Page 38 of Claim Me
"I don’t like being late, Mr. Lowen, but that wasn’t up to me. It depended on how long the prosecutor’s office took with the paperwork. They brought me here twenty minutes ago, and I came up right away."
He doesn’t comment on that, just turns and walks toward the door, but when I don’t move, he stops and says,
"What part of being my personal bodyguard do you not understand? When I leave, you leave with me."
Charming.
I’ve heard the rumors that he’s unpleasant, arrogant, and sharp-tongued. So far the description seems accurate.
I follow him, grabbing my suitcases. Outside the office, near the assistants’ desks, Hector and Ruben are waiting, talking with Blue’s PAs, but they immediately fall into step with us.
We enter the elevator, and suddenly it feels cramped. Everyone stands in a different corner. Blue looks at his tablet while the elevator climbs two more floors.
When the doors open, we step into a corridor where Hector and Ruben stay behind. Blue and I move toward a heavy door where he presses his hand against a biometric scanner. Theentrance looks reinforced, and it closes automatically behind us the moment we walk through.
So this is it.
Blue’s kingdom.
A penthouse on top of a skyscraper.
The place is clearly at least two levels. I can already see stairs leading upstairs, with a metal-and-glass railing.
We walk through a huge open space that I assume is the living room. There are massive modern sofas, a long glass table, large abstract paintings, even a fireplace. Then we move down a wide hallway with doors lining both sides, all of them closed, probably guest rooms or something like that, though I have no idea. We enter a room near the end.
"This will be your room. It has its own bathroom and a walk-in closet."
I look around. It’s a fairly large space with a single bed, a big desk with a laptop, a wardrobe for clothes, and books. The style is minimal, like everything here, but it all looks very refined, both the furniture and the two paintings on the wall depicting a soft, abstract watercolor landscape.
I set my suitcases down and straighten up, looking at him. I meet his light sapphire gaze, but I can’t read it.
"I have another meeting soon, this time in the city, at the AO Cultural Center. Normally I would have additional security whenever I go somewhere unfamiliar. I have a separate team that goes ahead and checks whether everything is safe, but since I have you, I decided that may no longer be necessary," he says, giving me a strange, almost mechanical parody of a smile. "We’ll see."
"Wait… you want me there alone with you?" I say slowly, carefully. "That’s a lot of trust you’re putting in me, which is… interesting."
"I always weigh potential gains against risks, and I see an opportunity here to reduce the cost of my security. I’m a wealthy man, but I’m not wasteful. I prefer spending money on things that make more sense," he replies vaguely.
"We’ll see how that works out, because seeing a few seconds ahead won’t stop a bigger bomb you can’t escape from in under five seconds. I assume you understand that." I keep my face neutral.
"I account for different scenarios. The last person who tried to blow me up, Anzo Ferro, is in prison. There are others who might want to put a bullet in my head, like NFH or NeverTrue, but for now I’m willing to take the risk, since I’m not an announced guest. If I were, it would be different."
I don’t comment on that.
"I’d like to change. I have a few suits with me, and I’m hoping they’ll look appropriate on a bodyguard."
"Of course," Blue says. "I’ll be in the living room."
When he leaves, I open my suitcase and unpack. The suits are folded, but thankfully not wrinkled. I put on a shirt and one of them. I’ve never felt comfortable dressed like this, but I guess this is my life now.
I look at myself in the mirror.
My usual style is T-shirts, hoodies, loose sweatpants or baggy jeans. I’ve never worn suits.
But I have to admit, I look better in one. It adds seriousness, maybe even a bit of elegance. My boyish, nerdy look shifts slightly because of it.
Even that strange black mesh mask doesn’t take much away from the overall look.
I run a hand through my hair, then head toward the living room.
