Falling For Her Bodyguard

“Uncle Donovan lied.”

“That’s enough, Graham,” Donovan warned. “Don’t make your sister upset because you’re mad at me.”

Graham pushed back his hood and glared at his uncle. “Do the shoes really make her fast? Are they magic shoes or did you tell her that because you were tired of shopping and you couldn’t find any purple shoes like she wanted?”

Donovan gave him a pointed look. “I said that’s enough.”

“You’re such a hypocrite.” The hood went back up. “You punish me for every little thing I do, but you lie to my sister every day.”

Donovan had no rebuttal. He was wrong and he was right. They drove in silence for a full minute.

“They are fast shoes, Graham. They are,” Avery said in her tiny voice. No one said anything after that until they pulled up in front of Kelly’s building.

“Do you want me to check your apartment?” he offered. Her building wasn’t one of the most secure places to live. Someone could sneak their way in with a little patience.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, opening her door. “If I see anything suspicious, I’ll text you.”

She gave Avery a hug and promised to eat dinner with them next time she came over. That was a good answer. As long as they never ended up back at his house, they could avoid spending an awkward meal together.

“See ya tomorrow,” Donovan said before she shut the door. He waited until she was safely inside before putting on his blinker so he could pull out into traffic.

“I think she’s my new best friend,” Avery said.

It made perfect sense why he had decided not to bring people into the kids’ lives. Avery got attached so quickly. He had thought this would be easier since he had no intention of getting into a relationship with anyone. But Avery could bond with a complete stranger in five seconds flat, and Kelly wasn’t a girlfriend. She wasn’t even a friend. She was a job assignment.

“Who was that? Why did you offer to check her apartment? Why are you going to see her tomorrow?” Graham asked. Donovan was surprised he was curious enough to say something.

“That’s my boss’s niece. She works at a radio station and someone was...being mean to her. I have to help keep her safe until we can find that person.”

“Why would someone be mean to Kelly?” Avery asked. “She’s so nice.”

“It’s hard to explain, sweetie.”

“Is someone trying to kill her?” Graham asked.

“Someone is going to kill her?” Avery screeched and then burst into tears.

“Are you serious right now?” he said to Graham. Donovan was ready to tape the kid’s mouth shut. Did he not understand how saying something like that could scare his sister? He tried to console Avery. “No one is going to kill Kelly. She’s totally safe.”

His phone chimed with a text. Don’t leave! was all it said.

Adrenaline flooded Donovan’s body. He hoped he hadn’t told Avery another lie.

CHAPTER SIX (#u358e2534-8289-5d6e-9913-31b1fcf2139c)

STANDING OUTSIDE HER door with the “apology” note in her hand, Kelly suddenly felt completely vulnerable. She dropped the sheet of paper on the floor and pulled out her phone as she made her way back to the elevators. She pressed the down button on the wall as her heart pounded.

How did he get in her building?

The elevator doors opened as she began to text Donovan not to leave. An unfamiliar man stood inside and the fear of the unknown made her turn and run for the stairs instead of joining him. She probably looked like she had lost her mind, but she didn’t care. Whoever this stalker was, he could get in here. She flew down the stairs while trying to send off her text. When she got to the ground level, she pushed the door open and bumped right into another man.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

The panic that overwhelmed her made it impossible to answer. She was in the midst of a fight-or-flight response and her brain screamed, “RUN!” She pushed away from the stranger and sprinted out of the building, hoping Donovan wasn’t very far away. His truck was still where she’d gotten out. He didn’t hesitate to jump out of the truck.

“What’s the matter?”

“He was in there.”

“Right now?” Donovan pulled her behind him, putting himself between her and the building.

The scariest thing about that question was she had no idea if he was or not. “I don’t know. He left a note on my door, so he was.”

“You’re fine,” he said, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking her right in the eye. His voice was calm and unwavering. “Take some deep breaths. I’m going to have you get back in the truck, but I don’t want you to scare Avery, okay?”

Kelly glanced back at his truck and could see Graham staring at her wide-eyed. She couldn’t see through the tinted back windows but assumed Avery was doing the same. She didn’t want to alarm the children, but she couldn’t stop her heart from wanting to break through her rib cage.

“Look at me, Kelly,” Donovan said sternly. She did as she was told. “You’re safe. I’m right here. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Take some deep breaths. Slow and steady.”