by Christi Snow
Located downtown, Illumination’s apartment building was partially surrounded by other tall buildings, one that looked like an office complex, another a parking garage. It was the parking garage that I’d been most concerned about when looking at the layout before arriving. Now, a quick assertion of the layout told me that still needed to be my focus for concern since it was the most accessible venue in the area.
The limo driver had helped ViviAnna out of the vehicle, and her bodyguards, who’d been following in the car behind us, filed in to surround us. I shook my head at the ridiculousness of the circus. The woman would be much safer if she wasn’t such a spectacle, but I guessed that then she wouldn’t be ViviAnna. It was this spectacle that had made her famous.
We all entered the building, and a tall, athletically built woman in a security uniform stepped in front of us to stop us from going any farther. She gave us a tight smile. “Welcome to the Windsett Complex. What can I do to help you today?”
I nodded. Everything about her posture said we weren’t going to make it past her, and a glance around the lobby proved that even though she was only person I could see, there appeared to be several stop-gap measures, including DNA security scanners outside the elevators and all the doorways I could see from here in the lobby.
ViviAnna flounced forward. “We’re here to see my daughter.”
No other explanation was needed as the security officer nodded, although her lips thinned in obvious displeasure. “Of course. Let me see some identification, and then I can call up to Elle’s apartment and see if she’s accepting visitors.”
ViviAnna scowled at the woman. It had probably been years since she’d had to show her identification to anyone. But when the security guard didn’t look cowed or willing to exempt ViviAnna from the rules, the movie star waved her hand at one of her lackeys, who procured the identification.
The guard lifted a handset, pressing a button on the base. But as she stood there without a response on the line, her brows dipped to a frown.
I stepped forward. “Is something wrong?”
The security guard glanced behind me at ViviAnna and lowered her voice. “I know Elle’s here, but she’s not answering.”
My protective instincts flared to life. “You’re sure she hasn’t left?”
When the security guard narrowed her eyes at me in suspicion, I lifted my hands in surrender. “I’m not a threat. I’m supposed to be working as her new bodyguard. I’m only here to keep her safe.” I reached my hand toward the guard to shake her hand. “My name is Jonah Sutton, and I work for Hawk Works Security out of Austin.” I reached into my pocket and passed her a business card so she could research me and the company.
She examined it closely, but gave a tight nod. “I’m Jennifer Swift. I’m in charge of security here, so I’m sure we’ll have several discussions.”
I nodded. “Yes, but first you need to tell me why you’re concerned right this moment.”
“I know she’s there. I was just up in her apartment thirty minutes ago.” Jennifer glanced uncomfortably behind me to Illumination’s mother.
Alarm flared low in my stomach. “Why? Did she have a problem?”
Jennifer shook her head slightly to answer my question, but she firmed her lips, obviously not wanting to break the confidence of one of her charges. I could respect that.
“What is the problem, Jonah?” ViviAnna asked in a high-pitched, demanding voice behind me that had me gritting my teeth with annoyance. No wonder Illumination had taken off without telling her mother about it.
“You know what’s happened to Illumination recently, right?” I said to the guard, still keeping my voice low.
At Jennifer’s nod, I said, “That guy was never caught, so I’m operating on the assumption that he’s going to try again. So, having Illumination out of communication is a worry. I need you to let me up to Illumination’s apartment so I can make sure she’s okay.”
The idea that this guy might have gotten to her in the last thirty minutes sent ice cold sweat dripping down my spine.
“I understand your security issues here,” I continued. “And you’re welcome to come up with me, but we’re going up there whether her mother is given clearance or not to make sure that her daughter isn’t already dead in her shower.”
Jennifer’s eyes widened. “Is that a possibility?” But she seemed to answer her own question with a shake of her head. “No, I would know it if someone had gotten in.” She glanced over at the monitors as if to double-check.
I straightened my shoulders and nodded my head. “And I’ll want to know all about your security system here, but right now, I need to lay eyes on a safe and well Ms. Wilcox.”
Jennifer nodded. “Okay, but I’m going with you, and they”—she nodded at ViviAnna and her entourage—“aren’t allowed up. Not until Elle tells me it’s okay.”
I turned to ViviAnna. “Stay here with your security. Let me do my job and go find Illumination.”
Luckily, with possible real danger on the line, ViviAnna was happy to stay behind where it was safe. She nodded her acquiescence.
I followed Jennifer, and the two of us took off at a jog to the elevators as Jennifer called for backup on her walkie-talkie system. As we exited the elevators on the eleventh floor, several booted footsteps pounded up the staircase behind us.
I went for my weapon, but Jennifer stalled me. “That will be my team. We have security offices throughout the building to protect some of our more high-profile tenants. A full team works out of a tenth floor office.”
Three men and another woman barreled through the stairwell door, heavily armed and wearing all black.
Jennifer halted in front of the only door in the corridor that had to belong to Illumination’s apartment. She knocked, but no one answered. She nodded to two of her men, and each one stood to the side while the other crouched in front of the door with his weapon aimed. Jennifer keyed her information into the high-tech locking system on the door.
The door swung open, but no one was there.
Like a well-honed military operation, the Windsett Complex security team entered the apartment with me pulling up the rear. The level of military precision and obvious training surprised me despite the Windsett’s impressive reputation for taking care of their high-end guests.
Inside the luxury loft apartment, there was no sign of Illumination, but neither was there a sign of struggle or foul play. The team searched the entire area, including a room behind a faux wall that I wouldn’t have even guessed was there if I hadn’t seen the floor plan before arriving.
It was that room that kept drawing my eye even as the team concluded that she couldn’t be on the premises any longer.
I tried to put myself in Illumination’s shoes. “Ms. Swift, I know you don’t want to break your client’s trust, but would you consider her worried or scared when you saw her?”
Reluctantly, Jennifer nodded. “Yes.”
If I had been traumatized, a safe room was definitely where I would have gone. That huge, false door and lack of exposure from the massive windows. Jennifer had mentioned on the elevator up that Illumination had been concerned about her large windows...understandable after all she’d gone through.
I wandered back into the safe room as Jennifer discussed Illumination’s disappearance with her team. They were all trying to figure out how someone could have possibly been abducted from right under their noses.
I followed my gut and took in the large library and office space. It also held a bed for guests, two cozy club chairs and four huge bookcases stuffed to the brim with both fiction and non-fiction alike. A massive, antique armoire stood in the corner that probably hid some sort of entertainment center.
I approached that large piece. It was done in the Art Deco style from between 1910 and sometime in the 1920s. It stood at least eight feet high, and even though it was old, it had a sleek enough style to fit in with the rest of the apartment’s modern décor.
Holding my breath, I reached
forward and quietly pulled the mammoth doors open.
At first I didn’t see her, but then I spotted her leopard faux fur slipper. I crouched down.
Illumination had folded herself into the corner, taking up a much smaller space than her reported five-foot-eight frame should logically be able to fold into. She appeared to be sound asleep, her head tilted awkwardly against the corner of the heavy-duty unit. She was more beautiful than any photo could capture.
She looked like a fallen angel, too perfect to be real.
I gently reached forward and caressed the silky smooth skin of her cheek, thankful to find it warm with life. The only mark on the flawless, bare skin of her face was a light sprinkling of freckles that crossed the bridge of her nose.
“Illumination,” I whispered.
She came awake with a scream and reared back from my touch. She lashed out with her foot, catching me right in the groin since I was crouched directly in front of her. Even with the soft slippers, I doubled over, gasping in pain and nausea as the Windsett Complex team rushed into the room, weapons drawn.
As I cupped myself, I hoped they didn’t shoot me since Illumination continued to scream and hit at me like I’d tried to rape and murder her.
Although with the pain racketing my body, death by gunfire might be the less painful death.
Nowhere in her profile did it say she’d been trained in self-defense, but a surprising number of her blows had landed perfectly every time to do the most damage possible even with the distinct disadvantage of her having nowhere to move and me being able to dodge her. She had agent-level training, and even in the midst of my pain, I was impressed. But that also brought up the issue of how did her kidnapper manage to get hold of her?
All of this filtered through my brain in the seconds it took me to get Illumination’s attention through her panic. “Illumination!” I yelled. Dodge. “Stand down.” Block. “I’m the new—” Shift. “Bodyguard your mom hired.”
Her foot was on an upswing when my words finally made it into her brain. She stilled, the only sounds were her gasping breaths.
I crouched before her, this time out of range of her legs and peered into the armoire at her. Her eyes continued to shift wildly with a lingering fear that tore at my chest.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Jennifer Swift from building security escorted me up to let me in when you didn’t respond to our calls. We were worried that you’d been abducted again. I’m so sorry. I never meant to frighten you more.”
I could see my words sink in. Her spine stiffened, and she lifted her nose into the air as she unfolded her body and exited the armoire like the queen of England would exit a carriage for her coronation.
Gone was the frightened, terrified girl. In her place was an ice queen. If I hadn’t seen the scared girl first, I never would have believed she’d existed. She’d inherited quite the talent for acting from her mother.
The only time Illumination faltered again was when she spotted the team of warriors behind me, holding their guns at the ready.
“Stand down,” I instructed. “Everything’s fine.” I caught Jennifer’s eye. “I think everything’s okay here, so your team can return to their posts.”
“Ms. Wilcox, is that okay with you?” she asked Illumination.
Illumination shook her head as if just starting to get awake enough to understand what was going on. “Oh, yes.” Her face had flushed a deep red. “I’m so sorry if I caused any drama. I didn’t...” She glanced uncomfortably toward the living area.
With a flick of Jennifer’s wrist, the security team was sent out of the apartment. Jennifer stayed, though, watching Illumination closely. “I can send him away, too, if you need me to.” Jennifer waved her hand at me.
I wanted to be offended, but I could see the same thing the trained security guard could.
Illumination had turned deathly pale and wove a tiny bit on her feet like the slightest breeze could blow her away. This was a girl holding her world together by the very tiniest of strings, and it wouldn’t take much to shatter her hold on it.
“No.” Illumination’s voice shook slightly, but she just cleared her throat and turned to me. “My mother hired you?”
“Yes, ViviAnna—”
She cut me off with an impatient slice of her hand as she stomped into the living room. “VA doesn’t have a say in my life. I’m twenty-one, completely legal, and self-supporting. She doesn’t get to shove one of her boy-toys on me just because you might need something to pad your resume.” Her self-confidence had come roaring back if the sneer she directed at me was any indication. Either that, or she really was that good of an actress.
“Now, wait just a damn minute,” I said. “I have not ever, nor will I ever, become one of your mom’s boy-toys. I’m a highly respected bodyguard, and I’m damn good at what I do.” I’d spent too many hours dodging ViviAnna’s hands on the plane and the limo ride here to take that kind of insult.
My job was the one thing—pretty much the only thing—in my life that I did exceptionally well. I’d spent my life honing my body and working overtime to make sure I was the absolute best at what I did.
This girl had no idea what she was talking about.
She actually snickered. “Um, no, I don’t think so. I took you down with a single blow.”
“A blow to my fucking balls!” And they still hurt from the impact. “Excuse me. But I didn’t think I needed to be on the defensive from the client I was hired to protect!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Time out, you two.” Jennifer stepped between the two of us, holding her hands in the air. “Elle, your mom and her entourage are all waiting down in the lobby.”
Again, Illumination paled, and her eyes widened.
I stepped closer to her in case she needed support, but that just reminded her of where her spunk was and she glared at me, standing up straighter, and looking a hell of a lot stronger. She turned to Jennifer. “I’m sorry. Man, I’ve been a pain for you all day long, and I can just imagine how my mother treated you. Please don’t let her attitude bother you.”
Jennifer laughed. “You think some diva can come into my place and get away with insulting me and hitting soft spots? Please.” She snorted. “I’m much more thick-skinned than that. Your mom is fine, but she’s drawing attention to the building that none of us want. Is it okay for me to send her up?”
“No,” Illumination said with a laugh of commiseration. “But she’s my mother, my responsibility, so I guess I’ll have to let her invade. I’ll deal with her.”
I found it interesting that she stated it like that, like she was the one in charge, and found myself even more fascinated with the elusive Ms. Wilcox. What had it been like to grow up with such an over-the-top personality like ViviAnna? By all appearances, Illumination was a well-adjusted, self-sufficient woman...much more mature and poised than most twenty-one-year olds.
“Okay,” Jennifer said. “I’ll go down and escort them up.”
“Thank you, Jennifer, and again...I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”
Jennifer left, leaving me alone with Illumination. She turned on me and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m also sorry for what happened with you.”
I thought she was talking about the blow to my junk, but then she kept talking.
“You came all this way for nothing. I’m sure if you insist, ViviAnna will pay you what you’re owed for the inconvenience.”
“Now wait just a minute,” I said. “I’m not planning on going anywhere. I was hired to protect you, and that’s exactly what I plan to do.”
She frowned at me. “I’m sorry that this appears to confuse you, but I don’t need protection.”
I tilted my head at her. “But yet when we arrived, we found you hidden in a closet.”
She flushed red.
I didn’t want to alienate her even more. “That suggests that even if you don’t really need it, you might need the peace of mind I could provide.”
H
er gaze skirted to the large windows looming behind us, and for a moment, I saw that flash of weakness...fear and vulnerability.
Before we could argue anymore, a sharp knock sounded at the door. Illumination went to answer it. Being careful to let her see I planned to touch her shoulder before actually doing so, I gently pushed her aside. She was already too jumpy.
“First rule—this is my job now. I’m your first line of defense. Anyone going after you has to get through me first. That means I answer your door, your phone, and I open all car doors and go first into places where we are entering. I will always be in front of you, protecting you with my body if I have to.”
She seemed confused by my edict as if she really didn’t believe I was there to protect her, but she’d come around to my thinking soon enough.
I opened the door, and ViviAnna flounced in, heading straight to her daughter who stood in the kitchen just inside the front door. She cupped Illumination’s face between both hands and made as big a production out of her worry as she could.
“Illumination,” she said on a world-weary sounding sigh. “Oh, my daughter. I was so, so worried about. Why ever did you leave without speaking to me first? That was a dreadful show of lack of manners. You know I only want what’s best for you. A mother needs to protect her children and keep them safe.”
Illumination pulled out of her mother’s clutches. “ViviAnna, I’ve told you...call me Elle. I left because you were smothering me. I have my own life—here. I couldn’t stay in Austin with all that.” She waved her hand vaguely at the slew of bodyguards and personnel that ViviAnna wanted to have with her at all times. Truly...entourage was too mild a word to put on the circus that followed ViviAnna.
I didn’t wonder that Illumination hated it. Most normal people would.
“Be that as it may, Illumination...”
Her daughter ground her teeth when ViviAnna emphasized the use of her birth name, but she stayed quiet for the moment and let her mother continue.
“...they haven’t caught the psychopath who took you. Until they do, I need reassurance that you’ll be safe. That’s why I’ve hired Jonah to move in and be your bodyguard.” ViviAnna crooked her hand at me like I was a trained dog, but I squared my shoulders and stepped in front of Illumination.