by Leslie Chase
I guess I might as well get on with my work, Lucas thought when it became clear she wasn't waking up straight away. He set about securing the small building, closing and locking the door. He made a mental note to upgrade the locks into something he wouldn't be able to open with a paperclip and half a minute. The door wasn't solid enough to resist much force, but that would have to wait.
The kitchen area was small, and there wasn't anything there to worry him. The bathroom was secure, windowless, and cramped. Last, he checked the bedroom, closing and locking the window Emily had escaped out of.
And that was that. It was a tiny place to call home, and he noticed that there were no personal things in it. There were no personal touches at all, really, almost as though it was a hotel suite. By the time he had come back to the living room, Emily was stirring on the sofa, so he sat down in the chair opposite her. If he could make himself smaller, maybe she'd find him less intimidating? It seemed worth a try.
Emily still squealed when she opened her eyes and saw him there, sitting across from her. She sat up, clutching a cushion to herself like a protective amulet, and stared at him for a long second.
"Don't be so scared," he growled, and then breathed deeply, trying to control his irritation. That tone wasn't likely to reassure her, he realized, and tried again. "My name is Lucas Barns, I'm from Guardian Bears Security, and I'm here to help. You hired us, remember?"
"I – I'm sorry," she said, voice small and scared. "I didn't know who you were. I thought you were here to hurt me!"
She was looking at him with a mix of terror and awe, which only fueled the anger burning inside him. He didn't like that she was afraid of him. And he didn't like that someone was scaring her enough that she'd react to a stranger at her door like that. First running, then trying to fight. And when that didn't work, she'd just given up.
It made him mad that she'd just begged him not to hurt her, just given up on fighting back or escaping him so easily.
With an effort, he hid his emotions as best he could. The effort came too late: Emily shrank back into the sofa and he cursed under his breath, sitting back and trying not to loom over her. The small space made that difficult, but it was all he could do.
Now that she was awake, he could see her better. She pushed the hair from her face and looked at him, blue eyes wide. Her face, now that he could see it properly, was pretty, though she was pale enough that he thought she didn't spend enough time outdoors. Still, she had a charm about her. A nice, normal prettiness, with a cute blush on her pale cheeks.
"Don't stare at me like that," she muttered, looking away at last. Lucas shook his head.
"I've got to know what you look like," he said. "I'm meant to be here to protect you. I can't do that if I can't recognize you easily. Or if you attack me and run off like an idiot!"
He hadn't meant for that last bit to come out as a snarl, but he couldn't help himself. His eye was throbbing with pain, but his pride was more injured – she really shouldn't have been able to take him by surprise like that. He wasn't looking forward to telling Marcus and Karl about that one.
She shrank back from him again, by now edged as far back as possible into the corner of the sofa. But her eyes flashed with something other than fear.
"I thought you were one of them," she said, venom in the word. "I did what I had to, to get away."
"Yeah, well, it wasn't great. If I'd been a bad guy, you'd have really been in trouble."
"Hey, at least I hit you! Some bodyguard you are if I can give you a black eye," she snapped. Before he could reply, the flash of fire in her eyes was overwhelmed with fear, and she looked away.
Lucas had to laugh at that, rubbing the spreading bruise. It was a bit bleak, but there was genuine humor in it. "You did, I suppose. I'm not sure you ought to remind me, though."
"Sorry! I didn't mean that," she said. "I didn't mean to, it was just a reflex."
Is she talking about hitting me or snarking at me about it? Lucas didn't know and didn't care. What he did know was that he preferred that flash of anger to the meek fear she was showing the rest of the time. It showed that there was some fire in his strange client after all. For some reason, that made things better, even if she was letting that anger out at him.
"A pretty quick reflex," he admitted ruefully. "Not much good if you can't follow it up, though. If there is someone after you, then yeah, you're going to need protection."
He sighed, long and heavy, and sat back.
"Look, you hired my company to look after you. You're obviously scared of something, scared enough that you ran when you saw someone coming to your door. Tell me what I'm supposed to be protecting you from."
Her blush deepened, and she looked at the floor. "I can't tell you that!"
Lucas found himself noticing just how cute her blush was, and frowned. He wasn't usually one to pay attention to things like that, and it annoyed him that he was getting distracted by her. Standing, he turned his back on her and walked towards the door.
"Okay, fine," he told her, unable to keep a note of irritation out of his voice. "You hit me, you won't give me details on the mission, maybe you don't want my help. That's fine, too. We'll return your initial payment, and you can find someone more suitable. Maybe I can refer you to someone else, who won't scare you as much?"
He stopped, looking at the front door with reluctance. As much as she didn't want him here, and he didn't want to be here, she was obviously frightened of someone – leaving her to face that danger alone didn't feel right. It took an effort to steel himself to reach for the door. If she doesn't want me here, I can't stay, he told himself.
"Wait!" Emily's pleading voice stopped him and he turned with another sigh. She stood watching him, her bright blue eyes sparkling, and she bit her lower lip as they looked at each other. He couldn't help noticing how cute that gesture made her look.
"I'm, I'm really sorry I hit you," she said eventually. "Let me do something about that at least. And, um, if you don't want to protect me after that I understand, maybe I can get someone else from your firm instead?"
Lucas shook his head at that, bemused. First she wants me to go, now I have to stay? Still, it would make him feel better to make sure she was safe before he left. Taking a step back into the small apartment, he let her look at his bruised eye. She flinched as he stepped closer, but held her ground, and when he didn't do anything else, she examined him.
"If I'm too scary for you, you're not going to like the other guys any better," he told her as she fetched an icepack from her freezer and offered it to him with shaking hands. "We're all big, rough-looking guys. Goes with the bodyguard territory."
She seemed flustered by that, her hands twitching as she fidgeted. Someone had scared her, scared her badly. To his surprise, Lucas found that he wanted to find whoever that was and break them.
God damn it, she's just a client, he told himself. Why am I taking it personally?
"Look, okay, whatever. We can sort out who you do want protecting you tomorrow," he said, pushing his feelings aside. "Right now, though, you're stuck with me. I'll keep you safe tonight, and tomorrow you can try and find someone you'll be more comfortable with."
The look on her face was confused, torn between anger and relief. She didn't want to be alone with her fears, that was certain, but she wasn't happy that he was staying either. Tough. If nothing else, she was a client, and the Guardian Bears agency had a reputation to maintain. He wouldn't risk leaving her undefended for the night – if something happened to her, it would look bad.
At least that was the excuse he gave himself, and what he'd tell Marcus and Karl the next day. But some part of him didn't think he'd be able to leave her, even if she wasn't a client. He needed to know she was safe.
3
The next morning, Emily woke to find that Lucas was already up and moving. He'd made himself comfortable in her small living room, sleeping on the floor on cushions pulled from the sofa. By the time she stepped out of the shower, he'd tidi
ed it away neatly and everything was in its place.
"Good morning," she said timidly. His eye was already healing, but it was still surrounded by a big black bruise. He looked up from his phone, intense eyes glowering at her as she approached.
In the morning light he looked a little less threatening, or perhaps it was just that she knew he wasn't here to hurt her. Even if she didn't trust his words, he'd had as many opportunities as he needed last night. But the angry look in his eyes was still enough to send a chill through her.
He filled the small kitchen space of the apartment, his huge size dominating it. Just his presence in her temporary home made her feel trapped and helpless, and she didn't know what to do about that.
"Morning," he said, gruff voice grating. He raised a glass of orange juice as if in salute and took a deep sip.
Emily looked away nervously, looking for something to do, something to distract her from his presence. That was impossible in the small space, and anyway, her mother had drilled some lessons in too deep for her to forget them. She couldn't have a guest and not feed him.
"Would you like some breakfast?" she asked as she made her way to the fridge, wondering if she had enough food to sate this monster's appetite. He grunted something that she took to be agreement.
Fortunately, she had plenty of eggs and some bacon, and that was enough to make a simple omelet. She busied herself with that task, and it steadied her nerves to have something to do. After a restless night full of bad dreams, it was good to have something she could focus on that she could do well.
Neither of them spoke while she worked. Eventually, though, the distraction was out of the way and they both sat at her small kitchen table, eating. Lucas' bulk loomed over her, and she tensed, sure that he was going to start up the uncomfortable conversation again. But no, he dove into the food, eating with a relish that she couldn't help but appreciate.
It was only when he was done with breakfast that he looked up at her again.
"So now what?" His voice was still a rough grumble.
She looked into his eyes, expecting to see annoyance. And it was there, but so was something else.
"I don't know," she admitted. He sighed, standing from the table and taking their plates to the sink. Emily couldn't help shrinking away as he came close.
"Look, you're the client," he told her as he washed the plates carefully. "You have to decide whether you want me here, or whether you'd rather look for someone else. But given how frightened you are, I figure you want someone around to look after you."
"This was a mistake," Emily said, voice small, shaking her head as she looked up at him. How could she tell him what she was afraid of, what she needed protection from? At best he'd think she was joking, at worst he'd think she was crazy. She wasn't sure she could face either. "I don't need protecting, I need – I don't know what I need."
The massive man put the plates aside with surprising delicacy and turned to look down at her, frowning. She tried to stay put, but he loomed over her so intimidatingly that she found herself shrinking back.
That only seemed to make him more annoyed, his frown deepening and face darkening.
"I know I can be scary," he said, shaking his head. "It's an asset in my job. But last night was the first time anyone who was expecting me ran away like you did. You're afraid of something, that's plain to see, and I'm here to keep you safe from it. Whatever it is."
His tone was hard, allowing her no doubt. He intended to keep her safe. And she had to admit, having someone as big and scary as Lucas around did make her feel a little bit safer. But could even he guard her against what was coming? She didn't think so.
Looking away, she stood and backed into the living room.
"Look, thank you for coming out, I'll pay you for your time, but really. I made a mistake, and I'm sorry, but this isn't what I need."
She didn't sound sure, not even to her own ears. There had been something comforting about knowing this brute of a man was standing between her and harm last night, even if having him in the building had been scary in itself. There was something about him that made her feel like she could trust him to take a bullet for her if it came to it.
If only it was just bullets I was worried about.
Lucas looked down at her, feeling his blood boil with anger. It was always hard for him to keep his temper in check, and this woman wasn't making it any easier. The tricky bit was working out where to direct his anger – it wasn't her fault she was scared, after all. Though it was her fault she was refusing help.
"Look," he started, trying to sound reasonable and knowing he was failing. The anger leaked into his tone, and she took another step away from him. That only made him angrier – who had hurt her enough that she was in this state? Whoever it is, if I catch up to them, they're in big trouble.
He leaned back against the sink, giving her a little more space – not that it was easy for him, in this crowded little apartment. Closing his eyes, he counted to three and started again.
"Okay, you can tell me to go. I work for you, after all. But when you hired us, you paid for three days. Why don't you keep me for that time at least, and you can see how things work out then? If it's not working out by then, you don't lose anything."
She looked uncertain, biting her lip again. It was a cute little gesture that almost made him smile – there was something about her when she did that which made him want to comfort her.
Of course, she'd bolt if he took a step closer, but maybe she'd get used to him if he was around a little bit longer. And why do I care about that? He felt his frown deepen as he questioned himself. That wasn't like him, not at all.
"I don't know," she said finally, her voice small and frightened. "What if something happens?"
"That's what I'm here for," he ground out, exasperated. "I'll stop anything happening. That's my job."
Nice, Lucas, snap at the client why don't you? Frustrated with himself as much as her, he turned away to look out of the kitchen window. Why does this matter to me?
Only yesterday he'd doubted that there was anything to this contract. Anything the Guardian Bears needed to worry about, at least. The police, or a normal security service, could handle whatever it was. He didn't even know for sure that there was anything for her to be afraid of at all.
But there was the fear in her eyes. That was genuine, and he couldn't doubt it. Then there was the place she lived. This place was tiny and impersonal – it wasn't a home, it was barely a place to stay. It only made sense if she was on the run.
There was something else, too. Deep inside him, he could feel his bear stirring. Something here wasn't right. While he couldn't see it himself, the animal in his soul could smell the wrongness. He'd learned long ago not to doubt those warnings – they'd saved him and his unit too often when he'd been in the Bear Squad in the Army. That was why he and Karl and Marcus had gone into this business in the first place – they could all tell when something was wrong in a way that the police couldn't be trusted to deal with.
Looking down at his hands resting on the windowsill, he saw that they were clenched into white-knuckled fists. With an effort of will, he unclenched them. Afraid he'd scare her further, he kept his back to her as he spoke.
"This isn't your home, is it? You've barely unpacked anything. What are you on the run from?"
Emily whimpered behind him, and his bear growled at the sound. He didn't like that she was so frightened.
"Okay, fine. Don't worry," he said, trying to sound reassuring and sure he was making a mess of it. "I don't need to know what you're running from, not straight away. If you don't want to tell me, don't. I'll keep you safe while you work out your next move, and then if you want me gone, I'm gone."
That was a stretch at best, and he could hear Marcus chewing him out for it already. The idea of trying to keep a client safe without having a clue what, or who, they were protecting her from was an awful one. But it was better than her not letting him look after her at all, and if it pissed off h
is partners, so be it.
Careful to move slowly, he turned to look at her. She was looking right at him, staring almost, though she dropped her gaze as soon as she saw him looking. Was that a bit of appreciation he saw in her eyes before she looked away? He couldn't be sure.
"You'll look after me, even if I don't tell you what's going on?" There was a note of hope in her voice, and for the first time, he could hear something like enthusiasm. He nodded, spreading his hands.
"Okay then. Sure. Just until I work out what I'm going to do."
"Deal."
Finally, she smiled. It wasn't the brightest smile he'd ever seen – it was small, unsure, nervous. But somehow it still lit up the room, and Lucas found himself smiling back. Well, it's a start.
4
The doorbell rang and Emily felt the smile vanish from her face immediately. Her eyes snapped to the door, then back up to Lucas. His face closed up, steely eyes narrowing, and she shivered even though that dangerous look was clearly not for her.
"It's – it's probably just Tom, this is his place. He lives next door, and he checks up on me," she said, getting up. She felt sick with fear – what if it wasn't Tom? But in the morning light, her fears seemed silly. I can't just not answer, she told herself.
While she dithered, Lucas got to his feet and headed for the door. Before he could reach it, Emily heard a key in the lock and the door swung open.
Tom stood in the doorway, framed in the morning light. He was smiling arrogantly and entered the apartment before she could say a word. Just like always. His smile faltered when he saw Lucas standing between him and Emily.