Bruce and Matt’s hotel was located on Muscle Beach, one of the few beaches in the west coast that featured an outdoor gym, where people could work out for free. Of course, it attracted many show-offs and bimbos alike, but Matt had chosen it exactly for that. During their short walk to an umbrella, he kept staring at men, either showing off their muscles, oiling themselves up or just talking to girls around them. It was much louder than other beaches in the area, but he did not mind, hoping that the noise would distract Bruce.

Matt dove into the water in seconds, whereas his friend chose to lie down on a sun chair. As he emerged though, he saw the same man who he had spotted earlier, walking lazily along the beach. He was more than twenty yards away from their umbrella, but, even so, Matt got out of the water in a hurry, worried about his friend and himself. It would be extremely unlikely for anyone to attack them on a crowded beach like that, but he did not want to take any chances.

“Nine o’clock.” He said, with a blue towel in his hands, wiping the water from his body. “He’s the company I told you about on the balcony.”

“Shit.” Bruce hummed. “Our hotel is eight hundred feet away. What’s he doing here?”

“I don’t have a clue, brother.” Matt shrugged his shoulders.

Bruce fixed his gaze on the stranger, who, by that time, was less than thirty feet away from them and to the left, looking ahead. He slowly rose from his sun chair, clenching his fists. The events of the night before had taken such a heavy toll on him that Bruce would take out his frustration on anybody. He would not hesitate to start a fight, not even in a public place. All of a sudden, the man in question abruptly turned his head to the right and faced him. He acted like he had just seen a ghost. Literally, he stood rooted to the spot and watched, as Bruce approached him at a steady pace. The stranger then flipped around and started running in the opposite direction. If Bruce wanted to find out what he was up to, he had no choice but to follow him.

“Stop! Stop!” He screamed at the top of his lungs, as the tall man jumped over a young, redheaded woman lying on the beach. Their chase turned quite a few heads, as they crossed the beach. Bruce snarled and quickened his pace. In a matter of seconds, he was closer to him. The stranger looked at him, over his left shoulder. Realizing that his pursuer was very close to him, he opened his eyes wide and attempted to speed up his pace. Before he could do that though, Bruce leaped onto him, grabbing him by the shoulders. The unfortunate man landed flat and hard on his chest, at the foot of a sun chair. His blond, short hair was covered in sand.

“Who the hell are you!? What do you want!?” Bruce snarled, as he flipped him over.

“He’s with me.” A fruity, female voice drew his attention. He slowly looked up and to the left. A beautiful, young blonde was lying on a sun chair. Strangely enough, she looked and sounded very calm. She even smiled down at Bruce.

“And you are?” He inquired.

“Julia Heath, private investigator.” Her response was sharp. “The guy you knocked out is Jeffrey Randolph, my business partner. I’m Melissa’s cousin. She sent me to keep an eye on you.”

“Her cousin?!” Bruce exclaimed, unable to hide his surprise.

“Yeah. Melissa is really worried about you.” Julia spoke in a firm tone. “She told me all about you two.”

“How did you find me?” He asked, as he rose to his feet.

“Well, Jenny found your itinerary in your friend’s jacket.” She said with a toothy smile. “Come. We have a lot to discuss.”

“I don’t need a babysitter.” Bruce grumbled. “You should tell her that.” Too angry to speak with her anymore, he turned around.

“Don’t walk away from me!” Julia spoke in a commanding tone, jumping from the sun chair. “I promised her to help you!”

“That’s not my problem, is it?” He scoffed, looking down at her over his right shoulder.

“Just another macho biker.” She laughed. “It’s strange. Melissa doesn’t like those. What did she see in you?”

“I’m not just another macho biker, lady!” Upset by her words, Bruce turned around and faced her. “You should ask her, not me.”

“Oh, I did.” Julia said with a nod. “I know you’re not. I was just trying to get your attention. Apparently, it worked.”

“Oh, man.” Bruce gave an exasperated gasp, amusing her.

“Don’t worry.” She chuckled. “The four of us are going to have a lot of fun. Me and Jeffrey will be something like…” She faltered. “Your official chaperons.”

“I’ll be damned. A female bodyguard.” He hummed.

“Look, Melissa is very dear to me.” Julia confessed. “We grew up together. She’ll get mad at me if something happens to you. I know; this is not your problem. But look at it this way: You’ll have two people protecting you during your stay.”

“How did she know I was coming here? How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” Bruce inquired. Julia turned her body to the left and leaned towards her umbrella. She picked up a large, purple bag, pulled out a piece of paper and handed it over to him. It was a scanned document of a short letter. He recognized her handwriting immediately. It read:

“Bruce, please do what my cousin Julia says. I trust her. I hope I can come to L.A. soon, but I can’t promise anything.

Love,

Melissa”

“Her father’s goons saw you leaving Vegas last night. She overheard him talking on the phone. They tried to follow you, but they crashed.” Julia added, reminding him of the accident that he had ignored the night before.

“How is this going to work?” Bruce wondered.

“We’re not going to be in the same room as you.” She explained. “We’re just going to be in the same area, watching out for anything out of the ordinary. I also have a job for you.”

“A job?” He squinted at her.

“Yeah.” Julia chirped. “A couple of Mexicans stole something from me the other day. It’s just a cheap, name pendant. It has sentimental value for me. My grandpa gave it to me when I was ten.”

“Let me guess.” Bruce smirked at her. “You want me to steal this for you.”

“Not steal. Retrieve.” She corrected him. “There’s a big difference. Those two live in Van Nuys. It’s about forty minutes from here.”

“Why don’t you do it yourself? I can show you how to pick locks.” His ironic smile grew even wider.

“I can’t be seen there.” Julia stated.

“Why?”

“I just can’t.” She spoke in an emphatic tone. “Look, it’s an easy task for someone like you. Will you do it or not?”

Bruce took a moment, pondering response. Julia was asking him to commit a crime, something that he had been avoiding for more than two years. Still, there was something righteous about it. He would take back something that was rightfully hers. The fact that she was Melissa’s cousin and that she would watch his back for a few days made his decision easier.

“Ok.” He said with a sigh. “I’ll talk to my friend, but I think he’ll be ok with it.”

“Good.” A broad smile spread across her face. “I need your phone number. I’ll text you their address.”