I cheered loudly as Dara wheeled away in celebration, pumping her fists in the air and followed by a gaggle of her teammates.

“Atta girl!” I shouted. “Great goal!”

“She’s good,” came Jake’s voice from my left shoulder. “Real good.”

I nodded and turned to smile at him, the tension between us temporarily forgotten in the excitement of the moment.

“Way better than I ever was,” I said to him with a rueful grin. “She’s got that natural talent that you just can’t teach.”

Jake was still watching her with the same expression a talent scout might’ve had - appraising, critical. Even watching a teen soccer game, he wasn’t doing anything by half measures.

“I dunno about that,” he eventually says. “I seem to remember you were pretty good yourself at most sports.”

He looked as if he wanted to say something more, but then caught himself and clammed up. Discussing our past was still something that he seemed reluctant to do...and I can’t say that I blamed him.

All in good time.

It was the day after our meeting, and the first proper day of Jake’s new role as bodyguard. He wore tight jeans, comfortable-looking sneakers, and a light-brown jacket. He fit in perfectly - just another Dad come to watch his kid play soccer.

And, in fact, that was where today was proving to be...unusual. Jake had told me that we needed a cover story, some reason why he was going to be seen with me in public a lot over the coming weeks. We didn’t want to raise suspicion, he’d told me, because that would make it more likely we’d see an escalation from whoever it was that was threatening me.

And that was all fine - more than fine. I trusted Jake’s judgement; he was tough, competent, and he knew his own mind. I knew I’d made the right decision to go to him in my time of need.

But his cover story was...interesting.

“I’ll be your boyfriend,” he’d told me, not a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

My jaw had dropped. Only a few days ago he’d been shouting in my face, telling me to leave his office, and now he wants to play as my partner? Before I’d had a chance to protest, or question the decision, he’d pressed on with his explanation.

“So, we’ll need to display some minor physical affection, be seen to be together,” he’d said, completely businesslike, as if he was discussing the weekly sales figures or something.

“I, uh…” I’d started, not knowing how to say it.

“You haven’t been seen with a man yet?” Jake had said, and I’d sagged with relief that he understood. I’d been divorced for a year, but I hadn’t actually dated anyone in all that time. It had taken me this long to come to terms with my sexuality, and all these new feelings that had risen up inside me.

And for it to be Jake...well, the universe has some sense of humor, huh?

“I’ll lead, you follow,” he told me. “It’s easy. It’s all just an act, right? Just play along.”

I’d nodded, but couldn’t help that little prickle of disappointment at the way he’d phrased it.

Just an act.

Dara’s team was crushing their opponents - it was five goals to nil, with no signs of it stopping.

“Dara’s a much better person than I ever was, though,” I mused aloud to Jake. “She’s brave, she stands up for her friends, she doesn’t let anyone come between her and them.”

I gave him a pointed stare, hoping he’d understand what I was getting at. He just continued to watch the game, expression unreadable.

“Andreas, hey!” I heard, from over to one side. It was Clifton Aeronson, an old high-school buddy.

Of mine and Theo’s. One of the gang. Someone I’d been doing my best to avoid ever since the court case.

But when I caught sight of Clifton, I could only think how absurd that line of thinking was. He was ambling over toward us, a grin on his face.

Clifton was tall and rangy, with wavy, sandy-colored hair and wearing spectacles. He was married with two kids, one of whom was on Dara’s soccer team. He was waving at me now good-naturedly as he approached.

In other words, he was completely non-threatening. Just a Dad here to watch his kid play soccer, same as me.

However, whereas I instantly relaxed, I sensed Jake immediately tense up beside me. He grabbed my hand, and whispered at me through one side of his mouth.

“Cover story, remember?”

For a moment I was completely distracted by the sensation of Jake’s warm hand, clasped in mine. It felt so...natural. So right. And then I noticed the way Jake was looking at Clifton, one moment his eyes like death and the next nothing, as if he’d shut away his intial reaction. I remembered. . .Cliff had been there that night with Mila.

Clifton arrived, and my attention switched.

“Clifton, hiya,” I said to him, holding out my spare hand to shake his. “Good performance today, huh?” I nodded over toward the soccer pitch.

“They’re doing great!” Clifton said enthusiastically. “Dara’s some player, huh?”

I beamed proudly. “She sure is. The whole team is doing great, though.”

Clifton nodded, and then looked pointedly from Jake to me. I caught myself. “Sorry, Clifton this is Jake, my boyfriend. Jake, you remember Lcifton, right?”

Clifton held out a hand to shake. Jake pointedly ignored it. “Hi,” he said curtly. “Nice to see you again.”

The tone of his voice conveyed the exact opposite meaning of his words. Clifton looked baffled by Jake’s demeanor, but shrugged it off as he returned his attention to me.

The two of us talked for a little while about minor stuff - old friends, the kids’ schooling, our respective jobs. Just plain old everyday stuff. But the whole time I sensed the tension and hostility radiating off of Jake. The way he was looking at Clifton could’ve burned a hole right through the man.

What is with him? What does he see that I don’t?

I’d never have thought Clifton, of all people, would be one of Mila’s attackers. Though, there had been a time I hadn’t though Theo was capable of it either. But. . .nah. Not Clifton. The guy had been known to avoid bees.

Our hands still clasped together, Jake squeezed mine in warning after a little while. He wanted me to end the conversation. Luckily, Clifton was picking up on the vibes that Jake was sending out.

“Well, it was nice catching up with you Andreas,” he said before long. “We shouldn’t leave it so long next time.”

I smiled in agreement, and Clifton turned his attention back to Jake. “It was nice seeing you, Jake. We should all grab a beer sometime.”

“Yeah. Sure.”

Again - his voice was cold and distant, his body language tense and combative. Clifton returned to his original position pitchside, looking a little baffled at the reception he’d gotten from my new ‘boyfriend’.

Once he was out of earshot, I turned to Jake.

“You think he had something to do with Mila’s attack,” I said bluntly. He slipped his hand from mine. For a moment I mourned the sudden absence of his touch, even though I was still kinda mad at him. “Look, I just don’t think it could have been Clifton that night. I know my track record of making good judgement calls sucks, but Clifton. . .nah, man.”

Jake fixed me with a no-nonsense look. “Whatever. I’m not here to make friends, Andreas. I’m here to protect your daughter. Don’t forget that.”

He caught sight of Clifton looking over at us, and slipped a hand around my waist. My heart skipped a beat at the contact.

“I know that,” I said, voice strained. “But I just don’t see it. He’s a square.”

It felt strange to be having this kind of conversation, completely at odds with the physical intimacy Jake is showing toward me. He’s a pro, though, and seemed to be able to compartmentalize things with ease. I admired that, even though I was irked at how he had behaved.

“You ever heard the stat that 80% of murders are committed by someone the victim knew?” Jake asked me.

“No. That seems kinda high. And anyway, what does that have to do with anything?”

“Look it up. And it means that the culprit of a crime is normally closer to home than you might think. Something to keep in mind when you’re getting all buddy-buddy with your old high school friends.”

I glanced over at Clifton, cheering on as his daughter dribbles the ball down the touchline. Suddenly, I realized we weren’t just talking about Mila. “Look at him. He’s got a girl Dara’s age.” No way could I believe he’d hurt my girl.

Jake laughed dryly. “If I had a dollar for every time I heard that, I’d be a rich man. Appearances can be deceiving. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”

He turned to face me, his lips suddenly close to mine. “Maybe Clifton is exactly who he seems to be, and I’m just projecting my issues. But he’s still friends with you and Theo, right? What would he have to say about your testimony against a mutual friend, helping to put him behind bars? Maybe he wouldn’t like that. Maybe he’d want to get even.”

I shook my head, but he carried on talking.

“Shake your head all you want, Andreas, but until we get this thing solved, and until Dara’s safe, I’m not giving anyone a pass. You didn’t hire me to take chances.”

I stared into his eyes, momentarily speechless at the proximity of him, the sensation of his warm body against mine.

How can he be so casual about this? How many times has he done this before?

“O...OK,” I eventually managed to croak. “I understand. I still think you’re wrong, but I understand.”

“Good,” Jake said, unwrapping his arm from around my waist and returning his attention to the soccer game.

I barely noticed what happened for the rest of the match, wrestling with my own thoughts. My eyes flickered over to rest on Clifton from time to time.

Could Jake be right? Was I wrong to put my trust in yet another long time friend? Sure, he’d never had any reason to hate me before, but he had always placed a big emphasis on the unbreakable bond between friends. The one I’d broken. For good reasons, but still…no. It was someone related to Theo - they would have far more reason to be mad, far more incentive to make those threats.

Even after everything that had happened, I still felt a sense of loyalty to Clifton, and all my other old friends. The misdeeds of one of us wasn’t enough to break those ties.