Page 34 of Gluttony
“Bodyguard!” Elena exclaimed. “A woman?”
“That’s right, and…” Tony paused and looked at Bailey. “Can I tell them where you used to work?”
A little frown marred her brow, but then she nodded.
Tony’s eyes lit up as he faced the group. “She’s ex-CIA.”
“No way!”
“Get out!”
“As if!”
This time, Tony couldn’t help himself. He slid a proprietary arm around Bailey’s shoulders and squeezed. “She’s pretty special, right?” After a wave of nods and exclamations, he added with a twinkle in his eye, “So you see, everything she taught you about protecting yourself is the honest-to-God truth.”
“Damn,” Akeef muttered. He studied Bailey with a new interest. “So, you be like, from a good family, yeah?”
Bailey shook her head. “That depends on your perspective. My family had money, but there was addiction in my home like most of yours. That’s why I’m here.”
“But your college was paid for,” Akeef added bitterly.
Bailey tensed. “My parents paid for boarding school, but I worked hard to get a scholarship for college so I didn’t need to rely on them. We have many facilities here to help foster opportunities. We’re all ready to help. You just bring the will, and we’ll try our hardest to help you succeed. And success doesn’t have to mean a fancy job. Sometimes success is just making your own choice.”
The class started chatting amongst themselves, already lost. Akeef scowled and left the room.
It seemed like the class was finished, so Tony used the opportunity to pull Bailey aside. “We need to talk.”
“Just give me a minute to officially wind up, and we’ll head out. I have to talk to Agnes about a few things.”
While Bailey packed her things, Tony took a few pictures with the teens. He enjoyed spending time at the house and couldn’t quite put his finger on why. It was more than the one-on-one with Bailey, or some time with fans. He rubbed his chest. It felt good to help.
Ten
Bailey filledAgnes in on the success of the class and Tony’s input. She had to sign him in and keep a record of his attendance. When she was done, she went to find Tony. Half expecting him to have left, or maybe just to be standing around waiting, it surprised her to find him in another room, lying on the floor with Akeef.
She stopped outside the door and kept herself hidden. With a hand on the wall beside the door, she tilted her head. Tony hummed a tune she couldn’t place.
“So,” Tony said from inside. “Put your hand on your stomach and focus on your breathing.”
“Like this?”
“Yeah. And when you sing, doing it from down here can really teach you how to access that deep part of your lungs. You want to give it a go?”
Silence.
“What makes you think I want to sing?”
“Come on, kid. I heard you in here when you thought no one was listening.”
“Singing is for pussies.”
“I sing. Am I a pussy?”
“Guess not.”
Tony sang?
“Come on, try it. At least give the humming a try.”
