The Bodyguard

10

The black hat suites me perfectly. I take it off and tie my hair. I wear the hat again, bending it to cover my face as much as possible. I walk to the cashier and drop a $5 bill.

As I step out, images of the previous night flash in my mind. If the cops had in fact raided my house last night then I was no less than a criminal. A fugitive on the run. Word probably must've spread in the service. I'd have probably become a pity story. From being a special agent to a murderer in less than a week. Shit. I wonder how Benji's faring. Was he safe or was he being dragged into the crossfire? Could he be a possible suspect and not a victim just as we'd planned and I'd hoped.

As I'm about to cross the road, I pause, as I remember I still have my phone in my pocket. The battery's flat but I still try to put it on. It comes on. There's no service and I say a silent prayer, hoping that I can at least make a call to Benji and find out what exactly was happening. Thankfully, the service returns and that's when my heart begins to palpitate. I look closely at the message from an unknown number. "It's a manhunt. They're coming for you. RUN!!!" Immediately, I take out the sim card and throw it as far as I possibly can. I smash the phone on the floor and break it into pieces. I scan the area to see if there's a camera in sight, but thankfully, there's none.

I begin to walk as fast as my legs can take me, wondering where exactly I could go to to hide. "What perfect timing." I mutter, irked, as the rain begins to fall, leaving me drenched from head to toe and that's when it hits me— I'd been offered a job by that pompous jerk. I would have food, shelter; a very safe shelter and most importantly, a gun, a weapon.

"Taxi!" I yell to get a cab. I had only one option left. Finding that man.

******
I find my way to the office of the woman I'd met previously at Fast Guard.

"Good morning, how may I help you?" The woman states dryly, her focus placed on her desktop.

"I'd like to see the um. . . The man, guy, outside the other day. The uh, kidnapping by the docks. The tall guy." I respond, confused at my description. I didn't even know his name.

"You. You, again." The woman responds, looking at me through her glasses. She recognized me, even with my disguise. Shit. I did not do a good job. She picks her intercom and begins to dial a number when we both hear, "Stop," I look beside me, ready to bolt if it was an officer. Instead, it is one of the bodyguards, the one I presumed to be the head bodyguard.

"There's no need for that. She's here for business." He tells her, and I look at him, wondering what in the bloody hell was going on.

"Come with me." He says and for some reason, I feel safe enough to do as he says. I follow him, and he leads me to a room-like office. The women there turn around from their round table discussion to look at us.

"This is. . ."

"Andrea!" I complete, as he begins to introduce me to them.

"She'll be working with us from today. Kat, I want you to show her, teach her and tell her all what she needs to know. She must abide tub them and never go rogue." He says, emphasizing on rogue as he glances back at me.

This was strange. How and why was everything going as I'd hoped? It was extremely odd and I had a feeling something was in play.

"Hey," I hold his hand before he can leave the room. I continue, "I know that you don't like me or what I did so, why are you helping me? I didn't even ask and you gave me what I wanted." I whisper. In my line of work, I'd learned to not enter a place that had the door wide open before I could even knock. This door was open.

"Mr. Brad would like to have you as his personal bodyguard and he asked us to scout you the moment you returned. You may decline if you wish." He says, jerking his hand out of my grasp. I gulp. So his name was Brad. What an ugly name.

"Hey. Name's Kat. Do you know how to fight?"

"As in Kate? Is Kat for short?" I ask, taking in her features. Kat was African American. She had long beautiful hair, light brown eyes and caramel skin. She was a tall woman too, about six inches.

She tries to punch me but I block her hand, shocked. 'What the hell was that for?" I ask, subconsciously.

She kicks my leg and I fall flat on the floor, still not expecting it. She bends over, "Always expect the unexpected." She says as she gives me her hand to get up.

******
As I wash my face, the only thing going through my mind is how to get to Leonid first, before the police get to me. I could be absolved of all allegations if only I found Volkov and handed him over to the police. It would be a win-win situation, killing two birds with one stone. Not only would I be innocent, I would get back my job at the office and most likely be promoted.

I bring out the card that was left behind in my house. It was Volkov's card. A few coordinates placed on it which would probably lead me to him but at the risk of losing my life. I knew going to find him was walking into a lion's den but I had walked into numerous dens long before and I'd always came out unscathed. It's a one man journey. My subconscious reminds me.

"What's your deal?"  I hear a voice say. I'm not sure it's me being asked, so I ignore.

"I'm asking you." Kat states.

"Oh," I respond. "Well, nothing. Why?" I chuckle nervously. Why was I nervous?

"You look pale and, since you got here, you've been rather absent minded. Did you kill someone?" She asks, looking into the mirror while I look at her in horror. What the fuck?

"Jeez, relax, Andrea! I was just kidding, besides, in our line of work you will have to do that. Happens 90% of the time."

I exhale, relieved. I was about to bolt. I knew. As an officer of the law, I'd tried as much as possible to avoid killing people but it was practically unavoidable. I might have had above twenty bodies during raids, shootouts and what not. However, as a law enforcement agent and as a bodyguard too, I was legally permitted to kill people, not that it was morally acceptable. It's just a fact, although, I was none of the above at the time both parties were murdered.

"I know."

"You know? That's good," She turns to the lockers. "The one by the far left, without the nametag. Check it out, they're should be something there that'll fit you. Try to be fast, Mr. Brad's sent for you and you'll have to register and sign some documents before you leave, so be as fast as you can."

"Mr. Brad? He wants me to work for him?" I ask.

"Yes. He requested for you personally, I heard. Anyway, he may look quiet but the man has a very quiet and annoyingly odd temper. Hurry up."

"Wait! Do you perhaps know what he looks like?"

"You'll see. Patience, Andrea." She says as she leaves the room. I stand there, wondering how I would cope  being around that ill mannered man.