Page 2 of She's Mine

“I’m sorry to hear that, Commissioner.”

Charles Blythe was the same age as Jeffrey, and they were both twenty-five years my senior. From what Jeffrey had told me, he and Blythe had attended college together, and were good friends. Since they’d graduated, Blythe had worked closely with J&J Security, the police commissioner and my boss often collaborating on criminal cases. I only knew him in a professional sense, but Charles Blythe was a man not to be messed with. It was thanks to him that the LAPD had made any headway against the Bloodline Cartel at all.

Jeffrey steepled his fingers in front of him, and then took control of the conversation. “Charles is here today because he’s in need of our services. Yours specifically, David.”

I glanced from my boss to Blythe, surprised to learn the police commissioner had a need for me.

“The Bloodline are becoming more daring with their behaviour. In the last two weeks alone, three attempts have been made on my life. I’m hiring J&J Security to serve as the personal security for myself and my family.”

I gulped around a lump in my throat. After Jean Grant, the Mayor of LA, Charles Blythe was the most important person in the city.

“I’ve already spoken to Scott Payne,” Jeffrey said, referencing one of the three senior members of J&J Security, along with myself and another experienced bodyguard, Pedro Lincoln. “And I’ll be seeing Pedro straight after. I want all three of you on Commissioner Blythe’s security detail. One team for Charles himself, a team for his wife Pamela, and another for their daughter, Alyssa.”

Blythe had a daughter. I had no idea. I knew he had a son that had been caught up in the fight against the Bloodline many years ago, and sadly lost his life to the cartel. I’d never heard mention of a daughter though. Blythe must have kept her identity under wraps, which made sense, after losing his son.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Blythe wince at the mention of his daughter. “Alyssa can be a littlespirited, shall we say.”

“That’s where you come in,” Jeffrey continued. “While I have the uttermost faith in you, Payne and Lincoln, I feel you’re most suited to dealing with delicate situations. I want you to serve as Alyssa’s personal bodyguard.”

I let out a long breath. Guarding the police commissioner of the LAPD was one thing. Guarding his only living child was a whole other matter.

I’d be safer handing myself over to the Bloodline than I would be facing Blythe if I let anything bad happen to his baby girl.

But I wasn’t about to show any sign of weakness. I’d dealt with difficult clients, delicate situations andspiritedcharges plenty of times before, and had always managed to handle my business in the most professional manner.

I was sure Alyssa Blythe would be no different.

“I’ll do my very best, Sir,” I said, offering my assurances to both Jeffrey and Blythe. “What do I need to know about your daughter?”

Blythe smiled fondly. “As I said, she’s a little spirited. Entirely mine and Pamela’s fault. After we lost Joey, Alyssa was all we had, and well … we might have spoiled her a little. Here, see for yourself--”

Blythe pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket, tapped the screen a few times, and then handed the device to me.

The phone was open on the social media profile of the most stunning woman I’d ever seen. With a curvaceous figure, long black hair and bright blue eyes, it was clear Alyssa Blythe held the attention of every room she entered.

Alyssa's pictures showed her at various events, always surrounded by a crowd of people. She wore designer clothes and expensive jewellery, and her smile was bright and infectious.

As I stared at the images of Alyssa, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. It wasn’t that I’d never seen a beautiful woman before -- I lived in LA. I was surrounded by gorgeous women all the time. But I’d never protected someone like Alyssa before, and I wasn't sure if I was up to the task.

Honestly, I couldn't help but feel a little intimidated.

I also couldn't help but assume that she was a princessy brat. Her father had already said as such, only in a much kinder way. Spirited was an easy code for a wildchild,and I was worried that she would be difficult to control and that she wouldn't take the threat against her family seriously.

But as I continued to stare at Alyssa’s pictures, I couldn't deny that there was something about her that intrigued me. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but there was something different about Alyssa that I’d never seen before in the socialites and ladies of high society you found in a city like LA.

“Obviously, I don’t want anything to happen to myself or Pamela, either, but well…” Blythe shook his head. “You don’t have children, do you, David?”

“Not yet, Sir. I’ve always been too focused on my career.”

“Well, when you do become a father, you’ll understand. Nothing compares to the pain of losing a child. When we lost Joey, it damn near tore me and Pamela apart. The only thing that even kept us going was Alyssa. I’d sooner die than let anything bad happen to her. Am I making myself clear?”

“Perfectly, Sir,” I replied, knowing that if it was reported that even one hair on Alyssa’s head was out of place, it would bemeon the chopping block and no one else.

Usually, a case like this wouldn’t have been an issue. I’d protected my fair share of high-profile clients. It was why I was amongst the top of Jeffrey’s most trusted bodyguards.

What I’d never dealt with before was a young, rich, beautiful woman who was likely used to getting things her own way, never being told no, and havingeverythingon her own terms.

I couldn’t blame Charles and Pamela Blythe for spoiling their daughter, especially not after they’d lost their son. But knowing that didn’t make my upcoming job any easier.

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