Chapter 4

Pete was beginning to fear for Mrs. King's safety each day he stayed on. She tried hard to hide and cover the bruises that ass of a man left, but he knew. She was alone in the world and Mr. King was using it to her advantage.

“Your boss's wife is smokin’,” Nick commented after both of them had watched her leave the room. 

Peter smiled at nick's observation. 

“Don’t be an asshole.”

“I’m not. I’m being factual.”

“Well you may want to keep those facts to yourself. Anyone catch you talking like that you’ll be out on your ass,for sure.”

“Easy, Pete.”  His friend seemed uptight.  He didn’t know what the hell was going on, and for his first day this wasn’t going to cut it. He had known Pete since his military days. He was like a brother to him. He could tell something was wrong. “Is there something I’m missing, or something you didn’t tell me about this particular job?” He asked his friend. 

Pete smirked. 

“Oh, you’ll find out soon enough. You will want to get with Mrs.Garrison. That’s Mrs. King’s personal Assistant, so you know what you’ll be doing the next couple of days with Mrs.King. She can be a busy lady with fundraisers and errands. I will be in the main meeting room. I have to speak with a few places about security provisions for next week. I’m sorry if I seem short, old friend. I’ve got a lot on my plate now that I’m in this new position. Just promise me you will protect Mrs. King at all costs.”

“That’s what I signed up for, right?”

 “Even from Mr. King.”

There was a silence then. He knew what he meant, but not exactly.

He looked at his friend, having a better understanding of what he had just walked into. Pete wore a mask of unfeeling, but Nick knew this bothered him. He recalled him telling him stories about how his step dad had beat his mom and him when he was a child. 

He nodded then.

“Alright then.” He agreed.

He nodded at Nick before turning and exiting the house. 

Nick didn't like admitting that he had needed this job, or any for that matter. He had bounced around, from Las Vegas to Dallas to California doing odd jobs and working security at cheap strip clubs for the last five years or so. This was the first time he had been in a mansion in years. He had been surprised at Mrs.King’s beauty, and her kindness. When Pete had told him he would be introducing him to her he thought he would be meeting someone much older,stuck up, and full of themselves, but she hadn’t been. 

She’d been kind and genuine with them. Looking back on it, he had to admit although she did cover up the abuse well there were still signs. Her shirt collar had been stretched. She had been missing her shoes and her smile, it seemed porcelain thin. Her husband was a lucky man, he thought.

It had been years since Nick had let himself feel love for anyone. He saw this as his chance to start over and leave everything in the past. He just wondered what he had gotten himself into. Just then, he noticed several maids enter the room with various colors of roses in crystal vases. He watched some climb the stairs and go to Mrs. King’s bedroom suite.

He followed them up and heard her tell the maids to enter....