Secret Service

Eight

After confirmation the note had been left by the stalker and not anyone Gwendolyn knew, their perfect bubble had shattered. Now, there were eight vehicles parked outside of the house with men canvasing not only the neighborhood but the apartment itself.

Alaric tried not to stare at Gwendolyn who was sitting alone on her sofa looking not only tired but stressed. In her sweatpants and t-shirt, it humanized her in Alaric's eyes and he could again, see the stress she was under that no one else in the room seemed to notice.

If they had, they were too cruel to say anything to her. As he watched the men move throughout the house, his least favorite acquaintance walked through the opened front doors and directly up to Alaric.

"What happened here?" Michael, the head of security demanded.

"It looks like our suspect has been in the home. There were flowers delivered and sitting on the table when she got home." Alaric said with a straight face.

Michael frowned at Alaric before turning to the men in the townhome who were now looking at him, "Fingerprint the entire house, get every piece of footage for a three-mile radius, and post a perimeter around this neighborhood until further notice. I want to get something on this sly bastard."

The men around nodded in understanding and dispersed to their assigned task. Leaving just a few in the room with them.

Michael turned back to Alaric, "I thought you had off tonight."

"I thought it did, too."

"Willow and I got super drunk, her fiance took her home and I had Alaric take me home." Gwendolyn cut in, appearing to have snapped out of her haze now that the room was only occupied by Michael, Gwendolyn, and Alaric.

"You know you're not to get so inebriated in public, not only are you a public figure, but you have a maniac out here trying to kill you!" The more Michael spoke, the more his voice began to rise.

"I am well aware of what is happening, but I should not have to limit my life while you struggle to find one person!" She yelled back.

Tensions were beginning to build, the two argued like father and daughter, and if Alaric had any say, Michael had that role for Gwendolyn for a while now. Even now they were drawing the attention of those nearby.

Before Michael could respond, a tech walked up to them, "Excuse me, sir, but we have a couple of videos obtained by nearby Ring cameras."

"You'll have to get a subpoena to look at all of that." Alaric pointed out, "By then the guy will be under her bed."

"Watch how you speak in front of the President's Daughter." Michael quipped before turning back to the tech, "Get the footage and bring it to my office."

The man nodded and bowed before Gwendolyn before walking away, leaving them awkward.

"Did he just bow?" Gwendolyn asked.

"Not important." Michael waved his hand, "Can I speak with you in private for a moment?" His question was directed to Alaric.

"Yeah, we can step outside." Alaric nodded before turning to Gwendolyn, "You should get some sleep."

She nodded, before turning. Alaric followed Michael outside and he could almost hear the conversation that was to be held already. The moment he had opted to climb out of bed that night, get dressed, and go to the place he knew Gwendolyn would be had been a bad decision.

He was off that night. He had no reason to visit her but had heard about her plans earlier that day. The thought of her alone in the club with just Willow and the incompetent Secret Service nearly drove him mad.

He had a primal urge to protect her at all times and deep down Alaric knew it had little to do with the fact that it was his job to protect her.

Whenever she wasn't near, he worried.

Knowing that he couldn't be reprimanded for it gave him the courage to go. Of course, it might've raised questions but he could simply just be a man who takes his job seriously.

Something told him Michael would see right through that, so instead, Alaric put on his best poker face.

"What were you doing alone in her apartment past midnight?"

Michael had skipped straight to his question, holding no qualms.

"She was drunk and needed to get home." Alaric perpetuated the lie Gwendolyn told, only because in his haste to report tonight's incident he hadn't come up with a better lie.

"Looks like she made it home and showered too, you could've left. At no point did you receive permission to surveil the interior of her home unsupervised."

"Is it the 1800's? A woman can't be alone with a man without an escort?" Sarcasm laced Alaric's voice.

"I am just reminding you of the reason you took this job in the first place. Crossing boundaries would not only put you in a sore spot, but the others that you're advocating for."

To a stranger, it may have been a nice gesture, but Alaric was fully aware of Michael's deeper intent.

"I am well aware."

"Good," Michael spat, "Then act like it."

Before Michael turned to exit he stopped and turned back around, "Oh, and tomorrow you're on surveillance of the home."

"I don't surveil." Alaric shook his head.

"If you want this job you will. You're only to be around her when I say you can. You will not fuck up my case." Michael pointed.

"She's at work all day tomorrow," Alaric called out to the retreating figure.

"Exactly." Michael called back, "It starts tonight."

Clenching his fist, then his jaw, Alaric turned and exited the premises himself.