"The property is isolated, the existing security is inadequate, and she's already been attacked once," I explain, not looking up from my screen. "Round-the-clock protection makes the most sense."
"Sure, and we could have done shifts like we always do," Mateo presses. "One of us on site, the others at a nearby hotel. So why the full live-in approach?"
I don't have a good answer. At least, not one I'm willing to share.
Something about the fear that flashed briefly in those green eyes when she read the note, so quickly masked that I might have missed it if I hadn't been trained to notice such things. It triggered a protective instinct I thought I'd buried after Diane.
Diane. My ex-wife. The woman who swore to love me forever, then decided my commanding officer would be a better option. Two years since I walked in on them. Since I found them tangled together in the bed we'd shared for five years. The memory still burns like acid in my veins.
It taught me a valuable lesson: trust your head, not your heart. Logic, not emotion. Systems and protocols, not instincts.
And yet here I am, breaking my own rules for a woman I just met. A few hours into this job and Jade Sinclair is already messing with that balance. I can't explain it. Maybe it was the way she fought so hard to appear unbreakable. Maybe it was the flash of fear I'd glimpsed beneath the anger. Maybe it was the bruises.
I only know that the idea of her facing this threat alone makes something primal and furious roar to life inside me.
"The security situation warrants it," I finally say, pushing thoughts of Diane away. "Her home is practically indefensible with the current setup: multiple access points, minimal surveillance, isolated location. Plus, we don't know enough about this threat yet. The 'Little Doll' reference clearly means something significant to both her and Gloria."
"That was weird," Mateo agrees, sobering. "You saw her face? Whatever that means, it scared her."
"Fear makes people unpredictable," I note. "If she's scared, she might become erratic. More than what she already seems to be. Having us on-site reduces those risks."
"So this has nothing to do with the fact that she's beautiful, vulnerable, and clearly hiding something interesting?" Mateo asks with a hint of his usual teasing tone.
"This has everything to do with the fact that she's a client who's paying us to keep her alive," I reply flatly. "Nothing more."
"If you say so, Boss." Mateo doesn't sound convinced, but he drops it, moving to unpack his equipment.
I return to my security assessment, trying to focus on the technical aspects rather than the woman in the main house. The property needs a complete overhaul: upgraded motion sensors, additional cameras, better entrypoint security, panic buttons. I start compiling a list, grateful for the distraction.
Two hours later, I've mapped out the entire property, identified all security vulnerabilities, and created a comprehensive upgrade plan. Mateo has set up our communications equipment, and Declan has done a thorough perimeter check.
"We'll need to brief Miss Sinclair on protocols tomorrow," I tell them as we reconvene in the living area. "In the meantime, I want regular patrols, especially during the night. Six-hour shifts."
"I'll take first watch," Declan offers, as he always does.
"Then I've got mid," Mateo says. "Which leaves you with the dawn patrol, Boss."
I nod, opening the file on Jade Sinclair that Gloria had emailed over. The professional information is comprehensive: contracts, schedules, contacts. But the personal section is sparse, as if Jade Sinclair the person barely exists beyond Jade the model.
"Did you notice the bruise on her head?" Declan finally speaks from his perch near the window. "And the way she was favoring her right side," he adds. Not surprising. He notices everything.
"Someone really did a number on her," Mateo says, his earlier flippancy completely gone.
"Which means our job is serious," I emphasize. "Whatever our initial impressions, she needs real protection."
"You think it's connected to her past?" Mateo asks. "That 'Little Doll' thing seemed to really shake her."
"Possibly," I concede. "But until she shares that information, we work with what we know. Someone physically attacked her once and is sending threatening messages. That's enough."
I close the laptop, feeling an unfamiliar tension in my shoulders. This job is already different. I'm already reacting differently than I should.
"You sure about this, Boss?" Mateo asks as he prepares to head out for a property check. "Living here, I mean. Seems... complicated."
"It's just a job, Mateo," I echo Jade's earlier words. "Don't make it complicated."
Declan, who's been characteristically quiet throughout our discussion, finally speaks up from his position by the window. The setting sun casts half his face in shadow, the scar on his cheek catching the light.
"Some jobs change you," he says, his deep voice slicing through the room. "And this one's already changing you, Boss."
