“Sorry, princess,” he laughed, holding his hands up innocently.
She flinched as if he’d hit her. “Don’t ever call me that again,” she said quietly, looking both scared and angry at the same time.
“Call you what… princess?” he mocked.
She flinched again before her expression turned hard. “If you call me that again, I’m gonna break your nose and your balls,” she retorted.
The guy and his friends just laughed at her threat. She smiled sweetly as he bent his face close to hers. “Okay, princess,” he said sarcastically.
Before he could even flinch, she punched him in the stomach then kneed him in the groin. As he bent over in pain, she grabbed the back of his hair and smashed his face into her knee, breaking his nose easily. He slumped down to the floor, crying in agony.
She patted him on the head, still smiling sweetly. “Told ya,” she chirped, before grabbing her bag and storming out of the room with everyone watching her in shock.
I burst out laughing. She definitely was a badass.
I flicked through the rest of the file. Apparently, she didn’t have friends anymore, didn’t date, and didn’t go to parties. The notes said that she didn’t trust anyone and was extremely suspicious. She was bordering on depression and suffered from recurring night terrors. In the last three years, she had become totally focussed on martial arts and was well trained in self-defence, karate and kickboxing.
On the last page was my brief. I was to be posing as her boyfriend. I groaned out loud when I read the B word. I was to amend my age from my actual twenty-one to nineteen – the same as her. We would be doing the same college classes, which were Art and Graphic Design. I sighed deeply and carried on reading. I was to live with her on the college campus in a two bed apartment. I wasn’t allowed time off apart from the scheduled college breaks, at which time she would go back to the family home, and I would be allowed to do as I pleased because she would be protected by other agents.
There would be one other bodyguard in full uniform, which was the standard secret service bodyguard that they assigned to close family members of the Senator. The guy’s name was Dean Michaels. Apparently, they would assign a night guard to watch the building while we slept. I was to remain undercover at all times, which meant no dating and no sex for eight months. I groaned at that. This is going to be the longest eight months of my life.
Upon my arrival at the airport, I was to be collected by helicopter and taken to the Senator’s summer residence, where we would stay for almost a week, getting to know each other, before moving to the apartment for college. According to the file, Annabelle didn’t know about the death threats against her; she was just told that they were beefing up her security due to the upcoming election.
I stored the numbers of Officer Weston and Commander Erikson into my cell phone, and then started packing casual clothes for college. Afterwards, I crawled over to my bed in my crappy, little apartment that Nate and I rented together and climbed under the sheets. I’d said goodbye to the guys already. I was really going to miss Nate; we had become great friends during the last four years’ training. He was more like a brother to me in some ways.
I didn’t have anyone else to say goodbye to. I had no family; my parents had died in a car accident when I was ten, and I had bounced around from foster home to foster home until I was seventeen, when I had finally gotten a place of my own. I closed my eyes and willed myself to fall asleep quickly because tomorrow was going to be a long day.
The flight was good. It was only for two hours but they still put me in first class and I dozed off for almost the entire trip. I hadn’t slept well the night before. Every time I’d shut my eyes, I had seen Annabelle looking at me with her cold hard eyes, begging me to help her. Then I would pull open a cupboard to see her beaten and broken on the floor and I would jerk awake in a cold sweat. I had a feeling that this was going to be a harder assignment than I had first thought. I hadn’t even met her yet and already I wanted to protect her.
When the plane finally landed, I was ushered through the checkpoints to a private helipad on the other side of the airport. A tall guy in a black suit held his hand out to me; he was probably in his mid-thirties, with sandy hair and brown eyes.
“Hi, I’m Dean Michaels, Miss Spencer’s far guard,” he greeted me as I shook his hand.
I smiled politely. “Ashton Taylor. Nice to meet you.”
He showed me to the helicopter and we put on our headphones. “The trip’s about thirty minutes. You’ll like the summer house; it’s nice, and right on the lake,” he said, smiling.
“Right, sounds good. So, what can you tell me about Annabelle?” I asked, watching his face closely for his reaction.
He frowned before speaking and seemed to be choosing his words carefully. “Miss Spencer is very… difficult. You need to watch her all the time; she can get in trouble easily. She’s had twenty-three near guards in the last three years; the longest one lasted just over three months. I’ve worked as her far guard for a year and a half, and the only reason I’ve managed to last so long is because I don’t have regular contact with her.” He shook his head seeming a little annoyed.
“The near guards get fired within three months?” I asked, slightly panicky. If I couldn’t last the full eight months, I wouldn’t get my choice of assignments.
“No, man, they quit! She makes it her personal mission to make them leave. I think she sees it as some sort of challenge. Her record so far is four days,” he laughed.
A lump formed in my throat, so I quickly swallowed it. “So, she doesn’t want a near guard, or what?” I asked. What is it with this girl? Maybe she needs to know about the threats against her so that she’ll be easier to protect, because there is no way I’m quitting.
“Nope, she doesn’t want any guards at all. I think she tolerates me because I stay out of her way and keep a distance. She doesn’t like company; she’d rather be on her own. She’s been through a lot, and it’s changed her,” he replied casually.
“Does she know I’m coming?” I asked, looking out over the fields that we were flying over.
He laughed quietly. “Yeah.”
I looked back at his face; he shook his head and laughed again. I smiled in understanding. She didn’t want me there – that much was obvious from his reaction.
“Senator Spencer gave me your file. How the hell did a guy like you, who’s top of your class and the academy’s new golden boy, end up with a shitty assignment like this?” he asked, looking genuinely curious.
I closed my eyes and rested my head on the seat back. “I have no idea,” I mumbled. I was still asking myself the same question. I could see the importance of it, but surely there could have been someone else for the job that came from a protection background. I stayed quiet for the rest of the trip.
After what seemed like forever, we landed outside an expansive house that was right on the lake. I followed Dean into the house, trying not to react to the sheer size of it. I trudged behind him, looking around in awe at the real wooden floors, the heavy drapes, the framed artwork on the walls. It was like something out of a magazine. Dean stopped outside a door and chatted to a lady sitting at the desk; she was probably in her mid-fifties and she glanced over at me with a friendly smile.
I cleared my throat and put out my hand in greeting. “Hello, ma’am. Ashton Taylor, it’s nice to meet you.”
Her eyes widened as her gaze flicked over me before placing her hand in mine. “It’s nice to meet you too. My name’s Maddy Richards and I’m Senator Spencer’s Personal Assistant. I’ll just let him know you’re here, he’d like to speak to you,” she said in a business-like tone. She picked up the phone and spoke briefly. “Okay he’s free right now, you can go in.” She nodded towards a door on my right.
A wave of nerves suddenly hit me as I realised that I was about to meet the probable next President of the United States. I swallowed my nerves and went in as instructed. He was sat behind a large, wooden desk, and t
here was a lady sitting on the couch, drinking tea. She was very pretty and had dark brown hair, which she had pulled into a bun, and brown eyes. She looked somewhat familiar; maybe I’d seen her on TV or something.
Senator Spencer stood up, smiling at me, and walked over, holding out his hand. He was a very imposing man on television, but it was even more apparent in person. He oozed confidence and ability, and had an air about him that certainly explained why he was tipped to win the upcoming election.
I shook his hand confidently. “It’s very nice to meet you, sir.”
“You too, Agent Taylor. This is my wife, Melissa.” He gestured to the lady on the couch. I turned and smiled as it clicked into place why she’d looked so familiar when I stepped into the room. She looked like Annabelle, but Annabelle had a radiant beauty that far surpassed her mother’s.
“It’s nice to meet you, ma’am,” I nodded.
“You too. Hopefully you’ll last longer than the other near guards; Annabelle needs some stability,” she said sadly.
Senator Spencer cleared his throat. “So, Agent Taylor, I’ve read your file, and I must say it’s mighty impressive. Your reputation is incredible at the agency. They have exceptionally high hopes for you.” He gestured to the couch for me to sit. “You’ve read your brief, I assume?” I nodded in confirmation and sat as instructed. “Do you have any questions before you meet Annabelle?”
I nodded. “Only one, sir. I was wondering why you don’t just tell Miss Spencer about the threats so that she would be more cooperative with her guards. It would be a lot easier to protect her, and ultimately make her safer, if she were more accommodating.”
Mrs Spencer gasped and the Senator shook his head fiercely. “Annabelle is very fragile. She doesn’t like to show it, but she’s still grieving for Jack, and what that animal did to her.” His hand clenched into a fist before he took a deep breath and composed himself. I liked this guy already. “She can’t be told. She barely copes as it is, she doesn’t need anything else to worry about on top.” He stood up and walked to his desk, picking up his phone. “Maddy, could you have Annabelle come in here now, please?”
His face still looked sad with deep pain across it. This man had worries about his daughter that no father should ever have to go through. I hadn’t thought about them when I read her file. Thinking about it now though, I realised that they had been through hell too. Their sixteen year old daughter goes missing, presumed dead, then months later she’s found broken, abused, and totally a changed person. They had to watch her sink into depression and attempt suicide and turn into a cold, heartless person, and now they couldn’t even hug her or hold her hand.
The phone on the desk buzzed, and Maddy’s voice came through the intercom. “Senator, Annabelle’s here,” she announced.
“Okay, Maddy, send her in,” the Senator answered, glancing at me, his expression almost apologetic.
A few seconds later she walked into the room. As soon as I laid eyes on her, I knew I was in trouble. She looked so incredibly vulnerable. Her eyes were cold and distant and held a pain that I couldn’t bear to think about. She had seen things that no one should ever see. Carter had broken not only her body, but her spirit too.
Her eyes only flicked to me for a split second and held no reaction whatsoever before she turned to her father. My heart skipped a beat and my stomach tied in a knot. I wanted to run to her, wrap my arms around her, and tell her everything would be okay. I wanted to make her smile and hear her laugh.
Oh fuck it; I really am in deep shit!
Chapter Three
~ Anna ~
When my cell phone vibrated on the side, I was laying on my bed with my arm covering my eyes, trying to block out the midmorning sun that was streaming through my window. I groaned and rolled to the side, stretching my arm out to reach for it. Every single one of my muscles protested from the slight movement. My whole body hurt from the run that I’d taken earlier in the morning. I’d pushed it too far today. After speaking to my father first thing and learning that I was going to be getting a new near guard today, and the bombshell that he’d dropped on me about the guy posing as my boyfriend, I’d taken my frustrations out in the gym, running on the treadmill until I’d vomited and almost passed out.
Finally catching my phone with my fingertips, I pressed it to my ear and stared up at the ceiling. “Yeah, what?” I muttered into the phone, already knowing what this would be about. My father had told me that I’d get a call when the new guard arrived, and I would have to show him around the house and get to know him ready for next week when we both went to the new school.
Maddy’s overly cheerful voice greeted me. “Hi, Annabelle. Could you come down to your father’s office, please? Agent Taylor is here, and he’d like to meet you.”
I sighed and closed my eyes in defeat. “Fine, I’ll be there in a minute.” I disconnected the call before she could answer, and then headed out of my room on my wobbly legs. As I trudged through the house, I kept my eyes on the ground so that no one would try to speak to me. Not that they tried often anymore; I’d made it clear to people that I didn’t want to interact.
As I let myself into Maddy’s office, she looked up and smiled, but it was tight and wary. It seemed as if everyone had a problem with how to behave around me now. “You’ll like this one, Annabelle, he’s so handsome!” she gushed, raising one eyebrow excitedly.
I frowned and folded my arms across my chest as I made a distasteful, scoffing sound in the back of my throat. Her comment was both inappropriate and unwelcome. It didn’t matter what he looked like, all that mattered was the fact that I didn’t want another guard. All they ever did was come in, disrupt my life, and then leave me after a couple of months when they realised that I wasn’t even worth protecting.
When she waved her hand at my father’s office door, signalling for me to go in, I shoved it open and stepped inside. The room went quiet instantly, and my gaze flicked to the stranger standing in the middle of the room.
I felt my eyes widen from shock. Maddy was right, he certainly was handsome. His black hair was shorter around the sides, but fell across his forehead messily, and he had the most beautiful dark green eyes that I had ever seen. His face was perfect, just like an angel’s. His body would be incredible too – I could see that even though it was covered by a plain, white T-shirt and ripped jeans. He actually looked like he’d just stepped out of a magazine shoot and was easily the most beautiful boy I’d ever seen.
I took all this in within a second before my eyes went back to his. His gaze was raking over me slowly, his mouth slightly open as he took in every inch of me, making me want to squirm on the spot or run away as fast as my legs would carry me. Lust was written plain across his angelic features, and it made my stomach ache.
I kept my expression neutral and quickly looked away to my father, who was watching me with tight eyes. Clearly he was uncomfortable after our little spat that had taken place in my bedroom this morning when he’d told me about this new guarding arrangement.
“So, this is him then? The new near guard boyfriend,” I asked, saying the last word angrily.
He nodded. “Yes, Annabelle. This is Agent Taylor. Agent Taylor, this is my daughter, Annabelle Spencer,” my dad answered, looking between the two of us warily.
The beautiful stranger extended his right hand towards me. “Hi, Miss Spencer, I’m Ashton. It’s nice to meet you.”
I recoiled slightly, but tried not to show my nerves. I didn’t like to show people that I was afraid. My eyes flicked down to his extended hand and my heart started to race at the thought of him touching me. Physical attention, especially from men I didn’t know, made my lungs constrict and my body go cold. It had done ever since Carter. I glanced back up at the agent’s face. He was smiling at me; his eyes warm and friendly. I swallowed the fear away and raised my hand to his, trying to be confident, but I could see that I was shaking as I shook his hand briefly. His eyes never left mine, making me feel slightly relaxed, despite th
e fact that a man I didn’t know was touching me. As I dropped his hand, I stepped back and folded my arms over my chest; my mother was watching me with wide eyes as if waiting to see what I would do.
I raised my chin as I faked a confident smile, dragging my eyes over him from his head down to his toes. “Well, Ashton, you don’t look like the normal guys I get assigned. I’m gonna be generous and say that you’ll last a week, maybe even ten days, before you request a reassignment,” I teased cockily.
One side of his full lips pulled up as he shook his head. “Actually, Miss Spencer, I’m here for eight months, and I don’t quit,” he replied confidently, folding his arms across his chest too, mirroring me.
The arrogance he was exuding made one of my eyebrows rise, but I fought desperately to hold back any reaction to him. “You can call me Anna.” I waved my hand dismissively, ignoring his attitude.
“Anna it is then.” His answering smile was gorgeous and seemed to light his whole face.
My mother cleared her throat obviously. “Why don’t you show Agent Taylor to his room, Annabelle? Maybe you could give him a tour of the house and grounds too. Show him where the lake is.”
I frowned at that. They always expected me to play nicely with these agents. I had no idea why though, because they never lasted long and then the whole routine would start all over again. “I’ll show him to his room, but he’s a big boy, I’m sure he can find the lake himself. I mean, you can’t miss the damn thing, it’s right there.” I turned and stalked out of the room, ignoring Ashton exchanging pleasantries with my parents behind me.
As I stalked up the hallway, fast footsteps sounded as he ran to catch me up. “Thanks for waiting,” he muttered sarcastically.
I scowled over at him. In all honesty, I was a little surprised at his attitude. Usually the guards were all ‘Yes, Miss Spencer. No, Miss Spencer’. Clearly this guy had some balls. “Whatever, pretty boy. You want me to show you to your room or not?” I snapped. My body still hurt and I wanted to take a nap before dinner.