Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 55510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
“Hello,” I said as I pressed the phone to my ear.
“Andrew Osgood?” an unfamiliar voice replied.
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
“Who’s asking?” I said.
“My name is Harold Langford. I’ve just been booked at the city jail, and I need your services,” the man replied.
I relaxed when I realized that this was for business, and it must’ve been serious since he was using his one phone call to contact me.
“I’d say you’re pretty well protected in there, sir,” I commented as I sat on the workout bench.
“It’s for my daughter. She’s all alone somewhere… probably scared to death. All of this happened so fast… anyway, I need you to protect her. I got your name from an old colleague of mine, and he swore up and down that you and your team are the ones for the job,” Harold explained.
I could hear the desperation in his voice, which made me frown. I couldn’t imagine how it felt for someone to watch their parents be dragged to jail. As a former cop, I was the one booking them, but that was a long time ago before I realized the corruption that poisoned the force. My new job gave me purpose, a positive one.
“I’d be happy to personally watch over your daughter, sir,” I told him.
“I’d like at least three guards protecting her,” Harold replied. “She means the world to me, and I need her to be safe until all of this is over. I’m worried that I’ve put her in danger.”
I gripped the edge of the workout bench with my free hand, wondering what in the world this guy did. He could’ve been a murderer for all I knew, but his love for his daughter tugged on a heartstring deep inside of me. I didn’t think I could just stand by knowing that his daughter was roaming around scared and lost.
“I promise I’ll wire you the money. I can do it right now,” Harold promised me.
I had a feeling this man had a surplus of money. With money came trouble, and I guessed that was why he was in jail right now. However, I couldn’t ignore how frantic his words were, so I gave him the account information. Not a few minutes later, a wire transfer was pending for thousands of dollars.
“I’ll have my lawyer call you with all of the information. Please look after my sweet Emery. She’s out there in a world she doesn’t understand,” Harold pleaded.
“We’ll take care of her, sir,” I promised before hearing the line go dead. I lowered the phone from my ear as I rose to my feet. The full team hadn’t been requested in a while, which meant it was a serious case.
I walked out of the gym attached to the office where all of the business dealings were taken care of for my bodyguard operation. I started it a few years ago, building a team of men that no one wanted to fuck with unless they had a death wish.
“We’ve got a job, boys!” I called out as I entered the lounge area where the rest of my team were relaxing.
“What celebrity wannabe has come into town thinking they’re important enough for protection?”
I didn’t even have to look at Benjamin to know that deep, drawling voice came from him. He was only a few years younger than me at twenty-nine, but I clashed with him like a teenager clashed with their parents at times. However, I trusted him with my life and saw him as my brother like the others.
“Is it an influencer?” Rhett asked from the floor in front of the coffee table where he was creating the shaky base of a house of cards. He was the youngest of the group at twenty-four, but he had a way better attitude than Benjamin.
“What the fuck is that?” Benjamin asked as he lifted his head from laying out on the leather couch, his black hair matted in the back.
“Or we can just let Andrew tell us himself,” Akio spoke up from the recliner as he held a book in his hands. Something about an inner sanctuary or peace of mind. I never knew because he had a new book every week. He was a second-generation Japanese American at twenty-six, and he was the glue of our team.
“A man called me and wants us to protect his daughter,” I explained to them. “He wants at least three guards watching her, so it’ll be a team effort from all of us.”
“Wow, four guards for one little princess. I’m guessing Daddy is rich,” Benjamin commented as he propped himself up, crossing his tattooed arms over his black t-shirt.
“He’s concerned about his daughter,” I stated firmly.
“Because of what?” Rhett asked. “What happened that suddenly makes him afraid for her?”
Akio lifted an eyebrow out of curiosity as he set his book down on his lap.