Page 11 of Caleb
Since I have the rest of the day off, I give unpacking a head start. I’m a neat freak like that. I’ll break down into hives if I go to bed tonight looking at my luggage sitting on the floor filled with all my things.
“You’ll meet Miss Murphy next month once you’re done with the training,” Aaron says, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed at his chest. “I’m sure you’ll bump into her as she comes and goes, but I’d prefer to wait it out. She’s not aware that you have been hired to work as her security detail. Yet. And she might not like it, but it’s not like she has a choice. Once Ambassador Murphy makes up his mind about something, it’s hard to convince him otherwise.”
“Of course,” I reply, feigning indifference as I keep unpacking my stuff. It’s stupid, and it makes no sense, but it bums me out that I won’t formally meet Miss Murphy until next month. I’m just curious to see what she’s like.
“Everything okay?” Aaron’s brow flies up.
“Yeah. Yeah, just wrapping my head around all of this.” I wave a haphazard hand in front of me. “It’s insane being here.”
“It’s not,” he quickly says. “You’ve made the right choice coming here.”
Suddenly, I feel like I want to be left alone. It’s something I’ll force myself to get over quickly, these sudden urges to isolate myself from everyone and everything to be alone with my thoughts. A job like this makes the person you’re looking after your number one priority, even before yourself. Their needs come before yours. I know that much.
I better man up quickly.
It’s been three months since the attack, and I can still feel Yonathan’s limp body melting in my arms as he took his last breath. His lips twitched into a smile, but his glassy eyes got lost in the distance, and that’s how I knew he was gone. I can still hear his trembling voice muttering:A life for a life.
The phrase haunts me. And I’ve never shared his last words with anyone, not even his family. I’m still trying to digest that phrase because the guilt that hovers around it still consumes me to this day.
He willingly gave up his life for mine.
“Aren’t you supposed to be chasing after Miss Murphy?” I force a smile, trying to change the subject and deflect the attention toward Aaron, hoping I can get some much-needed space to declutter my mind.
“Nah, I’m done for the day,” Aaron says, loosening his tie. “Miss Murphy usually stays in once she returns from school, and there’s nothing else on the schedule for her today.”
“Sounds like you have a lot of free time on your hands,” I reply, putting my socks and underwear inside one of the dresser drawers. “What do you do with it?”
“We’re required to be on call just in case anything arises at the last minute,” he says. “So it’s not like I can fully relax or leave unless it’s a free day, which is a rarity, but I usually either hit the gym or hang out in the lounge with the other agents and staff. I also read a lot. We’re allowed to check out books from the Residence’s library. They’ve got a great collection of American classics.”
“Sounds cozy.” I laugh, deliberately trying to make fun of him. I can’t imagine the Aaron I know lounging with a book on his lap. He seems more refined now. I’m sure working for an Ambassador of the United States does that to you.
“Oh, shut up,” he says, clearly hiding his amusement. He steps inside and zips up the empty suitcases lying on the floor. “I’ll take these down to the storage room.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
“I’ll be around.”
Aaron rolls out the suitcases and shuts the door behind him. I throw myself back on the double-sized bed and take a deep breath. I love Aaron like a brother, and I’m so glad to see him again, to know that I’ll be working with him side by side every day. But it’s nice to be left alone for a few minutes. I still need to head over to the embassy and check-in with HR.
A flash of anticipation hits me in the stomach. I want to know Miss Murphy’s name, but I wouldn’t dare ask Aaron. I don’t know what got into me when I saw her earlier. She looked so delicate that my protective instincts fired up. It’s as if I can’t wait to start taking care of her, to get to know her better.
It’s going to be a month-long wait.
Miss Murphy
April 25, 2005
TODAY’S THE DAY—my first day working as Miss Murphy’s security detail. The DSS agent training wasn’t as tough as I thought it would be. Tedious, yes. But bearable. After quickly realizing that my knowledge of firearms was proficient and pretty extensive, they shifted their focus to protocol. And not just the standard DSS protocol but Ambassador Murphy’s additional requests. He’s particular about how he prefers things handled around his daughter.
The training consisted of various written and oral tests and some field exercises where we practiced multiple threatening scenarios. I excelled at all of them. I’ve been in worse situations back home, but we just call it a day at the office.
From what I’ve been told, I’m sure there won’t be much to worry about regarding Miss Murphy’s security. But being an ambassador’s daughter does make her a target, so better to err on the side of caution.
I’ve also tagged along with Ambassador Murphy’s security to a few events to observe how things are done. It’s all pretty standard. When the agents I met during training found out I’m trained in Krav Maga, they asked me to teach them the basics. Some are already familiarized with the system and want to polish their knowledge, while others want to start from scratch. We’re planning to incorporate the training if time allows for it. It wouldn’t hurt Aaron to practice too. I’m sure he’s a bit rusty.
Aaron briefed me on Mrs. Murphy’s death. I had to sign a shit load of paperwork, including some ridiculously tight NDAs where even hinting at any of the confidential information entrusted to me to Miss Murphy would automatically result in a breach of contract. And a more than generous penalty I would never be able to pay in this lifetime, at least.
I’m beginning to get a sense of what Ambassador Murphy’s about ... and I don’t like it. He chooses to keep secrets from his daughter, and now that I’ve been briefed on all the truths, I guess I’m destined to become a liar too because Aaron says Miss Murphy likes to ask questions about her mother’s death. Frequently.
