Andria stretched in her bed and yawned, then sat up. The familiar sounds of seagulls rang out and she walked toward the balcony window of her room. She pulled the curtains back and opened the glass sliding door. The warm air of Virginia Beach blew around her and she inhaled a deep breath, appreciating the warmth of the sun on her face.

Making her way back inside to her kitchen, the coffee just finished brewing and she poured herself a cup. Adding in cream from the fridge and a teaspoon of sugar, she stirred and sipped. She ran her fingers through her unruly bedhead. Having thick, straight hair was tough enough without having curls.

She walked toward her bathroom to shower and get herself ready for the day. She took another sip and sat the coffee down. Testing the water, it was perfect. She stripped and stepped inside. The warm water ran down her body and she appreciated the silence that enveloped her.

Five years had passed since her father’s untimely death, and the anniversary was fast approaching. Suzy moved to Virginia Beach with her and bought a home not too far from Andria’s. Both women lived on the beach and could not imagine life any other way.

As soon as she finished washing her hair and body, she stepped out, dried off, and pulled on her robe. She picked up her coffee and took another sip. A knock rapped at her door. Startled, she took a deep breath and closed her robe tighter around her body.

She walked to her front door, curious if it was Suzy. She would let herself in otherwise, why knock? She peeked through the hole and found an older gentleman in a suit on the other side.

“May I help you?” Andria asked through the door.

“Are you Alexandria Huffton?”

“Yes, I am. Who might you be?”

“Miss Huffton, I am with the county clerk’s office. I have a certified letter for you, please.” The man held the letter up to the peephole and indeed, he had a certified letter.

Curious, she unlocked her door and looked out, barely opening it. The man held out the letter with a pen. She signed it and handed the envelope and pen back. He ripped off the certified portion and handed her the letter. “Good day, ma’am,” he told her and turned away from her front door.

She closed the door, locked it, and frowned at the letter, until she saw the return address.

Colorado Department of Corrections.

Her heart felt as if it stopped, or maybe skipped a beat. Adrenaline shot through her body and her stomach flipped in waves of nerves.

She sighed and closed her eyes. Daddy’s anniversary is coming soon. Why now? Why this letter? He wasn’t up for parole. What happened?

Andria opened her eyes and bit her lip. She slid her finger under the lip of the envelope and opened it. She skimmed it and looked for the important part of the letter, the part that dealt with Draven. She would never escape him. She would always be notified if something happened to him, whether that was moving him, or a possibility of parole, which they told her was impossible.

Then she found it, the part that would explain the letter. Her hands shook and tears slipped down her cheeks. She fell to her knees and cried.

“No, please God, no!” She pressed her palm to the wall and made herself stand. She wiped at her eyes and walked to her cell phone on the charger. Pressing the speed dial to Suzy, she waited for her sister to answer.

“Hello, sister. What are you…”

Andria cried into the phone. She didn’t give Suzy a chance to finish her sentence.

“Shit, what happened? Andria, are you home?”

“Yes, I’m home. I just received a letter from Denver Corrections.”

“Oh no, what happened? Did someone kill the fucking bastard?”

“You think I’d be crying about that?”

“Oh, sorry, no. Andria, tell me, what happened?”

Andria sniffed and took in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. “Draven has escaped prison. He escaped two days ago.”

“Go nowhere. I’m coming over. Do not answer the door unless it’s me, understood?”

Andria nodded into the phone, then realized Suzy could not see her. “Yes, understood.”

“Good. I’ll see you shortly.” Suzy hung up and Andria put her phone down.

She walked to her bedroom and sat down on the bed. Staring out the window, the seagulls flew by in search of their morning breakfast while Andria’s coffee grew cold in her cup.

* * *

The sound of a door being opened caught Andria’s attention and she stood from her bed. She knew it was Suzy coming over, but it didn’t matter, fear still clenched her chest. When Suzy stepped through and locked the door behind her, Andria sagged on her bed.

“I’m up here,” Andria called. She setup her floor plan to have the master bedroom have direct sight access to the front door of her home. The garage door was locked, and the sliding doors of her home were also locked. All bedrooms were upstairs where the den and kitchen were on the lower levels.

Suzy made her way upstairs. When she entered Andria’s room, she stood and Suzy came to her with open arms. She hugged her sister and Andria sobbed onto her shoulder.

“Why? Why on Daddy’s anniversary?”

Suzy shook her head. “I don’t know, sis, but we’re not going to take this sitting down, you hear me?”

Andria pulled away and wiped at her eyes and nose. “What’s your plan?”

“You are going to get some sort of security detail. No idea what or how it will happen, but that son of a bitch always finds you and I’ll be damned if he does anything to you ever again. I almost lost you when we lost Daddy. I won’t let that happen again.”

Andria nodded and lowered her head. The day her father died, Draven almost killed her. When she arrived at the hospital, she had received morphine. Something she wished she could go back in time and thank the EMTs for doing. When she woke in the hospital, post-surgery, she had stitches over her right breast and her left arm in a sling.

Draven had shattered her wrist and forearm. He had also stabbed her in the chest with a steak knife.

“Okay,” Andria started and walked to her dresser. She pulled out capris, a short-sleeved t-shirt, and undergarments. “First things first. I need to get dressed. When the letter arrived,” she turned to face Suzy, “I did nothing until you arrived. I felt like I couldn’t move.” She shook her head and opened her robe. “After five damn years, that asshole still holds fear over me.” She pulled on her panties and fastened her bra.

“He’s a plague that needs to be extinguished,” Suzy offered.

“Exactly.” She pulled her on pants and top, then ran her brush through her dark locks. She looked to Suzy and noticed she had pulled her hair in a messy bun. They had the same hair and skin color, but where Andria had green eyes, Suzy’s were brown.

“My computer is downstairs. Come on.” Andria led the way and offered coffee to her sister. She refilled her own cup and took a seat at her desk.

She sighed and stared at the blank Google screen. “What do I put in?”

“Try personal bodyguard.”

She looked to Suzy. “Do I need a bodyguard?”

“Umm, yeah. Restraining orders don’t do shit. Type it in.”

She nodded and turned back around. She put in ‘Personal Body Guard,’ then hit search. She was surprised the number of results that returned, along with the Whitney Houston Bodyguard movie.

The first one on the list, GAPS, she clicked on.

“Guardian Angel Protection Services—‘They've Got Your Six!’" she read aloud.

“Wow, look at them,” Suzy remarked.

Andria turned her head to face her sister with a raised brow. “You’re being creepy. Back up.”

She smiled. “Can’t help it. Former SEALs? Hot.”

Andria shut her laptop screen and turned in the chair to her sister. “I’m not looking for a dating agency, I’m looking for someone to keep me safe.”

“Look,” Suzy started and squatted down. “I get it. You need this. I was only saying it would be nice, maybe fun, to have a hot man guarding you twenty-four seven. You know? Like the boy next door grew up all hot.”

Andria shook her head. “Go get me more coffee, would you?” she handed her the cup.

“It’s still full.”

“Yeah, and it’s cold. Go.”

As Suzy took her cup and left the room, Andria reopened her laptop. She clicked on the About Us link and read the information. The middle banner had an anchor with a machine gun crossing it with angel wings. Guardian Angel Protection Services—we cover your six when God’s too busy.

Andria read more and found them to be a security detail for business and private matters. She picked up her phone and put in the address coordinates and found them to be only a few miles away. She stood from her desk as Suzy walked in with a to-go cup sealed and ready to go.

“I have their address on my phone and they’re pretty close by.” She felt small with the next words she spoke. “Will you go with me? I don’t want to do this alone.”

Suzy smiled. She stepped closer and placed her hands on her sister’s shoulders. “Of course. I would have anyway.”

Andria nodded with a smile. She felt a small win release the tension in her body. It’s not a sprint, Andria, this is a marathon. One small win at a time. “Of course. Let’s go.”