The next two weeks were relatively quiet. Leighanne left town again for a movie audition. Maybe it was for the best as far as her safety went, but maybe not for the best where her relationship was concerned. Brian and I kept our distance from each other emotionally and physically unless in public. Then nothing came between the two of us. There were no more attempts, no more threats, no more mysteriously cut phone lines. For two weeks it seemed as if I protected Brian from his shadow. Even Mike was getting worried.
“Ryder, something’s not right with this situation,” Michael pointed out one night after Brian had gone to bed.
“I know, Mike. No letters, no phone calls, no attempts of any kind on Brian. Either something is wrong or whomever this guy is he is planning something big any day now,” I answered my brother.
“So what’s the plan?” he asked me.
“I need you to do some checking. We haven’t heard anything since Leigh left town. See if maybe our stalker might not be as fearful as much when she’s gone,” I answered.
“Good for me,” he said, turning and heading towards the door.
“Michael,” I called out.
“Yeah, Ryder?” he asked, stopping at the door.
“Be careful, Michael. I don’t need to lose anyone else,” I warned a sense of dread seeping into my body. Something was getting ready to happen. I felt it.
“I’m good, Ryder,” he promised.
“I know you’re good, Mike. It’s this guy I’m worried about.”
“I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, Ry,” he said, coming back towards me and hugging me quickly. “Now go get some sleep. I’ve got some work to do.
With those words he walked out leaving me standing alone in Brian’s living room. I sank down on to the sofa and sat in the darkness for a few minutes.
“Where did Mike go?”
I turned my head towards the doorway to see Brian standing there dressed in only a T-shirt and boxers, his sleeping attire.
“He’s doing some leg work,” I answered, pulling my knees up to my chin.
“Are you all right?” he asked, coming into the room.
“I’m good,” I said, echoing Mike’s earlier words.
“Yeah, people who are good sit in darkened living rooms in the middle of the night alone.”
“All right, I’m worried. Not exactly the thing most bodyguards admit to clients,” I shot back.
“You know I was kind of hoping we were at a point where we could call ourselves friends,” he said, sinking down on to the sofa next to me.
“You don’t pay me to be your friend.”
“I don’t pay you to shut me out either.”
“I suppose you are going to ask me questions about what I told you a couple weeks ago now, huh?” I asked him, looking at him out of the corner of my eye.
“Not unless you don’t want to talk about it. I would never hurt you, Ryder, or push you into memories that could hurt you,” he answered.
“They don’t hurt me anymore. They just scare me sometimes. That feeling of being trapped, of being unable to move or fight. That follows me through my life. When you touch me, when you grab me that feeling grabs me too,” I said, pulling myself tighter into the ball I had formed.
“What happened?” he asked softly.
“I was young and stupid and still new to the job. He was maybe my fourth assignment. I wasn’t talking on big ones yet, just little jobs that didn't require too much since I was still learning. He was a diplomat from some little country most people have never heard of. He was attracted to me but I didn’t have any feelings for him. I always never wanted to mix my business and personal lives as well. He kept hitting on me and hitting on me and hitting on me. I didn’t mention it to anyone, I wanted to handle it myself. Then I got a call late one night. Someone was in his house. So I went over. I was doing my job. I was protecting him. To make a long story short, he grabbed me from behind and forced me into his room where he raped me. I wasn’t trained enough emotionally or physically to fight him off. The next day I went to the police. Lot of good that did. As a diplomat he was immune to the charges,” I confessed, feeling the shaking in my body.
“You mean he got away with it?” Brian asked in disbelief.
“I guess that’s the roll of the dice. You win some and you lose some. I threw myself into my training after that. I’m the best of the best. No one gets near me now unless I want them to.”
Slowly, so he didn’t scare me, Brian reached out and pulled me gently into his arms. He kissed me lightly then laid my head on his shoulder where he just held me through the night.
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