The Bodyguard (18+)

FOURTEEN

I was standing
You were there
Two worlds collided
And they could never tear us apart
We could live
For a thousand years
But if I hurt you
I'd make wine from your tears
࿎

Jaxon jumped off of me. He pulled a gun out of the nightstand drawer.

"Put clothes on and stay here!" Gunshots rang out in the air.

Jaxon and Lance ran out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind them. I rushed to put on black leggings and a T-shirt. The gunshots stopped. I opened the door and tiptoed out.

"Jaxon?" I whispered.

A rough, calloused hand gripped my arm. A hand clamped over my mouth before I could scream.
"Don't speak. Don't scream." I knew that voice. The blue eyed man.

He removed his hand. "What are you doing here?" I whisper- yelled, shaking in fear.

"You weren't finding out my information quick enough. Now, I'm going to kidnap you. That'll get your father moving." He chuckled darkly. He pulled a phone from his pocket and began tapping on it.

I felt my face pale. "No," I muttered.

I saw movement behind the man. Jaxon held his finger to his lips. The blue eyed man stepped to the side just as Jaxon's gun went off. A scream tore through me as the bullet hit my thigh. I fell to the ground, clutching the gunshot wound.

"Lyla!" Jaxon yelled. The blue eyed man had disappeared as quickly as he appeared.

Jaxon ran to my side. "Go get him!" I yelled.

"I'm not leaving you." He held pressure on my thigh and looked deep in my eyes. "You are my first priority, always."

"Stop treating me like a helpless child and go after him!" I yelled.

Jaxon stared at me for a moment, eyes blazing. "Fuck!" He yelled. He tore down the hallway in the direction of the man.

Lance suddenly appeared at my side. "Oh my God," he muttered.

"I'm fine, I've been shot before. Just help me get up."

My entire leg was numb, I could hardly feel the stinging from the gunshot. Jaxon came back moments later as Lance halfway carried me to the car.

"Stupid mother fucker, I'll kill him." Jaxon was muttering to himself.

"What the fuck Jaxon? Where is he?" Lance cursed.

"He's gone."

"What do you mean he's gone?!"

"He shot our drivers. All of them."

"How did he know who your drivers were?" I asked. Both men ignored me as we piled into the car.

"What did he say to you?" Jaxon asked as he tore out of the garage. Lance was at my side, tending to my leg.

"I, uh-" I stuttered.

"Lyla. Tell me what he said to you," Jaxon growled out. I stared at Lance's hands, holding pressure on my leg. I didn't speak.

"Lyla?" Lance prompted.

"That wasn't exactly the first time I've met him," I whispered.

Lance froze and the car swerved. We pulled to the side of the road and Jaxon slammed on the breaks abruptly. He slammed it in park and turned around quickly.

"What did you just say?"

"Uh, I may have already been approached by him."

"When?" Lance muttered under his breath, his face red with anger.

"In the airport bathroom and the club bathroom," I whispered.

"You talked to him twice and didn't tell me?!" Jaxon yelled.

I flinched. "He threatened to kill you."

"I don't give a fuck what he threatened!"

Tears brimmed my eyes at his harsh words.

"You're supposed to tell us these things," Lance said, calmly.

"Yeah, Lyla. It's real fucking important for us to know these things."

"Jaxon, calm the fuck down and stop yelling at her," Lance growled. He looked back at me.

"He threatened to kill Jaxon if I said anything. I couldn't risk his life when all he wanted was information on my father's business."

"It's our job to risk our lives for you!" Jaxon said sternly.

"You have to tell us these things, no matter what. You are the most important piece in our world. You are our Queen." Lance's eyes softened as a tear escaped my eye.

"Don't you dare tell me that my life is more important than yours. Don't you dare tell me that I have to choose saving myself over either of you because I will not do it. Ever. My life isn't more important. Especially not when it comes to men who work for my father but got stuck on babysitting duty."

"Yes it is Ly-" Jaxon began but I cut him off.

"Not it's fucking not." Jaxon and I stared at each other for a moment.

"We're not on babysitting duty," Lance explained.

"All of the men who are your 'bodyguards' are really mafia men who volunteered to do this. Yes, some of them may have done it simply out of respect for your father but the rest of us did it for you. He-" Lance pointed at Jaxon, "-was the first to volunteer. He's been watching you for years." I looked at Jaxon and he was staring at me. "In our world-" Lance continued. "-you're the center. You're the heart of our Mafia. Without you, your father would crumble and when the Boss crumbles, so does the mafia."

"Who was that man?" I asked, changing the subject.

"He was a business partner of your fathers a while back. You're father is in the mafia, yes. He has killed people, yes. He has tortured people, yes. He is apart of the drug business, yes. But, he never wanted any part in sex trafficking. Stephano did."

"Stephano." The name rolled off my tongue.

Why did he seem so familiar?

"Stephano begged your father to enter the sex trafficking business claiming it was a 'great investment'. He said that it would expand your fathers empire beyond it's limits. Now please understand, your father's empire is already the biggest in the world. He is the most feared and most successful Mafia boss in the world. He created that without entering the sex trafficking world. He had you and he swore to never entertain the idea of it because he couldn't imagine the thought of you being sold into sex slavery." I nodded at Lance, urging him to continue. "Stephano and your father's fallout was huge. They are now sworn enemies, both in pursuit of destroying one another."

"You said he wanted information," Jaxon said. "Was that what tonight was for?"

"I guess. He said I wasn't finding it out quick enough."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

My eyes dropped to my hands.

"That's what I thought," Jaxon muttered. I heard the hurt in his voice.

Tears poured out of my eyes quickly as I realized what I had done.

"Stephano wasn't just your father's business partner," Jaxon said, his voice emotionless. I looked up at him and could still see the hurt evident in his eyes. "He's your father's brother."

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Song: Never Tear Us Apart
Artist: Bishop Briggs