Her Bodyguard, her lover (2)

ELOISE POV

I opened my eyes slowly, blinking several times as I tried to make sense of the white ceiling above me. For a few seconds, I couldn't remember where I was or why my entire body felt like it had been dragged through hell. Then everything came back in pieces. The restaurant. The messages. The car coming toward me. The brakes. The crash.

My heart began pounding as the memory hit me all at once. I instinctively tried to sit up, but pain shot through my body and forced me back against the pillow. I winced and looked around the unfamiliar room. A hospital room. An IV was attached to my hand, and the faint beeping of the monitor beside my bed filled the silence. I looked down at myself and noticed the bruises scattered across my arms. My head throbbed, and there was a dull ache running through my ribs, but considering what had happened, I was surprised I could move at all.

I tried to raise my hand to push a strand of hair away from my face, but I couldn't. Something was resting on it.

I looked down and found my dad asleep beside my bed, his head resting on my hand like it was the most comfortable pillow in the world. Despite the pain, a small smile tugged at my lips.

"Dad."

My voice came out hoarse and barely audible.

His head lifted immediately. For someone who had apparently been asleep, he looked wide awake within seconds.

"Lois." He grabbed my hand, his eyes moving anxiously over my face. "My baby, you're awake."

"I'm okay," I whispered.

"You're not okay. You were unconscious for hours."

He reached for the glass of water sitting beside the bed and handed it to me. I took it with both hands and drank slowly, my throat feeling as though I'd swallowed sandpaper.

"Thank you."

He placed the glass down and pressed the call button. "I'll get the doctor."

"Dad, I'm fine."

"You just woke up after a car accident. You're not fine until a doctor tells me you're fine."

I almost smiled. There was the man I knew. The same man who had once driven across town because I had complained over the phone that I was hungry, only to arrive with enough food to feed a small family. My father could be dramatic, but I knew where it came from. He loved me, and right now, fear was written all over his face.

The doctor came in a few minutes later and examined me, asking questions about the accident and checking my injuries. After a series of tests, he explained that I had suffered a concussion, several bruises and some minor injuries, but nothing life threatening. I would need rest and observation, but if I continued responding well, I could leave later that day

"What happened?" he asked quietly after a moment.

I looked away. "I received some messages."

His expression changed immediately. "What sort of messages?"

"Threats."

His jaw tightened.

"They threatened you?"

I nodded. "I was reading them while driving. I lost focus for a second, then when I looked up, there was a car coming straight at me. I tried to brake, but the brakes didn't work."

My father's face went pale. For several seconds, he said nothing. Then he dragged a hand down his face.

"You could have died."

"I know."

"No, Lois. I don't think you do."

His voice cracked slightly. "I almost lost you."

Guilt settled heavily in my chest. I reached for his hand.

"I'm sorry."

He squeezed my fingers. "You should be."

I raised an eyebrow then he sighed and kissed my forehead. "I'm not angry with you. I'm terrified."

"That's why I've made arrangements."

I narrowed my eyes. "What kind of arrangements?"

"You'll have security."

"Dad."

"One person."

"One?"

"One."

He leaned back. "You don't need ten men following you everywhere. You don't need a convoy. You don't need someone standing outside the bathroom door."

"That was actually my next concern."

He smiled faintly. "One bodyguard."

"I don't need one."

"Lois."

"Dad."

"Please."

His voice softened. "You're all I have. I can't lose you."

That ended the argument before it even began. I sighed and looked away.

"Fine."

The door opened again, and this time a man walked in.

My first thought was that he was too attractive to be standing in a hospital room, my second was that I needed to stop thinking like that.

He was tall, broad shouldered and carried himself with a high level of confidence. He wore a dark shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms, revealing strong arms marked by faint veins and black ink. There was nothing flashy about him, yet something about his presence immediately changed the atmosphere of the room.

My father stood. "Lois, this is Alexander."

The stranger's brown eyes settled on me.

"He's going to be your bodyguard until we figure out who is behind the threats."

"You hired him already."

"Yes."

“Without asking me?"

“Considering you were unconscious, I didn't exactly have many opportunities.”

I narrowed my eyes and looked him over properly for the first time. His face was striking, but the scar running from beneath his left eye toward his cheek was what caught my attention most. Instead of making him look less attractive, it gave him a dangerous edge. His brown eyes were surprisingly warm, though his expression remained guarded. His clothes did little to hide the muscle beneath them, and for a brief moment, I found myself wondering what he looked like without them. I quickly looked away. Absolutely not, I had just survived a car crash the last thing I needed was to start noticing my father's employee

My father reached for my hand. “I've already spoken to the hospital. Once the doctors clears you, you're coming home”

“Good”

"With Alexander."

I groaned, “of course.”

Alexander glanced at me briefly, then spoke. “I'll need to know your usual routine”

"My routine?”

"Where you go. Who you spend time with. Where you work. Where you usually eat. Anyone who has regular access to you.”

“That's a lot of questions.”

“It's my job”

“You're going to be very disappointed”

“Why?”

“Because I don't have a routine,” his eyebrow lifted. “I write when I feel like writing, I go wherever I want, I eat wherever I want and sometimes I disappear for hours.”

“Well all that ends today”

I stared at him dumbfounded. “Excuse you?”

My father focused on the ceiling refusing to look at either one of us

“You were almost killed today because someone knew where you were and you weren't protected. Until we know who is behind it, you don't disappear anywhere”

I narrowed my eyes. "I think you're forgetting that you're working for me.”

"I'm working for your father.”

"Dad, are you hearing this?” I turned to address him

He smiled innocently. “Don’t look at me”

“Traitor”

By late afternoon, the doctor finally cleared me to leave and my father insisted on helping me walk all the way down. Alexander stood a distance beside, I had asked why he just responded that he was observing. The drive home was quiet, which surprised me. Alexander sat with the driver while I sat beside my father in the back. I could feel his eyes staring at me through the rear view mirror. It was a strange combination of concern and intrigue

After what seemed like hours which was actually just some minutes we arrived at my apartment. Don, the driver, parked the car while Alexander quickly got out.

“Don't come out until I say so”

“Why?” I asked, already unbuckling my seatbelt, but he just slammed the door in my face as a response.

“I have a feeling you and him won't get along” my dad said laughing

“No shit Sherlock,” I responded with a small smile gracing my lips. I loved a good challenge. I looked back at my dad to say something only to notice him frown at the phone he had in hand.

“Everything alright?” I asked cautiously

He sighed, “I have to leave Lois, the shareholders are demanding a meeting and it isn't one I can postpone, I really don't want to leave you”

“Dad, it's okay. Go, I have a grumpy bodyguard who looks like he eats bullets for a living by my side, what could possibly go wrong”

My dad smiled. “Alright, you stay safe, tell Alex to give me a call if anything comes up and I'll ditch the meeting and come running.

The car door opened and beside it stood Alexander. He offered me his hand. “Everything's secure.”

I took it and stepped out of the car.

“I'm going in for an impromptu meeting Alex, I trust my daughter is safe in your hands” my dad spoke from inside the car. I had no intention of waiting for him to finish his "protect my darling daughter" speech so I turned on my heels and walked into my home.

Not long after I had come in I heard Lon urgent footsteps. “You do not do that again” Alexander spoke as he came face to face with me in the sitting area.

“Do what?”

“Leave my side”

“Oh please, it's not like any danger can happen twenty four hours after I came out of a car crash”

“You'd be surprised at how intentional people are about killing off people”

“Whatever, just try to stay out of my way, Julia my maid will show you around”

I had barely taken a few steps toward the window when Alexander's phone vibrated, he pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the screen, but whatever he saw made his expression change.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He didn't answer.

Instead, his eyes moved toward the window, my stomach tightened.

"Alexander?"

He crossed the room in three quick strides. "Get away from the window."

I frowned. "Why?"

"Now, Eloise." There was something in his voice that made the question die in my throat, I took one step backward.

Then the window exploded, the sound was deafening, glass burst across the room, and I screamed as something struck my cheek. Before I could even understand what was happening, Alexander slammed into me, knocking me to the floor and covering my body with his.

Another gunshot cracked through the room.

My ears began ringing instantly, I couldn't hear anything except a high pitched whine that seemed to come from inside my skull. My heart slammed against my ribs so violently that I thought it might burst through my chest.

"What the hell is happening?" I couldn't hear my own voice properly.

Alexander grabbed the back of my head and forced it lower. “Stay down."

Another shot tore through the room. The sound vibrated through my entire body, I squeezed my eyes shut and clutched the front of Alexander's shirt, my fingers trembling uncontrollably.

Someone was shooting at me, someone was making a second attempt at taking my life between twenty four hours. The crash hadn't been enough, the threats hadn't been enough, someone had followed me home.

A sharp sting suddenly tore through my ear.

I cried out and instinctively covered it with my hand.

When I pulled my fingers away, there was blood on them. Oh God.