I leave that ugly monotonous part of the business to the boss.
Tiernan is a chameleon in that regard.
He can hold meetings in a boardroom just as easily as he can conjure fear in a dark back alley.
I’m not as versatile.
When I finally step out of the Kelly’s main headquarters, I rush to get into my car and drive over to The Liberty Hotel, intent on getting down to business. When I arrive at the floor of Tiernan and Rosa’s hotel suite, I turn to Darren, one of the higher-ranked soldiers standing guard, and ask him to fill me in on all of Rosa’s coming and goings.
“Not much to tell. Since she’s arrived, she hasn’t left the suite. Not once. Unless you count the time she left to get married. Other than that, she’s stayed put,” Darren explains with a shrug.
She’s been in Boston for five days now, and all she’s seen is the inside of a fancy prison cell. Maybe Shay is right. Maybe Tiernan is taking this a bit too far.
“Fair enough. I’ll ask Mrs. Kelly what her plans are for today and the rest of the week. That way we can arrange a schedule between myself and your guards.”
Darren offers his agreement to my plan then stands to the side so I open the double doors to the penthouse suite and formally introduce myself as part of Rosa’s security entourage.
The instant my eyes land on her though, I freeze to my spot and lose my train of thought.
Rosa is sitting on the floor, hugging her knees so that they are pressed against her chest, while she watches over the Boston skyline. She doesn’t have to turn my way for me to tell that she’s been crying. Uncomfortable with witnessing such a private moment, I clear my throat to make her aware that she’s no longer alone in the room. She wipes whatever tears remain and puts on a smile before she turns to face me. Instead of saying hello, or some other bullshit people say in greeting, she tilts her head to the side and just stares at me. When a few minutes pass, and neither of us say anything, I take a few more steps into the room, pretending to take in the surroundings instead of looking straight at her.
“It’s Colin, isn’t it?” she asks, her voice soft and delicate.
I nod, taking another step closer to her.
“We’ve met before. You came to pick me up at the airport.”
Another nod. Another step.
“You were at my wedding, too.”
Nod. Step.
“You’re my husband’s cousin.”
“I am.”
“Ah. And you talk, too. I was starting to believe you didn’t have the capacity.” There is a teasing quality to her voice, but unlike Shay teasing it’s not meant to offend, only just to be friendly.
She relaxes her head onto her shoulder, angled just so, her brown eyes looking straight into my green ones. My brows pull together in confusion when she makes no attempt to lower her gaze and gawk at my scars. They are usually the first thing people see when they look at me. But Rosa is perfectly content just staring into my eyes. It’s unnerving, to say the least.
“Why are you here, Colin? Not looking for my husband since I’m sure you know his whereabouts better than I do.” She laughs sullenly, the sad melodic tune only serving to unnerve me further.
“The boss has requested that I be your bodyguard for the time being,” I explain.
“Bodyguard? Aren’t the prison guards with AK47s standing outside my room enough to keep me safe in my cell? Or is my husband fearful that one night he might come home and find that I’ve flung myself out the window? If that’s the case, remind him that these windows are all made from bulletproof glass. It will take more than a chair to break any of them.” She knocks on the glass to drive her point home.
“Are you suicidal?” I question hurriedly, worried that her mind went there.
“No, Colin. Sadness and homesickness have not yet made me that desperate. Ask me again in a month’s time. Maybe my answer will be different.”
My Adam’s apple bobs away as apprehension sinks its ugly claws into my chest, sure to leave its mark.
“I’ve made you uncomfortable.” She sighs. “I’m sorry. I guess you just caught me at a bad time.”
When I don’t say anything in return, her chestnut gaze sparkles with curiosity.
“You’re not much for words, are you, Colin?”
I shake my head.
“Then maybe my husband got something right after all. If I’m to have a bodyguard, I’d much rather it be someone who didn’t need to fill the silence with useless chatter. It would be awfully tiresome if I had to spend my days making small talk, when I’m perfectly content having deep, meaningful conversations with my conscience.”
She throws me a meek smile, and I hate how my chest suddenly tightens.
“So, bodyguard, what exactly are you here to do? Watch me do nothing? If that’s the case, then I can tell you right now that you’ll be begging Tiernan for another job in no time.”
“What would you like to do?” I ask, my soft voice sounding odd to my ears.
She cracks a smile. The first genuine one I’ve seen so far on her lips since I’ve known her.
“What can I do confined to this cell?”
“We could leave.”
“Leave?” she repeats suspiciously.
I nod.
“And go where?”
“Wherever you want.”
“Mexico.”
I squint my eyes at her with a frown.
“Sorry. I couldn’t help myself.” She lets out a halfhearted laugh. “Even if I knew where I wanted to go, I couldn’t tell you. I’ve never been to Boston.”
I take that in and think about where a woman of her caliber would feel at home. It takes me less than ten seconds to realize I haven’t the faintest clue.
“What kind of shit… I mean… things, did you like to do back home?”
“I liked spending time with my brother.”
“Alejandro?” I question, surprised, since Alejandro doesn’t exactly give off the “family man” vibe. He might care for his sister’s safety, but I don’t see him willingly wanting to spend time with her.