Bodyguard: A Romantic Thriller Novel

by Anna Kendra

  “How did you get injured?” she asked him after she’d gain some sort of control over her own thundering heart. She lightly touched the cast as Julian continued to hold her close with his free hand.

  “Remember how I told you that I have another mission left ‘till I become CEO of the Turner Security?” Julian asked. Sia nodded, her face pressed to his chest. “That’s what kept me from you for so long: my last mission as one of the company’s bodyguards. But it turns out, there were a few Mafia thugs involved, hence the wounds and the broken arm.

  “Oh dear.” Sia pulled back to watch Julian’s face. “Are you okay now? When did you leave the hospital? As far as I could remember, you were severely injured during the fight with Arthur and his goons.”

  Julian just pulled her back into his embrace, and she complied without protest, not wanting to be away from him any longer. “I’m fine now. I wanted to come sooner, but the doctors wouldn’t let me out. And I left right after you woke up from that coma. I came to see you, to tell you that I’d be leaving and not to worry about me, but you were disoriented, and the doctors had you under heavy dosages of sedatives so you could rest, so I wasn’t able to tell you. I did tell someone else, though, and they helped me set up tonight’s date without letting you find out.”

  Sia lifted her head and gave him a questioning look to which Julian just smirked. “I happen to have a very good friend in your house.”

  “Leo!” Sia exclaimed, finally realizing whom Julian was talking about. “That’s why he wasn’t depressed when you left. He knew! That little traitor made me go through hell and back. Where is he?”

  “Hey, don’t be mad, I asked him not to tell you,” Julian said when he saw her frown adorably. “And Leo and Martha are in my house, having a party I guess, since Vanessa decided to cook and Christian decided to join them. Oh, that reminds me, I got dinner!” he said happily as he ushered her into the dining room.

  The lights were dimmed in the dining room, and Sia gasped when she saw what Julian and her son had set up for her. There were tiny candles everywhere along with huge bouquets of red roses placed all over the room. They had even made a red carpet of red rose petals that started from the dining room door and led to the table with several small candles placed around it. The entire room smelled of fresh roses.

  The table had two lit candles on it as well, and Sia could see two plates of steaming pasta along with a black forest cake for dessert, and a bottle of champagne with two wine glasses. Julian pressed a button on a remote right then and soft music began to fill the room.

  “Wow,” Sia remarked.

  “Let’s have dinner first.” Julian led her to the table. “You’ve had a long day. You must be famished.”

  They talked a lot over dinner—about Julian’s trip to Siberia, his mission, Sia’s work, and how much they both missed each other. Sia had nearly forgotten just how great of a company Julian was and how much she liked just to spend time with him. He was perfect in every way possible—perfect for her.

  “So, what now?” Sia asked after dinner, nervously fiddling with her fingers,as she tried to go back to the easy, comfortable talks they had eight months before.

  Julian hesitated at first, but then he sighed and looked at Sia nervously. “Now comes the hard part.”

  Sia was speechless. Was this it? Was this why Julian was here? To properly say goodbye to her before he leaves forever? Did he find someone in his final mission? Someone more his age? Probably a woman who didn’t come with as much baggage as Sia had, and she wasn’t just talking about emotional baggage. Sia had a thirteen-year old son, and she was sure Julian wasn’t even thinking about kids at his age. She tried to make herself relax and think clearly. If Julian said this was it, then she would let him go. That was all she could do. That was all.

  But Julian was kneeling in front of her and taking her hand in his. When he brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her palm, she finally got her brain to function again. She desperately wanted to believe that this was real. This was the moment that she had been dreaming of since she met Julian, since she fell in love with him, but she was too scared to hope.

  “Sia Andréa Milton,” Julian began, his voice shaky and nervous. “I’ve been in love with you since the first time I saw you. You are the most courageous, most beautiful woman that I’ve ever met, and I know just how strong and independent you are. You don’t need me or any other man in your life. You are perfectly fine on your own.

  “But I need you in my life, Sia. You’ve taught me what it truly means to love someone, to love them so deeply that everything else ceases to exist. But most of all, you’ve taught me to love myself for who I am. You made me accept myself just like the way you had accepted me without hesitation even after knowing my past.

  “I love you Sia, more than I have ever loved anyone in my life. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife and spending the rest of forever with me? I promise to make you the happiest bride in the world.”

  Sia felt her vision blur then tears running down her cheeks freely as Julian stared at her in anticipation. She wanted desperately to put him out of his misery—to put them both out of their misery—and just say yes, but the words were stuck in her throat and she just couldn’t get it out. Her whole body had gone into shock. Was it possible to love someone so much like how much she loved Julian at this moment? She didn’t think so and yet, her heart was overflowing with emotions.

  When words failed her, Sia just nodded and finally saw a smile light up Julian’s face. He took out a red velvet box from his jacket pocket and slipped on a ring onto Sia’s ring finger. And then, before she knew it, he was crushing her to his chest as he repeated “I love you” in her ears over and over again.

  “I love you too,” Sia choked out when she could finally draw air into her lungs. Her arms were around Julian and she was crushing him to herself before she remembered Julian’s injuries and pulled back. Her eyes finally landed on her ring.

  It was a single solitaire diamond ring, simple yet elegant and perfect. The diamond was the size of a pea and Sia was intimidated to wear such a big stone on her little fingers, but she absolutely loved the right. She loved nothing more than to be wed to someone she truly loved and who loved her back wholeheartedly. “It’s beautiful,” she told Julian before she cupped his face and placed a lingering kiss onto his lips.

  “You have no idea how much you mean to me, Julian Turner,” she told him as she placed her hand against his heart. “You say I taught you to love, but it was you who taught me what it really means to love someone. I didn’t have any place for a man in my life until you came along.

  “I was barely surviving ‘till now, Julian, but you taught me to live, to laugh openly, and to have courage enough to stand up to my worst nightmares. You are my strength and my courage. I promise that I will love you forever, however long our forever will be.”

  “Yes,” Julian said softly into her ears, entwining their hands together. “For now until however long our forever lasts.”

  Love was the most wonderful feeling in the world, but it was also a double-edged sword. It had the power to make someone a better person and to bring out the worst in some; it had the power to reform or to exacerbate an already malignant character. It was up to the heart to decide which path it wanted to take. Sia and Julian know better and chose the path of light.

  Epilogue

  Sia was running late . . . again.

  “No, Millan! I told you I can’t be there today. I have family coming over!” she repeated for literally the hundredth time today. Why was it that the new clients had to show up on the exact date as her anniversary?

  “Yes. Okay, I’ll check them tomorrow. For sure,” she answered Millan’s questions with her phone lodged between her ear and shoulder while her hands were busy with a ladle and a saucepan.

  “Food’s about to burn,” Martha warned as she passed Sia on the way to the dining table, a pot of boiling hot chicken soup in her hand.

  “Mi
llan, I’ll call you back later.” Sia cut her off and hung up, before tossing the phone over her shoulder in no particular direction.

  Just before it hit the ground, Leo reached out his hand and caught it in time. “Careful, Mom!” he told her in a mock berating tone at the close call.

  “Oh, shush! Can’t you see that I’m busy here?” Sia scolded her fifteen-year-old son half-heartedly.

  “Mom!” Leo yelled, aghast. “You have important client details stored in your phone! How could you be so careless?”

  Sia rolled her eyes at him and left the gravy to simmer as she donned her oven mitts and took out the roasted honey glazed ham from the oven. “You sound just like your dad!” she said, shaking her head. It was certainly a close call. A minute or two longer and the ham would have been overcooked.

  “Do not!” Two voices sounded at the same time. Sia smirked.

  “She knew we were here. That’s why she threw it,” Leo stated matter-of-factly.

  “A lady who can cook and predict the future at the same time? Sexy!” Julian said as he wrapped his arms around Sia from behind.

  “A sexy whale, that is.” Sia pouted, making Julian bend down and place a smoldering kiss on those lips.

  “Ewwww!” Leo said and fake gagged. “I can’t stand here and watch you two a second longer! I’ll be in my room until the rest of the family arrives. Call me then.”

  Julian just waved him off, his lips still locked with Sia’s, while Sia giggled.

  “How are you feeling today?” Julian asked with concern in his voice, as his hand brushed over her swollen tummy.

  “A lot better.” Sia broke away from him and went back to the oven, placing the ham in a serving dish and adding a few final touchesfor the garnish. “In fact, I don’t think it’s going to be long now.”

  “Are you having cramps?” Julian moved to her side, his voice still sounding concerned.

  “Not yet, but I can just tell.” Sia patted her hand lightly over her swollen belly, comforting her baby girl who had started getting a little restless recently. “Call it mother’s intuition. I know the doctor says two more weeks, but our little princess seems a little eager to come out.”

  Julian leaned back against the kitchen counter and looked at his beautiful wife. He was truly a lucky man to have Sia as his wife, his partner, his better half. And with their first baby on the way, he couldn’t help but feel like life was just perfect.

  When he had come back from Siberia two years ago, he never thought they’d make it this far. But then things had slowly begun to look up. At first, he, Sia, and Leo were having a good time together, starting from scratch while he recovered. Then a year later, they decided to finally set a wedding date and get it over with. Sia had already moved to Julian’s house, but he had wanted the arrangement to become permanent. They got married not long after and were now having a baby girl together. Aside from that, Julian had also adopted Leo as his own son. Leo didn’t want to have a psychopath’s name connected to him either so he officially became Leonard Turner.

  Julian had once thought that he could never get married, considering how his past was, but now he couldn’t be happier. He was now official CEO of the Turner Security, and Christian had taken to running the hospital.

  Others have paired up too. Christian had finally given in and was now engaged to Vanessa, with their wedding planned for the fall. Abhay, after his initial surgeries and rehabilitation, was now fit and fine and dating Selena. And in a few hours, they were all coming to dinner, to celebrate their first wedding anniversary.

  “Umm . . . Julian?” Sia’s voice pulled Julian out of his daydreams.

  “Yes, love?”

  “I think my water just broke.”

  “Oh shit!”

  ***

  Elaina Turner arrived into the world after twelve hours of painful labor, but she was welcomed with cheers and tears of joy by both parents and a loving older brother. The entire family was present at the hospital, and it turned out to be the noisiest welcome ever.

  Julian wiped away tears as he held his daughter to his chest and pressed a light kiss to her forehead with a promise that he would never let anyone hurt her. Sia watched the exchange with tears in her eyes, thinking that this was how a father should really be: loving and caring. Julian was everything she had ever expected of an ideal man and she hoped that it would stay like this forever.

  Life was perfect for them now, but that didn’t mean that times won’t ever be difficult. But when that time came, they’ll deal with ittogether now and for however long their forever will be.

  -------End-------

  Can’t get enough of Julian and Sia? Make sure you sign up for the author’s blog to find out more about them!

  Get these two bonus chapters and more freebies when you sign up at anna-kendra.awesomethors.org.

  _____

  Here is a sample from another story you may enjoy:

  Chapter 1

  Tatiana

  Ever since I was a child, I’ve been in love with fairy tales. I loved how there seemed to be a prince charming for everyone who was not only kind and caring but also respectful of princesses for who they were. That was until I grew up and learned the truth the painful way.

  I was first disillusioned when I was fifteen: I found the boy I had a huge crush on—who everyone wanted to be with but who actually chose me out of the herd to be his prom date—making out with my best friend in the janitor’s closet. My guy best friend.

  My second enlightenment was when my second boyfriend—who I’d thought would be with me until we were grey and old (yes, I was ready for the till-death-do-us-part with him)—ended up sleeping with one of the cheerleaders when his soccer team won the regionals. That had been my final year of high school.

  My third and most heartbreaking disenchantment came with Connor—my boyfriend of almost three years—when he turned violent and physically abused me. I would have still continued to love him, be with him, if it weren’t for my two best friends Grace and Ken, and Grace’s then-boyfriend-now-fiancé Daniel, who’d taken a hit for me when Connor wanted to smash a beer bottle onto my head.

  Today, as I sat in the bride’s room, watching Grace getting ready for her big day, I can finally say that I’ve grown up. I no longer believe in fairy tales; at least I don’t believe they are meant for me anymore. Grace, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. And no matter how much I envied her for finding the perfect man, I was immensely happy that she’d found her happiness—someone who’d do anything to put a smile on her face.

  “Come on, guys!” she whined from the vanity. “I need someone to tell me which of these suit me better.”

  She held up two different neck pieces in her hands: one was a simple baby pink pearl string and the other was a beautiful diamond necklace, several of the precious stones forming one single string. Both were gorgeous, but only one screamed Grace.

  “The pearl necklace,” I told her. “It’s simple but it’s definitely all you.”

  “Thanks, Ty. And it matches the hair clip perfectly!” Grace gave a relieved smile as she handed the necklace to her makeup artist. “Ken, stop texting my brother already. You’re here for my wedding!” Grace said, closing her eyes as the artist began applying some eye shadow.

  Ken simply held up her middle finger while she typed away on her phone, a ridiculous smile on her face. I shook my head. Who’d have thought that the girl who had a different man in her bed every night would be the first among us to get hitched—and elope to Vegas no less? But that’s Kendra Millar for you. Our very own drama queen.

  I applied another layer of the pretty peach nail polish that matched my bridesmaid gown and waited for it to dry completely as Ken finally put her phone down, stretching her arms above her head. Ken’s dress was in a similar shade of peach, except that she’d chosen a shorter cut and a different silhouette. Hers was an off shoulder knee-length dress that had a sweetheart neckline which she paired with diamond drop earrings, and a matching bracelet
that had been a Christmas gift from her husband Victor, Grace’s younger brother.

  “What are you going to do with your hair?” I asked her as she looked around, as if only noticing us for the first time. It was a wonder that Ken wasn’t in some hidden corner of the church, banging her husband. Ever since they got married, they had pretty much become inseparable. But even though I missed my two best friends, I’m happy both of them have found the ones they were meant to be with.

  “I don’t know honestly,” Ken said, taking hold of a strand of her blonde corkscrew curls and bringing it in front of her eyes for closer inspection. She pulled them down like an elastic band but as soon as she let them go, the locks coiled back to its natural form. “I’ve never experimented with my hair before.”

  “Why don’t you straighten it?” Grace asked from her chair. “I think you’d look great with straight hair.”

  “I guess I can try. Do we have enough time?” she asked and started searching for a clock.

  “You would’ve if you weren’t texting Tory all this time!” Grace snapped. Obviously, she was starting to get irritable the closer we got to the wedding ceremony.

  “Relax, Grace,” I told her comfortingly as I got up from my spot on the sofa and headed toward the hair products that the hairdresser had laid out for us. “I’ll take care of her hair. You just sit back and let the professionals do their thing.”

  Relieved, Grace sat back in her chair and let the makeup artist continue her work. Grace’s hair was tied in a neat bun on top of her head with a single jewel hair accessory (my Christmas gift) pinned in the center. The veil will go over the bun with a tiara-shaped jewel comb securing it in place. My hair was similar to Grace’s, except that the stylist had let down a few tendrils of my auburn hair and curled them to frame my face.