Her bedroom hadn’t changed at all since she had left for college. Her bedding was still exactly the same, as were some of the posters she had on her wall and she cringed as she realized how juvenile they looked. 

“Why didn’t you pull these down before you left over three years ago?” she laughed to herself as she reached up and winced as she quickly ripped them down from the walls and shoved them into the trash. There was a selection of inspirational quotes and beautiful sunsets, but now, they all looked so dated and lame, nothing like they had seemed when she had placed them there originally.

“As if he saw these,” she whispered as she crunched them down into her trash can.

She saw the bag resting on the ottoman at the end of her bed and she opened up the meds and popped a pill into her mouth. If she was going to rest, then she may as well do it pain free.

She peeled off her jeans slowly and climbed underneath the covers and then she used her remote control to close the blinds and she relished in the darkness. She noticed a replacement cell phone had been put on her nightstand and she reached for it and turned it on. She entered in her passwords and information and watched as it began to restore all of her saved information. She added her email accounts and found her new number before she opened up an email and started to write one to Molly…

Shelby: Oh my goodness Mol, are you okay? I’ve just got home after a stay in the hospital and it’s all gone by in such a blur! Were you there too? Did your stuff get stolen? I really hope you’re okay? My dad has gone out of town and has hired me a goddam bodyguard. Can you believe it? He’s a complete jackass and completely full of himself. I have no idea how I’m going to stand having him around. I’ve also been banned from going back to the apartment alone, so I’m staying up at my family house for the next few weeks until my dad is home. Jeez, what a night. My ribs are aching and I’m sore and just want to rest. I hope you’re not hurt, I really do.

Let me know as soon as you get this and I’ll try and find your home number to call you.

Love S x

She pressed the send button and rolled onto her side. It had been a crazy, crazy weekend and even though she was exhausted she had the distinct feeling she wasn’t going to be able to rest until she knew Molly was safe and well.

She debated calling down for Hammer, but she decided against it. He would surely know what had happened to Molly, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of asking for his help. But if Molly didn’t reply to her within the next couple of hours, she would have to rethink her plan.

Luckily, she didn’t have much of an agonizing wait. It could only have been ten minutes before her cell phone beeped with a new email and she looked down to see a reply from Molly.

Molly: Jesus Christ, Shelby, I can’t believe what happened. I am so, so sorry! I feel as if it is all my fault! Are you okay? I wasn’t admitted to the hospital but I did come in with you and then back to visit and your dad and some bruiser told me to leave. Is that him? Your bodyguard? He was built like some kind of tank and looked so mean and terrifying! Kind of cute, though, if I’m honest, so hopefully having a bit of eye candy around will make it a bit more bearable being back up at the house!

I’ve been desperate to get in touch but I didn’t know how to reach you with all of our stuff getting stolen. I’m such a grandma I didn’t even think to email! I have a replacement cell – it’s a shitty old one of my mom’s but it will do for now. I’ll sort out something properly on Monday and I’m going to keep my same number. Are you still on yours? Xxxx

Shelby:  Thank God you’re all right! I was so worried and I didn’t know how to get in touch with you either. The hospital was so weird, I was all dizzy and feeling really sick, and then this idiot bodyguard started acting all controlling and macho and in charge, and he just drove me nuts so I had to get out of there as soon as possible. I figured the doctor would have told me if you were there. I still can’t believe it all happened, it all went by so fast. Those guys were so frightening and I can’t believe they stole our things, but the main thing is we’re both okay.

Definitely no more partying in Iron Hill for me! I think I’m going to be on lockdown for the foreseeable future. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if my dad suggests I leave town!

Molly: No way, he can’t do that! But yes, I know it really was frightening and I don’t like it one bit. I was so scared when you were unconscious and I rode with you in the ambulance and got questioned by the cops, but as soon as your dad turned up at the hospital, he spoke to them and they dropped it? What could that mean?

Shelby: Sounds about right… I have no idea. But I’m sure they won’t go unpunished…

Shelby bit the edge of her thumb and instantly regretted sending the last email. She knew this would just raise more questions from Molly, but Molly wasn’t stupid, she knew the kind of influence Shelby’s dad had around town. And not just in Iron Hill, in the whole of the West. He was well-known and powerful and had many, many connections.

Molly: I think, maybe, we are best not knowing. I’m glad you’re home and safe. Get some more rest and we can meet up tomorrow xxxx

Shelby: Sure, you too. Good night Mol xxx

She placed her cell phone down and lay back, wrapping the quilts up tightly around her. Molly wanted to meet her the following day but Shelby knew she had no chance of that happening. She wasn’t able to go wherever she wanted and as she pleased anymore. She was going to have to, basically, ask for permission from Hammer.

Urgh!

The thought made her blood boil.

She could kill her father for putting her in such a situation, but she was determined not to let it get into her head too much and ruin the next three weeks of her life.

He disliked her and she disliked him. It was clear as day. He thought she was a spoiled rich princess and he hadn’t even wanted to take the job, and she thought he was an arrogant asshole with only muscles for brains.

She was angry but she was also exhausted and she wanted to sleep. Now that she knew her friend was safe and well at home, and she was under the watchful eye of Mr. Universe, she could surely sleep at ease…

She listened out for any sounds in the hallway and just hoped he wasn’t going to take his job so literally that he would actually be sitting outside her bedroom door. She could only hope he had decided to stay right down the end of the hallway or, even better, downstairs completely.

She sighed and pulled her pillow over her face before she screamed lightly into it.

“This sucks,” she said into the pillow, the cotton filling her mouth.

She pulled it away from her face and threw it to the other side of the bed before she yanked the covers up over her head and closed her eyes.

“I knew, all along, I never should have gone out… and next time, I’m going to make sure I listen to my inner voice. Because it is clearly always right.”

She sighed again and rolled her shoulders before she took some deep breaths and promised herself she would try and relax. There was no point in lying there and winding herself up any more. She could look at this as a kind of vacation, if she had the right attitude. She was back at home and she could be waited on hand and foot if she wanted. Maybe she could even rope Hammer in to doing some chores for her and helping her out with a few things.

She laughed at the thought and at how ridiculous it was.

As if.

If there was one thing she knew about Hammer already, it was that he wasn’t going to take any bullshit or be pushed around. It was very clear, if anything, it would be him who was going to be calling the shots.

She grumbled as she looked up at the ceiling and started to count slowly back from one hundred, a trick she had done many times throughout her life.

She only made it to eighty-eight before her eyelids drooped and she felt her voice begin to break, and before she knew, it she was softly and silently fast asleep.

The morning came around lazily but quickly, and as Shelby started to shower and get herself ready for the day, her head was full of thoughts of what it may entail.

There was plenty for her to do around the estate, but it still felt like a prison. She could go and sit around the pool, she could hang out in the cinema room and watch movie after movie or binge watch some box sets! Or she could ask Hammer if she was allowed to go into town to do some shopping.

But the fear was still there within her, even if she would never admit it to anyone else.

Shelby had been shaken by the event. She had been attacked, after all, and she had been robbed. The thought of going out on the streets any time soon was enough to make her quake.

She walked back through to her bedroom from the adjoining bathroom and made her bed as she ran a comb through her wet hair. It felt good to be washed and clean after what had happened. The water was so lovely and warm it had soothed her muscles to her very core.

She opened her old closet and saw all of her clothes in there and she laughed with disbelief.

“Wow, I really have been moved back over here, haven’t I?” she said aloud as she shook her head and reached inside for a swimsuit and pair of denim shorts. She slipped them on and buttoned them at the hips before she pulled a tank top on over the top and started to put on her sunscreen as she checked out her reflection in the mirror.

“May as well have a day around the pool,” she said as she started to put on a dab of tinted moisturizer and some lip gloss.

When she was done, she looked much more like her old self and she smiled at her reflection. Even if she was still shaken up, she had to remember she was back at home now and safe. She had a lot of people around her working at the house and the place was like a fortress. Not that the muggers would ever try to find her, but if they did, there was no chance they would ever be able to reach her.

They would have to get past gate security, the maids and the gardeners, and now, there was Hammer to contend with.

She couldn’t help but laugh.

“I still can’t believe my dad has hired me my own personal bodyguard, it’s ridiculous. It’s like something out of a movie.”

She picked up her new cell phone and slipped it into the back pocket of her shorts and made her way over to the door, opening it slowly and carefully.

She had half been expecting Hammer to be waiting behind it with his big stupid arms folded over his chest, but the hallway was empty and she breathed a sigh of relief.

She tiptoed down it quietly and listened out for signs of life but the house was so big and cavernous, noises seemed to get lost amongst the rooms and hallways.

She descended the stairs and skipped as she reached the bottom step and instantly regretted it. She was really going to have to start remembering she had an actual injury.

She clutched her side and straightened up before she carried on past the atrium and down one of the long corridors that led to the immense kitchen at the very end.

She always loved walking into her father’s kitchen. It was big and half of it had a high vaulted ceiling with a glass roof. Sunlight poured in and even though it was hot, the air conditioning kept it cool and crisp at all times. Lush plants were nestled in every corner and everything was marble and perfectly clean and tidy. It was more traditional in style than modern, and it always felt as if she were walking into a dream.

She crossed to the other side of the room, past the island and straight to the refrigerator. She opened the door and looked inside as she hummed a tune to herself and got out the milk and a pre-prepared fruit salad.

She placed them down on the counter and started to boil some water, and as she was standing there waiting for it to finish, she suddenly heard the back door open and a heavy set of footsteps come marching into the house.

She gritted her teeth and waited for it.

Hammer.

He strode into the kitchen and glanced at her over his shoulder before he went to the table and set down a black briefcase and took off his sunglasses. He was wearing a tight black t-shirt and a black pair of jeans that fit him so well it had to be illegal. He looked much smarter than he had the previous day in the hospital, but there was still something about him that screamed rough and ready.

“Morning,” she offered eventually, determined to make this day much more pleasant.

“Morning,” he replied in the same deep, gruff voice.

“Coffee?” she asked snappily as she turned and stared at him.

He looked up at her with half surprise and half suspicion but then he slowly shook his head.

“No, thanks,” he answered.

She shrugged and then turned back around and continued to make her own, but she couldn’t help but give a secret little roll of her eyes to herself.

She grabbed a fork from the drawer on the island and pulled one of the tall stool chairs out and climbed up on it. Hammer was on the farthest side of the room with the briefcase and it looked as if he was trying to keep out of her way. He was so deep and brooding, she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

“What’s that?” she asked, feeling both playful and nosy.

“It’s a briefcase,” he said sarcastically.

Shelby scowled and sipped her coffee. It felt so good to be having one and to be bringing her brain back to life. But she didn’t know how long she would be able to stand being around Hammer if he was going to continue to be such an arrogant prick.

She ate her fruit salad and drank her coffee, and he sat on the other side of the room in silence. When she was finished, she got down from the stool and took the cup over to the sink and she was aware of his eyes watching her as she quickly washed it and left it on the draining board to dry.

“I’m surprised you don’t leave that for your maids,” Hammer said with a half laugh and Shelby glared at him.

“I can take care of myself, thank you,” she sniped.

And he nodded and furrowed his brow even more.

“You know, my dad didn’t need to hire you,” she fired at him. “I don’t see the point of any of it.”

“Well, your father does, so here I am.”

“But you don’t want to be here, and I don’t want you to be here. So why don’t you just go back to wherever the hell it is he found you and leave me here in peace.”

“Because I can’t,” he growled. “Do you not think I would if I could? Like I told you last night, the last thing in the world I want to be doing is sitting here with some spoiled little princess who daddy thinks needs protecting.”

His words were so cutting that Shelby physically winced.

“Can you stop saying shit like that?” she snapped at him. “It’s really insulting. And you don’t even know me, so maybe you should stop making so many snap judgements.”

“Ha,” Hammer laughed as he leaned back and kicked his boots out and crossed them at the ankles. “Are you kidding me? Are you trying to tell me that you didn’t judge me the moment you laid eyes on me?” he raised his eyebrows and she knew he had caught her there.

“Well…” she stalled. “Maybe I did. But by the looks of things, I had good reason to, and I was clearly right.”

He laughed and clicked his teeth.

“In that case, maybe I was right as well,” he said confidently. “And that’s why you don’t like having me here. You don’t like it when someone who isn’t afraid of you points out your flaws. I bet you’re not very used to people being brutally honest, are you?”

Shelby bit her tongue. This could all easily escalate into an argument and the last thing she wanted was more drama and to feel any worse than she had the past couple of days.

“You don’t know me, Hammer,” she said with a shake of her head. “So you can’t be brutally honest about me.”

He gave her a wry smile and she walked past him, toward the back door. As soon as she opened it, she was aware he was already following her, hot on her heels.

“What are you doing?” she snapped as she spun around and glared at him.

“I told you, you want to leave, I come with you,” he crossed his arms over his chest.

“I’m not going anywhere, I was going to sit by the pool. Is that allowed?” She fired angry stares at him and he nodded his head and looked as if he was ready to admit defeat.

“I’m only doing my job,” he said. “I’ll be up here,” he motioned to the outdoor patio area and she watched him pull out a seat and sit. His skin was so tanned but it seemed to glisten in the morning sun and made Shelby feel somewhat hot and bothered.

She turned around quickly and marched down to the pool area. She grabbed some towels out of the cabana and wandered over to one of the sun loungers and sat down.

It was day one and, already, she wanted to scream and run for the hills. But she couldn’t figure out if it was his presence that was specifically annoying her or just the fact, in general, that her easy life had been ripped away from her and she was back under her dad’s watchful eye.

She remembered when she had been younger and she watched a drama on TV about the mob and of how the women in their lives sometimes felt like prisoners, and she could totally relate. She knew her dad wasn’t in the mafia, but he had some seriously dodgy connections and she knew he had taken part in plenty of illegal activities. He worried about her because he always said she would be a target if he ever made some serious enemies, and it was clear it had terrified him. And she couldn’t blame him. She had never had children, but she could understand the feeling of complete responsibility. How would he ever forgive himself if anything happened to Shelby because of his own questionable actions?

She was going to have to give him a break. Whereas, she was annoyed at him for putting her in this position in the first place, she also knew he would do anything in the world to keep her safe and it was all out of her control. She was just going to have to accept and deal with it and move on.

This was the life of Shelby Petrov. And when all was said and done, it obviously wasn’t so bad.

She listened to the calming sounds of the water trickling from the waterfall into the pool below. After spending so much time away from the family home, it was actually really good to be back; she had almost forgotten how luxurious and beautiful it was.

Jeez, no wonder Hammer thinks you’re a spoiled brat, she laughed to herself. You’ve been acting all moody and ungrateful since you woke up and look at where you are… I think it’s time to get some things in perspective.

She relaxed on the lounger and promised herself that from that moment on, she would just make the best of her situation. It was her vacation from reality for three weeks, and she would just go with the flow.