, picking up her phone and dialing Jack’s office. “Who knows? She didn’t even give me the message.”

  “No, I’m talking more about you firing the receptionist. What’s up with that?” Chris clarified.

  “She wasn’t the receptionist, she was my assistant,” Kate said matter-of-factly. “And I can fire my assistant whenever I want. Ugh,” she groaned in frustration. “His voicemail is full. I’m just going down there, I need to talk to him anyway.” She stood and smoothed her skirt before brushing past Chris, who followed her.

  “Don’t you think you were a little hard on your assistant there, Ms. Burt?” Chris asked. “I mean, don’t you think you might be taking out your anger at a certain bodyguard who works for you on someone else who works for you?”

  Kate stopped briefly in front of Jack’s office door and looked pointedly at Chris. “No,” she answered, then stepped inside.

  “Jack,” Kate began, before Chris could continue arguing with her. “Cynthia, whom I’ve fired, by the way, said she had a message for me from you, but she had a breakdown before she could deliver it. Also, there’s a certain matter I’d like to disc-”

  “Eh,” Jack waved his hand at her and grunted, uninterested. “She always seemed like a wackadoo to me. Not surprised you fired her. But come on in, siddown. Chris, you too.” He gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. Kate glanced at Chris warily, and they both sunk into the seats.

  “So, Kate.” Jack clapped his hands together and smiled broadly. “Good news. Legal has decided that it’s safe for you to live your life freely again.”

  Kate frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, they feel—and I’m sure you’ll agree—that the paper has done everything necessary to ensure your safety, and we can, without fear of liability, at this point end our agreement with Mr. Taylor here.”

  Chris understood what O’Bannon was saying before Kate did. “Jack, with all due respect, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” he cautioned.

  “Oh!” Kate glanced from her boss to her bodyguard and back again. “You’re saying I don’t need to be protected anymore?”

  “That’s right!” Jack beamed. “What a relief, huh?”

  Kate smiled and relaxed in her seat. “Oh God, that’s great! So, what, did they find Wash?”

  Jack hesitated. “Well…”

  “Nope,” Chris said, not taking his eyes off Jack. “They just think they won’t be sued if he gets to you.”

  “What? Jack, what the hell?”

  “Now, that’s just a depressing way to look at this news,” Jack held his hands up in mock surrender. “If it’s good enough for the suits, it’s good enough for us, eh? Now, Kate, was there something else you needed to talk to me about? Mr. Taylor,” he looked at Chris. “I would like you to note the time, nine oh five a.m., and I trust we can consider our contract with you terminated at this moment, yes? Your firm has been notified, and I imagine you’ll be hearing from them shortly about a job with Barbara Walters or something. Ok? Good. Kate,” he nodded at her.

  “Um,” she cleared her throat. “Well, I guess I don’t have anything to say, then, actually.” She glanced at Chris, who was shaking his head, then dropped her eyes to her lap and rose.

  “Kate, don’t listen to this guy,” Chris said firmly. “They’re just looking to penny pinch, they aren’t concerned with your safety. Wash is still MIA, and we have reason to believe he came to New York. Fight them on this, Kate. You need protection.”

  Kate met his gaze. “What do you care?” she asked simply. “I know how much this assignment must have bored you, but you’re manufacturing danger where there is none.” Without waiting for a response, she turned and left.

  20

  Rodney drummed his fingers on the dirty linoleum counter of the diner. He had waited three days, and Katherine Burt had not gone to her office. It made sense, of course. Why would someone as prolific as Katherine Burt go to an office every day when she could work from home? Defeated and running lower on money every day, Rodney had almost accepted that he might not get his showdown with the woman who had ruined him, after all.

  In a final, last-ditch attempt to carry out his plan, Rodney decided to call her office. Now he waited, phone to his ear, as the line buzzed.

  “On Point News, how can I direct your call?” a chipper voice sang in his ear.

  “I need Katherine
Burt’s extension,” Rodney idly slid a loose dime, one of his last, around the counter.

  “One moment, sir, and I’ll connect you,” the line went silent for a moment before a jazzy pop tune from the 90s began honking from the earpiece.

  Rodney rehearsed what he would say on the slim chance he got connected right to Katherine’s voicemail, but before he could plan too far ahead, a thick voice sniffed and asked, “Hello?”

  Damn, got lucky, Rodney thought. “Hello. I’m looking for contact information for Katherine Burt. I was hoping to get a private meeting with her, you see, and-”

  “Oh, I’m not supposed to...” the voice went silent for a moment, and Rodney pulled the phone back from his ear to make sure the call hadn’t been disconnected. “Well, actually,” the voice nearly purred, “I have her address right here. Would that work?”

  Rodney was so surprised at how easily he had gotten what he needed that he almost missed the address when the mysterious voice recited it to him. Scrambling for an errant pen, he scribbled it down on his hand. “Excellent. Thank you.”

  “Oh, my pleasure!” The woman on the other end of the line cackled and hung up.

  Rodney stared at the phone with distaste. Although it worked out well for his purposes, Rodney thought someone like Katherine Burt shouldn’t be letting her assistant broadcast her personal information all over the place.

  Someone might come after her.

  21

  Kate spent the rest of the day slogging through manuscripts and returning e-mails. She had seen Chris leave, and had seen him watch her through the glass door of her office as he stood waiting for the elevator. He didn’t come in to say goodbye, though, and Kate tried to convince herself that the knot in her stomach was relief, not hurt.

  Around noon, Holly knocked on Kate’s door.

  “Hey,” Kate greeted in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

  Holly held up a takeout bag. “Chinese?”

  Kate appraised the bag warily. “From a garage?”

  “Nope!” Holly dropped the bag onto Kate’s desk. “A Laundromat!”

  “Oh, Holly…” Kate sighed and glanced into a paper carton. The rice looked okay. “Eh. What the hell.”

  As they ate, Kate occasionally glanced at Holly, waiting for her to inquire about Chris. Finally, she couldn’t take it any longer. “Well?”

  Holly looked up, abandoning her efforts to skewer her food with the chopsticks. “Huh?”

  “Aren’t you going to ask where Chris is?”

  “Oh, I know where Chris is. He’s gone.”

  Kate blinked. “How did you know that?”

  “He called me, told me what O’Bannon did. He wanted me to get you to come to your senses.”

  “Is that what you’re here to do?” Kate asked, peeling an eggroll in half.

  “No way,” Holly scoffed. “I told him I can’t make up your mind for you. You’re a smart woman, and you’re perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. If you think you don’t need any security or whatever, then you’re probably right.”

  “Oh. Thank you,” Kate toyed with a soy sauce packet. “Did he tell you…anything else?”

  “No,” Holly replied, straining to balance rice on her utensils. “He only told me what he thought might be my business. Anything else, like, for instance, why he’s leaving if you guys were becoming an item, you’ll talk about when you’re ready. Right?”

  Kate smiled. “Right,” she said quietly. “Thanks, Holl.”

  “Oh, don’t even mention it. This whole thing only cost, like, three bucks.”

  Kate recoiled, then shrugged, eyeballing her eggroll. “That’s a good deal. This is actually pretty good.”

  Holly being there calmed Kate. For all her quirks, Kate’s friend was a steady presence, always a breath of fresh air and optimistic perspective. Kate had always believed that the one reason she didn’t go completely out of her mind with grief after Aiden died was Holly’s unwavering support. She knew she could tell Holly anything, and that simple act of telling would start her on the pathway to making whatever “it” was right again. She wanted to tell Holly about the fight she had with Chris, but instead she found herself confessing something else.

  “I fired my assistant,” she mumbled her words in embarrassment, but Holly had sharp ears.

  “Oh, yeah? Cynthia?” Holly considered it for a moment. “Huh.” She continued digging into her takeout box.

  “I feel bad. I was pretty mean to her. She was hired after Aiden died and…I guess she just hasn’t seen me at my best. I think I’ve been hard on her.”

  Holly shook her head, still concentrating on her food. “Nah. I’ve met that nutcase. She’s a terrible assistant. And there’s just something…I don’t know, weird about her. You made the right call.”

  Kate smiled halfheartedly. “I hope so. Maybe I’ll call her next week and try to make nice.”

  “It warms my heart to hear the Queen of Mean talk about turning over a new leaf, but honestly, Kate, I think this is one instance where you really shouldn’t reach out. That chick was crazy,” Holly declared.

  “I’ll sleep on it, then,” Kate nodded and dug into the rest of her fried rice. It really wasn’t bad at all, for Laundromat food.

  The rest of Kate’s day was notably brighter after lunch with Holly. Kate found a new manuscript that seemed tailor made for her tastes, and she found herself so deeply entrenched in the story, it was after eight o’clock when she came up for air.

  She packed up her things and began heading towards the elevator when she noticed Jack pacing in his office.

  I don’t think I’ve ever seen him outside of the office at all, she thought wonderingly. He’s never not here.

  Turning abruptly, she hurried down the hall and rapped on Jack’s door before popping her head in. “Jack?”

  “Heya, Kate,” Jack smiled broadly at her, but Kate noticed the bags under his eyes, and the way his shoulders slumped. “How’s it goin’? You heading out for the night?” Jack’s brow furrowed, and he cocked his head. “Hey, if you need a ride home, I can call you a car service. A lot safer and more comfy than a cab, eh?”

  His words touched Kate. Jack wasn’t a cheapskate or a jerk, he was a devoted newspaper editor in a time when print news was a sinking ship. Ending the contract with Chris had been a business decision, the right business decision, but it had undoubtedly weighed on Jack’s conscience. He cared about her, and didn’t want to see her get hurt.

  “No, Jack,” she smiled warmly, reassuring him. “I’m fine. It’s such a beautiful night out, anyway. I just wanted to thank you for hiring Chr…Mr. Taylor on my behalf. It was very sweet.”

  O’Bannon’s smile reached his eyes this time. “You’re welcome, dear. I’m awfully sorry we couldn’t keep him on, ya know.”

  Kate shook her head gently. “Don’t worry about it, really. I’m fine, I promise.”

  They wished each other a goodnight, and Kate turned for the elevator. Who knew O’Bannon was such a softie underneath? She smiled to herself.

  The elevator was empty as Kate rode down to the lobby, and the faint Muzak playing over the speakers echoed in the metal chamber. The floor jolted under Kate’s feet when she reached her level, and she stumbled coming out of the doors.

  “Damn it,” she muttered, looking down at her shoes. Her go-to shoes for work conveyed power and confidence, and Kate wore them nearly every day. Somehow, she had missed how rundown they had become. The heel of her right shoe had snapped completely off, and it was clearly unwearable. With a heavy sigh, Kate removed her shoes and tossed them in the garbage bin next to the revolving doors.

  She stood there, weighing her options. Take Jack up on the offer of a car service? No, then he might think she was afraid to walk home and feel even worse about letting Chris go. A cab? Ugh, Kate shuddered. Not with bare feet, no way.

  “Walking home it is,” Kate groaned to herself. At least it’s not a terribly long walk. And it is a nice night out.

  Ka
te pushed through the doors and breathed in the evening air. The pavement was cool and rough under her feet, and walking along barefoot was strangely calming. Kate felt grounded, connected to the city’s vibrations in a unique way. A warm breeze ruffled her hair, and Kate sighed with contentment. It had been a rough day, hell, a rough month, but tonight she felt renewed. Things could only improve from here, right?

  Lost in her thoughts, Kate didn’t notice the heavy footsteps approaching her from behind. She remained blissfully unaware that anyone was following her at all, reaching for her, until the rough hand clamped down on her arm and spun her around.

  Kate shrieked with fright and instinctively struck at her attacker, adrenaline overtaking her body as fight or flight kicked in and her body firmly decided on ‘fight.’ She felt a surge of triumph as her assailant dropped to his knees, going from towering over her to crumpled on the ground, clutching his nose with his hands.

  22

  “Oh my God, Chris, I’m so sorry!” Kate cried, arm still reared back for another strike. “Why would you grab me like that?”

  Chris groaned in pain, eyes squinting at her. “I thought it would be funny,” he said, voice muffled. “And it was…just not in the way I was expecting. Are you going to hit me again?” He nodded gently towards her raised fist.

  “Maybe,” Kate took a deep breath and shuddered. “Wow, talk about an adrenaline rush. Whoo! You scared the hell out of me, but I really dropped you, didn’t I?” She gently pried Chris’s hands away from his face. “Let me see. Is it bad?”

  Chris let her examine his bleeding nose, staring at her with wary surprise. “You punched me in the face,” he explained slowly, as if to a child. “It’s probably not good.”

  “You grabbed me,” Kate replied flippantly. “I don’t know what you expected to happen. I don’t think it’s broken, just probably a little sore.”

  “Probably?” Chris groaned.

  “Don’t be such a baby,” Kate helped him to his feet. “What are you even doing out here?” She looked around, realizing where they were and what time it was. “Have you been out here all day?”