Chapter 3
Spencer
“Morning, Spence. I’ve got a job for you,” Chase greeted as soon as I walked into the office. I slid my headphones off my head, and raised my eyebrows at him.
“Is this a legit job, or is this another grunt work for Jason’s girl?” I asked.
“Ye have a little faith,” Chase replied, walking behind his desk to take out a file in one of his drawers.
“Excuse me if I have so little confidence in you,” I fired, taking a seat across from him. I slumped over my seat, folding my hands on top of my lap as I regarded him with feigned interest. He narrowed his eyes at me.
“Well, you should. I got you a job that I think is right up your alley,” Chase replied, throwing the file he was holding on top of his desk. “And since you mentioned her earlier, I have to admit, this job was requested personally by Veronica Langley herself,” he added.
“What do you mean?” I asked, not following.
“She recommended our firm provide security for them, and they trusted her opinion enough to give us the job,” he clarified.
“Oh, wow. So does that mean I’m in charge of another celebrity?” I asked, intrigued. I wondered who it is. Was it Emma Stone? Jennifer Lawrence? Please Lord, let it be Jennifer Lawrence.
“Not exactly,” Chase said, and those two words effectively burst my bubble. I scowled at him. “Spencer, will you let me finish?” I waved my hands, motioning for him to get on with his briefing. The man seriously took forever to get his point across, Jesus.
“As I was saying, the clients are Veronica’s maternal aunt and uncle. She recommended our firm to them, and they sent in the request to watch over their daughter, who’ll be going to college,” he explained.
“Hold up a second,” I stated, holding my hand up to stop him. “So you want me to protect a minor?”
“She’s 21 years old, Spencer. That’s hardly a minor, and only a few years greener than you,” Chase clarified. He gestured towards the folder again, and I rolled my eyes and picked it up. I looked over the file briefly, fingering the picture of the girl I’m supposedly going to protect.
She’s kind of cute, I thought to myself as I peered at her copper-colored hair and jade green eyes. Her lips were thin and pale pink, and her nose was thin and-high-bridged. True enough, she definitely had some similarities with Veronica in terms of appearance, but where Veronica tended to have more striking features that caught your attention almost immediately, this girl went soft and innocent, like it begged you to take a second glance, and then her beauty sneaks up and keeps you from looking away.
“Georgiana Elizabeth Pratt,” I muttered, trying her name out with my mouth. “She sounds like a total prissy princess,” I said.
“Yeah, well her parents are well-known authors, so that’s probably why their kids’ names are so..,” Chase pursed his lips, trying to think of something that wasn’t remotely rude. “…classy,” he decided.
“You mean she’s got a sibling?” I asked, and he nodded.
“Yep. Male, about twenty-eight years old,” Chase replied.
“What’s his name? Benjamin?” I quipped. Chase winced, hesitating to answer my question.
“No. It’s Darcy,” he answered, and I lost it. My laughter came out in huge guffaws, and Chase pushed me on my shoulder half-heartedly. He pursed his lips in an effort to try and keep the smile from spreading in his face.
“Come on, stop it, already,” Chase scowled. I alternated between quick puffing breaths to slow long heaves so I could control myself. “Besides, it’s not that bad once you got the hang of it,” he amended.
“Okay, back to the topic,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Why wouldn’t they just ask brother dearest to guard his sister?” I asked.
“The dude is working all over the globe, and word is he was the only one who wasn’t opposed to the girl’s idea of going off to college, and besides, he kept telling them she could handle herself,” he answered.
“I agree. She doesn’t look like a pushover,” I said.
“You got all that from looking at her photo, eh?” Chase jibed. I said nothing, not taking the bait. “What I’m about to say is off the record, but Veronica was able to give me a bit of personal Intel on the Brady Bunch, and she said that Mr. and Mrs. Pratt kept their daughter on a tight leash. Her cousin is a quiet girl, and always kept to herself. She didn’t have many friends, either, likely because of her overprotective parents. She said this is likely the first time her cousin will be out of her parents’ nose, and they’re not exactly comfortable with the concept,” he explained.
“Still, don’t you think hiring a bodyguard for her is a little overkill?” I asked, and he shrugged.
“I’m not the kid’s father, and all I care about is that this is a legit job,” he replied.
“Well what did this Georgiana have to say about all this?” I asked.
“Ah, that’s where this mission gets interesting,” Chase said with a smirk, making me narrow my eyes at him. There was a glint in his eye that I didn’t like one bit. “She doesn’t know they hired a protector,” he revealed.
“She doesn’t know?” I repeated.
“And we’re going to keep it that way,” Chase said, nodding. “You, my friend, are going undercover.”
“What? Why?” I stammered, incredulous. “How am I supposed to do that?”
“Simple: you’re going to pose as another student there,” he said, and my mouth gaped in awe. He ignored me, and started to enumerate his plans using his fingers. “You’re going to take all the same classes, go in the same clubs, and eat lunch at the cafeteria together--,”
“Wait a second,” I interrupted. Me? A college student? “Why do I have to do that? I mean, one of the reasons I signed up for the military was so I could skip college, man,” I said.
“Nonetheless, you’re the youngest in the firm, and the most obvious choice,” Chase said. “Besides, you’ve been hounding me to give you a real assignment all summer, weren’t you? Well, this is it!”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t expecting this! I mean, this is ridiculous! How are you going to enroll me in--,” I looked at her file so I could see which school she’ll be attending. “University of North Carolina? The tuition fee here costs an arm and a limb! And wait--,” I stared at the school again. “North Carolina? This is all the way over the other side of the country!” I exclaimed.
“You exaggerate, Spence,” he said, shaking his head. “And the Pratt’s are loaded. They have graciously decided to add a little extra so you could be enrolled there. They’ve also explained everything to the Dean, so he’ll be able to assist you once you arrive.”
“This is a ridiculous idea, Chase,” I hissed.
“Still, it pays the bills. And as I recall, you need this job. So you either take it, or I give it to someone else who’s willing to do it,” Chase replied.
“You know, it’s times like this where I hate being related to you,” I said, and the bastard smirked at me.
“Tell that to our father. And it’s your own damn fault you confide to me about everything like a little girl,” Chase fired back. “So what’s it going to be?”
I growled ferociously before glaring at the file again, the girl’s face almost taunting me. I clenched my teeth and looked up at Chase again.
“Where do I sign?”