Witness Pursuit (Bodyguards #1)

Tears welled in his eyes and he turned his head into Liam’s side. “I don’t want Lydia to go, Daddy. She has to stay. Tell her to stay.”


His sobs squeezed her heart. “You mean the world to me, Nico.” He threw himself into her arms. She held him tight, their tears mingling. “I want you to look after Uncle Tyler for me. That’s really important.”

With a sob, he clutched her closer, and her chest near caved in on itself. Like Tyler, Nico had weaved his way into her heart.

“Time to go.” Brigs rubbed her arm.

She handed Nico over and backed away from them all. The chopper hovered in, cleared the water line, and landed. Two men dressed in black on black jumped from the cab and motioned her and Brigs over.

One had a buzz-cut, his inky-black hair like stubble on the top of his head. He extended his hand, his gaze a vivid green. “The name’s Gene Gilchrist. My pilot and partner is Haden Gunnar. You can call him Gunnar.”

Her hand shook as she took his. “I’d like to say it’s nice to meet you both.” Even though this was what she wanted, it completely tore her world apart. Her life from this moment would never be the same.

Gunnar dipped his navy cap low on his head, a few locks of blond peeking from underneath. “Re-identification is never an easy alternative.” He motioned toward the chopper. “In the back seat is a sealed bag containing your prerequisite clothing. You’ll need to remove every item you’re wearing and store it in the bag after changing. Take as long as you need.”

This was real. This was happening now.

She teetered forward, pushing her legs toward the chopper. Gunnar opened the cab’s back door and helped her in. “The glass is darkened. We’ll wait outside.”

“Okay.” The clear sealed bag seemed to pulse with a life of its own. With numb fingers, she withdrew a black t-shirt, black drawstring pants, underwear and a black cap. All were cotton, all nondescript.

She changed and folded up her bikini then placed it in the bag. Bringing Tyler’s white shirt to her nose, she drew in a deep breath, wishing she could keep at least this one thing of his. Goodness, he never let her wear a swimsuit without one of his shirts as a cover-up.

Her tears dripped onto the fabric. She was strong. She could do this. She shoved it into the bag.

Once out of the chopper, she handed the bag to Gilchrist who did a quick check and passed it to Brigs. “Dispose of these and the rest of her possessions in a timely manner. We’ll provide all she needs, and once we’re airborne, I’ll send a message to Hammers informing him the handover is done.”

Her chest pounded. She wouldn’t get another chance to speak to Saria and her family, even Ben. Certainly not Tyler. This was it.

Brigs engulfed her in his arms. “I’ll let them know you wished for more. All of them.”

“Tell Saria I love her. Tell my family too. Tell–”

The pain of losing Tyler ripped her heart in two. She wiped at the tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Tell Tyler I want him to be happy, and no matter where I am in the world, I’ll always have him close.”

She backed up then clambered into the rear as Gunnar took the front seat and negotiated the controls. He pointed to a set of headgear on the hook in front of her. She grasped the earmuffs and stuffed them on.

Out the window, Brigs jogged back to the others. Luke raised a hand to her, and Dylan kicked at the sand underfoot. Nico was in Liam’s arms, his head burrowed into his father’s shoulder, his back bumping up and down. Liam scowled.

As the chopper lifted higher, she craned her head back until they became specks in the distance.

“Did you catch that?”

“What?” She jumped as Gilchrist spoke through the headset.

“I’ll begin again. I understand this is difficult.” He nodded. “We have a private jet waiting to dispatch at Nadi airport. In the black pouch at the base of your seat is your new birth certificate, passport, driver’s license, credit card and bank account details. There’s a folder with other relevant information. Take this flight time to become familiar with your new identity, and your history. Any questions so far?”

“No.” Wringing her hands together, she tried to restore some feeling to her fingers. Too cold.

Gilchrist reached across and squeezed her hands. “It’s all right. It’s quite normal to go into shock. The black pouch is at the base of your seat. When you’re ready, take a look through it. You’ll see I’m your primary handler, and my details are in your pack. To begin with, employment and a new family member are provided within the environment Gunnar and I’ll take you to. That family member will be Mr. Ronson Brown, retired ex-Force. You are now his niece, Miss Jenna Winton.”