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*Not edited*
Bryn's POV
When officer O'Conner left the building, the three of us stood still for a moment. Both men were engaged in what seemed to be a serious conversation, while I was left to look around the room, aimlessly. It was rather awkward, to say the least.
My mind was still swarming with the thoughts of leaving my family and home for who knows how long, and it was taking a bit of strength to push the tears back and stop them from resurfacing again. It didn't seem real that this was actually happening to me, but I had I to get over it and cooperate in the situation as best as I could if I wanted to make it back out of it as safely and as soon as possible. I needed to trust these people with my life, and I was trying my best to do so. It was harder than it sounds, however.
"Miss. Lassiter?" I snapped out of my own little bubble when I heard my name being called. I turned my head to see Mr. Horan staring at me intently, which caused my cheeks to heat up at the realization that he had been trying to get my attention for some time.
"Um, yes, sorry." I flushed and looked down, unable to hold eye-contact.
"It's time to go," he said, sending me smile when I looked up at him again.
"Oh, uh, okay," I stuttered. I was in a heap of panic on the inside, terrified that it was time to go already. I was hoping that the part where we actually left would be held off for a little longer.
"Great. Here, I'll take your bags." He held his hand out for my stuff and took it all from me with ease. I sent a quiet thank-you as he headed for the front door.
We had made it all the way to a black SUV that was parked across the road before I noticed that the other man, Mr. Heston, was following behind us. I wondered why, but chose to ignore the fact until a further explanation of everything was given to me. I still didn't even know where we were going, so I had more important things to worry about at the moment.
"Miss. Lassiter, please allow me to explain the following situation to you," Mr. Heston spoke, turning his face to make sure he had my attention.
"Please, call me Bryn. Miss. Lassiter is too formal for me," I requested, smiling lightly. It was obvious I was beyond nervous, as I kept moving my foot back and forth along the pavement and I was sure they could see the sweat accumulating on my hands if they looked.
"Of course. Now, we know you want to be in any other situation at the moment, but unfortunately you have to take these precautions to keep yourself out of danger. I'm just going to tell you that from this moment on, we are your trust system. You can trust us with any information you know, or anything that you find out. You essentially need to trust us with your life, especially Niall." He glanced at Mr. Horan who stood beside me and then back to me. I took at quick look at the young man myself, and blushed as I made eye-contact. I was so awkward around new people, it was hard for me not to be.
"I know." I nodded.
"You can do that?" He asked, making sure I was comfortable with this right from the start. And I was, in a sense. I mean, I was sort of out of my comfort zone by going with a bunch of people I had just met, and I was very shy with at the moment, but I did trust them. This was their job, they had done it all before probably numerous times and they were used to it. They were trained for this sort of thing, and the whole purpose of me being in their custody is to stay safe; of course I had to trust them. I had no other choice.
"Yes."
"Good. We have decided that you and Niall will be located in Manhattan. You will be leaving now." He stated, smiling again. I immediately started getting more nervous knowing that I would be on my way soon and I would be left alone with my new guard who I had yet to get to know. I supposed Manhattan wasn't too far away, considering I live in Brooklyn and as I was expecting to be headed to somewhere further. I wasn't complaining, however. I took that as great news.
"Manhattan?" I asked, making sure I had heard right the first time.
"Yes. No one but the organization knows where you will be located and no one else is allowed to know. You are already aware of that, correct?" I nodded. "Me and Niall will be in touch the whole time. I will be giving the directions for anything important and you will be notified by me if anything happens. As long as you follow the instructions that Niall gives you, everything will be fine. He is one of the best bodyguards we have, so don't worry; you're in good hands." He explained. It made me feel the tiniest bit better to know that the main boss thought of Niall as one of the best. It was a great reassurance.
"Okay." I nodded my head, trying my best to show a smile. It was hard to act happy in a situation such as this one. I was being ripped away from my home and family and friends. It wasn't the happiest of moments.
I zoned out as Niall spoke to his boss for a final few minutes until we left. I decided that whatever it was they were saying to each other didn't really matter to me, as it was most likely just further rules for him to follow and enforce upon me once we got to our destination. If that was the case, I was sure I would be hearing it all again later, anyway. I hadn't realized I had been staring at the two of them until the blonde boy's eyes caught mine. He smiled as I blushed and looked away, embarrassed that I had been so unfocused that I didn't know I was staring.
The passenger door of the vehicle was opened for me a few moments later and I was ushered inside with yet another bright smile. Mr. Horan climbed in next to me on the driver's side and Mr. Heston stood outside my door as the window was rolled down.
"Call me when you get there. Drive safe. It was lovely meeting you, Bryn. Don't worry about this, we've got it all under control," He assured me after giving my guard those quick instructions.
"Thank you very much," I told him, and I couldn't have meant it more. Sure, I didn't want to be here at all, but I was still great full for their work.
With one more goodbye and a final instruction for Niall to follow, he pulled
the car onto the road and I watched the building fade behind us in the side mirror. The more time that went by in silence, the more tears that started to build up in my eyes. As we continued to drive, it kept sinking in more and more how real this suddenly was becoming. I was actually leaving now with a man that I didn't know for an amount of time that no one was certain of. It was like my whole life just suddenly turned into a movie and someone hit pause, because that's what was happening; my life was being put on hold while I literally ran from my problems. Everything played over and over again in my head until I couldn't take it any more and the tears finally started to fall.
"Are you okay?" Niall's voice interrupted the silence. I brought my hands to my face and quickly wiped the tears from my eyes out of embarrassment before I turned to look at him.
"I'll be okay," I answered softly.
The truth was, I wasn't exactly okay at the moment, but I knew I would be eventually. As more time passed, I'd get used to the idea of this and all of it wouldn't faze me as much. Of course, I would always have that fear of being found, but I wouldn't mind having to do this as much.
"You're right, you will be." He nodded, glancing at me briefly. "I know that all of this feels surreal right now, and I understand that you're probably scared, but it will all be okay. My job is to keep you safe, and I promise you that I will be trying my hardest to do just that. Try not to worry so much, alright?" His assurance was very appreciated and I knew already that being with him during this wouldn't be so bad. He seemed like a very nice person, but I would admit that his accent was distracting. I was so mesmerized by the sound of his voice that I forgot to respond. He stared at me for as long as he could before he had to focus on the road again, and I was immediately brought out of my trance when he called my name.
"Oh right." I cleared my throat. "Thank you. I don't think you could ever know how much I appreciate it." I was being completely sincere, and I could tell that he knew that.
"That's what I'm here for." He smiled brightly at me and the car was once again filled with silence.
By the time we arrived in Manhattan the sun was already starting to set. It wasn't that late, but I was feeling rather exhausted after everything that had occurred throughout the day. To me it felt like this had been going on for weeks, but in reality it had only been a few short days.
"This is the hotel we will be staying at for the time being." The silence was cut once again, and I looked forward to see a beautiful hotel come into view. It looked quite large, and I was actually feeling some excitement as we pulled into the parking lot.
"How long will we be here?" I spoke timidly, unbuckling my seatbelt after the car was parked.
"That's undetermined." He answered. "Come on, we'll grab the bags and head inside."
We hopped out of the vehicle and he took the majority if the bags out of the trunk, only handing me one to carry. We walked to the front entrance in silence, and I noticed how he looked around at our surroundings the whole way, taking precaution. So far, I felt safe with him. I did the same thing as I looked around the place, taking in the part of the city that I could see from here. I observed the tall building, as well, my mouth agape as I took in the breathing taking sight before us. This place had to be expensive.
"You stand with the bags while I go check in," he instructed as he opened the door, holding it open for me. I nodded my head and watched as he headed for the front desk. I couldn't help but check him out as he walked. There was no denying that he was an unbelievably attractive man, and I had a feeling it would be a challenge to act like I didn't think so when I was around him. The last thing I wanted was to be caught staring at him again, because I'm sure he probably saw my blush when it occurred earlier.
I looked away from him when he turned away from the counter to make his way back over to me. He smiled at me as he caught my eye, holding out a keycard for me to take.
"Here, you hold onto this one incase I misplace mine. It's bound to happen at one point." He chuckles softly. I smile in return. "We'll be staying in room fifteen-seventeen on the fifteenth floor," he informs me.
The ride up in the elevator wad somewhat awkward, as expected. We were still two strangers, sticking together like we've known each other forever, and the concept of this was weird to think about, but this was my life now. We stood there in the small space by ourselves, looking around aimlessly as the numbers uncovers the door seemed to change far too slowly. Finally, however, they read fifteen and the doors slid open. We walked down the hallway, reading each door as we passed by, eventually reaching our room. Niall swiped the card in the door and pushed it open, gesturing me inside.
"Since we are essentially going to be living here for the time-being, make yourself at home as much as you can," he suggested, putting the suitcases off to the side of the living room. "We want to make sure you're as comfortable as possible until this is all over," he informed me, referring to the organization.
"I'll try." I let out a small sigh, smiling at him. I greatly appreciated his efforts to make this easier on me
"Don't worry, this is going to take some getting used to for me, too," he admitted, offering me smile as well. I furrowed my eyebrows slightly, however, wondering why it would be a struggle for him.
"Are you not used to it by now?" I asked him. If he is said to be one of the best bodyguards, wouldn't that mean he had done this before?
"I have only being working in the agency for a few years. I don't think this is something you ever really get used to." He shrugged his shoulders, taking in my expression. I understood what he meant. I guess having to live that kind of lifestyle and being a twenty-four-hour guard to something in a lot of danger never really got old. It was an important job and he wasn't going to be off the clock until there was no longer a great toward me. I couldn't be grateful enough that he was doing this for me, regardless of if it was his job or not.
"I admire that you're actually willing to take on a job like this," I admitted to him, laughing a little. He chuckles, shaking his head lightly.
"It's starting to get late, so I imagine you're just as tired as I am. I want you to try and get some sleep, and we can go over some rules and regulations in the morning, okay?" I nodded my head in reply. "But for now, I need to make sure you don't have any devices on you. Was your phone already taken from you?" He asked, complete seriousness now taking over his voice and features.
"Yes. Detective O'Connor already informed me that I'm not allowed to have contact with anyone," I answered, looking away from him. His gaze was so intense I struggled not to squirm in my place as he stared at me.
"Not only contacting people, but location tracking is also a concern. I just need to make sure you don't have your phone on you." He explained.
"I don't. But you do." I pointed toward the phone he set on the coffee table, raising my eyebrows.
"I have it strictly to contact Wren. He's my boss and the head of the agency, so I need to be in frequent contact with him. The location devices are turned off and locked at all times. Wren and the agency are the only numbers programmed for me to safely make a call to. I can't even dial another number without those devices being unsecured. I can assure you that you have nothing to worry about," he explained.
"Okay." I nodded shyly. I didn't understand how any of that worked, but I trusted that he knew what he was talking about.
"Go on to bed, we can continue talking tomorrow." He picked up my things and walked me to one of the small rooms, gesturing me inside. "I'll be in the one right across." He pointed out the door, where I could see the other bedroom.
"Thank you," I told him softly, looking up at him.
"Goodnight, Bryn." He smiled before leaving the room. My name leaving his tongue sounded so foreign due to his accent.
I observed the room I would be staying in, taking in the sight of the bed, a dresser, and a nightstand. I was grateful that there was a small closet, as well. The room was rather plain, but it would do; it had to.
I got changed into my pyjamas and settled into the bed, thinking about everything that was happening to me. The day had really taken it's toll on me, and I felt like I was about to pass out any second.
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Longer chapter than usual. I didn't get the chance to edit this yet, so hopefully it all made sense. I hope you enjoyed! Leave a comment and don't forget to vote if you liked it! Thank you so much, I love you.
Bailey xx