Vulnerable

Chapter 1

MONDAY 8:13 AM

Mandy Hunter knew something must be wrong, her boss never called this early. She picked up her cell phone and pined it to her ear with her shoulder, trying to keep her car in its lane. “Hello.”

“I’ve got a job for you.” John Miller never bothered with pleasantries.

“Yeah, what is it?”

“We’ve got a last-minute, one-person corporate protection contract that begins this morning? I’m going to give it to you?”

“Okay, when do I need to be there?”

“About two hours ago. It’s on Lexington Avenue, I’m texting you the address.”

Mandy changed lanes to make the exit ramp. “Who is my point of contact?”

“It’s a design firm. Your contact is an executive named Trevor Wilson. I’m emailing you the intel report right now.”

She checked her watch. “Understood. I’m about forty-five minutes out.”

“All right, I’ll let them know. Text me when you’re there.”

“Will do.” John hung up before she finished her sentence. He never bothered with goodbyes either. So, this was how today was going to go. Last minute changes and last-minute contracts were common in the bodyguard industry. However, jobs that made her late before she was even assigned them were rare. She would get there as fast as she could.

What a way to start the weak? A whole new assignment, which meant more intel, more reports, new client, who knows what for a schedule. Anything but this week. She had originally requested this Friday off to pick up her kids early for the weekend. It was her weekend to have the boys and she wasn’t going to lose it.

Usually, a contract that started this fast meant something happened quickly and the client had no plan in place. John said it was a design firm, corporate gig. It was probably an assault on someone, or a mysterious threat, stalking or domestic incident. She would have to wait for John to send the intel packet for more details. She checked her phone; nothing had been sent yet.

About five minutes later, she got the text from John that gave her the address. It did not include the name of the design firm. She copied and pasted the address with one hand and searched the address. Got it. H&K Design on Lexington Avenue. From the website it looked like a pretty big company. There were no names or pictures of executives on the ‘About Us’ page. No contact info either, just a blank email request form.

At 9:03 AM Mandy walked into the front door of H&K Design. She still had not received the intel packet from John. She had texted him back once and called twice. Mandy couldn’t get a hold of him or anyone else at the office. He must be engaged with something important. She didn’t like the idea of walking into a contract completely cold with no info. But she had no choice so she walked up to the young man at the tall reception desk. Behind him was a bright orange symbol of the letter H and K formed together in a futuristic, metallic font.

“Hi, I’m Mandy Hunter, here to see Trevor Wilson.”

The receptionist paused for a second. “Uh, Mister Wilson?”

“Yes.”

He typed a few keys on the keyboard. “Someone will be right down.”

“Thank you.” Mandy held her notebook and stood off to the side. The office was all modern, minimalist and glass. Which made sense since it was a design firm. From the website it looked like they did everything from websites to architecture. But whatever they designed, they needed to look legit and in-style. So far, they were doing that. Mandy had only been there a few moments but from the receptionist’s black-framed glasses to the full glass entrance door, she could tell this company meant business when it came to quality and style. Which also told her that an executive with the company would also be focused on quality and style.

Mandy was glad she was wearing her best, black pant suit and her Cole Haans. Good call this morning. She straightened her jacket and made sure her lapel pin was straight. Each executive protection agent who worked for John Miller’s Doxa International, wore the same silver pin. The pin was round with a raised cross with a roped boarder. The cross symbolized safety, similar to the red cross. She was proud to wear it. She became self-conscious of her hair and wanted to check her brunette bangs. No restroom was visible. She walked up to ask the receptionist to ask him and the lobby door opened. A tall blonde with a pencil skirt and heals extended her hand.

“Hi Mandy, I’m Gloria.”

Mandy shook hands. “Mandy Hunter, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you. Please come in.” Gloria smiled. “Mr. Wilson will see you right away.” Mandy followed Gloria, who most likely was Mr. Wilson’s executive assistant. This was the second time an employee referred to him as Mr. Wilson, not Trevor Wilson. Mandy made a mental note.

They walked into a shiny, stainless steel elevator. Gloria pressed the button for the top, fourteenth floor. “Thank you so much for coming on such short notice.” Gloria combed a hair back into place behind her ear.

Mandy needed to get as much information as she could before they got to the top. “Yes, we’re glad you reached out. Did you speak to Mr. Miller?”

“No, that was Mr. Wilson himself. He just told me you would be coming by.”

“Oh. How long have you been with H and K?”

“About six months now.”

Mandy nodded. “Do you work directly with Mr. Wilson?”

“Yes, I’m his executive assistant.”

“Great, I would love to sit down with you as soon as we have time. Mr. Wilson may have some schedule changes.”

Gloria looked puzzled then let out a small laugh. “Ah, Mr. Wilson has a very busy schedule. He is always on the go.”

Mandy was just about ready to ask a follow up with the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Gloria led her into an upscale office space with polished concrete floors and glass walls. She passed a couple of offices and Mandy noticed the men staring at her. Not for looks, but clearly for curiosity. The interest on their faces told Mandy they knew a bodyguard was arriving, but they weren’t expecting a woman. For whatever reason Mr. Wilson needed a bodyguard, it was clear that everyone on this floor knew about it, except for Mandy.

They stopped in front of a corner office. Gloria nodded, assuring Mandy it was okay to walk in. Mr. Wilson was talking into his cell phone, standing behind his desk looking out the window.

“Yes, we’ll need it by then.” He turned and motioned for Mandy to come in.

Mandy walked in and stood by one of the chairs. She checked her phone again to see if John’s intel email had come in yet. Nothing. Mr. Wilson’s office was impeccably clean. The furniture was gray, white and minimal. The only things on his desk were a sleek laptop and a cell phone charger. A small, barren bookcase stood against one wall. It contained a green potted plant and a couple of glass awards. No books, no pictures of family. This guy looked all business.

Gloria walked over and typed something on her phone. She held out it for Mr. Wilson to see. While listening to the person on the phone, he read the message, looked at Mandy, smiled and gave an okay sign. Gloria must have told him that she was the bodyguard.

“He’s expecting you.” Gloria walked past. “He’ll be off that call in the minute.”

“Thank you.”

“Well, that’s not going to work.” The tone of his voice told Mandy this wasn’t a pleasant conversation. “Thursday, by end of day is the deadline. It can’t be pushed back you know that.” He paced a few steps. It was clear by his body language that he didn’t like what he was hearing. “I don’t know what to tell you. We have to have it by Thursday. A deadline is a deadline.” His voice was curt but not agitated. “Yes, we’ll expect it then. Thank you.” He hung up without a proper goodbye. Who knows who he was talking on the other end of the line, but Mandy was glad it wasn’t her.

She didn’t know why but, Mr. Wilson sounded like the name of an individual who would be older. She wasn’t expecting someone her age, or maybe he was even younger than her. Mr. Wilson was tall with a styled head of black hair. He had a perfectly symmetrical and athletic body that radiated the impression he was in charge. Like one of those guys who was a natural athlete, a sport’s star in high school, maybe even college. She would put money on that he was the starting quarterback on the varsity team. He wore a pair of gray slacks and a white dress shirt with the top two buttons undone.

The only other item on his desk was a white open can of a Monster energy drink. Zero Ultra flavor. She noticed two empty cans of the same flavor in his small trash can.

He sighed and dropped the phone on his desk. “Sorry about that. This week’s activities have sure caused a stir around here.” He reached out to shake hands. “Trevor Wilson.”

“Mandy Hunter, nice to meet you.” He hesitated just a little bit too long. “Let me guess, you weren’t expecting a woman, right?”

“Oh, no, not at all, it’s fine. Please, have a seat.” He pointed to one of the guest chairs and sat himself behind the desk. He leaned back and rested both hands behind his head. “I spoke with John earlier, we’re grateful for you getting here on such short notice.”

Mandy crossed her legs and flung her hair out of her face. “Yes, we’re happy to be of service. This is a beautiful office.”

“Thank you, we at H and K designed it ourselves. We moved in just about a year ago.”

“Mr. Wilson, I. . .”

“It’s just Trevor.” All of the previous signals were making it clear it was ‘Mr. Wilson.’ His smile put her at ease, complete with dimples on the cheeks. His hair didn’t move. His face was right out of the charming and handsome prince category from a fairy tale. The only thing he lacked was a classic beaming star-shaped sparkle from his teeth.

She still had very little information on this whole situation but she didn’t want to give away the fact she was unprepared. “Trevor, yes. We usually start with a basic client interview.” She opened up her note pad and clicked her pen open. “Would you be able to tell me what made you call us?”

He brought his hands down and rocked forward in his chair. “I was under the impression that Mr. Miller communicated to you all of the details.”

She didn’t like his tone. Mandy was good at thinking on her feet, but she had to be careful here. “Yes, John gave me an overview of the case but I was hoping to get more specifics from you directly. It’s always helpful for me to hear directly from the client. I hope you don’t mind.”

He paused for a moment. Almost as if he was trying to make up his mind about something. “No, it’s quite all right. I uh, well I called last night after the attack.”

Mandy’s senses perked up. No one said anything about an actual assault. She tried to contain her surprise. “Yes, when was the attack again?” She pretended like she knew about the attack.

“It was at about 10:15 PM.”

He had no black eye or visible injuries. “And where were you exactly?”

“I was in the parking garage walking out to my car.”

“Could you tell me what happened?”

“Yes, I left the office a little after 10:00. By that time, there aren’t very many people left. The janitor saw me leave. I got down to the lobby, hit the restroom and then walked out into the parking garage. I was walking through level one like always. I had my cell phone and my laptop and then all of a sudden I saw this guy, coming at me, from the left.” He stood and looked down and began acting out the actions of his story. “He basically tackled me and shoved me up against the pillar. He had his arm up against my throat and my collar all twisted up like this. He punched me so hard in the stomach I dropped my laptop bag.” He was an animated man and knew how to tell a story. He walked closer and pulled down the collar of his shirt to reveal a red scratch that looked like if came from a finger nail.

“What did this man look like?”

“He was a big guy. Fifty or sixty pounds larger than me, taller than me too.”

“Did you see his face?”

“No, he had one of those black masks stretched over his face, or at least over his nose and the bottom half of his face. I told this all to the police. He had buzzed, light-colored hair.”

“Were you able to see the color of his eyes?”

“No, it all happened so fast, he just shoved me up there so fast. I just didn’t know what was going on until he punched me. That kind of threw me off. I tried to punch him back but he was just too strong.”

“After he punched you, what happened?”

Trevor sighed. “He told me ‘Don’t get too excited about the meeting. Make the price go down or you’ll be sorry. You’ve got six days.’”

“What meeting?”

“I assume it is our annual meeting this Saturday. It’s our biggest event of the year. And as of yesterday, it is six days away.”

“And there has been no communication of any kind related to this in the past? No phone calls, no emails, no letters? No disgruntled employees, recent firings, that sort of thing?”

Trevor shook his head. “No.”

“Okay.” Mandy nodded. “How did he sound? What was his voice like?”

Trevor stared at the floor to think. “Um, he had a deep voice, I guess. He was just really mean.” He paused trying to find a word. His lip quivered a bit. This was obviously bothering him way more than he was showing. He was trying to stay tough in front of Mandy. “Yeah, he was aggressive that was for sure. It really shook me.” That was all she was going to get. There was more behind this, but she was going to have to wait in order to pry further.

“And did he give you a specific threat like, ‘Stop the meeting or else I’ll kill you.’ That sort of thing?”

“His exact words were ‘Don’t get too excited about the meeting. Make the price go down or you’ll be sorry. You’ve got six days.’ That sounds pretty generic doesn’t it?”

Mandy nodded in deliberation. “Well, yes and no. The phrase is not technically a specific threat. But the threatening nature of ‘or else you’ll be sorry’ is what we would call a specific category of an implied threat.”

“An implied threat?”

“Yes, he was clearly threatening you, but it is more implied by his actions and tone than by his actual words.”

“That makes sense.”

“And may I ask, how would you make the price go down? Was he referring to the stock price?”

Trevor shrugged. “I assume so. But I have no power to make the price go down.”

Mandy tapped her pen on her chin. “I appreciate you sharing all of this. I’m sorry that you had to experience that, those can be very difficult situations to go through. You did the right thing by calling us. What did the police have to say?”

“Nothing much really, they took my report. But all they had to go on was this vague description. I didn’t get a good look at his face. I didn’t see a vehicle; I didn’t even see which way he left. They took all my information, filed the report, gave me a case number and told me they would contact me if they found anything. The lead guy was a Detective Bremmer, I’ll get you his info. To be honest, they didn’t seem that interested. I was hoping they would do more.”

Mandy had watched many people tell their stories of being the victim of an attack. Trevor’s behavior seemed consistent with what she had seen before. However, he appeared like he was trying to not show weakness. Typical man.

“Now that you’ve had time to think about it. Is there anyone that comes to mind who would have done this? Anyone who doesn’t like you, someone you might have got in a disagreement with? Someone you fired?”

Trevor shook his head. “That’s the thing, I have absolutely no idea why anyone would have something against me. I don’t have any enemies.”

Mandy knew there was always more to a story but she would have to wait and build up more rapport with him before probing further. “And just a few more questions, if you don’t mind. You’re title here at H and K is?”

“Vice President of Strategic Development.”

“Ah, I see. So, about this annual meeting this Saturday.”

“Yes.”

“How big is it?”

“We’re a public company so, any of our shareholders can attend. We usually have quite a crowd. Each years our numbers have been rising just like our stock price.” He checked his phone again. “One thousand sixty-four bucks per share today. Last year we had the meeting at the uptown Hilton. It’s one of the largest rooms. But this year, with the expected turnout, it is being held at the Mancald Center. I’d have to check with Gloria, she would know the most recent figures, but we’re expecting around four to five thousand people to show up.”

She wrote that down. “Oh, okay.” She knew where the Mancald Center was. She had driven by its dozens of times but had never been inside. She would have to find some time to advance the place before this weekend. “And this will be the first time at the Mancald Center?”

“Yes.”

“And who is in charge of the logistics of the meeting?” Mandy asked.

“Uh, that is going to be Cindy Beckwith. She’s with operations. I’ll have Gloria get you her information. Cindy will be able to get you any details you need.”

“Good, that will be great.” Mandy stood up. “I’ll let you get back to work. Thank you for your time. And don’t worry about this. My job is to help take your mind off of the threat. I’ll take care of it.”

“Well, you picked a busy week. With this Saturday and all of the other meetings, this week is just mad.” He looked at his computer screen. “I am going to be running all over town trying to wrap things up.”

“No problem, I can help with your schedule.” Mandy stood. “Are any of these meetings off sight?”

“Yeah, almost all of them.”

“Around town or are you flying anywhere?”

“They’re all around here.”

“I can help you with that. Being on the same page with your schedule is one of the most critical things we can do to ensure your safety. If you are going somewhere that is not secure, it’s always good for me to know in advance.”

“For what?”

His voice had a little bit of an attitude. “Just for safety purposes. So I know what environment I’ll be walking into with you?”

“With me? What do you mean?”

“With you, I’ll be traveling with you to these meetings and I’ll be with you on Saturday.”

“Why?” His voice began to sound like the curt person that she heard talking into the phone earlier. Did he not know? Maybe he didn’t know what she was here to do. After all, she had not gotten her intel packet yet from John. Maybe Trevor didn’t get the specifics from his boss?

Mandy paused and cocked her head. “Um, what exactly did John or your boss tell you about my role?” She had better make sure they were starting off on the right foot.

“That you would be here this week investigating the threat and keeping me safe, by catching the thug who slugged me.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Wilson, er, Trevor. I work as an executive protection agent. I’m assigned to be your bodyguard for now. It is my job to keep you safe. But until we know more about this threat, I will need to be with you. Especially, until this Saturday. I am your bodyguard.”

His face went blank. This was clearly new to him. “Bodyguard?”

“I’m sorry, is this not what you spoke with my boss, John Miller about?”

“No, I uh.” Trevor scratched the back of his head and rubbed his neck. “He said that he was going to have one of his agents here. I just thought you were investigating. I didn’t know you would be with me all of the time. Actually, it was Sam and Gloria who set up all the details. To be honest, I was just filled in recently.”

“I’m sorry for any confusion.” Mandy gripped her notepad with both hands. “I will definitely be investigating the threat, but I will do that on the move. My primary job is to be with you and keep you from harm. I’ll only be here in the office when you’re here. It’s pretty clear in the contract.”

“No, no, it’s okay. That will be fine. It’s just I have a busy week. I have a lot to do, it’s just going to be, uh, busy.” He forced a smile. He didn’t like it and she could tell.

“No problem.” Mandy backed up. “I’m going to go find Gloria and Cindy and get some of those details. Just let me know if I can help with anything today.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Mandy couldn’t decide if the expression on Trevor’s face was puzzlement or frustration. So much for getting off on the right foot.

Chapter 2

MONDAY 10:34 AM

A bodyguard? How was this supposed to work? The only thing that surprised Trevor more than the fact that his bodyguard was a woman, was how hot she was. He definitely was not expecting that. Trevor sat back at his desk and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, a break from questions. He checked his inbox. He had about a dozen new emails that had come in this morning. He didn’t feel like reading any of them.

Who was this Mandy Hunter anyway? Who did she think she was? He had a lot to do this week and he couldn’t just stop everything and bring her along everywhere he went. He had his part of the annual meeting to do. And since it was only Monday morning, he knew a bunch of other things were going to come up before then. Mandy had asked him about his schedule multiple times. That was the one thing he didn’t like bothering with. Hopefully, Gloria would get her all of that. He really hoped this Mandy wasn’t going to be reminding him of every meeting in his schedule. He didn’t need a babysitter.

He was going to look up the firm H and K had hired Mandy from but he realized he didn’t even ask the name of her employer. Maybe she worked by herself, as a contractor? He pulled up an email to Gloria. ‘What’s the name of the company Mandy works for?’ he typed in the subject line. Maybe he could look Mandy up and she would have a resume or something.

Not that there couldn’t be female bodyguards. Women can do that job. He had to sort out the bias in his head. Not because he didn’t think a woman couldn’t protect him, he just had not thought about it that’s all.

He scrolled back through his inbox that was already filling up with unanswered emails. He found the contract that Sam had sent him this morning. On his laptop he could read it better compared to his phone this morning in the car. She scanned through it a little bit more intentional this time. Sure enough, there it was in black and white. ‘H&K Design Inc. agrees to hire one executive protection agent for full time security for Mr. Trevor Wilson.’ He guessed since the term ‘bodyguard’ wasn’t used, he didn’t pick up on it. Executive protection must be some fancy word for bodyguard now. He continued reading. ‘Services are to include but not limited to physical protection of Mr. Trevor Wilson. Executive Protection Agent (Hereby referred to as Agent) will need to be in close proximity to Mr. Wilson at all times within reason. H&K Design Inc. agrees to give Agent all appropriate access to physical locations, offices, work spaces, home, vehicle, work and travel schedule information as necessary to ensure Mr. Wilson and H&K Design Inc. remains safe and secure. Agent agrees to not unnecessarily disrupt the work schedule of Mr. Wilson or H&K Design inc.’

Wait, what? Home? Vehicle? What did that mean? Was she going home with him? What the hell was this? Sam Frederick, the CEO and Trevor’s boss was the one who finalized the details about this. He needed more specifics. On his laptop he saw the green flag by Sam’s name, indicating he was in his office. He clicked on the CEO’s contact info on his screen. His computer called Sam’s office and the sound linked to his cell, he held it to his ear. He was part of the executive team and he was good friends with Sam but he would have appreciated a little more notice about something like this.

“Hello.” Sam Frederick answered.

“Sam, it’s Trevor. You got a minute?”

“Yes.” Trevor could tell Sam was on speaker phone.

“About this John Miller, the security company we hired?”

“Yes. What about it?”

“A smoking hot chick just walked in and told me she is going to be my bodyguard for the week.”

“Yes, I. . .”

“Sam.” Trevor interrupted and leaned back in his chair. “I don’t need a bodyguard. She’s about five foot nothing and like one twenty soaking wet. What is she going to protect me from?”

“Trevor Relax, we talked about his.” Sam chuckled. “Mr. Miller sent one of his very best agents.”

“We talked about someone helping the police find out who attacked me. We didn’t talk about hiring me a babysitter.”

“Miss Hunter is no babysitter, Trevor. It was all in the contract, I sent it over to you this morning. You signed it and everything.”

Damn. He remembered now. He did glance over that PDF contract that Sam had sent him when he was driving in this morning. He signed it but he didn’t really read it. He let out an audible sigh into the phone. “I guess I just wasn’t expecting this that’s all. I mean, I don’t have time this week to drag someone around with me all day.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that.” Sam said. His voice was more forceful now. “The company is taking this threat serious and I want you to do the same. Miss Hunter will do just fine this week with you and she’ll stay out of your way. I suggest you get used to it because she is your new best friend. And if you don’t mind, I’ve got some other more important things get finalized for Saturday. Can you manage to figure out how to work with Miss Hunter this week?” His voice trailed off into a laugh. He was kind of joking but at the same time Trevor could tell he was serious.

“Yes, yes. It’ll be fine. Sorry to bother you.” Sam hung up. Trevor dropped his cell on his desk and looked out the window. Great. This week just got a whole lot more interesting. And after last night, he didn’t think that could be possible. But apparently, it was.

Chapter 3

MONDAY 10:35 AM

Mandy stood in front of CEO Sam Frederick’s desk red-faced. On the inside she couldn’t decide if she was more embarrassed or pissed off about what she just overheard on the speaker phone.

“I’m terribly sorry about that.” Mr. Frederick’s face was half panicked. He tried to remain professional. Mandy couldn’t believe she had just overheard her new client call her a chick and verbalize his chauvinistic belief that she was incapable of protecting him. And that she was five foot nothing and one twenty. What bullshit. She was five seven thank you very much. And well, he didn’t need to know her weight but she was more like one thirty or one thirty-five. “I tried to interrupt and tell him. . .”

“It’s quite all right, Mr. Frederick,” Mandy said with a smile to put him at ease. She knew she could file a lawsuit for that comment but there would be no need. “This isn’t the first time someone has said something like that. But Mr. Miller and I will stand by our reputation.”
      “No need. That’s why we hired you. Trevor is a great guy, despite what you heard. I will expect an apology from him immediately,” Mr. Frederick said.

“There is no need. I don’t want to make anything out of it.” She kept it cool on the outside but inside she burned with a desire to walk into Trevor’s office and give him a demonstration of just how easily she could clinch and perform a hip toss. Then proceed to choke him out with a rear naked choke.

Mr. Frederick was relieved. His face began to relax. “Well, I assure you, that won’t happen again and Trevor’s comments are not consistent with our company. Speaking about women like that is not who we are.”

He really didn’t want to get sued. “I know Mr. Wilson is under a great deal of stress after the events of last night. I know this is a big week for him and I’m not going to hold anything against him here. I am used to working with people who are victims of stalking, domestic violence, threats, extortion and all kinds of violence. And when the stress levels get high, people respond in unpredictable ways.”

“Well, we appreciate your professionalism and understanding. If you decide to change your mind, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Mandy smiled. If she thought about it anymore, she may just change her mind. “The only thing I need is your support.”

“And you have it, Miss Hunter.”

“And please send me what you have on the annual meeting this week. I’ll get with Cindy for the rest.” Here’s my card. She extended her hand to give him an actual paper card. Not something that was done much these days but Mr. Frederick was older and would feel more comfortable with this.

“Okay, thank you again, Miss Hunter.”

“It’s Mandy.”

Mr. Frederick smiled. At least she managed to find a way to start off on the right foot with the CEO. Next was to get Gloria on her side. As she walked out, she remembered what Trevor had said. He called her a ‘smoking hot chick.’ Why do men have to say things like that?

Her phone buzzed. Thank goodness. It was the intel packet from John. About three hours late on that one. Thanks boss, for sending me in blind, looking like a rookie. She shook her head in annoyance. Sometimes John was a little too slow on the admin work. He was a great operator, and he was smart, but he lacked organization sometimes.

She opened the PDF. She scanned the texts. ‘Mister Trevor Wilson. Executive Vice President of Strategic Development at H&K Design Inc. Threat Level – High Risk.’ A professional looking head shot; shoulders up showed him smiling. It was a fairly up to date photo. ‘On the 6^th, at approximately 10:00 PM, Client was attacked and assaulted by an unknown assailant in the H&K parking garage. See attached police report.’ That would have been nice to know before I met the client. ‘Mr. Wilson was not hurt and could not identify the attacker. After he assaulted Mr. Wilson, the attacker verbalized an implied threat in the phrase “Don’t get too excited about the meeting. Make the price go down or you’ll be sorry. You’ve got six days.” After a debriefing of the incident with Mr. Wilson and H&K Design CEO Samuel Frederick, it is reasonable to assume threats may increase as the date of the annual meeting grows closer.’

All of this would have been nice to know. Mandy walked over to the corner of the waiting area and pulled out her phone. She didn’t want to call her ex-husband but she had no choice now. Looks like no three-day weekend this time. She cringed and paused before hitting the send button. Of all the weeks, it had to be this week. He was going to love this. She hit the button and put the phone to her ear.

“Hello?” Her ex answered the phone like he didn’t know her number.

“Rob, it’s Mandy. I have a detail this weekend. I have to work until Saturday.”

“Okay.” Mandy could tell he was being fake. That always annoyed her. “Well, Karen and I can just keep the kids for the weekend.”

“I can either pick them up on Sunday morning or on Saturday night if it’s not too late.”

“Okay. Is everything all right?”

“Yes, everything is fine, I just have to work this weekend that’s all. This thing just came up. I can’t talk about it.” It was sickening. This conversation had played out exactly like this hundreds of times during their marriage. It was like working in the CIA all over again. Mandy was just beginning the academy for the CIA when they met. Many of their friends said to take it slower but they thought they knew best. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into. She had no idea the exact career path she would end up on in the CIA. She was overseas way too much. Even when she was stateside, she couldn’t talk about much about her work. It was kind of always a little barrier between them. This part of her life that he could never know. They should never have gotten married.

“I know, I know. I’ll tell the kids.”

“Tell them I’ll call tonight. I would like to spend a little time with them on the phone.”

“Okay, call when you can.”

“Thank you, bye.”

“Bye.” Nothing made her stomach curl more than trying to be nice to that dickhead. The worst part about this weekend would be that she would have to pick the kids up and their place. She would not be able to avoid Rob or Karen. Great. This was going to be a long week.

Chapter 4

MONDAY 11:13 AM

“Mr. Wilson?” Gloria’s voice came from the door.

Trevor looked up from his laptop. “Yes.”

“Mr. Frederick called, he would like to see you and Miss Hunter.”

“Okay, thank you.” Gloria turned to leave. Mr. Frederick? What did the CEO want? Trevor remembered he didn’t know where Mandy was. He didn’t even have her cell number. He shoved his cell in his pocket and walked out to almost run into Mandy.

“Oh, sorry,” Mandy said. “I was just coming to get you. Mr. Frederick wanted to see both of us.”

“Yes, Gloria just told me.”

“Alright, show me the way.”

Trevor went down the hall. She was already in the way, creating more communication. He hoped Mandy wasn’t going to be some bodyguard tag along that was going to be in his hip pocket at every step. He turned back. “Do you need a copy of the police report?”

“Yes, I got a copy of it from Gloria.”

“Oh, I suppose I should get your cell number.” Then his phone beeped.

“That’s probably Gloria sending it over to you. I have yours.”

He checked his phone and sure enough. Gloria had just texted him Mandy’s contact info. They reached Mr. Frederick’s office.

“Sam, this is. . .”

“We’ve already met.” Mr. Frederick smiled under this gray mustache. How had Mandy met him already? She must work fast. It was hard enough to see the CEO, let alone the first day when you walk in. Trevor took a seat at the small meeting table in corner like usual. Mandy sat next to him. Mr. Frederick rolled out his chair from around his desk. “So, Trevor how are you doing after the incident last night?”

“Fine. Just fine. Stuff happens.”

“Well, I’ve been in contact with Mandy and her employer, Mr. Miller. And we wanted to discuss the threat level a bit more specifically. There are some things that Miss Hunter can provide that we didn’t originally think about. Miss Hunter.”

Mandy smiled and looked at both of them. “Since the attack happened here at a strategic time when Trevor was walking to his car. This means the attacker was familiar with his daily activity and routines. This person knew where he worked and where he parked. This all suggests that the attacker also knows where he lives.” She turned to look at Trevor. “Your house has most likely been watched and is probably being watched right now. This plus the annual meeting coming up this Saturday, shows us that the threat is rising. The threat level gets higher each day we get closer to the weekend.”

“And what do you suggest?” Mr. Frederick asked.

“It would be wise to relocate where Mr. Wilson is staying. At least, until after the annual meeting. In situations like this, the safest place for a client to sleep and relax is at a hotel. If the hotel is random, it is less likely for the attacker to know where they are staying without physical surveillance. And I can make sure that does not happen while I’m driving.”

“Great,” Mr. Frederick said.

“No, I don’t think so.” Trevor stood. “This is a busy week for me, for all of us. I don’t have time to pack and move and chance my whole routine this week. I’m not going to change everything and move into a hotel.”

Mr. Frederick was leaning back in his chair. His eyes glanced back and forth between the two of them. “I think Miss Hunter is right. It would be safest for you to do that. It will up the budget but I think it’s worth it.”

“Sam, come on.”

“Think about it, Trevor. It makes the most sense. You’re too important around here. We can’t lose you or risk further harm to the company. That why we’ve hired Miss Hunter in the first place. She’s the expert here. I think it’s a wise thing to do. At least until after Saturday.”

Trevor shook his head and turned around. He enjoyed his freedom. He didn’t like being restricted or told where to stay.

“Thank you, Mr. Frederick.” Mandy said.

How was this going to work out? He had not packed or anything yet.

“And the other thing we talked about.” Mr. Frederick rolled the chair back a bit, his big gut handing over his belt. “Mandy will need to be with you at all times. The company is paying for her services twenty-four seven. She will be your driver. Where you go, she goes.”

Perfect. Now he was going to have a chauffeur. This will be a pain in the ass. “Driver?”

“She will drive you home from here.”

Trevor looked back at Mandy. She was just sitting there with that cute smile. “We’re having Gloria rent a car, it will be delivered here this afternoon. We’ll leave both of our cars safe in the parking garage.”

“Okay.” Trevor said. “So, I’ll need to pack. We’ll have to stop at my place.” Things were happening so fast. He had to try and make everybody understand what he was trying to say. “Okay, here it is. I get that last night was a big deal. But I’m fine. I appreciate you, Mandy for being here and Sam I appreciate all the company is doing for me, I really am. But I do think that everyone may be making this into a bit of a bigger deal than what it is.”

“I understand.” Mr. Frederick grimaced. “You have to see this as not only protecting you, we’re protecting the company.”

“I know these types of situations can be difficult when you’re not used to them.” Mandy stepped forward and used an impressive sales voice. She was building rapport quickly. She must have already spoken to Sam. He was sucker for hot ladies. “But trust me, we see these types of assaults all of the time. And each one can be different, but the severity of the threat can’t be underestimated. Someone physically assaulted you and he could do it again, any time.”

Trevor shook his head. “I get it, but I can’t have someone underfoot. This week is important.”

“I’m not trying to be underfoot, Mr. Wilson. I am here to fulfill our contractual requirements to H and K. It will be easier if we can come to an agreement on how that will happen.”

“Okay, fine.” Trevor ran his hand through his hair.

“I understand this can be stressful, but I do want to help.” He didn’t like the tone Mandy was using. She was being way too professional. If he wasn’t careful, she could easily make him out to look like a someone who couldn’t handle the pressure. She had no idea who she was trying to scold. He was the one who closed the Helstatic Engineering LLC deal. He was a star at this company. He could play this game.

“Trevor, Miss Hunter will be with you this week. Think of her as your second executive assistant. An assistant that is in charge of your security.”

He really had to say it. He looked at Mandy and she stood like a statue of defiance. She had won her case.

“I just want to partner with you this week, Trevor.” She was good looking that was for sure. At least he got to hang around someone who looked good.

“Okay.”

“I will need to work with you and Gloria on your schedule, locations of your meetings, that sort of thing.”

“Okay, Mandy. When it comes to security, you’re the boss.”

“Thank you,” she said.

Trevor sighed and walked out of the room. This week was not starting off just great. This was going to be a long week.

Chapter 5

MONDAY 6:30 PM

That evening they pulled into the Marriot. This was the earliest Trevor had been off work for a long time. They had gone to his place, he packed a bag, and now they were here. Mandy made one pass round the front of the hotel but instead of parking in front of the doorway like normal, she pulled around. He didn’t know where she was going. Why would she park further away from the door? She selected a few spots away from the last car then slowly backed the rented black sedan into a parking stall. She looked around and they got out.

“May I ask a question?” Trevor asked.

“Yeah.”

He looked back at the hotel door that was a good forty yards away. “Why did we park way over here? And why did you back in?”

Mandy looked at the car. “Backing in allows a fast get away and is safer. Plus, it’s still in view of the lobby and we’re under the street light.” She pointed up. Trevor looked and noticed it was one of the only spots open that was directly under a street light. “Okay. You sure do plan for everything don’t you?”

“That’s what your company is paying me to do.” She opened the trunk and they hauled out their bags. Trevor had already wasted a good hour of drive time and another half hour of packing time that he could have been using to get caught up on emails.

They checked in and Trevor opened the door to his room. Mandy actually walked in right behind him.

She flicked on the lights. “Whoa, easy there, I don’t think we’re supposed to share the room just yet.”

“Very funny.” Mandy looked in the bathroom and inspected the room. Two beds, dresser, table, chair. Just like any other room.

“Is it all safe for me now?” He added a hint of sarcasm, but not too much.

“Yes.” She had no sarcasm at all. She looked like she didn’t want to joke. That was okay, neither did he.

“Thank you, I’ll see you in the morning then.”

“Yes, what time?” She asked.

“Be at the office at seven. Leave here at six?”

“Understood, I’ll have the car out front a little before six.”

“You’re the boss.” He put a little more sarcasm in this one but she didn’t take the bait. He walked past her and set his suitcase on the bed. Mandy left without a word. Trevor sat on the bed and let out a sigh. His phone dinged notifying him of an email. It was from Gloria’s response to Mandy’s employer.

‘Doxa International’ was the reply. He could always count on Gloria; she was on top of it. He typed ‘Doxa International New York’ into Google and the website came up. He clicked on it. ‘Doxa International. Prudence and Excellence.’ What an interesting tag line. Prudence? The site looked fairly new. Pretty modern. Not bad. The background was all black and the only logo was a simple silver plus sign. Almost like a red cross. He didn’t know, but he was sure it meant something. The cross was metallic sheen, it had depth to it. Not something he would have expected from a security company that employed security guards, or bodyguards or whatever they are called.

The home page also had a large, high quality photo of a group of people in black suits surrounding someone getting in a limo. It was a real time photo that was for sure. It wasn’t staged and these were not actors. He could tell by the crowd. The team all had sunglasses and earpieces and it looked like they were escorting someone from a building. The person they were escorting was an older male, but he couldn’t recognize who it was because the man’s face was blacked out. Trevor leaned in and squinted. Each one of these bodyguards also wore the same silver lapel pin on their left side. The same one he noticed on Mandy’s jacket. Nice minimal touch. So, these guys did secret service type work. Maybe the man in the photo was a politician? It was high quality and crisp, very professional.

The text was minimal. Just three headings. About Us, Services and Contact. He hit the ‘About Us’ tab and it revealed a new page. This page had another real time photo. This was more of a close up shot of a man in the same black suit helping an older gentleman down a set of stairs on an outdoor stage. The bodyguard wore the same silver lapel pin. His face was stern and serious, mouth closed. His eyes were covered by sunglasses but it was obvious this guy was focused on something.

Not much text on this page either. ‘Doxa International is one of the leading executive protection companies in the New York metro area. We’ve been in business for over twenty years. Our desire is to give you peace of mind while exercising professionalism and excellence.’

He clicked on the ‘Services’ tap. New page. This photo showed three black sedans and one limousine driving towards the camera. There were people lined up on each side of the street. It looked similar to those times when he saw the president during the inauguration. But this was clearly a private setting and not in DC. These were definitely not stock photos, that was for sure. They were for real. The Services listed were: Executive Protection, Travel Logistics, Protective Intelligence, Surveillance, Counter Surveillance, Threat Assessment and Technologies.

He clicked on ‘Executive Protection.’ It expanded a paragraph that read, ‘Executive Protection is a high calling, not just a job. All of our agents come from military, law enforcement and federal backgrounds. Everyone on our team passes rigorous training that surpasses all industry standards. Your safety is are our priority.’

He clicked on the other pages. Just one office in Brooklyn. No pictures of Mandy and no other names. Hmmm. His inbox popped up. It was an email from Gloria.