Page 21 of Wrecked

“Come in, Sam.”

“Hey, boss. What’s up?”

“Have a seat.” As I sit, he says, “I have a new bodyguard assignment for you. It’ll start off part-time, but eventually it’ll become full-time.”

“Okay. I’m all ears. Who’s the client?”

“It’s not just any client.” Shane turns a framed photograph sitting on his desk around to face me. The object of the photo is a drop-dead gorgeous young blonde. I mean, seriously, she looks like an angel. “This is my girlfriend, Beth Jamison.”

Her hair is silky straight, hanging to her shoulders. Her eyes are a mesmerizing blue-green framed with thick, light brown lashes. Her skin is like cream.

“Wow. She’s stunning. Mind if I ask why she needs personal protection?”

Shane takes a deep breath. “It’s a bit of a long story. That’s why I wanted to meet with you this afternoon. I want to fill youin on Beth’s background and let you know what the challenges are.”

“Beth is twenty-four,” he says. He pauses then to collect his thoughts. “And she’s been through a lot.” He stops to glance out of one of his fancy corner office windows at the Chicago skyline. He goes on to tell me the harrowing story of how she was abducted when she was six years old. Fortunately, thanks to an eye witness who could describe the kidnapper’s work van, Beth was tracked down and rescued before she could be seriously hurt. “Thank God he hadn’t physically hurt her, although she was emotionally traumatized.”

Shane runs his fingers through his short, brown hair. “Not long ago, her kidnapper was released early on parole. That’s actually how I came to meet Beth. Her brother, Tyler Jamison—now a homicide detective—initially hired us to provide Beth protection 24/7 until we could determine whether or not her abductor—a man by the name of Howard Kline—was still a threat to her.”

Shane leans forward in his chair. “To make a long story short, Beth and I fell in love.” He tells me that his brother Jake leads a surveillance team that is watching Kline’s every move.

“This is where you come in,” Shane says. “Up until this time, my sister Lia has been Beth’s full-time bodyguard. But recently, I’ve been transitioning Lia to a new client, so she’s tied up during the day. That’s when you’ll be with Beth—during the day—at Clancy’s Bookshop. She’s the owner, but the store is managed by a woman named Vanessa Markham.”

“Your objective, obviously, is to make sure Beth is safe at the bookstore. Lia will drop her off in the morning around nine and pick her up around two o’clock and escort her back to the penthouse, where she lives with me.”

“While she’s at the bookstore, she’s under your protection. Mack Donovan, whom I recently hired to head up security at the bookstore, will be close by to help if needed.”

“Understood. So, when do I get to meet her?”

“This afternoon. Meet us at the bookstore at four-thirty. It’ll just be a short meet-and-greet today. Tomorrow, you’ll officially start. You’ll carry a concealed weapon in the store, and Mack will show you the safe room we’ve installed in the bookstore, in case of emergency.”

* * *

At the appointed time, I head to Clancy’s Bookshop to meet my new client.

Mack Donovan greets me at the door. He offers me his hand, and we shake. “Welcome, Sam. I heard you were coming today to meet Beth.”

“Thanks. So, where is my new client?” I glance around, searching for a pretty blonde with blue-green eyes.

“Last I saw her,” Mack says, “she was in Romance.” He points across the floor.

I follow Mack through the store to the Romance book section, where we find Shane seated on an upholstered armchair reading a newspaper.

When he spots us, he puts the paper down and stands. “Sam. I see you’ve met Mack.”

“Yeah.” I do a quick visual sweep of the area and immediately notice a pretty young blonde standing at the end of the book aisle perusing a hardcover book. I can only see her profile, but know that’s got to be Beth.

As if she can feel my eyes on her, she glances our way and smiles.

God, she’s exquisite.I wave at her. “Excuse me. I think I’ll go introduce myself.”

Shane gestures for me to go for it. “Be my guest.”

I walk down the aisle to meet her. “Hey, boss.” I hold out my fist.

Beth tucks the two books she’s holding into the crook of her arm and bumps her fist against mine. She’s still smiling, so I take that as a good sign.

“Hello,” she says.