Page 1 of Bodyguard Wolf's Fated Mate
CHAPTER 1
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LUKE
Flex had done me a solid by giving me a glowing recommendation. He didn't know the reason why I was looking for gainful employment with Jules Stratus. It was a good thing he didn't ask because I was in no position to answer him. He was still miffed that I had left when they were just beginning to build a community in the middle of nowhere.
"I won't be gone long, and you can reach me at this number. Don't call it unless it's an absolute emergency. I trust you will make the necessary arrangements for my daughter. I'm leaving her in your hands. Don't say I didn't warn you." Jules closed his metal briefcase with a click.
His salt-and-pepper hair was coiffed to the side to hide a noticeable bald spot. He was vain about his appearance. Nothing was left to chance. This was a man that was used to having the world in the palm of his hands.
I stood at attention with my hands behind my back and my chest arched to give off the air of military precision. He needed to know my loyalty was with him. That nothing was going to come between me and protecting his daughter. She wasn't blood but you wouldn't know it from the way he doted on her.
I cleared my throat into my hand to get his undivided attention. "Is there anything I need to know that is going to affect the way I do my job?"
He looked up after closing his briefcase. "She can be rather stubborn. Don't let her get under your skin. She has a funny way of making people nervous around her. I would consider her a chip off the old block, but we are not related by blood. She's the daughter I never had."
I had only seen her in passing one time but there was something about her. The smile was disarming yet that was only the tip of the iceberg.
"What about her friends? I've done my own research, but I would really love your point of view. I want you to correct me if I'm wrong. Caitlin Pearson isn't exactly the type of friend I would want Jasmine to associate with." I referred to how trouble seemed to follow her around.
Jules placed the briefcase on his desk next to a transparent keyboard. He was a billionaire with all the latest toys money could buy. His daughter would want for nothing, but would that make her truly happy? The answer might surprise most, but it didn't surprise me.
"That girl is a problem. She's always smuggling in illegal substances. Her drug of choice is cocaine. My daughter can be her own worst enemy without proper supervision. Keep her away from any sort of trouble, including Caitlin. She can't be trusted. Everything else is under the umbrella of your purview," he said with both hands buttoning his jacket without a wrinkle to be seen.
"You can count on me. That name is going on the list. She won't get past the front gate without going through me first. The guard on duty has been given his orders. There will be no exceptions." I took a step back with his heavy cologne very distinguishable, assaulting me from across the room.
He was expecting the best and that was exactly what I was going to give him. It didn't matter we came from different backgrounds. Our first priority was the safety of his daughter. He would never leave without putting safeguards in place, including hiring me.
"I must say your security agency is getting rave reviews. Some of the most influential people are using your services discreetly. It might've started off small, but it has grown considerably in less than a year. You must be very good at your job," he addressed me with the jangle of his keys swinging from the end of his finger.
"I'm a man of many different skill sets. The safety of my client is paramount. I would take a bullet to save her from having one hair on her head out of place." I lied through my teeth convincingly.
It wouldn't help matters for him to learn the truth. Coming here wasn't by chance. Following its scent was what brought me to Miami. It certainly wasn't the horrendous heat or the eclectic people walking the boardwalk.
They just wanted to be noticed.
There was a bit of culture shock involved when I came to the town on the heels of the last dead body. The blood was drained but a fair amount was displayed in a familiar Jackson Pollock painting. The man was a transient and nothing more than an albatross around the neck of society. He was a forgotten toe tag in the morgue with the moniker of John Doe, despite wearing obscured dog tags.
"I admire somebody with your strength of character. My daughter should be down in a few moments. I would like to formally introduce you to her. She's not going to be very happy. The last thing she wants is a shadow following her."
He stood in front of me with this appraising look in his eyes. The man judged me with both hands holding onto my shoulders. He thought he was bigger than life, however, he was oblivious to the true king of the jungle standing right in front of him.
"That suit looks good on you. You make a fine addition. Let's hope we don't have to use your considerable gifts unless absolutely necessary," he said before checking his watch.
He tapped on it with reassurance he wasn't going to be late for his departure. His daughter was purposely late. This was her way of putting me in my place, but she was going to have to do a whole lot more than that to make me knuckle under to her pressure.
"I do what is required of me. There are times I have to go above and beyond the call of duty. We can discuss the parameters of my assignment with your daughter. I'm very good at becoming invisible. Just because she won't see me doesn't mean I'm not there watching her very closely for anything out of the ordinary," I related with my eyes staring out the window at the vast lawn of intricate topiary designs carved into the hedges surrounding the property.
"That's what I like to hear. Where have you been hiding this one, Father? He seems to know the importance of discretion. Where are you off to this morning? I'm sorry, I forgot you don't like to talk about business," Jasmine stated.
She was wearing this off-the-shoulder white dress with nothing between her and the fabric. In the right light, it could easily be seen through, to the chagrin of her father.
"I will be out of touch for a few days. I should be back before your party. All the arrangements have been made to your specifications. It is going to be quite a lavish affair." Jules hugged his daughter briefly before turning his attention toward me.
I raised a hand to object. "My name is Luke. I will be overseeing everything while he is gone. Please, do yourself a favor and do not test me. I have been given the trust of your father to keep you safe. This is not the time to show your teeth." It was a strange phrase of words, but it just came out of my mouth unexpectedly.
It felt perfectly natural.
