The Bodyguard » Niall Horan

01 » Welcome Home

  I stood in front of Waterlane's assistant's desk. Emma, I believe she was called.

   " Hi. I was asked to meet mister Waterlane right away." I explained. She checked his agenda and nodded. " Yes, that's correct. Please, follow me." She stood up and lead the way with her hip-hopping hips. She knocked on the thick, probably armored, doors and opened them just slightly. I heard her talking to him, and him to her. I looked around, hopping from one foot on another.

   " You may go in," Emma said and stepped aside. I nodded in reply and stepped past her into his office.

   Waterlane was sat at his gigantic desk covered in documents. I wondered how he could find anything in there.

   His office was very luxurious and posh. They had laid a thick carpet on the floor where my feet sank into. Everything was toned in a dark grey colour: his desk, the bookshelves, the floor, carpet and everything else. The only colour I could find was in a drawing made by his daughter and a family picture behind him. Waterlane himself blended right in with his office. Perhaps a new way of camouflage.

   " Agent Fulton, I'm glad you could come this soon. Please, take a seat." He shook my hand from behind his desk. It was firm and strong, as expected from a man with his job. I sat down on one of the grey chairs.

   " Of course, sir. What did you want to talk to me about?" Waterlane shifted in his seat and folded his hands on his stomach.

   " Ass you know, we recruited you when you were a corporal in the British Army two years ago. We obviously knew you already from your father, Kenneth McCoy, so we knew what qualities you had." I didn't know what to think of his complimenting speech. Where would this lead to?

   " Now, there's been a major raise on death treats with multiple artists, actors, and actresses. And with death threats, we don't just mean how they wish a certain artist should die, no, absolutely not. They're extremely detailed. Slowly, painful and places where they feel the safest at." Stan stopped talking for a bit.

   " There's a certain person who's been threathened so badly, his management wants to lock him up in his own home." He tapped with his thumbs on his stomach.

   " But then, they stopped by at our office, if perhaps we could find out what was going on. Well, we did try. We checked the letters, tried to find out where they were sent from, but we can't yet narrow it down to a specific place in England.

   This person is very specific, goal-oriented and clever enough to leave no single trace." I had a feeling about his coming words.

   " Don't they get threats on a daily basis?" I asked skeptically. Stan nodded. " I knew you'd ask. Yes, of course, they do. Hate emails, letters, packages... The whole deal. But these letters have been coming for multiple weeks." I shifted in my seat. " What kind of threats we're talking about?" I asked.

   Waterlane pulled out a plastic forensic bag from an envelope. " A bullet."

   I pulled up my eyebrows. Sure, that went pretty far. " What exactly is it that you want from me, Waterlane?" I asked him.

   " You see... All skilled bodyguards have been hired. This case has been ongoing at Scotland Yard for a few months too, who can't miss any of their policemen." He pursed his lips. " We would like it if you would take this case to protect him." Oh, it was a guy. Right. I swallowed back a lot of first reactions, knowing I would have to be packing my bags to never be inside this building ever again.

   "I don't remember being a bodyguard was in my job description." I managed to say. My fists were clenched together in frustration. I did not want this job.

   " We are in service of Her Majesty The Queen and her citizens. In a way, this person also belongs to the last category."

   I pulled a face. Waterlane sighed when he saw my disapproval. " Believe me, Mercer, I would've put you on a different case if it was on me. It's just that his management is looking for a female agent." I raised my eyebrows. " A female agent?" I asked. Waterlane nodded slowly.

   I let it sink in. This wasn't exactly what I dreamed of, but this was a case that yielded a fair amount of money.

   " Sure," I said rather casual. " Sure, I'll do it. Why not?" I said and shrugged.

   " Well, there are a few conditions to that task. Or let's say one giant condition." I waited until he went on.

   " They want to fabricate a love story around it." Waterlane studied my face while every possible feeling was going through my body.

   They wanted me to 'date' him?! A fake relationship with a celebrity? They had to be kidding me.

   I stood up and walked to the door. I bit my lip, hard, and turned back around after a few seconds.

   " Have they gone completely mad?!" I yelled in complete disbelief. " Sure, I'll protect the guy and I would even take a bullet for him if I had to. But a fake relationship? What is all that nonsense about?"

   Waterlane swallowed. " It's just... That it's unusual for a woman to protect a man. That's why they came up with that."

   That made it even worse.

   " What is wrong with his arrogant, sexist management? In what year do we live, for Christ sake?! Sure, his bodyguards are all men, aren't they?" I started pacing through his office out of anger. Something I'd never done or would've dared to do. Waterlane seemed to understand my frustration.

   " They asked for a woman. Besides that, you're the best agent we've got here, hands down. Then again, you're also his age. It'd be weird sending someone in her mid-forties. And please, stop pacing and take a seat, Mercer." I noticed he got irritated with me, so I did what he said and sat down again.

   " I understand this is a lot to process, trust me." Waterlane said calmly. " Well, that's one way of saying it." I mumbled. Waterlane pretended he hadn't heard me and continued his advocacy.
" The problem is that you can't refuse this mission. It's already been put into operation and," He held his hand up before I could protest, " Before you say anything, I'm not the one who gave a go for this. My boss did." Waterlane said.

   " Hunt approved this mission?" I asked incredulously. Waterlane nodded. " It's all been gone by him. I'm just here to brief you. So, if you feel like ranting and create a scène, then please be my guest. He's in right now. He might reconsider sending you on this mission. Or reconsider you being an agent."

   Well, that was all loud and clear. I could hate and debate all about it, but it wouldn't get me a way out of this mess. Damn it.

   " That's all?" I asked politely, suppressing my anger. Waterlane handed me a document file with a yellow, sealed envelope. " In here you can find your assignment en everything you'll need to know about the person you're going to be protecting. There's also a new valid passport with a new identity in it. He's allowed to know your real name, but the rest of the world will know you as someone else. As usual, we must ask you not to contact your family during your mission, as we don't know who is sending these threats.

   You can reach us with the phone that's in the envelope, with a secured line with your contact inside the bureau, Kellan Blake, you probably know him. You'll have to update him every week, and as usual, we like you to keep a diary about the progress. I don't have to tell you to keep an eye on him, I suppose."

   I nodded. No contact with my family, update regularly, different name... The standard.

    " When will I leave?" I asked. " I have managed to push it back until tomorrow morning. A little bird told me Helen McCoy's creating her famous lasagna." I smiled at him. " Thanks for that."

   I took the package and the file off Waterlane's desk. " Good luck, Mercer." I didn't reply.

I left his office and passed the secretary without saying bye, towards the elevator.

   When the elevator doors closed in front of me, I opened the file. A familiar face graced on the attached picture.  " You've got to be kidding me," I mumbled, not quite believing it myself.