1.
REDEK
Redek walked through his new home cataloging every window and door he saw and creating a mental map of the house. The opulence didn’t register. He wasn’t interested in expensive vases or the wall of photos depicting his new boss with high-powered people. He was interested in ways assassins could get into the house, and ways he could escape with a charge if it came to that.
“Is there any special etiquette I should know about before I meet him?” he asked the housekeeper, who was taking him to the office of Mr. Marshall, his new employer.
“Oh no, sir. He’s not formal like that,” the portly older woman said. “He’s a wonderful man. He does such good work, you know.”
Redek did know. He’d spent the past two weeks reading every piece of information he could get on Damien Marshall. The philanthropist and businessman was heavily involved in several charities, but Redek hadn’t found any hands-on work. It was all photo opportunities at charity auctions and giving away checks that were only a sliver of his enormous wealth. His money came from the stock market. He was a financial whiz, and had multiplied his already enormous inheritance many times over.
They reached a deep red wooden door, and the housekeeper knocked on the door before bowing and walking away.
It opened after a few moments, and Mr. Marshall greeted him. He was older than he looked in photos, with defined wrinkles beneath his eyes and obviously dyed black hair. “You must be Redek,” he said, extending his hand. “Come in, come in.”
“Mr. Marshall,” Redek replied, stepping inside and allowing the door to be closed behind him. The office was huge, with a large desk in the middle made from the same wood as the door and completely bare except for a computer. The back wall was a single pane of glass that gave a view out over his estate. A large metal fence was just visible in the distance.
“Please, call me Damien. Take a seat. We have a lot to talk about.”
Redek knew better than to argue, even though he preferred to stand. “Thank you, Damien.”
“Now, I know the details were vague when we spoke on the phone, but this is a very personal job and I couldn’t disclose it until we met in person.”
Suytov Security would have sent Redek there to guard a piece of fruit with the amount of money Damien had offered them. All Redek had been told before he was sent to the estate was that Damien Marshall had need of a bodyguard, and he was going to be that bodyguard.
“Of course. I understand the importance of confidentiality.”
“Good. Good. I’m glad to hear it. Now, if you look out of the window you should be able to see a small house in the distance. Just the top of it, anyway. Its roof is peeking out above the trees, there.” Damien spoke like he was nervous and overcompensating, but Redek wasn’t buying it. Nothing in his body language suggested nerves. He was completely confident, shoulders back and holding eye contact longer than was really polite. “That’s where my ward lives.”
“I see.” That was something he hadn’t come across in his research.
Damien paused, watching his face. Redek knew he wasn’t giving anything away. He’d been a bodyguard for fifteen years, and controlling his expression was the first lesson.
“I want you to be her bodyguard,” Damien continued. “Her name is Maddie. Her parents were murdered and she received death threats, too. She can’t leave this estate. She would be in danger. I want you to stay with her and make sure she stays here, and that no one gets to her.”
Redek was pleasantly surprised. So he was here to be a babysitter. That would be a nice change of pace. It was too long since he’d had a vacation. “I would be honored to be the bodyguard of your ward.”
Damien waved him off, lip curling. “I’m not interested in formalities,” he repeated. “I want to know that you’ll look after her.”
“I’ll keep her safe.” Redek softened his expression.
Damien perked up, and went back to his act. “Excellent. Well, excellent. Come on, I’ll take you to meet her and explain some more rules on the way. Tell you more about the staff. There’s always a lot to cover when someone first starts.”
Redek followed behind Damien and gave one ear to the history of the estate he was being given, the rest of his concentration dedicated to building on his mental map. He couldn’t work out Damien’s game. He decided it probably wasn’t designed for him, it must be an act he used in business. Redek had never understood the games people in power played.
He had his role and he stuck to it. He was there to be a shadow, not to get involved.
Maddie’s house was smaller than he’d expected, at least compared to the manor. It was only a little bigger than the apartment he had back on Suytov, and couldn’t have had more than a couple of rooms on each floor.
Damien knocked on the door.
He heard a bang from the other side, a “Fuck!” and then the door swung open. A petite girl wearing pajamas with penguins on—despite it being the middle of summer—stood in the doorway. Her shorts were painfully short, and her shirt’s V-neck didn’t leave much to the imagination. Redek averted his gaze from her. “Damien!” she said, beaming. “It’s been ages since you’ve visited.”
She was older than Redek had been expecting. He’d thought it would be a kid locked away in a house in the garden being given a babysitter, not an adult.
“Hello, Maddie,” he said, not making a move to touch her in any way.
Maddie’s big blue eyes turned to him. She looked him up and down without shame, gaze lingering on his biceps. It took a surprising amount of control not to react. “Who’s this?”
“This is your new bodyguard.”
She stuck her hand out and gave him a wide smile. “I’m Maddie.”
He shook it. “Redek.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” She opened the door wider. “I assume you’re both coming in.”
Damien nodded and they filed into the living room of the house. It was completely bare. The walls were a sterile white with no marks, and it had two three-seater couches even though he suspected she was the only one who lived there.
Redek took his post against the wall in between the window and the door, covering both obvious entry points while his clients sat on a couch.
Maddie raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you just going to stand there?”
“Unless you’d prefer me to stand elsewhere.”
“I’d prefer you to sit down like a normal human being.”
“I’m not a human being.”
She scowled at him, nose scrunching up. "I'd prefer you to sit down like a normal person."
He glanced to Damien, who was smiling. Redek didn't buy the expression, it was too strained. "Of course, sit down. This won't be a job where you need to be completely alert at all times. There's almost no chance anyone should be able to get through my security, but I’m not willing to risk having her left alone. You're the last bastion of our defense."
Redek nodded and took a seat on the couch opposite the pair, sitting straight and not relaxing.
Damien went on to give a big spiel about how Maddie lived in the house by herself, and that she wasn't a child and she wasn't to treat him like a maid. He explained the daily routine, and about his freedom within the position. He could have one day a week off and was permitted to customize his room within the house however he wanted. If he needed any home comforts then he just need tell Damien, and he'd see what he could do.
The whole time Damien spoke, Maddie was appraising Redek with her gaze. He'd never met someone so honest and upfront in her intentions. She wore everything she was thinking on her face. There was curiosity in her roaming gaze, and appreciation in the way she lingered on his arms and lips.
It was making him hot under the collar.
She was gorgeous—short blonde curls that she kept tucked behind her ears, and messy bangs. Big blue eyes beneath long lashes. Curves for days.
If they'd been in a bar and he'd seen her looking at him like that, he wouldn't have thought twice before approaching her.
Now, though, he was struggling not to get a hard-on in front of his new boss.
This had never happened to him before, and it was making it hard to sit still.
"Did you have any questions?" Damien asked, and Redek had to struggle to recall all the information he'd just had dumped on him. He needed to ask a question to prove he'd been listening, to show his attentiveness.
To make sure Damien didn't realize Redek had been thinking about what his ward's lips would feel like on his cock for the past five minutes.
"You mentioned my room. Would it be possible to look around the house? I like to know all possible entry points."
"Of course!" he stood up. "Maddie, show your new guard around. In fact, you go ahead and make sure your room is clean, I just want to settle a few final details."
Maddie nodded her dismissal. She didn't look happy about it, but there was no hesitation in her compliance.
"Suytov's reputation is the reason I've gone to them for a guardian for my ward. It is imperative that this relationship remains professional only."
Redek opened his mouth to assure Damien he was a professional, even if his mind had been in the gutter minutes ago.
Damien held up his hand. "There's no need to look so outraged, it's just something I need to mention, for my own peace of mind. I've seen your work history, and I know you're at the top of your field. But I don't want any personal relationships to form here. No friendships."
He thought it was a strange request. There was no harm in friendships, especially to a girl who was cooped away in this house at the bottom of a garden with no company. He didn't protest though. "I understand," he said. "Our relationship will be strictly professional."
"Good, good." Damien shook Redek's hand. "I have to go and get back to work. Maddie can show you around the house, and she has a direct line to me if you need anything or have any more questions. Your bags have been brought to your room already. She might be a bit intense at first, but she’ll calm down. Just keep your distance when you’re around the house."
"Thank you, Damien."
"Maddie!" his boss called up the stairs. "Come and show your new bodyguard around."
He left before Maddie could come back downstairs, and Redek was left feeling like he was suffocating.
She'd calm down with her explicit looks, and he'd calm down in his reactions to her. They'd settle into a routine, and this job would be just as easy as the last ones.
No problem.