Page 8 of The Bodyguard's Fall

“Where am I going, and why can I only bring one bag? The beach? The desert? A cabin in a dark forest? It’s hard to pack when I know nothing.”

“You can bring two bags if you have to. But don’t pack too much. Make it look like you’re still living there.”

“How much stuff do you think I take when I go on a trip?”

“You never go anywhere, so if he’s monitoring your apartment in some way we’re not aware of, he’ll probably notice if you’ve packed for a week. I mean it. Leave some of your makeup on the counter. Dishes out. That kind of thing.”

“And you’re sure I can’t take my car?”

Will sighed, and I already knew what he was about to tell me. But I couldn’t help it. The thought of leaving it behind was almost a dealbreaker for me. Whenever I did venture outside, my car was the one thing that brought me a measure of security. Something mobile with walls that I could hide behind. Or escape to. I didn’t know where Will was taking me, but it sounded like I was going to be dropped off somewhere without a way to leave. The whole idea of it was unnerving.

“No. If your car’s gone, that would ruin our cover. You’ll be fine, I promise. Just trust me, ok? If you have an extra minute, maybe clean your room and throw all your dirty underwear into the laundry bin. Susan, one of my cops, will be staying there, pretending to be you. Don’t embarrass me.”

“Shut up,” I said, though inside I was grateful for his teasing. It made packing and chatting in the middle of the night feel somewhat normal. I put my laptop in its case and tossed in a pretty, unused notebook as well.

“Also…grab any files or legal documents you have, like your birth certificate, passport…things like that. So you have it with you. Just in case.”

“Just in case what? He burns my apartment down?” My gaze lifted to the bookshelf next to my fireplace, combing over every precious book, photo album, and picture frame I owned.

“Just grab them. Don’t overthink it. It’s just in case this takes longer than we’re planning. If you’ve got some extra cash on hand, grab that too.”

“You’re so bossy,” I muttered, pulling documents from a file cabinet. A lump in my throat began to form before I swallowed it and focused my attention on the task at hand.

“Do you even have extra cash around?” he demanded in the obnoxious older-brother voice he’d perfected over the years.

“Yes. Just not seven secret stashes in all different locations like you told me to, Grandma.”

“Bet you wish you’d listened now. Also, leave your cell. I got you a new number and another burner phone.”

To anybody else, that statement might have crippled them. To me, it was just another Thursday night with my brother. I’d been through a dozen burner phones and now kept a list of my friends’ numbers in a little black book, like it was 1990.

I went silent for a few moments, grabbing a second suitcase and stuffing it full of jackets, scarves, hoodies, and beanies. Not that I would be going anywhere that would require wearing multiple layers and clothes with buttons, but it was fun to imagine.

“You’re not sending me to a beach, right? You said we weren’t going that far away?” I attempted to confirm.

“Not a beach and stop talking. I’ll tell you in the car. Are you almost done? I’m ready to come up.”

“Don’t come up,” I insisted, though everything inside of me protested my words. I would not be scared in front of my brother. I would start acting like a main character if it killed me—which, apparently, it might. “I’ll be fine. I’m headed out now. I’ll meet you at your car.”

“No. You’ll meet me at your apartment building exit, where I will be waiting,” Will said stubbornly. “If you’re not down in one minute, I’m busting down the door.”

I hung up and did one final sweep of my apartment. I had only lived here for two months. Long enough for it to start feeling more comfortable, but not long enough to feel like home. After moving all of my things once before, this time, I opted to put most of my stuff in a storage unit and live in a furnished apartment. It was fine. It was just until…Leroy went away. Or lost interest. Or…

Did something scary enough for me to move again or scary enough to get caught.

I gripped the door handle, took a breath, and…stayed just like that for another long moment.

My brother was downstairs, a gun at his hip, ready to fight my bad guys, and I was incredibly grateful that I had him. It would be so easy to text Will and have him come up and walk me to his car.

But he couldn’t always be with me, and I was determined to not need him to be. So I took a shaky breath, flipped open the lid of the tiny bottle of Mace I kept on my keychain, and yanked open the door.

The hallway was empty. Just as I suspected. One sleepy yellow light dimly lit the shared space between my apartment and the three others on my floor.

It was always empty.

Like it, too, was waiting for that one time it wouldn’t be.

I paused, listening for any unnatural sound or disturbance in the air, before I quietly closed and locked my door.