Page 3 of The Bodyguard's Fall

But Liv was…magnetic.

In a room full of people, she wasn’t the loudest or the boldest, but she was the one everyone wanted to be around. I thought I was here for Will and free food, but I found myself continually drawn back to her…and usually with a smile on my face.

Maybe it was habit. Watching over her had become second nature. But according to Will, she’d settled down, had good friends, and found a job she loved. And it showed.

She moved around the room, laughing and teasing almost everyone she passed by. She snuck cupcakes to her younger cousins, took her wheelchair-bound grandpa for a spin out on the dance floor, and even helped the kitchen staff bring out more food.

I almost felt flattered that she also made time to mess with me.

“Smile. You’re at a wedding,” she said as she brushed past, her arms full of dishes, just as I was grabbing a Coke from the drink table.

“Sit down. You’re at a wedding,” I countered.

She got rid of the plates and came back.

“Actually, maybe you can help me with something,” she said, a sparkle in her eyes.

“What?” I asked.

“I’m writing screenplays now; did you know that?”

“I heard.”

“My current villain is this mysterious guy who murders people while wearing a tux. Very similar to the one you’re wearing. I think you could nail the vibe.”

“Don’t give me any ideas,” I said pleasantly, taking a sip of my Coke. “I already don’t like you.”

Undeterred, she moved in closer. “I think having a picture in my mind would really help. Could you lean against the wall and smolder for a minute?”

At the look I shot her, she only laughed and moved away, my gaze following after her.

It was some time later that I noticed Liv had another admirer.

I wasn’t sure how he caught my attention at first. The reception hall was full of people standing in groups. I was across the room, talking with my older brother, Ben, and a few other friends. I tried to keep my thoughts focused on the conversation, but something about the man had piqued my interest.

He was dressed in a rumpled yellow button-down shirt tucked into brown pants. He had light-brown hair and glasses that filled much of his face. His body was narrow in the shoulders and thicker in the hips, and his shoes looked like they were a few sizes too large for his body.

Was it a coincidence that when Liv moved off the dance floor to chat with her brother, this guy angled his body so he could see her? Another time I was certain he was headed her way to ask her for a dance, only to be beaten by another guy.

He didn’t belong anywhere. Nobody spoke to him. He stood on the outskirts of small groups clustered together, where it almost looked like he was a part of something, but he may as well have been invisible.

“Did you catch the Eagles game the other night?” Ben asked me. I blinked, taking a minute to understand what he’d said.

“You alright?” Ben asked, somewhat amused. Even now, I had to look up to meet his eyes. He was the brother just older than me and the one I grew up doing everything with. He eyed the room, trying to see what had my attention.

I cleared my throat and refocused. I had my first undercover operation with the Burlington Police Department on Monday, and I was most likely a little too keyed up. The guy was probably harmless. I could easily point out a handful of men in this room who had their eyes on Liv.

“Yeah. Did you see that interception?” I asked Ben. His stubbled face lit up as he began describing the whole thing to me, even though we’d both seen it.

My eyes moved back over to the man in yellow, and this time, I tensed. He had taken a few steps onto the dance floor where Liv stood with several of her cousins, finishing up a rousing rendition of the “Cha-Cha Slide.”

When she did her last turn to the horrific music, she stopped abruptly. Her back stiffened. The man only waved and stepped forward. From my position, he seemed to expect her to be happy to see him.

She was not.

Liv immediately took a step back. Instead of taking the hint, the man took a few steps forward until he was right in front of her, talking animatedly, while she crossed her arms and eyed the exits. Then he placed his hand on her arm. Liv jerked backward.

I left Ben mid-sentence.