I shook his hand. “I’m Bristol Thomas. So how does all of this work?”
“I’ll be sticking by you during the day until you go home at night after work. So come tomorrow, you’ll need to inform your employer that I’ll be working here too.”
“I will do that.” Having to tell Mr. Matthews and parading around the office with a bodyguard in tow was going to get everyone talking. I really hoped they found Sadie fast. The last thing I wanted was more attention drawn to me. “But right now,” I told him, “I have an appointment to look at my friend’s house. All I have to do is program the address into my phone and we can be on our way.”
He nodded once. “I’ll drive you there.”
I walked back to my office and programmed the address. It was going to be strange riding in the car with Corbin, but it didn’t look like I had a choice. When we got out to the parking garage, Corbin led us over to a large, black SUV that was parked beside my little car.
“Nice,” I said.
He opened the door for me. “It should be. The doors are bulletproof and it has one of the fastest engines in the market today.”
We started on our way, and I placed my phone on the dashboard where he could see the directions. “How long have you been a bodyguard?” I asked. He didn’t look like he was up for conversation, but I couldn’t just sit there and not talk.
“About ten years now,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Do you have a family?”
Lips pursed, he turned and glared at me quickly before focusing back on the road. “You sure do ask a lot of questions.”
I shrugged. “If we’re going to be spending time together, I don’t think a little conversation would hurt.”
Sighing, he waved me on. “Fine, ask away.”
“Do you have a family?”
He nodded. “My parents and a sister.”
“What about a wife?”
His fingers clenched on the steering wheel; I’d clearly struck a nerve. “Almost had one, but I let her get away. I haven’t seen her in three years.”
“Oh no,” I replied. “Maybe you should give her a call.”
He shrugged. “I would if I knew where she was. I could find her, but I want to respect her decision.”
“What did you do to her to make her leave?” I asked in all seriousness.
At first, I didn’t think he was going to tell me, but then he sighed. It was clear he was replaying it all in his mind. “I had a choice to make and I chose the wrong one. My father always put work first, and I made the fucked-up decision to follow his lead. Ever since then, I’ve regretted it.”
“Maybe you’ll find her again.”
He shrugged. “Who knows?”
Jennifer’s house was in the middle of nowhere, but there were other houses farther down the street. She had a lot of land, with rolling fields behind her house. It refueled my desire to find my own house. Between working and spending the rest of my time with Jaxon, finding a house had been pushed aside. Starting next week, I was going to make it a point to start looking.
“This shouldn’t take too long,” I said. “Once we get inside, I can move pretty quickly with my notes. Then, if you would, you could drop me off at the stadium. Jaxon and I will get my car later.”
“As you wish,” he said, coming to a stop.
Jennifer’s car was in the driveway and the front door of the house was wide open. It was a two-story, brick home with aqua shutters. In a way, it reminded me of a dollhouse, not at all the sort of place where I’d imagine Jennifer living. She was more of a modern, trendy female, not laid back and homey like the house.
Grabbing my notebook and pen, I opened the car door. “Let’s go.”
We walked inside, right into an open living room with windows along the back wall, giving me an amazing view of the field. I could just imagine deer grazing out there early in the mornings, surrounded by mist.
“Jennifer,” I called out.
“I’ll be down in a minute,” she said, her voice echoing from upstairs. “Feel free to look around.” Corbin stood in the living room while I ventured into the kitchen and through the other rooms downstairs. My notebook was already starting to fill up when a gunshot went off in the living room. I froze, terror running like ice through my veins. I wanted to believe I’d imagined the shot, but the sound of Corbin gasping for air brought me back to reality.
My first instinct was to run and call the police, but I had nowhere to go except through the living room, and my phone was still in Corbin’s car. Heart racing, I tiptoed down the hall to the living room. When I got a good look at Corbin lying on the floor in his blood, I slapped a hand over my mouth. Tears burned my eyes and I tried to suck them back, but I had no clue what was going on. The front door was still open and if I could just get out and run, I could find help. Only a few more steps and I’d be out the door.
“Going somewhere?” I heard the voice, but before I could react, a searing pain exploded in my head and I fell to the floor. My vision was blurry and when I tried to touch my head, my fingers came back dripping with blood. Everything started to go numb and I couldn’t move, but it didn’t stop me from hearing the evil laugh that echoed through the house. Then there was darkness.
Chapter 27
Jaxon
Throughout the whole game, I thought Bristol would show up, but she never did. We were in the last quarter, leading by twelve points with only two minutes to spare. I was hoping to get a chance for a large field goal, to prove to the world that I was the best, but I never got the opportunity. Ryan had thrown perfect passes that led us to the four touchdowns that got us where we were.
“I wouldn’t take it personally,” Ryan said.
“What are you talking about?”
He flourished his hands at the stands. “The game. Bristol was never one to come to them. It’s just not her thing. That’s why I’m shocked she’s even with you.”