Close Protection

Memory Tapes

"Hi Mum, look...I'm really sorry I've not been to see you for a while, things have been a bit messed up; but I'm ok now, but then I think you know that don't you?"

o+o+o

Monday morning had started with a light mist and a steady drizzle. Fitting really. I'd made arrangements after dinner to borrow the Range Rover and nip off for some personal time, promising to be back for early afternoon so I could drive Jennie back to London. In fairness she'd been brilliant, insisting that she had no specific plans for the day and that she was happy to spend the morning with Hoshi and Minah. I hadn't told her what I was planning to do, with everything else that had gone on I didn't feel that was appropriate. I'd dumped enough of my shit on her and her family and they'd just soaked it up like they were sponges.

This time, however, I was determined to do things on my own.

Extracting a final promise over breakfast for Jennie to stay within the boundaries of the house's security I stepped outside into the rain and nearly walked slap bang into the burly figure of Simon.

"Good morning Miss Manoban," he said with his Welsh accent booming in my ears. "It's nice to see you again."

"Morning Simon, and didn't I tell you to call me Lisa?" He grinned and nodded. "Right then, then stop calling me Miss sodding Manoban."

I looked down at my phone, there really wasn't any rush; Cheltenham was only just over an hour away, but I was anxious to get out and back in the minimum of time. Still I did have a job to do and I had responsibilities to maintain and I would have to make time.

"Look Simon, I was just off out for a bit; but I'll take you in and introduce you to the family."

'Fuck it, I can always risk getting stopped, the M5 is usually a good place to speed.'

o+o+o

Hoshi seemed ecstatic at our choice of a CPO, immediately getting on with the usually serious Welshman who continually broke into a smile at his antics.

"Watch this one like a hawk Simon," I told him seriously; "he's a liability and he's as likely to get into trouble with his cheeky mouth as he is in any other way."

"Lisa, I'm hurt. I'm sweet and lovable really; Simon mate, I won't be any trouble at all."

"Don't believe him," Jennie said from a chair in the corner; "Lisa's right he's a little shit."

They fell into their bickering almost immediately and I looked once more at my phone. Just coming up to ten o'clock and I really needed to get going. With an indulgent smile I made my excuses and snuck out.

I was pulling on my coat in the hallway when I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see Jennie walking along the tiled floor behind me.

"Are you ok Lisa?" she asked, "you've been twitchy all morning."

"I'm fine," I replied thinking that 'twitchy' was the last thing I had been especially given what I was about to do.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No," I said, perhaps a little too firmly judging by her expression. "Just stay in the building and out of trouble Jennie, that's all you need to do to keep things off my mind."

I tried to soften my voice, tried to make sure it wasn't as hard as it had been. I even managed a fake smile to try and make her feel better. Jennie just looked at me appraisingly.

"I can do that," she said quietly, "if it'll stop you worrying about me."

"Knowing that you're not running off around the countryside will be a great weight off my mind." I told her, avoiding the fact that I do actually worry about her safety. I'm allowed to be concerned for her safety, concern is good, concern is professional. Worry is something else entirely and yesterday when I saw her running for the summerhouse, I was worried; worried about a lot of things.

"I'd better be off," I told her looking at the clock on my phone again, "or I won't get back in time."

"I told you Lisa there's no rush to get home, take all the time you need. It's not as if you've had a day off this week is it?"

"I'll be back about two Miss Kim," I replied noticing Minah walking out into the hallway with Hoshi. "I'll be ready to drive you back to London then."

o+o+o

I was halfway up the M5 to Chelmsford when I started to get suspicious of a large silver BMW five series behind me. It wasn't as if it did anything special to attract my attention, quite the opposite in fact. In fact it was that apparent normalcy that made me paranoid. It matched my speed for a bit, then it sped up and caught me before easing off and dropping further behind; never quite dropping out of eyesight.

It made me paranoid because those big motorway cruisers would normally blast down the outside lane of a motorway scattering everyone in their path as the sales rep or company executive hammered their way to their next meeting.

It was careless of whomever was driving, very careless. Driving with consideration, indicating when necessary, none of these things are associated with the people that drove these cars and it was that simple fact that attracted my attention.

I decided that a bit of clever driving was in order and I looked at the sat-nav screen on the Rover's dash to make my plan. Gently I backed off the accelerator and brought the BMW towards me, closer and closer it came as we approached one of the exit ramps. With a sudden braking I forced the beemer to overtake me and swung the wheel to the left and accelerated up the ramp and onto the side roads, driving as quickly as I could to lose the other car. I'd chanced a glance as I sped up the slip road and smiled as I spotted the BMW still on the motorway, heading for the hard shoulder presumably to back up and follow me again.

Ten minutes later I knew I was free and clear, I'd took a winding route to the next motorway junction and continued on my journey. There was no sign of the suspicious BMW, but I made a note to call the office and get it checked out. It was strange that someone would follow me, but then I was in one of the Kim family's vehicles so perhaps that was what had sparked it. I had their registration plate, I was sure that the guys in ops would be able to sort it out again.

o+o+o

The rest of my journey was uneventful, and I pulled into the long road of the cemetery at just after half eleven; the little deviation adding some time to my journey. It didn't take me any time at all to find my way to the small plot where my mother was buried, navigating my way through the headstones to the grave she had wanted, next to a broad oak tree.

To my relief the grave itself was still fairly neat and tidy; suffering only marginally from my enforced neglect. I knelt down next to it and began to clear away the leaves that had fallen whilst I was in Afghanistan and had settled next to and on the granite stone, marring it's surface.

"Hi Mum, look...I'm really sorry I've not been to see you for a while, things have been a bit messed up; but I'm ok now, but then I think you know that don't you?"

I didn't believe in heaven, didn't believe in a lot if the truth was to be told, but I did believe that my mum was somewhere, even if it was only in the form of pure energy, and I believed that she would wait for me like she had promised she would on her deathbed, so that we could continue our journey together.

I don't know why I spoke to her whenever I came here, it just seemed right to do so, and talk to her I did, squatting next to her grave and spilling my guts. Telling her what had happened in Afghanistan, what had happened afterwards and why I'd totally missed coming to see her on the anniversary of her death. I poured my heart out as I tidied the grave; and finally, when I'd emptied myself of everything inside, everything was in order.

"My whole life's a bit messed up at the moment Mum," I told her as I stood, "but I'm getting myself sorted. I'll pay off my bills pretty quickly with what Soohyun pays me, I like the job and I really like the people I'm working with. I'll turn myself around don't worry about that...I might not be around for a while mum, I've got a pretty busy schedule and I don't know when I'll be close again, but I promise I'll be back as soon as I can. Make sure you're looked after, ok?"

I was rewarded by nothing but silence, nothing but the gentle breeze blowing through the trees. I looked up at the darkening sky, the bad weather seeming to have followed me up from Bath, looming ominously in the distance.

"I'd better be going Mum, "I said placing my hand on the picture I'd had placed into the stone. "I need to get back to Bath, pick up my package and head back to London. I've been away far too long. I'll see you soon, bye Mum."

It was with tangible regret that I turned to walk back to the car. I hadn't realised how distant I'd felt and how good it was to have my memories refreshed; replenished by that sense of proximity that visiting her grave always gave me. I was feeling much happier with myself as I picked my way back to the road, but it was with a sense of shock that I saw a silver car parked behind my own.

I dropped my body slightly and ducked behind a gravestone, looking around me carefully to check for danger. Seeing no one nearby I picked my way carefully to the car and approached it from the back quarter, trying to stay out of the mirrors, trying to get close without being seen. Stealthily I made my way towards the doors trying to see who was inside when I heard a familiar voice call out.

"Simon, she's over there by the car."

I stood up and looked at the Range Rover, stepping out of the passenger side door was Jennie fucking Kim; and appearing from around the front of the car was Simon, the employee that I had, not hours before, entrusted the safety of Hoshi to.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" I said as calmly as I could, holding the boiling anger I was feeling in check. "Simon you're supposed to be back in Bath taking Hoshi back to university. What were you thinking?"

Simon went to speak but was cut across immediately by Miss Kim.

"Simon is here making sure I'm safe Lisa and I'm here because I needed to know that you're safe. Don't blame him for following my orders"
'
'I'm safe....I'M SAFE?' I thought; 'honestly is this woman that fucking thick?'

"Miss Kim my safety is absolutely nothing compared to yours, what were you thinking putting yourself in danger like this?"

Her eyes flashed dangerously and her hand tightened on the door handle.

"I was thinking," she said her voice low and controlled, "that when someone I think is getting to be close to being a friend has been very upset and then decides to take off on her own and won't talk about it, then a friend would go after her and make sure she's ok."

Her words cut through my anger, but not through my worry.

"A friend would have done as she promised Miss Kim and stayed out of the way and safe so her friend could sort out her personal business; a friend wouldn't have resorted to spying on someone. I guess it's just as well I'm simply an employee, and such proprieties as respect and privacy don't matter."

I watched her face blanch as the shot hit home and with a grim satisfaction I turned on Simon.

"As for you," I started as calmly as I could; incensed that not only would he follow me, but that he'd put both Jennie and Hoshi at risk.

"I ordered Simon to follow you Lisa," Jennie said quickly, presumably expecting the worst. I stared at him as he calmly met my gaze.

That's not strictly true Miss Manoban," he said, his deep bass voice resonating as it carried across to me. "Miss Kim was about to leave to follow you when I tried to stop her. I made the decision that I should travel with her rather than allow her to drive alone. It was my decision alone to accompany her, and I only did so when I had ensured that Mr Kim was safe at the house and had promised not to leave until I return to take him back to University."

I stared across at him, knowing that he'd done the right thing. Jennie may have claimed to have ordered him to come, but he'd told me the truth and I respected him for doing it, and for the tactical decision he'd made. It was a no-win situation and he'd done his best.

"Fine, can you drive that car?" I asked him, receiving a nod in reply.

"It's my car Miss Manoban, I drove Miss Kim here."

"Good, get back in it and head back to Bath, pick up Mr Kim and take him back to University. If you need anything call Sungjae or me, I'll speak to you soon Simon."

He nodded and walked over to the car, climbing in and driving it away. I walked over to the passenger side rear door and gestured for Jennie to get in the back.

"Lisa...."

"Not now Miss Kim, now is not the time. Please get back into the car so we can go back to Bath, pick up our things and I'll take you back to London."

She looked at me sadly before climbing up into the rear seats, struggling a little with her plaster cast as she attempted to buckle herself in. When she sat back and looked across at me I carefully closed the door, slammed the passenger door shut and walked around the rear of the car to the front and climbed in.

We drove in silence out of Cheltenham, along roads I recognised all too well. I saw parks that I'd played in and paths I had run down, the place was filled with happy memories, and far too many sad ones as well.

On the way here I'd decided to visit my storage container. I needed to get my driver's licence and passport out of there anyway; and I'd been thinking, ever since Jennie mentioned it, that some personal items were necessary to brighten up wherever I was going to be living. Jennie must have noticed that we weren't heading back because I heard her clear her throat from the back seat.

"Lisa, I think you may have taken a wrong turn, this isn't the way to the motorway."

"I have a stop to make first Miss Kim," I said shortly. "If that's ok with you?"

"It's fine, fucks sake Lisa will you stop it, I'm sorry ok? I was fucking worried about you and I wanted to make sure you were all right. That's all it was I swear, I'm sorry I followed you but I wasn't spying on you."

I ignored her, focussing on the road ahead, breathing carefully to calm my racing heart.

"Lisa?"

"Yes Miss Kim?"

"I said I was sorry."

"Yes, Miss Kim."

I looked into the rear view mirror as a car pulled out behind us, eyes flicking to the door mirror as it made to overtake us. When I looked out of the rear view mirror again I found a pair of brown eyes looking back at me, quickly I focussed on the road ahead once more.

"I meant it you know," she told me as I continued to concentrate on my driving, "I was worried about you."

"You put yourself at risk Miss Kim, and that's unacceptable. If this is what you do when we become 'close to friends' then I'm sorry I allowed myself to slip. I'm not prepared to allow you to get hurt for any reason, that's not in my job description."

"I didn't put myself at risk for fucks sake, Simon was with me..."

"Only because he decided not to let you leave on your own though." I returned interrupting her pressing my point home. "You were planning to follow me without him."

Her head disappeared from my mirror and I heard her slump back into her seat. "You're right," she said quietly, "I was going to follow you with or without him. I care about you Lisa, you're my friend."

I drove to the storage pace without replying, I was angry, annoyed, frustrated, pissed off, I was every fucking emotion under the sun with Jennie Kim and that annoyed me even more. Mostly though I was proud, she called me her friend and that made me happy in amongst the rest of the emotions. Being told that she worries about me, and that she considers me a friend was special; but it reinforced my belief that I needed to pull back. The weekend was a mistake, an aberration; and it couldn't be allowed to continue. I can't be her friend, I get my friends killed. I like her too much to have that happen.

She followed me in silence as I walked into the office to get my key from the guy that ran the place. All it took was a quick check on my paperwork and a swipe of my credit card to pay off the rest of my agreement and I was sorted. Key in hand I approached my lock up and opened the door.

I could feel Jennie's eyes on me as I walked into the unit and switched on the lone bulb that served as illumination. It wasn't much, little more than a large metal box; but it contained everything I had left of my old life, the bits that I'd kept anyway. I'd took out the long term storage deal just before I joined the army, putting everything that I hadn't sold or scrapped in here and hoping that one day I'd have somewhere to put it all. It was mostly boxes, some old and some new. Most was from my time with mum, but a few were from my time in the Military Police and from my time with Amy. I didn't enjoy coming here, there were too many memories on display, I usually only came to drop stuff off. My last visit had been to put away the few items that I now wanted back in my life, some photo's and some keepsakes.

"Can I come in?" I heard a tentative voice behind me say.

"Yeah," I replied, "just be careful ok? Nearly everything in here is precious to me and I don't want anything damaging accidentally."

'That includes you, so don't hurt yourself on any of this junk.'

"I'll be careful," she said stepping into the unit and looking around. I pretty much ignored her as I rummaged in the boxes bringing out the items I wanted and placing them onto a sad, battered looking yellow four seater table.

"Is this you and your mum?" Jennie asked out of the blue, and I snapped around to see her looking at three pictures in a photo frame. I grabbed it out of her hands and put it down on the table facing me, my eyes watering as the raw emotion pulsed through my body; blinking rapidly and biting my cheek to stop myself crying in front of her again.

"Fuck Lisa I'm sorry," she said noticing my distress. "I didn't mean to upset you, I really didn't. Jesus I seem to be fucking everything up today!"

I sniffed a deep breath and put the picture down next to my passing out shot and the photo of me and the guys. The one's I really want to take with me. I stared at the familiar images for a few seconds as I settled myself once more. She sounded really upset and as angry as I was I knew I needed to offer the olive branch.

"Her name was Chitthip," I told her. "She was my best friend in all the world, I got her that for Christmas when I was seventeen; she gave me this."

I placed our family treasure on the table and lifted the lid, smiling as Jennie's eyes lit up at the sight.

"Don't get excited Miss Kim, it's not real, but it was the closest thing we have to a family heirloom"

She blanched slightly as I continued with my old way of addressing her.

"Lisa?" she said softly. I looked across at her and met her sad eyes. "I really am sorry about following you here. Please don't punish me for it, I really did have your best interests at heart."

"I don't know if it's that easy Miss Kim," I told her. "I'm responsible for you, and I'd never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you because of me. I don't need another person haunting my sleep you know?"

She looked down at the floor as my words sunk in, after a few seconds she looked up at me with sadness and a hint of shame on her face; perhaps I'd finally got through to her.

"I understand Lili I really do, I was trying to be selfless, trying to be a friend, in the end I guess I was just being selfish. What I did was stupid and thoughtless, and not just putting myself at risk, I'm sorry I intruded on you as well."

"I know you are, but thank you anyway."

"Can you forgive me?"

"Probably, give me time." It was a total lie, I'd already forgiven her, how the fuck could I not forgive her? I'm totally incapable of doing anything but.

She smiled at my reply and picked up the necklace, holding it up to the single bare 60W bulb that was the only source of light.

"It really is lovely you know. Fake or not it would totally suit you. It matches your eyes."

I couldn't help but snort at that, my eyes aren't  blue; the necklace is a deep sapphire blue.

"It would work wonderfully with that dress I got you, you should wear it sometime. We're totally going to have to do a few posh events over the next few months, you'll knock people dead."

"I told you..."

"I know Lisa," she interrupted, slotting the necklace into its box and closing the lid, "but you really should show yourself off, you're in great shape and that tattoo is beautiful. You're getting paid the attend these events, why not live a little and enjoy them?"

I shook my head, "it's not me Miss Kim, that person isn't who I am."

"Ok, fair enough," she said simply placing the jewellery case onto the table and hopefully giving up. "You said your mum gave you the necklace then, for Christmas?"

She was trying to change the subject now, I could tell that. Unfortunately she'd just latched onto another difficult one.

"She did, it was my last ever Christmas present, and she gave it to me because she knew she was going to die."

A tear ran down my cheek as I shared the painful memory with the tiny redhead.

"Do you mind me asking what happened Lili?"

I pulled out one of the chairs from under the table; moving a box so I could do so and sat down. "Cancer," I said flatly, watching as she moved a heavy box of stuff and pulled out her own chair. "She was diagnosed with lung cancer, which was ironic because she campaigned all her life to have smoking banned in public places. She hated smoking, never touched a cigarette in her life. I think she was very disappointed in me when I started smoking at school."

I sighed sadly, "I did it to piss her off at first, back then I was a very rebellious child. Anyway, by the time they found it, it had spread around her body. They tried everything, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation treatment, everything. It didn't work."

"How long ago was this Lisa, was this when you were in the Army? How did you cope being away from her, that must have been terrible?"

I shook my head. "it was a few weeks before my birthday, I was still only seventeen. I fell asleep in the hospital with her and in the morning she was gone. She died in her sleep, holding my hand."

"I'm sorry Lisa, I really am. I can't think how hard that would have been for you. Did you at least have anyone around to help you?"

"I had no one Miss Kim, I never knew my dad, we had no relatives; none that were near enough to help me anyway. I had to sort everything out myself, so I borrowed enough to pay for her funeral and to get a long term deal on this place; and sold our home moved everything I didn't sell into here and joined up."

"You borrowed money at seventeen, how on earth did you manage that?"

"I didn't get it from a high street bank if that's what you're wondering. It cost me a fortune, but I made a little selling the house and that helped. Cost me a lot of my wages for the next few years getting straight though."

"Fuck Lili..."

"Yeah, it was worth it though, I got mum a great plot and a lovely headstone. Did everything right for her, just like she would have wanted."

"You must have loved her very much," she said, turning the frame around and looking at the photographs again.

"I love her more than life itself, I'd have done anything to keep her alive."

"The only person I've ever loved," she muttered half to herself.

"I'm sorry?" I asked her wondering what she meant.

"I asked you last week, when you gave me that talking to in my flat, who made you think like you do. You said it was the only person that ever loved you for who you were; the only person you've ever managed to love back. That was your mum wasn't it? It explains a lot about what you said to me."

I didn't answer, because it wasn't a question that needed answering, she knew she was right. I just got up from my chair, tucked it away and continued to rummage around in my boxes finding the rest of the bits I wanted to take back with me.

I heard the scraping of a chair and then a loud exclamation of pain. I spun around quickly to see Jennie stood holding her foot in her good hand, rubbing the toes.

"Are you ok Jen?" I asked, concerned that she'd hurt herself again.

"Stubbed my toe," she said putting her foot back on the floor gingerly and hopping slightly. "What the fuck is in this box?"

I walked over and lifted it carefully onto the table. I wasn't sure what was in it, it was sealed which meant it was one of the boxes I'd put in here when I joined the army. Carefully I peeled back the brown tape and opened it up.

"I forgot about these," I admitted as the short girl stood on tiptoes trying to look in at the objects that had hurt her foot.

"What are they?"

"Video tapes, I found this box in mum's room when I was packing up."

"What are they, home movies?"

"I don't think so, at least I don't remember mum ever having a camera when I was growing up."

She looked up at me, astonishment written over her face. "You mean you've never watched them?"

I shook my head, "No, I never have. At first I couldn't bear to watch them, I found a note from mum saying they were for me to watch, but everything was too raw so I closed the box and put it here. After that, well I didn't have a video any more, technology moved on and I couldn't get anything that would play them anymore. Plus I was never really at home, I guess I sort of moved on and forgot about them."

"Do you still have the note? It might be important....Lili I can't believe you haven't watched them...they're from your mum!"

"Yeah, it should be in the box, I'll have a look."

I rummaged around in the stacks of camcorder sized cassettes until I found the piece of paper written in my mum's unmistakable scrawl.

'Hi love,

If you're reading this then the inevitable has happened and you've found my little surprise. I can't tell you how happy I was to have experienced nearly eighteen years of your life, and how devastated I am to realise that I won't see you grow up any more. I've watched you blossom from a little bud, so full of potential into a beautiful young woman with a wonderful future ahead of you.

I can't be there to help you through the years ahead, but in this box there are some things for you to watch that might help a little, I hope you enjoy them.

Enough scribbling, time to put the first tape in the player and watch your old mum share with you the benefits of her years of experience.

Remember that I love you Lisa, always have, always will and somehow I'll always be with you, even if it's just in a memory, or one of these memory tapes. I'll never be truly gone as long as I'm in your heart and mind.

Love you my little baby girl.

Mum xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'

The memory came flooding back as I read the first lines again, I could recall sitting on the floor in my Mum's bedroom and starting to read this letter. I don't think I got to the end, I remember tossing the paper back into the box and running from the room, my feet taking me out of the house with my swim bag and down to the pool to silence the noise.

I passed the letter to Jennie without finishing it again, listening as she read it out to me; the words seemed less painful when she said them, rather than my mind imagining the sound of my mum's voice as I read.

I heard a rustle and looked down to see Jennie pulling a tape out of the box, it was marked with a big 'eleven' in black pen, and had one word on it; 'Christmas'. With a cry she pulled out another tape, this one marked with a 'forty-five' and the words 'wedding day'.

"Lisa, do you realise what she's done?" Jennie asked with a hint of excitement in her voice. "I think she's left you these tapes for the key moments in your life, so she could be there with you."

I looked at her blankly. "Her note Lisa, listen, 'but in this box there are some things for you to watch that might help a little, I hope you enjoy them.' That's what I think she's done, she made you the memory tapes she mentioned."

I picked up one of the tapes in the box and stared at it, it had a large number two written on it and simply said 'eighteenth'. It was kind of numbing, all this time I had the opportunity to see and hear my mum and I didn't even know it. With a sigh I slotted the tape back into the box.

"I didn't know," I said simply. "I never even realised that's what she had done. Stupid really."

"Not really Lili, you were young, you had just lost your mother; it's totally understandable."

"All too late now though," I said taking the remaining cassette off her and pressing it home. "No way of playing these things anymore."

"You leave that to me," she said, closing the box and pulling it towards herself. She suddenly looked up at me eyes wide.

"Shit, sorry. I'm a totally bossy cow sometimes and I forget about asking. Would you like me to try and get this sorted for you Lisa? I'm sure I can find someone that could convert all these for you so you can watch them."

"I think I would appreciate that Miss Kim, thank you," I replied picking up the pile of things that I'd placed on the table and placing them into a spare box that I stacked on top of the tape box. Carefully I tucked my driver's licence and passport into my pocket for safe keeping.

"Right, well...that's me done then. I'll just take this stuff back to the car, lock up and we can get you back to Bath Miss Kim."

"Jennie," she said absently as I picked up the box and led her out.

"Yes Miss Kim."

o+o+o

We drove back to Bath in pretty much silence, Jennie was tinkering on her phone in the back and I was concentrating on doing my job. The only interruption was an incoming call from Sungjae to discuss the travel plans for the next few weeks.

"LT it's not an issue, I have my passport here. I've just picked it up."

"Well that is a relief, we also need a copy of it for our HR records, Jenny was getting angry with me because I didn't get it off you."

"I'll scan it and send it to you or something LT. Seriously, what's the matter you sound like a rookie in a firefight today."

"Woobin received another set of photographs today, along with another threatening letter. Good quality photographs as well, shots of the house, the grounds. Pictures of you and Jennie and Mrs Kim."

"LT, Miss Kim is in the back, I don't...."

"Doing what?" Jennie asked, shouting from the back. "How the hell did these people get photo's of us.

"They're distance shots again Miss Kim," Sungjae replied sounding sheepish; so he fucking should be, telling me about threats against my charge when he knew I was driving and on a hands free kit.

"It looks like Lisa was teaching your mother to shoot. You were sat reading with a plaster cast Jennie, what happened by the wa..."

"So it was Saturday then," I interrupted, remembering the time. "LT can you estimate where the photos were taken from?"

"Well it's difficult to judge distance, but if we estimate from the different photographs how much zoom could be used based on a standard lens..."

"LT, yes or no?"

"Maybe."

I thought about it for a second, perhaps we'd just been handed a break. It's usually the way, people get cocky and do something silly, spying on us from land we knew was a little bit silly.

"LT listen, if you guys can work out the direction and distance you could get some of our guys, or the police to track the shot and look for evidence, you never know they might have been careless. Sending us their surveillance photo's is stupid, if they wanted any of us dead they could have hit us with a sniper rifle if they got this close."

"The threats weren't aimed at any of you though, not this time anyway."

"Doesn't matter LT, my gut tells me there's something iffy going on here. The threat's changed, they tried to kill Miss Kim a week ago yet now they take photo's and taunt us. Something's not right."

"That's what the guys in our intelligence team said, they think the same as you; something has changed in their plans."

"Well I hope they can come up with an idea LT, the gut isn't telling me what they're doing I'm afraid."

The gut was telling me I should watch the road though, as I was forced to swerve as a Ford Focus pulled out without indicating.

"Look," I told him as I slammed my hand on the horn and gave the old git in the driver's seat the finger. "I've got to go, I'll talk to you about this later."

"Ok, I'll ask the team to do a threat analysis and let you know what they come up with. See you soon Sarge, goodbye Jennie."

"Bye Sungjae," Jennie called from the back as I hung up the call. "Are we in danger Lisa?"

"You have to assume we're always in danger Miss Kim, that's what I've been trying to get across to you. You can't drop your guard unless you're absolutely sure things around you are safe, like at the house when you're inside the security of the cameras, or at the office or your flat for example. Out here we have no control so you have to watch out, or rather I have to watch out for you."

"I like the fact that I have you to watch out for me Lili," she said with a smile in her voice. "It makes me feel safe."

"That's what you pay me for Jennue," I replied, using her first name without even thinking.

"Yeah."

o+o+o

Just under an hour later we were back at Kim Manor and having lunch at Minah's insistence after collecting our things and putting them into the car.

"So when will I see you next Jennie?" Minah asked as we both tucked in.

"Possibly the weekend after next, or the one after that mum, before we fly to the States anyway."

"That's a shame dear, I think I might have to come down to the office to see you, perhaps spend the weekend with you if that's all right?"

"That'd be great mum, we could go shopping or something. Or I could treat you to that spa Lisa took me to...Franco would do wonders with your hair, he's a genius."

"Now that does sound like a plan dear, I'll have a word with Colin and see about booking in at the Savoy or somewhere."

"Discretely Mum."

"Have I ever been anything else dear?"

I think I'm listening to a conversation that I'm perhaps supposed to understand, I assume that this 'Colin' is Minah's golf pro, the guy she's been carrying on with, but I don't know that for sure. Being the master of discretion that I am I kept my mouth shut and concentrated on the vegetable quiche I was eating.

Finally we finished lunch and I left Jennie to say her emotional goodbyes; deciding that this once I would carry our bags to the car and put them away.

I knew it was an excuse to avoid the emotions, but I didn't really care.

Eventually Jennie appeared at the doorway and made her way down to the car.

"Thanks for sorting my bags Lisa, I appreciate you doing that."

"Not a problem Miss Kim, I thought you'd appreciate the time alone with your family."

"I did, thanks. Mum and perv want to say goodbye though."

I looked up at the door and sure enough Hoshi and Minah were stood waiting; and I walked the steps like a man on the way up the scaffold to the noose. It's not that I didn't want to say goodbye, it's just I didn't want to be exposed to any more dodgy emotions. I was relieved then when, as I approached, Hoshi stuck out his hand.

"It was lovely to meet you Lisa, look after my sister ok? She might be a bit of a bitch but I am quite fond of her just the way she is; you know, arms, legs and head still attached."

I returned his warm handshake and smiled. "I'll do my best Hoshi, do me a favour, don't give Simon too hard a time."

We winked slyly at me and grinned a particularly evil looking grin; I suspect a certain Welshman is going to have a rude awakening when he gets up North.

I turned to Minah and held out my hand, "Minah, thank you for everything. You've been a wonderful host."

MInah took my hand, said, "Oh don't be so bloody formal Lisa dear;" and then dragged me into a hug. "Look after yourself and Jennie Lisa, if you need anything let me know."

As she released me she placed a piece of paper into my hand, "I've spoken to Joanna and she's expecting you at six tonight, Jennie will make sure you go as well, so don't even think of trying to duck out of this."

I looked at the piece of paper and unfolded it to reveal and name, an address and a phone number.

'Joanna Foster
Counsellor and Family Therapist'

'Fuck.'

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