‘No,’ he replied, shaking his head.
‘Well, you do!’
Pete grinned. He’d made an extra-special effort to resemble his hero. He’d even managed to find some clothes that matched the ones Ash wore. And it pleased him every time some fan mentioned the similarity.
All through the next set of songs, Pete was aware that the girl kept sneaking peeks at him. She’d ‘bump’ against him, her bare arms touching his. With so many people crowded round, it was impossible not to be in contact with one another, but the girl seemed to be doing it on purpose. He caught her eye and responded with the Ash Wild trademark smile he’d been practising every night in the mirror. She coyly looked away, but remained close, their bodies touching.
Halfway through Ash’s lush ballad ‘Kiss & Tell’, the girl spoke in his ear again. ‘I love this song. I know you’re not Ash, but –’ She put her hand on his neck and ran her fingers through his hair. Standing on tiptoes, she drew his lips to hers and kissed him. Pete could taste the minty freshness of her chewing gum.
Ash’s voice sang in his ears: ‘If you kiss me, I won’t tell, cos your lips are a wishing well …’
As the girl continued to neck him passionately, Pete thought to himself that he would like Ash’s life. He’d like it very much.
The Columbus gig proceeded without a hitch. Although the band knew that Ash’s performance wasn’t as slick as usual and a couple of times he missed his cues, his fans were too delirious to notice. Over the course of the following Louisville, Nashville and Charlotte dates, Ash’s confidence gradually returned and by the time the tour reached Atlanta, he was fully back on form – the spotlight incident little more than a bad memory.
But Charley hadn’t forgotten. Nor had Big T. Security had been quietly stepped up and everyone on the team was in a permanent state of Code Yellow. The tour schedule was punishing: early starts, late finishes and periods of mind-numbing inactivity followed by sudden bursts of chaos; long journeys, multiple locations and different hotel rooms every night. After only a week, Charley was shattered with the effects of tour fatigue. She became worried that in her exhausted state she might make another error of judgement, overlook a threat or simply not react in time to an attack. Thankfully, there had been no further incidents or threats made since Pittsburgh. But whether that was due to the security team’s diligence or the fact that the maniac fan was biding his or her time, they’d never know. They simply had to stay alert, day and night, hour upon hour, minute by minute.
On arrival at the five-star Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami, Big T gave Charley her key card and a spare key card for Ash’s suite. ‘Security-check his room, then get some rest,’ he ordered. ‘You look knackered.’
Leaving Big T to guard Ash, Charley headed up in the lift and found his room. This time it wasn’t ideally positioned at the end of the corridor. But they’d block-booked all the rooms surrounding Ash’s to make the floor as secure as possible. Her room was opposite. She dumped her bags, then let herself into Ash’s suite. The VIP room was as luxurious as ever, if not more so, with its dramatic views over the turquoise-blue waters of the Biscayne Bay.
She’d always wanted to visit Miami and it certainly didn’t disappoint: the colourful art deco buildings lining the sun-kissed streets, the pure white sand of the glorious beaches and the trendy surfside hotels packed with celebrities and wannabes. Sets of waves peeled along the coast, beckoning to her, as surfers rode the white water into the shore. Charley was itching to go out on a board herself but doubted she’d get the time on tour. Perhaps, she thought, she’d ditch the planned rest and go surfing instead. But first she had to security-sweep Ash’s room.
Charley checked the bathroom, a spacious marbled affair with a roll-top tub and walk-in shower. Then she returned to the adjoining bedroom and opened the mirrored wardrobes.
‘Lost something?’
Charley spun round to find Ash at the door. ‘No, just checking for groupies,’ she replied, echoing Big T’s answer.
Ash laughed. ‘Now that would be room service!’
He strolled in, glanced at the king-size bed swathed in soft linens and coral-coloured throw cushions, then went to the window and peered out at the idyllic view.
‘I haven’t finished my security sweep,’ explained Charley. ‘It might be best if you wait in the lobby with Big T.’
‘Don’t let me stop you,’ replied Ash. ‘I just needed to escape the madness downstairs.’
‘Does Big T know where you are?’
‘No. But I’m with you, so I’m safe, aren’t I?’
Charley thought about insisting that he leave. She knew the room wasn’t technically safe yet. But, like Big T, she wasn’t employed to tell Ash what he could or couldn’t do. Besides, she was too tired to argue and resumed her search.
‘So, do you always have a key to my room?’ he asked, watching her as she looked under the bed, then opened the drawers to the bedside cabinets.
Charley nodded. ‘So does Big T. In case of an emergency.’
As she passed Ash on her way into the lounge area, he treated her to a roguish grin. ‘I can think of a few emergencies.’
‘So can I,’ replied Charley, and pointed to the hotel map on the back of the door. ‘In case of fire, your nearest exit is to the right, five doors down.’
In recent days, she’d noticed Ash had returned to his usual flirtatious and slightly arrogant self. In fact, having bounced back from his low point, he was acting even a little hyper. She suspected he was still suffering from shock.
‘Boy, you must be a fun date!’ said Ash, collapsing on the bed and scattering the carefully arranged cushions. ‘Don’t you ever relax? Let your hair down?’
‘Sure,’ Charley called from the lounge, ‘but not when I’m on an assignment.’
‘How many assignments have you done?’
‘This is my sixth.’
‘Six! Who were the five before me?’ he asked.
Switching on Big T’s bug detector, Charley began a scan of the lounge’s furnishings and fittings. ‘Sorry, that’s confidential information.’
‘Well, have you protected anyone as famous as me?’
Charley rolled her eyes. ‘No, of course not,’ she replied, holding the detector over the phone. ‘But they were no less important.’
There was a moment’s silence, then Ash asked, ‘Did you keep them all safe?’
Charley thought about Sofia, the daughter of the Colombian minister. ‘They’re all still alive, if that’s what you’re asking.’
Having established the lounge was clear of surveillance devices, Charley slid open the door to the balcony and stepped out. The late-afternoon sun was warm on her skin and the light sea breeze refreshing. The ocean was calling to her. She glanced down at the line-up of surfers bobbing on the water and longed to join them. A quick inspection of the balcony confirmed that it wasn’t overlooked or easily accessible from another room.
Ash jumped from the bed and joined her. ‘Worried that ninjas are going to attack me? We’re four floors up!’
Charley leant over the rail and gazed down at the large oval swimming pool beneath, its waters glinting in the sunlight. ‘Just checking alternative escape routes,’ she half-joked. ‘You could jump into the pool as a last resort.’
Ash looked over the balcony. ‘Well, there’s only one way to find out.’
Before Charley could stop him, Ash vaulted over the side.
‘NO!’ cried Charley, her heart stopping in her chest as Ash plunged to alm
ost certain death. Gripping the rail so tightly that her knuckles went white, she stared after the diminishing body of the rock star. Images of newspaper headlines flashed before her eyes … Rock Star Commits Suicide … Wild Leap Ends In Tragedy … accompanied by paparazzi photos of a broken body beneath a bloodied white sheet.
A second later, there was a distant splash and a fountain of white water. Ash surfaced and whooped with delight. He waved up to Charley. ‘What a rush! Your turn!’
Charley shook her head. ‘No way,’ she shouted back.
‘Come on! Live a little!’
Charley was sorely tempted by the challenge. But she knew it was utterly crazy. Four floors up and several metres of patio to clear, there was a huge risk of missing the pool. You had to have a serious death wish to attempt it. Nonetheless she found herself emptying her pockets, clambering over the rail and perching on the edge.
‘Take a leap of faith,’ cried Ash.
Summoning up the courage, Charley launched herself from the balcony. The wind whistled past her ears, her clothes flapping madly like a flock of starlings. For a moment the azure waters of the bay filled her entire vision. It was beautiful. Then she glanced down and saw the patio rushing up towards her.
She wasn’t going to make it.
Arms and legs flailing, she braced for a bone-crushing impact … then, by some miracle, her forward momentum carried her over the pool. She hit the water hard. All the breath was knocked from her lungs. Her feet touched the bottom and she kicked herself back up to the surface.
‘Whoa!’ she cried, the tension and tiredness of the past week obliterated in a single mad leap.
‘Awesome, Charley!’ said Ash, swimming up and hugging her. ‘Don’t you feel alive?’
Charley nodded, the adrenalin coursing through her veins. For the first time in a long while, she felt exhilarated and unburdened by life. ‘You’re one crazy rock star!’
‘And you’re one crazy bodyguard,’ he shot back.
In that instant their eyes locked and there was an undeniable spark. Charley had no idea whether the attraction was a result of their shared thrill-seeking experience or something deeper, but she reminded herself that was a line not to be crossed. A bodyguard should never get involved with a Principal. Besides, she had Blake to think about, didn’t she?
‘Hey, you two idiots! What do you think you’re playing at?’
They broke away from their gaze. A furious pool attendant stood at the edge of the pool pointing to a sign that read: NO DIVING!
‘Sorry,’ Ash replied. ‘Must have missed the sign on the way down.’
The two of them swam to the side and clambered out. Dripping wet, they hurried back into the hotel and through the lobby. There was a burst of excitement as a group of fans behind a roped barrier spotted Ash.
Big T came thundering over. ‘I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Ash! Don’t sneak off like th–’ Then he noticed their soaking clothes. ‘What the hell have you two been up to?’
‘We took a dip in the pool,’ replied Ash with a grin.
Big T gave Charley a hard stare, his eyes almost bulging from their sockets.
‘Don’t worry, I was with him the whole time,’ she replied, edging past the mountainous bodyguard to avoid any questions about how they’d ended up fully clothed in the pool.
Taking the lift back to the fourth floor, they caught themselves in the mirror and burst into laughter at their bedraggled appearance.
‘I still can’t believe you jumped!’ said Charley. ‘And that I followed. You scared the hell out of me. That was a really insane stunt, you know.’
Ash shrugged. ‘Live fast, die young, eh?’
‘Not too young, I hope,’ she said. ‘At least not while I’m protecting you.’
Ash looked Charley up and down. ‘Seriously, could you really protect me?’
Charley’s eyes hardened and her nostrils flared. Just as she was beginning to like him, he had to put his big foot in his mouth and question her ability as his bodyguard – simply because she was a girl.
‘Don’t take offence,’ said Ash, holding up his hands. ‘It’s just by comparison to Big T, weight for weight, you don’t look like you could pack the same punch.’
Charley squared up to Ash in the lift. ‘Take a swing at me.’
‘What?’
‘Come on! Punch me,’ she said. ‘Or don’t you fancy your chances?’
Ash became visibly flustered. ‘No … it’s just … I … don’t hit girls.’
Charley laughed. ‘Well, that’s my first advantage in a fight,’ she replied. ‘Believe me, I pack a punch and I know where to hit.’ She lowered her gaze slightly.
Ash instinctively drew back. ‘OK, I believe you!’
The lift pinged and the doors parted. Ash was only too eager to step out. Charley laughed at his swift retreat. As they turned down the corridor, a hotel employee in a maroon uniform was exiting Ash’s room. He walked off in the opposite direction.
‘Hey!’ called Charley. ‘Can we help you?’
‘Porter,’ explained the guy, not looking back. ‘Just brought up your bags.’
The employee disappeared through a service door and down the stairs.
Surprised the man hadn’t bothered to wait for a tip, Charley followed Ash into his suite. While he headed to the bathroom for a towel, she collected her phone and belongings from the balcony table, along with Big T’s bug detector. She noticed she had a text from Blake asking her to call. The message was from his personal mobile so she knew it wasn’t urgent or mission sensitive. But the two of them hadn’t chatted properly in a while – the hectic tour schedule and the time difference making it hard for them to hook up. When she was back in her room, she’d make sure to phone him.
‘Sorry for my remark in the lift,’ Ash called out as she pocketed her mobile. ‘I didn’t mean –’
‘Forget it,’ replied Charley, catching a glimpse through the open bathroom door of him taking off his shirt. She found herself staring, admiring his toned body … What’s going on? she thought. Ash wasn’t even her type. She tried to get a grip on herself. ‘Listen … I’m just going to my room to find some dry clothes. I’ll radio Big T to send up security.’
There was a knock at the door.
Charley opened it. A man in a maroon uniform greeted her with a tip of his cap. ‘Sorry to disturb you. I’m Christian, the hotel porter. Does Mr Wild have his bags?’
‘Yes,’ she replied, indicating the two suitcases embossed with his initials on the luggage rack.
‘Ah, good,’ said the porter, evidently relieved. ‘I was concerned they’d been misplaced. But it appears your team has done my job for me. Have a nice day.’
‘Did you get a look at his face?’ asked Big T, sitting down opposite Ash and Charley in the suite’s lounge area, his ample bulk filling the armchair.
Charley shook her head, her hair still damp and her wet clothes clinging to her body. ‘The first porter, or whoever he was, disappeared down the back stairs before we even got close.’
‘Rick, examine the hotel’s CCTV,’ ordered Big T. The security guard nodded and headed for the lift. ‘Have you noticed anything out of place in the room since you got back?’
Charley glanced round. ‘No, nothing obvious.’
‘Ash, has your luggage been tampered with?’
‘Not as far as I can tell,’ he replied, sitting on the sofa, wrapped in a hotel robe.
‘Well, until I give the OK, leave them be,’
instructed Big T, his tone firm. ‘Charley, did you complete the surveillance sweep before your unscheduled dip?’
Charley shifted uncomfortably under the bodyguard’s hard gaze. She sensed the big man held her partly responsible for this breach of security. ‘Pretty much. The room was clean.’
‘Sweep it again. Top to bottom,’ he ordered.
‘Can I get changed first?’ she asked, the air-con in the room chilling her to the bone.
‘No,’ said Big T emphatically. ‘This takes priority.’
Rising from the sofa, Charley picked up the bug detector and began a second inspection without argument. At the same time, Big T carried out a full physical search of the suite. He started with the two suitcases, checking the locks for damage and any signs of tampering before sifting carefully through the contents. Once satisfied with the cases, he looked and felt under the sofa and chairs, behind the cabinets, inside the wardrobes and every other item of furniture in the room.
With nothing better to do, Ash headed into the bedroom, threw himself on the king-size bed, grabbed the remote and switched on the TV. He flipped through the channels to a classic rock show and turned up the volume.
‘Good idea,’ Big T remarked to Charley as ‘Sweet Child O’Mine’ by Guns N’ Roses blared from the speakers. ‘Anyone listening in won’t hear a thing over this!’
Halfway through their rigorous search, Rick radioed up to Big T. Charley heard the conversation over her earpiece. ‘The security manager re-ran the CCTV feed for the last hour. A uniformed man is seen heading down the staff stairwell at 16:07 hours, but his face is obscured by a porter’s cap. Then we lose him. Sorry, Big T, not much help.’
‘Roger that,’ replied Big T. ‘Ask the hotel staff if they saw anyone suspicious or a new face on the team. You never know, we might get lucky.’
Bodyguard: Target Page 19