Page 2 of Protected By the SEAL

“Yeah, I get it.” I shove every scrap of self-doubt to one side. Of course I can handle it. “I won’t let you down.”

“I’m going to leave you for a moment with this file.” Max rises to his feet. “I’ll sort out an equipment bag and a plane for you. And a decent pilot. Take a glance through it all and let me know if you have any questions afterward, okay?”

With that, he’s gone and it’s only me and the madness that my life is about to take on sitting in front of me. With a deep sigh, I open up the folder and unleash it all upon myself, starting with the life of William and the reality show which must have sparked all of this… even if Cassie removed herself from it six years ago as soon as she hit her sixteenth birthday. And I can’t blame her, honestly. Personally, I find that much of an invasion into anyone’s life too much. I don’t know how people do it. I can’t imagine any amount of money being worth it. What a shame that the one who walked away is the one who was targeted.

“Cassie.” Seeing a picture of her face brings a level of reality to this job that I don’t know I’m ready for. The portrait of her hits home hard. She’s a very beautiful redhead with sparkling green eyes and a sweet heart-shaped face to boot. Her friendly looking smile is what gets me the most, though. It’s striking, eye-catching. I can only imagine that it lights up any room. For a moment, I envision what her real life must be like and I see a popular, sweet girl who lives life to the fullest. She gives out that vibe.

She has the looks of a model and what seems like her father’s charisma if the images are anything to go by, but she wanted something different for herself. I can only imagine that what she’s suffering now feels like utter hell. Gangs, criminals, threats… it must be dreadful for her to deal with. She won’t know what she’s in for, what’s happening to her. Unless a personchooses a path of crime or selects to fight that, it’s not something anyone would know how to deal with.

I need to save her. That’s why I’m in the protection industry, and it’s also why Max has chosen me for this, but the absolute aching to keep this pretty face away from danger damn near overwhelms me. I want to be there already, to be in the Puerto Rican jungle making sure that nothing can harm her. Knowing that Cassie doesn’t deserve to be in this position is absolutely crushing me. I want to run, to race to her, to drag her away from all of them.I have to… she only has me.

I have no questions for Max. I’m no longer worried about anything. I’m simply determined to save the day.

I find myself running my finger over her cheek in the photo, silently trying to communicate that I’m on the way to her and that I’ll make sure she’s okay soon. She must be afraid, fearing that she’s going to die, but under my watch, Cassie Jones will live for sure. I’ll ensure that she gets her life back, no matter what.

2

CASSIE

Ican’t breathe.Tears stream down my face as I desperately do what I can to suck in air, but it isn’t really working. With the itchy, thick bag rubbing over my face, I can’t breathe.This is going to fucking kill me.

I don’t know where I am. My memories of what brought me to this terrible moment are all a little fuzzy, but I know that I’m fucked. I met a guy… a guy who was supposed to give me a job. My dream job, actually, one that I feared I wouldn’t get because it was too good to be true. But I thought I was going to fuck up the interview. I didn’t think I would end up in a van. A van driving to God knows where, being driven by who the fuck knows? Oh, my God, I seriously need to remember everything.

What happened?I feel sick. Something has made me feel ill.Who did this to me?

“He… hello…?” I call out anxiously, needing someone to at least answer me. “What’s going on here? Anyone?”

My head aches like hell. I feel like I’ve been hit on the left side of my head—it hurts more than anything else—but why? Why isall this happening? I can’t work it out. Am I going to die? Is my dream job interview about to kill me?

I try to touch my face, to pull the bag off, but my hands are pinned together. I’m firmly trapped, and my legs are too. This really is some kind of fucked up nightmare. The more I try to struggle to free myself, the more twisted up I seem to get and the less air I can get into my lungs. I’m heating up, burning. The panic is really starting to kill me. I can’t stand this.

“Stop it,” a deep voice growls from somewhere in front of me. “Holy shit, this was easier when you were knocked out.”

So, I was knocked out. What the fuck? Why? I need to remember. Ihaveto go back to what I remember. I was emailing. I was talking to my interviewer. I was planning to meet him. I was excited about it, looking forward to it, thinking that everything was about to finally begin for me after a few false starts, and I couldn’t wait for it. I thought thatfinally, I was going to come out from underneath my family’s shadow to live my own life. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.

I saw the guy as well. I remember that. I sat with him, and we had a conversation. I could probably pick out his face in a crowd which means… well, I could identify him to the cops. He was tall and had dark, bushy eyebrows. Brown eyes as well. There was a scar down his left cheek… oh, God, why am I bothered about that? If I know him, he’s going to kill me for sure.

I start to choke on the helplessness of my tears. I’ve never been in a position where I’m stuck before, not like this. I can’t even see where the hell I am, never mind anything else. I have no idea what has me tied up. I really am screwed here…

Dad.Now everything is starting to make sense. Dad has been acting so weird recently, so paranoid. He’s always been a bit weird about security and stuff, but he’s been a whole lot worse. Luckily, not with me because I’m not a part of Brand Jones anymore. As soon as I could move away from the fame that I'd never asked for, I did. It’s never been for me, and Dad knows that.

But just because I haven’t been the focus of his paranoia that’s been the burden of my other siblings, I’ve still been a part of it. I’ve seen it from afar and wondered where it came from. But I had a bubble of security around me. I existed in the middle of the theory that no one even knows my name… but here I am. I’m the one who has been targeted because of my surname.

I told him,I think sadly to myself as I choke hard on the thick ball of emotion lodged in my throat.I told Dad not to do this…

I hated fame because of the world seeing into our private lives. I hated everyone knowing that the Joneses are a wealthy family because it makes us a target for this sort of shit. Why couldn’t he just listen? But my walking away was all I could do. I couldn’t convince everyone else to follow. I seem to be the only one who wants to live quietly.

And yet, quietness was never going to come for me. It doesn’t matter how hard I tried. I’m always going to be stuck. At twenty-two years of age, I’m having my life ripped away from underneath me, and it’s leaving me breathless.

Oh, God, Dad.But now I’m never going to be out of the spotlight again. After this, everyone will want a piece of me. And if I die… oh, God, if they kill me, then it will just be my picture. If they ever find my body, that is. I don’t know how my father will takeany of this. He’s a family man, but also a smart businessman, and he will struggle to work out that balance with this.

Although, honestly, I don’t know why I’m worrying about my father and his opinion whenI’mthe one who could lose my life. I don’t even know how I might lose my life. I have no idea what’s going to come my way. It could be quick and sharp, or it could be slow and painful. I literally have no control over my life right now, or my death. That’s horrible…

Ring, ring…My heart stops beating as I hear a cellphone blasting out.Ring, ring…Oh, my God, is this good?Ring, ring…

“Yes?” the gruff voice barks, making me feel sick. “Yes, I have her. I told her that I would. She’s with me now.”

There’s a silence. It goes on for much too long. I can barely handle it. I strain my ears as hard as I can to try and work out what’s being said, but I don’t really stand a chance of hearing a damn thing. There’s too much noise from everywhere else.

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