Maxine’s Bodyguard

by M. L. Ray

  I’m ashamed to call him my friend after learning that he had spent the hard-earned money of his girlfriend just to play with other women. And when Megan became pregnant, he took away all of her savings and left. As far as the information has provided, the baby was under the care of the closest relative. Maxine.

  It was sick. But it was the fact. Jacob was the real gold digger and Maxine merely took everything back. And when he committed suicide, it was all because of his unstable mental health.

  Maxine was not at fault.

  I should not have been rude towards her. I should have been kinder – friendlier. Maxine’s history was not easy to take in and I knew it wouldn’t be easy to gain her trust. She had built walls around herself and I couldn’t blame her for that.

  She needed it. She had to do it to protect herself.

  I held my breath when she rose from her seat. I just couldn’t let her be without hearing my side.

  “Even before he left the country with your sister, he was already into drugs. He was terminated from by his superior for having connections with one of the biggest drug lords in the country,” I pleaded, in almost a whisper.

  Maxine snorted in disgust, before shaking her head. “Are you telling me that I was wrongfully accused all this time?”

  She chuckled dryly, before shooting me a deadly glare. With that, I knew that her indestructible walls were standing as high as they had always been. And it made me want to take back all the words I’ve said.

  Are you stupid? You’re trying to be honest here. You should take responsibility of your words and actions. You have always been rude and cold after all the interest she has shown you. And now you’re coming clean – that you hated her because of Jacob. Did you expect her to smile and just believe your words? Dude, it’s not going to be easy.

  “He was already mentally unstable when you two started going out. And when you took everything from him that was when he lost it all. He was high when he jumped off that building.”

  Planting her hands on her hips, she gawked at me, her eyes were sharp and her breathing was unstable. She was still trying to process everything I’d said when an eyebrow raised. “If you’re not here for revenge, why did you accept the job? I heard what Calvin said.”

  I sighed. “Look, it was never my plan to seduce you or anything. You know that I’ve always been distant from you. But you kept on taunting me,” I mumbled helplessly, like it was the hardest thing to say. I didn’t want to sound like a pervert but I couldn’t find the proper words to say. “I just couldn’t resist you.”

  “I came here because I did not like the idea of you being in danger. I was here to protect you and to do my job despite knowing that I could fall into your trap. And I did… I have always been in your trap.”

  She studied my face and after a moment an impish smile escaped her lips. She looked pleased and bothered at the same time. “Are you saying you liked me even before you became my bodyguard?” she questioned.

  I shrugged. “Maybe? I don’t know. All I know was that when I saw your photo and learned about your situation, I wanted to protect you even though I was a bit hesitant.”

  “And?” she urged.

  This time, she was grinning from ear to ear and was sitting on my lap. Her hands were around my neck as her body rubbed against mine. I held my breath when she leaned in, moving her mouth closer to my ear. “And?” she repeated.

  “And I thought it was going to be hard not to fall for you. But I did. I just restrained myself from showing it…” I spoke in between deep breathing. My body was growing hot and there was nothing I could do to control the little thing that was growing so damned hard under my pants.

  She moved slowly, rubbing her legs against mine, like she was giving me a lap dance. I liked what she was doing but also worried that my subordinate would see us. We were in the living room and there were at least five cameras watching us. It was impossible to be unseen.

  Of course, they’d see us.

  “And you forbid yourself to get close to me because you thought I’m the reason why Jacob’s dead,” she added, in confirmation and I nodded in response, finding it hard to make a sound when she licked my earlobe.

  “God, you’re so adorable,” she murmured, giggling before hugging me – my face landing in between her breasts. She was an expert seductress. She was a fucking sex goddess.

  Gathering all the rationality I had left, I pulled away and scooped her into my arms. I giggled and she looked at me straight in the eyes. “Make me happy,” she whispered sensuously, sending bolts of lightning to my every vein.

  “In this broad daylight?” I asked, sarcastically.

  “Morning, afternoon, night or dawn – everyday, all day as long as it’s you,” she answered, after biting her bottom lip, then licked her mouth seductively.

  Shit.

  How come am I not yet crazy?

  Chapter 18

  Maxine

  I moved under the sheets sluggishly, disturbed by the loud ringing of my phone. With eyes closed, my hands moved, searching for the noisy device that was on the side table. I could tell that Rico had already left the room.

  Groaning in annoyance, I answered the call, opening my eyes to see the caller ID. I was expecting someone because I haven’t been in the office for two days. And I knew there were so many things that needed to be done.

  “Hello,” I said lazily over the line. Not a cell in my body was ready to wake up yet. I just had a wonderful time with Rico a few hours ago and I don’t think I’d have enough energy to get up as well.

  We were finally able to resolve our issues with each other and I wanted to believe that it would the start of a new chapter.

  That it would be the start of us.

  But my smile immediately vanished when I heard a familiar voice laughing crazily at the other end of the line. As if showered with a bucket of cold water, I shot up from the bed with my eyes wide. It was Conan!

  “Hello, Max. How have you been, babe?” he inquired, in a very endearing voice. And if I didn’t know him, I’d believe that he really cared about how I was. But that’s the problem. I knew him too, well. He’s a murderer! A ruthless human being who deserved to burn in hell!

  My hands shivered as I held it tighter, moving it closer to my ear. “W-What do you want?” I heard my voice quiver, even though I tried my best to compose all the strength and bravery in me.

  Yes, I hated Conan Williams and I wanted to see him rot in jail. But my bravery has its limits too. After seeing how brutally he killed Adrienne, I have finally understood the danger of the things I’ve been doing all this time. It was just a huge relief that he was the last person in my list. At least, I wouldn’t die with full of regrets if he happened to silence me forever.

  “Come on baby, don’t be so cold. You’re hurting me. I just missed hearing you sweet talking me,” he responded sarcastically, which was followed by loud cackle.

  I gritted my teeth. “That was before. But not anymore! You freak! I almost died because of you! You hired assassins to kill me! And you killed Adrienne!” I jeered angrily, looking around my room to check if there were unusual rustling and movements.

  But there was none. Rico’s team did a very good job all the time. It was almost midnight and I knew that they’re always alert during nighttime – particularly as I was scheduled to appear in court tomorrow.

  “You’re not being fair, baby. I learned that you wanted to stand witness against me. What did you expect me to do? Sit and wait for you to drag me down? I’m not going to let that happen, baby.”

  I scoffed, feeling disgusted with the endearment he was referring to me. It was giving me goose bumps everytime I imagined his fat face. “You will pay for everything you did, Conan. I will see to it that you will spend the rest of your life in jail. And if that happens, I will be the first to pay you a visit. I will bring you and your corrupt clan down. Everything you have achieved with your wickedness will be taken away and you w
ill be left with nothing. Everybody will remember you as a murderer and crooked politician. And as you grow old in jail, you will realize that you should have been a good boy,” I ranted furiously, getting on my feet. “This is my way to avenge my family…to your father who ruined my family!”

  I was breathing heavily when I finished my statement. Finally, I gathered enough confidence and courage to say everything I wanted to tell him. And I’m glad I did it.

  There was a very long silence to the point that I had to check if he had hung up. But the line was still on. As if a light bulb had been turned on in my head, I pressed a button to record our conversation. The call may have been from an unknown caller but it would be sufficient evidence once he confesses in his own accord.

  “Maxine darling, I’m so sorry, I just learned about that lately. Imagine, destiny has worked its magic for us. We were really entangled with each other in the first place – thanks to our parents. But this is such a waste, I really like you. When I first met you, I fell for you so hard. You made me realize that Adrienne was not the one I wanted,” he trailed off, clicking his tongue like he just lost a bet in a casino, “But she fell in love with me,” Conan added proudly, and with his tone I could imagine him smirking evilly.

  I swallowed hard, starting to feel guilty about my friend’s death. If I had not found Conan, she would probably be alive and happy right now. But that was not the point anymore. He has to pay for what he did.

  Controlling my anger, I closed my eyes and counted from one to three before thinking about how to respond. I needed to make him confess voluntarily. This was a very critical situation and I could not let this opportunity pass to get more evidence.

  Taking a couple of deep breaths, I hoped that he would not end the call so soon – now that I decided to set a trap. Conan Williams may be a smart person but his confidence gets out of control when someone feeds his ego. He would lose his cool and start talking about things that were irrelevant and unnecessary for the conversation.

  “Really? You like me that much?” I taunted, faking a curious tone, hoping that he would bite the bait. My face crumpled up when I heard him sigh over the line, making me frown to myself.

  “Of course, Maxine baby. Why do you think I bought that stupid beach house that you liked so much?” he responded with a hint of annoyance. He was probably thinking that I did not know about it yet. His intentions were loud and clear when he started asking me out for dinner dates, offered me jewelries, and bought me a house, a car and a whole lot more. But among the long list of men I dated who offered me everything, only his gifts were never accepted – not a single one.

  I wanted to scoff, but I continued playing with him, letting out a fake gasp instead. “Oh my god! You bought the beach house?” I asked, in a very shocked voice. I wanted to applaud myself for sounding so legit. Should I consider being an actress?

  Crazy woman. Your life depends on this conversation. Get yourself together and finish this sickening discussion. Make him confess, now!

  I winced when the picture of the vicious politician crossed my mind, making me shudder in a mixture of disgust and fear. I feel so gross trying to humor him. I swear this would be the last time I’d ever do this kind of sweet talking.

  It was making me sick.

  “Yes, baby. I did it just for you,” he replied, sounding a little bit hopeful. He was probably thinking I was touched by what he did. Screw him for that.

  “I can’t believe you did this. Is this why you killed Adrienne? To be free and to finally be with me?” I muttered, in a flattered voice. I scowled at my own reflection when I faced the mirror.

  Ew! I wanted vomit in repulsion. What made him think I would want to be with him? Getting myself tied with him would be biggest mistake I’d ever do. I would rather kill myself than spend a life full of pretentions and sins

  Just confess now, come on you idiot!

  “Yeah, you were there. You saw everything, didn’t you? She stormed into my house and ruined the birthday surprise I prepared for you. She begged me to stay with her because she was pregnant. Why should I? I didn’t even love that bitch,” Conan answered in confirmation. My hands turned into firsts and I tried my damned best to control my anger when he continued talking. “She attacked you and freaked out saying that you stole me from her,” he chuckled, then clicked his tongue. “As if I was even hers.”

  Fuck him for acting all proud! He was not even the least bit guilty for what he did to the woman who loved him. I gritted my teeth when reminded of what Jacob did to my sister. Conan was just the same, they treat women as nothing but toys – like they don’t have emotions. They’re monsters.

  And people like them didn’t have the tiniest right to live a happy life.

  “Is that why you pushed her down the stairs?” It was more of a statement rather than a question. He was losing his composure and I knew this would be the perfect chance.

  “She fell!” he growled, his voice quivering and I’m certain that he was nervous when I heard him release an enraged sigh.

  “She fell because you were pointing a gun at her. She fell because she was scared that you would pull the trigger. But you did, right?” I spoke in a very controlled accusing tone. I’m so mad and all I wanted to do was scream over the phone. Punching him would never be enough to appease my sweltering temper.

  “I did not mean to do it. It was so annoying when she started screaming. It was not my intention to kill her,” he tried to reason.

  I chuckled dryly, feeling victorious. “Says who? I’m sorry Conan but the video I took tells a different story,” I stated laughing sarcastically, my hands still clenched into fists. How dare he deny everything when I knew what I saw? He shot Adrienne without hesitation. And when she tried to leave, he pushed her down the stairs which led to her death.

  How could I forget that? The very scene has been on repeat in my mind until I decided to come out in public. My conscience could not bear the guilt for not being able to help my friend. And I knew Adrienne would understand me. She had known about my traumatic experiences and when Conan pulled out a gun, I barely kept my mind straight.

  I blamed myself for quite some time but I realized that there was still something I could do. And it was to complete my mission – to make Conan pay for everything, including his crime for taking Adrienne and his own child’s life.

  “Bitch!” he growled over the line, and the next thing I heard was the breaking of crockery. He probably destroyed more than one set of china.

  I shoved off the silly ideas when he spoke again. “Give me your goddamned phone and delete every single copy you made!” he ordered, like I was just one of those hoodlums he had hired to do his dirty works.

  To hell with him! There’s no way I’m going to do that. I have come this far just to expose that video to the public and I’m not going to back down. Not now.

  Conan may be one lucky person but his luck ran out the day he met me.

  “And why should I do that?” I challenged, raising a brow. But something was telling me that it was a bad move. And I knew it was when I heard him snorting over the other end of the line.

  “Because you won’t like it when I pay your nephew a little visit tonight,” he murmured mockingly.

  I felt my world had stopped after hearing what he said. How dare he? How could he use my nephew against me? He was a monster inside and out!

  It was so dumb of me. I should not have underestimated him. Calling me was just part of his plan. And I have fallen into my own trap.

  “You monster! Don’t you ever get your dirty hands on my nephew! Pull a single strand of hair from his head and we’ll see each other in hell!” I warned angrily, finally letting go of the self-restraint I’d been holding up until now. I would never forgive myself if something happened to Michael.

  “It was foolish of you to think that you could easily trick me, Maxine. I would not be who I am right now if I was as stupid as you thought me to be,” he retorted meaningfull
y.

  “Conan!” I mumbled helplessly, my eyes widening in horror. I knew he was not joking. He was a man that could do everything he wanted – be it good or bad.

  He let out another hearty laugh, having the time of his life, enjoying hearing me shudder in fear with his mere words. “And by the way, I also found where your mother has been staying. I’m still thinking if I want an insane person as a hostage.”

  Tears started flowing down my cheeks. I could not find the words to explain what I was feeling because I was furious, scared and worried all at once. All I knew was that I would do everything to keep my family safe.

  “You sick pig! Don’t involve them in this. They’re innocent. They don’t have anything to do with you!”

  “But they have something to do with you, honey,” he cooed. “Come to me, Maxine… Be mine. I still love you after all the things you have plotted against me. I still want you. I’m willing to forgive and forget about all these. Just be with me… Marry me, darling.” He sounded sincere, and for a moment there I wanted to believe that his feelings were genuine. Until I heard him say, “Delete all the copies you made from that video and withdraw your coalition with my political enemies. Tell them that you don’t want anything do with this case.”

  I shook my head in disbelief. He was literally Satan’s minion from top to core. It would be useless to try to persuade him. His ambition and selfishness have eaten his soul. There was no goodness left in this man.

  He’s not human.

  “I-I can’t do that,” I stuttered, trying to find a way to save my mother and nephew. There’s got to be a way.

  “Then you will have to wait for your nephew’s head delivered to your doorstep.”

  “N-No! D-don’t! He’s just a child, Conan!” I heard myself say, begging for mercy, swallowing all my pride and throwing away the promise I made to myself. I’d rather live in mortification than losing another family member.

  I couldn’t let that happen.