Daniel Bishop
Orlando, Florida
Daniel Bishop was only fifteen years old when he started training with his Uncle Gray at Alpha Security. That was nearly a decade ago, and now Daniel was an integral part of the business and had plans to eventually become a partner.
Daniel's grandfather, Michael Bishop, was the founder and CEO of Bishop Motorcycles, which meant that Daniel was born into a life of freedom and luxury. He had shares in the company and could have easily settled into being a silent partner in the family motorcycle business, but instead, he joined his uncle at Alpha Security.
Alpha was based in Memphis, Tennessee, but Gray Kennedy provided training and placement for elite-level personal security all over the world. He was ex-military and had just the right kind of specialized training to equip the best bodyguards in the business.
He started by training bodyguards for famous actors and musicians, but over the years, his reputation had opened doors with the Secret Service and other, more official types of security. He now had men in important positions all over the world. Alpha Security took pride in training the best of the best.
The initial training camp lasted roughly two years and was highly intensive. The trainees lived on-site, and by the time they had completed the process, they were legitimately lethal weapons. They were capable of handling crisis situations and protecting their clients, but they also had integrity and impeccable manners, which was what set Gray's program apart from others of its kind. Gray knew his men would be a major part of their clients' lives, so they were trained to not only be protectors but also companions.
Daniel was only a teenager when he began training at Alpha, so he had gone through the program a few times over and was now an instructor. He didn't begin his journey at Alpha with the intention of working as a bodyguard, however—the whole thing was more of a family intervention.
Gray had told Daniel that he was "big for his age" and would be "the ideal bodyguard when he got old enough", but all that was just a way to convince him to begin the program. As a teenager, Daniel had shown signs of self-destructive behavior; so basically, his Uncle Gray was just giving him the opportunity to get involved with the intention of trying to keep him out of trouble.
Gray's plan was a complete success.
In the years since Daniel had begun the program, he had not only managed to stay out of trouble, but had also been molded into an intelligent warrior and leader who was capable of training and inspiring other men. Daniel was an important part of Gray's team, and both of them were grateful for the way things had played out.
This weekend, however, Daniel was not in Memphis training and inspiring at Alpha Security. In fact, he didn't feel much like a warrior at all as he stood on the sidelines of his sister's gymnastics tournament, holding a bag that reeked of perfume and was full of sparkly things and hair products.
Orlando, Florida (and Disney specifically) was a vacation destination for most people, but Gray was there for only one reason, and that was to support his 17-year-old sister, Ivy, as she competed with her gymnastics team.
Their mother, Rose, had come on the trip as well. The two women could have, no doubt, made the trip on their own, but Ivy begged Daniel to come, saying that she didn't have plans to continue with the sport after high school and this would be one of her very last meets. She also mentioned that she and the other girls on the team needed protection since they were in a tourist town and there were probably villains waiting around every corner to take advantage of young, unsuspecting women.
Needless to say, Ivy knew how to push Daniel's buttons, and now he found himself playing the role of 'team brother' while they competed in the meet. Ivy's coach was a family friend of theirs, so at Ivy's request, Daniel had been given an all-access pass to go down on the floor with the girls during the competition.
He had been to a couple of these tournaments when Ivy was younger, but never one of this magnitude. From a security standpoint, he was actually glad he had decided to come with them. He found himself on the sidelines, scanning the audience and making sure everyone was safe.
Ivy's team was doing their vault routines when Daniel's phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and looked at it, noticing that there was a missed call from his uncle. He was still looking at the screen when a text came in.
Gray: "Call me ASAP!"
Gray was not one to overreact or be dramatic, so Daniel knew it must be serious. His sister was sitting a few feet away with the other girls on her team, and he crossed over to her, handing her the duffle bag.
"Where are you going?" she asked with a curious expression.
"I have to call Uncle Gray," he said.
He was somewhat aware of the fact that several of the girls on the team had crushes on him—most of Ivy's friends did—it just worked out that way with their age difference and the fact that Daniel was a big, tough guy. They all tried their best to get his attention, and usually Daniel would smile or be polite to them, but this time, he stayed focused on his sister.
"Did you see my vault?" she asked.
He smiled and nodded. "Good job," he said. "Proud of you."
"Are you coming right back?" she asked.
He nodded again as he walked away.
Daniel made his way off of the mats, heading toward the concession area. He glanced at his mom on his way out and noticed that she was preoccupied talking to some of the other parents in the stands. He dialed the number and put the phone to his ear as soon as he was able to hear his call.
"Daniel?" Gray said, picking up on the first ring.
"Yeah, what's up? Is everything okay?"
"I'm glad you called me back. We've got a problem down in Miami. Trevor Bailey's sick. He's in the hospital with a high fever. They're running tests on him."
"I'm sorry," Daniel said. "What can I do to help?"
"You can fill in for him tomorrow. His client has some press engagements followed by a concert."
Daniel was perfectly capable of doing the job, but he cringed at the thought of it. There was a reason he was an instructor rather than a bodyguard—he would much rather work with the staff of Alpha Security than with the stars they protected. He knew he had the skillset to fill in for Trevor, but he really wasn't looking forward to it.
"What about Nick?" he asked after a few seconds of contemplation.
"Nick's not ready for a job like this," Gray said.
Daniel knew Gray was right. For the past few years, Trevor Bailey had been providing personal security to the ultra-famous, blonde bombshell Courtney Cole. She was the definition of a pop princess. Trevor was amazing at his job—a solid-rock of a man—smart, quick, and extremely dangerous in a confrontation, which was exactly what was needed for a job of this caliber.
"What about James?" Daniel asked.
"James would do it, but he just left for Japan with John Mayer."
Daniel thought of asking about Hank, Charles, or Michael, but he could tell his uncle wanted him to do the job. He took a deep breath. "Miami?" he asked.
"Yes," Gray said. "That's why I called you. I knew you were already down there in Florida. It's only about a four-hour drive from Orlando, and we don't need you there till first thing in the morning. I figured that gave you plenty of time to finish what you're doing with Ivy."
Daniel was quiet for so long that Gray added, "She's only got two more dates on this tour—New Orleans and Dallas. If Trevor's still sick, we can get someone else to fill in for the other two. It'll just really help us out if you can cover Miami."
"Sure," Daniel said even though it was the last thing he wanted to do.
"Great. Thank you. I wouldn't ask if we weren't in a bind."
"I know," Daniel said.
"You need to be at her hotel by eight tomorrow morning. She's got to be somewhere before noon, and it's gonna be a little bit of a hassle getting her over there. I'll email you with the details."
"Okay."
"Thank you," Gray said.
"No problem."
"Seriously, I know you don't want to do it. I really appreciate it."
"It's fine," Daniel said. "It'll be good."
The gentlemen hung up, and Daniel put his phone in his pocket. As he headed back towards the main auditorium, he felt a pang of dread begin to build in his gut. He loved working with the guys and training them, but honestly, he didn't care for working one-on-one with clients—especially one as high profile as Courtney Cole. It was fine, though, it was just one day of his life, and sometimes you just have to take one for the team.
"What did Uncle Gray need?" Ivy asked as Daniel approached.
Their team was now finished with the vault and everyone was just sitting around, waiting to be called to the next event.
"He asked me to do some work," Daniel said.
Ivy gave him a curious expression. She knew her brother was reluctant to give details, so it was an expression she wore all the time when she was around him.
"He needs me to do a job—to fill in for a guy who got sick."
"You mean as a bodyguard?" she asked.
He nodded.
"I thought you didn't do that."
"I don't, normally."
"So, why are you this time?"
"Because it's a big job, and the guy got sick," Daniel said.
"When is it?"
"Tomorrow, but I'll leave tonight."
"Where do you have to go?"
"Why so many questions?"
"Because I want you to stay for the awards ceremony. I might place on floor."
"I'll stay to see you get your ribbon," he said. "I don't have to leave till later tonight. Uncle Gray said it's only a four-hour drive."
"Where is it?"
"Miami."
"Who are you working for?"
"Some singer."
"Is he famous?"
"She, and yes."
"How famous?" Ivy asked.
"Very."
"Who is it, Daniel?"
"That Cole girl."
"Courtney?" Ivy asked, looking utterly stupefied. "Courtney Cole?"
Daniel looked around with an expression that hinted to Ivy to keep her voice down.
"Courtney Cole?" she whispered in an urgent tone.
He gave her a nod.
"You're doing security for Courtney Cole? Are you kidding me right now?"
He shook his head.
"You're lying," she said, pushing at his shoulder.
"I wish I was," he said seriously.
Ivy took a hold of her brother's arm, squeezing it so hard that he looked at her with a disapproving expression.
"You have to take me with you!" she whispered. She looked over her shoulder at the other girls before focusing on Daniel again. "Britney, too," she said. "Britney would flip if she knew I got to meet Courtney Cole and didn't take her."
Daniel let out a humorless laugh. "You're not coming with me, and your friend's surely not. I don't even want to go on this job. Her normal guy got sick, and I'm filling in for one day."
"Do you get to go backstage?" she asked.
Daniel looked at her as if she should know better than to ask such a question.
"You have to take me," she said. "I'll never ask you for anything again in my whole life, but Daniel, you have to do it. You've been working with Uncle Gray forever, and you never go on jobs. All of your guys work with these awesome people, and I never get to meet any of them. Courtney Cole is my very favorite singer, Daniel, and you know it. She's the one I went to see in Nashville a few years ago with Britney. We had to sit in the nosebleed section. Please, Daniel, I promise I'll stay out of your way. I'll sit in the corner and let you do your job. You won't even know I'm there. I'll just sit over by the wardrobe person. I'll help. I'll do grunt work. People always need help with grunt work."
Ivy's expression was so genuinely heartbroken at the thought of being left out that Daniel found himself actually thinking about it. He knew it was completely unprofessional and would never have thought about it under normal circumstances, but the circumstances weren't really normal with Trevor's unexpected absence and everything. Plus, Daniel had a guilt-driven soft spot for his siblings that made it almost impossible for him to say 'no' to any of them. He did not want to do the job in the first place, much less take on the added pressure of babysitting his little sister. But he looked at her pleading expression and remembered how short life was and how bad he would feel if he let her down and then never had the chance to make it up to her.
Daniel felt the dread that had been building inside of him begin to grow as he contemplated taking Ivy along.
She could see his expression change as he began to consider it, and she reached out and squeezed him tightly.
"I didn't agree to it," he said.
"I know, but you're thinking about it."