Bulletproof Heart

by David Horne

  And Connor was receptive to all Alex’s suggestions. He wanted to see business itineraries. Alex wanted access to Connor’s scheduled meetings and names of the people who attended. He wanted to see lists of his father’s associates and anyone who left the company within the last few years.

  Connor’s daily schedule didn’t start as early as Alex’s day. He made sure to be up before Connor and not go to bed until After Connor retired for the day. But Connor went to bed at a reasonable hour. They talked through the evenings. Alex enjoyed their conversations that covered history, nature, and Connor’s past. He was comfortable to talk about his past, and while Connor felt his time within the government, he assured the man that life as a secret service agent was sometimes very dull.

  Falling into step with Connor’s schedule, allowed Alex lots of license around the house and he took advantage of all the amenities. Working out in the small exercise room and using the swimming pool every morning, made Alex more fit than he’d been in years. And it took over a month before he finally had a private meeting with the only other occupant of the house besides Connor and himself.

  In the kitchen that morning, after a heavy workout and twenty laps in the swimming pool, Alex leaned against the marble countertop in the kitchen and ate a small bowl of cereal. Jeanette shuffled into the kitchen wearing a thick cotton robe and slippers.

  “Good morning, Jeanette.” It was a reflex, and Alex meant no disrespect to the old woman.

  “How long are you planning to stay, Mr. Harper?” she asked with an edge to the question.

  “I’m not sure,” he replied. It was a good question, and Alex hadn’t thought about a length of time he’d need to lodge in Connor’s house.

  “I see.” She went to the coffee pot. She’d set the timer overnight, and it turned on automatically. Part of Alex’s schedule incorporated Jeanette’s morning schedule. The timer on the coffee machine was an excellent reminder for him to be ready to go for Connor. “And how much are you taking of Connor’s hard-earned money for your vacation?”

  “Excuse me?” It came like a slap, unexpected and with strength. “I don’t know if that’s any of your business.”

  “I see,” she said and sipped from the mug in her hands. Alex saw the swelling of arthritic knuckles. The steaming mug of coffee probably felt good in Jeanette’s tired hands. “I think there should be limits to your access around here.”

  Again, Alex was taken aback by her defensive attitude. He didn’t understand the dynamic of the relationship between Connor and the old woman. Clearly, she felt violated by Alex’s sudden appearance in the household, and since Connor hadn’t included her in the decision to bring Alex onboard, she thought it was her right to challenge his place.

  “What kind of limits would you suggest?” Alex asked. He’d run into all sorts of people in his career. She was someone used to certain things done in certain ways. He was a disruption in the flow.

  “I assume Connor is just handing over a lot of money and you are living rent-free.” She moved by Alex. The pantry had double doors. The dry goods inside were on shelves according to the relevant time of day the product had a use. Breakfast items occupied the top shelves. Lunch goods were stored on the middle shelves. And dinner items occupied the last three shelves toward the bottom. She selected a box of cereal and shook it. “You think this food is free too? You’re eating my cereal. You’re occupying my kitchen and using my milk.”

  Alex got three quick verbal slaps before he knew what happened. “I am sorry, Jeanette—”

  “It’s Mrs. Bouchard young man.” She closed the doors and shuffled to retrieve a cereal bowl. “I expect you to show me some courtesy in my house.”

  “I didn’t know, Mrs. Bouchard.” Alex poured the cereal into the garbage disposal and rinsed the bowl in the sink. “I’m sorry I had your cereal for breakfast. I will replace it.”

  Alex rounded the center kitchen island, backing away from the grumpy old woman. “You need to finish up this business with Connor. He doesn’t need to be wasting money on the likes of you.”

  Alex didn’t know how to respond to the comment, so he said nothing. Instead, he left the kitchen. On his way through the hallway by the stairwell, he saw Connor leaning against the wall just out of sight. Connor gave Alex a face that suggested he didn’t know how to respond to his housekeeper’s behavior either. They said nothing as Alex walked by him on his way to finish dressing for the day.

  ***

  Many people who didn’t already know Alex were intrigued when they found out he was Connor’s bodyguard. It wasn’t that he wanted to keep it a secret. Sometimes just showing a presence is enough deterrent for people who intend wrongdoing. But his business associates were all nice people. They were polite and attentive. The board meetings Connor attended left Alex to wait outside the boardrooms. He caught up on out of date magazine articles. He listened to office assistants on their phones talking. He watched people in and around the office. People smiled and got to know his name.

  Alex didn’t carry a weapon. He felt that sort of thing was over the top in the situation he’d agreed to when it came to monitoring Connor. Since the man wasn’t a high-profile senator or political target, and no one made an attempt on Connor’s life, Alex wanted to be nearby. He didn’t think a handgun would make a good fit in most of the office settings.

  ***

  “I think I need to apologize for Jeanette,” Connor told Alex when they were in the corporate car on their way to Washington, DC. Connor had a dinner meeting with potential investors, and he wanted to make an impression. It included having his part-time chauffeur, Lucas, drive them to the restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue. They sat together in the back seat. Alex felt Connor’s hand on the seat near his thigh. It was a comforting sensation.

  “You mean, Mrs. Bouchard?” he corrected Connor playfully.

  He smiled. “Yes. Frankly, I was shocked to hear that from her.”

  “Maybe she’s got a spicy side you don’t know anything about.”

  “Maybe she just wants to kill me and have everything.”

  Alex didn’t say anything. It was a vague statement, and he couldn’t think of a joke that would help. “I think she’s a little threatened by me.”

  “That I can see,” Connor agreed. “She’s lived in that house longer than I have. She’s not going anywhere. I think of her as a live-in aunt that’s never going away.”

  “She’s not your nanny or something?”

  “Her relationship had a lot to do with my parents. And the rumors are that she and my father once had some torrid affair. But she and my mother got along like sisters. After my father died, Jeanette took care of my mother right up until her passing.” He shook his head. “She’s going to be with me until the end.” He looked out the window at the pedestrians cluttering the sidewalk in downtown DC. “I’m stuck with her.”

  “Maybe she’ll warm up to me.”

  “Maybe. I know we had to get a whole new lawn service after she went off on the gardener who cut all the buds of her rosebushes one year. She got spitting angry at them. There were some racially, choice words she threw out, and I handled it by getting a new contract.”

  “See, there’s some fire in her.”

  “There is,” Connor said and nodded. He was looking at Alex as they made the last few hundred yards to the restaurant. “Will you sit with me during the meeting?”

  “How do you explain the hired help sitting in on business?” Alex asked. He brushed off the statement and tapped the driver on the shoulder. “I’ve got plans to hang out with Lucas. We’ll wait outside.”

  “You can sit with me. It doesn’t have anything to do with your position.” Connor let a moment pass between them, and Alex felt the stirring again he remembered when first getting to know the man. He hadn’t admitted to himself there was an attraction between them. It didn’t change how he did his job. But a relationship between boss and subordinate never looked good on any level.

  “I’ll be a text away. And
just outside for you.” It was an offer that had no connotations. But Alex felt better about how Connor continued to look at him before he got out of the car.

  Chapter Nine

  While Connor had his meeting, Alex waited outside the restaurant with Lucas. He got to know the gentleman but didn’t think Lucas had a future beyond driving for people. He didn’t have the ambition or depth of character, as far as Alex heard. But he appeared excited and not contrived, while Lucas waxed on about dreams he’d missed along his bumpy road of life after not finishing high school.

  By the time Connor left the restaurant, Alex had heard enough of the man’s sad tale and broke away long enough to hold open the door for the huddled group of people who came out. Connor was one of the last to leave. Lucas went to retrieve the car, while Alex stood back, watching Connor shake hands with hopeful investors for the next environmental milestone.

  He saw Alex waiting near the curb, watching him. Only a few yards apart, on the wide DC sidewalk, it might have well-been miles. The bustle of the pedestrians shuffled between them. Alex waited for an elderly couple to meander by him before he moved to approach Connor.

  By the time Alex understood what he was seeing, it was already too late. He broke into a run, shouldered through the young couple that came out of the restaurant between him and Conner. He knocked the young woman off her feet. Her boyfriend hooked Alex’s shoulder, turning him, pulling him off balance. But he continued to move forward.

  Confusion erupted around the restaurant entrance. But Conner wasn’t standing among the bewildered faces. Before Lucas arrived with the car, Alex saw a face. A black hoodie cast a deep shadow over the face. There was a scent of body odor as Alex grabbed for him. But someone tackled Alex from behind. The boyfriend thought Alex was busy attacking another man instead of rushing to aide him. The thin body slipped away as Alex went down to the concrete. The weight of the young man was on him for a moment before his training took over and pitched him off Alex.

  “Connor!” he shouted. “Someone call 911!” There were several pairs of legs standing around them. Alex kneeled on the sidewalk and pressed his hand against Connor’s side. In the glow of the streetlights, the blood formed a black pool around Connor.

  ***

  Without a clock on the wall, it was impossible to tell time. Alex wasn’t interested in anything but staying awake, waiting for the surgeon to finish. He texted Marjorie and didn’t respond when she sent a barrage of returned texts. When she eventually showed up at George Washington University Hospital, Alex stood, leaning against the wall in the waiting room. Marjorie spread her arms wide and wrapped him in them.

  “They won’t let me see him,” he mumbled into her shoulder. He felt dampness around his eyes and dismissed the moisture as tears.

  “Give me a minute.” As quickly as Marjorie arrived, she disappeared. For a long moment, Alex wondered if she’d arrived or not.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Harper.” It was a woman in powder blue scrubs Alex hadn’t seen before. She stood close to Marjorie. Alex looked from Marjorie to the woman’s face. “No one said you were related to Mr. Haynes.” She pressed her hand on Alex’s back and guided him through the wide white hallway.

  Conner wasn’t alone in the recovery room. There was a man in a suit. Tie pulled away from his collar. Alex went to Connor’s side. There was a faint smile on Connor’s pale face.

  The older gentleman gave Alex a calculated look, evaluating him without words.

  “You must be the guy Connor’s been talking about.” The gentleman thrust his hand over the bed toward Alex. “I’m Larry Donovan, Connor’s attorney.”

  “One of my attorneys,” Connor corrected him quietly.

  “Whatever the case, he says you were hired to protect him.”

  Alex didn’t know how to respond to that. A man was lying in post-op after an attack on a busy street.

  “You’re clearly not what Connor expected.”

  “Hey,” Marjorie started. But Alex put his hand on her shoulder.

  “I understand, Mr. Donovan. I know this is my fault.”

  “I’ve got Metro DC detectives waiting to interview you, Connor.” Donovan didn’t look at Alex again. “You want me to send them in?”

  “I don’t know if it will do any good.” Recumbent on the gurney, he had a few pillows behind his neck and shoulders to elevate his head. “I didn’t see anything.”

  “They’re saying it was some homeless guy.”

  “All I saw was the black hoodies,” Alex spoke to Connor and didn’t look at Donovan.

  “Well, maybe you should have a word with the detectives too then.”

  “Larry, I’m fine. It’s just a scratch.”

  “A scratch he says,” Donovan punctuated with a thumb at Connor. He moved away from the bed. “I’ll go have a word with the police. You see if you can talk some sense into this guy.” Donovan gave Alex another long look. He shook his head as he left the private recovery room.

  Marjorie waited a moment. She saw Alex and Connor watching each other and said, “I’m going to see something out there.” It was a lame comment, and she slipped from the room.

  Alex sighed looked down at Connor. “I fucked up.”

  “No, don’t say that.” Connor moved to sit up more. Alex found the corded button to raise the head of the bed. “It’s not your fault.”

  “It feels like my fault. Honestly, I didn’t put a lot of stock into what you told me. I thought it was a one-time random home invasion.”

  Connor made a pouting face. “No one believed me.”

  Alex felt something in his hand. His breath caught in his throat. He didn’t look at his hand. He only stared into Connor’s warm hazel eyes. “I have to tell you, you’ve convinced me that something is definitely going on.”

  “I know, right? It feels like the movies.”

  “Says the guy who got stabbed,” Alex added.

  “It’s not as bad as you think.” Connor leaned away from Alex, trying to show him the bandage. “The surgeon said it wasn’t very deep. I think my jacket took the majority of the blade.”

  “Do you think it was the same guy as before?” Alex asked.

  Connor shook his head. Alex pressed against the bed rail peering down at Connor. “I didn’t see him. He came up behind me.”

  “I only saw the black hoodies. But I do blame myself. I should have been paying attention.”

  “Please,” Connor whispered. “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I’m not leaving your side.” It was a statement that came from somewhere more profound than a sense of responsibility. Alex looked down at his hand. Connor’s fingers had entwined in his and squeezed tighter. Palm to palm, Alex didn’t want to let go.

  Chapter Ten

  Captain McBride gave Connor and Alex equal opportunity to fill in the details of the events. Back in his house, well on his way to healing, Connor sat in a recliner in the study. McBride moved around the room, looking at the collection of Egyptian sculptures. Alex stood at Connor’s side, waiting and quiet.

  “DC detectives forwarded the incident report to my office. I’m here on a follow-up.”

  “Did CCTV at the restaurant catch anything of the guy?” Alex asked.

  She gave him a look that suggested she wasn’t impressed with him. “There’s a clear view of you assaulting a young woman trying to get to Mr. Haynes.”

  “I didn’t assault her,” Alex said reflectively.

  “Well, she sustained a head injury from the fall.”

  “I’m covering the woman’s hospital expenses.” Connor wasn’t interested in the captain’s personal attacks against Alex. “Is there anything of the man on cameras or not?”

  “Footage from the ATM across from the restaurant has too many people in the way. We checked the footage from before you went into the restaurant. He either knew exactly when you were leaving the place and followed you out. Or found a place on the street to hide from the cameras. Either way, there were too many people to capture anyth
ing useful.” She bent to look at the bust of Akhenaten, daughter of a prominent pharaoh. “Did you upgrade your security system?”

  “Yes.”

  Standing upright again, she moved away from the sculpture. Alex turned when he felt the air in the room shift. Jeanette stood quietly in the doorway to the study. She didn’t make eye contact with him.

  “Maybe it’d be a good idea for you to stay out of the public for a few weeks.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Jeanette agreed.

  “We’ll add patrols to the community here, but I know the security team at Fawn Lake is already on high alert after what happened.” She didn’t make notes. She didn’t give Alex any indication that the sheriff’s department wanted any responsibility for Connor. “Fortunately for you, the media can’t get into the gated community.”

  Jeanette showed out the captain. Alex moved around the chair and sat on the edge of the other recliner in the room. He hadn’t relaxed in the last few days Connor was home. He took to random night patrols around the property. The house was locked, and he checked every window twice, sometimes three times. Jeanette sent Lucas out with lists for groceries. Alma continued to do all the cooking. The only person in the house, who didn’t have a purpose for being there, as far as he knew, was Alex. It was difficult for him to justify his being there.

  “What are you thinking?” Connor asked him.

  “I feel like there’s more to do, but I can’t do it.”

  “You just want to go out and find that guy.”

  “I do.”

  “But I have a feeling, with what I’m seeing from you over the last few days. I’d be worried about that guy more than I’m worried about you.”

  “Please don’t worry about me.”

  “Why not?” he asked. Connor spread wide his arms. He sat with his legs up. The wound was just below his ribcage in the back, too close to his kidney or intestinal tract that Alex cared to think about. “I’ve got nothing to do. Larry’s suspending negotiations for the board until I recover fully. I don’t have anything else to do. And you suck at poker.”