That thought made him train harder. He pummelled the bag. Jab, cross, jab, hook! His hands began to tremble under the effort. But he had to ensure his combat skills were up to scratch. From now on, he vowed to do extra martial arts training every morning. Not just for his own safety, but for Alicia’s too.
His phone rang. Pulling off his punch mitts, he picked it up and saw the Buddyguard logo flashing for a video call. He pressed his thumb to the screen and Charley’s concerned face appeared.
‘Are you all right, Connor? You missed your report time,’ she said.
‘Just overshot on my training, that’s all,’ he replied, wiping the perspiration from his brow with a towel.
Charley saw straight through his attempt at bravado. ‘I know what happened, Connor. Secret Service got in contact when they were trying to locate you and Alicia. Next time, don’t switch off your mobile. I can’t find you otherwise.’
Hearing the edge of concern in her voice, Connor said, ‘Sorry, my fault. I made some serious mistakes today.’
He sat down on the weight bench and retold his version of the events: his decision to follow Alicia and not to inform Secret Service; allowing her to take his mobile and switch it off; his stupidity in forgetting the second gangster; and his failure to defend himself properly.
‘Don’t be so hard on yourself,’ said Charley, trying to comfort him with a smile. ‘You should be proud of what you achieved. The bottom line is Alicia’s alive and unharmed thanks to your quick reactions. And Colonel Black issues body armour precisely for those moments when we’re overwhelmed or taken by surprise.’
Connor felt better hearing this from Charley. Since she was the most experienced member of the team, he valued her opinion. So he decided to bring up the other issue that had been gnawing away at him since the start of the operation.
‘I’m getting to like Alicia,’ he admitted, then saw Charley’s lips tighten in disapproval. ‘As a friend,’ he hastened to add. ‘Which is why I’m finding it hard not letting her know who I really am.’
‘It’s for her own safety, Connor,’ Charley reminded. ‘You’ve just proved today how valuable your presence is.’
‘But doesn’t this go against the very principles of being a bodyguard? Colonel Black’s always stressing how important integrity and honesty is to our job.’
‘Yes, it does,’ admitted Charley. ‘But sometimes due to the nature of an operation, a buddyguard has to remain covert – even to their Principal. Your role is to protect Alicia, but it is the President who is our client. We’re required to comply with his instructions, and that means concealing your true purpose.’
‘But I can’t hang around Alicia forever without her eventually suspecting something.’
‘Colonel Black’s well aware of that possibility,’ Charley admitted. ‘And we’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, stay on guard. I fear there may be a storm coming.’
Connor sat up straight. ‘Have you intercepted more threats?’
‘No, exactly the opposite. It’s gone quiet.’
‘They literally came out of nowhere,’ revealed Alicia to her friends, who sat transfixed on a picnic bench in the schoolyard. ‘One moment we were walking to the park, the next these two gangsters jumped us.’
Not exactly out of nowhere, thought Connor, recalling their carefully planned assault.
‘I bet that was terrifying,’ said Kalila.
‘Too right!’ Alicia replied. ‘But Connor wasn’t scared. He leapt straight into action, even though one of them had a knife.’
The girls all gazed at Connor in awe.
‘You’re so brave,’ remarked Paige.
‘It was nothing,’ replied Connor, wishing to play down his role. ‘Anyone in my shoes would have done the same.’
‘No, they wouldn’t,’ protested Alicia. ‘Connor, you took them both down in seconds. You were truly amazing!’
‘Serves them right too,’ said Grace.
‘But where were the Secret Service?’ asked Kalila.
Alicia offered a guilty smile. ‘We’d given them the slip.’
‘Yeah, but who needs Secret Service when you’ve got Connor!’ laughed Grace, striking a fighting pose. ‘He’s a ninja warrior!’
Nudging Kalila, Paige whispered, ‘If I didn’t already have a date for the prom, I know who I’d want to take me.’
‘Hands off, Paige, he’s mine!’ said Grace, putting a possessive arm round Connor’s shoulders.
Alicia gently pushed her friend away. ‘Hey, you’ve already got a date with Darryl.’
‘Darryl who?’ replied Grace innocently and the girls laughed.
Although flattered by the attention, Connor hoped it would soon die down. If any of the girls actually did take a fancy to him, this might compromise his ability to protect Alicia. There was even the risk one of them might guess his true role.
As the girls pressed Alicia for more details of Connor’s heroism, Connor glanced at his new watch – a gift from the President for protecting his daughter. He’d felt awkward at accepting it, but the President had insisted. Surprisingly, Dirk Moran had also encouraged his acceptance, afterwards instructing Connor to wear it night and day. It was then that Connor discovered the watch had been implanted with a micro-GPS tracker by the director. The Secret Service had also been granted access to his mobile-phone locator. Dirk was taking no more chances with him – wherever he went, the Secret Service would know.
‘I wish I’d come along now,’ said Paige. ‘It sounds so exciting.’
‘Next time I’ll call you, so you don’t miss any of the action,’ joked Alicia.
‘That reminds me,’ said Kalila, rifling through her bag. ‘My eldest brother bought me a new cellphone.’
‘Lucky you!’ said Grace. ‘The most my brother’s ever given me is his old console.’
Kalila pulled out a slim touchscreen phone. ‘I’d better give you my new number.’
Finding their mobiles, the girls bumped phones and transferred contact details.
‘What about Connor?’ Paige suggested. ‘You never know when you might need his protection.’
‘Well … OK,’ said Kalila, turning shy at the idea. ‘But if you do call me, Connor, I’ll have to put your number under a girl’s name, just in case any of my brothers happen to see.’
‘No problem,’ said Connor, unlocking his mobile. ‘You can put me in as Daisy if you want!’
Giggling at the suggestion, Kalila bumped phones and Connor accepted the incoming vCard containing her contact details.
‘So this is where the tough guy hangs out?’ said Ethan, swaggering over to their picnic bench. ‘With the girls!’
Behind Ethan, Jimbo glared at Connor, doing his best to intimidate him. Connor groaned inwardly at their appearance. Clearly, word of Alicia’s mugging was spreading through the school like wildfire.
‘Not jealous, are we?’ goaded Grace.
Ethan snorted. ‘Me? He only beat up a couple of street bums. I’ve hit more home runs this season than any batter in the state. There’s no contest!’
‘But Connor saved Alicia’s life,’ said Kalila.
‘Well, if I’d been with Alicia, those bums wouldn’t have got within spitting distance in the first place.’ He turned to Alicia and puffed out his chest. ‘Next time you want to go out in DC, stick with me.’
Connor couldn’t believe the boy’s arrogance. And he very much doubted whether Ethan would have even noticed the gangsters approaching, let alone have had the courage to stand and fight.
‘Speaking of which, Alicia,’ continued Ethan. ‘Have you come to a decision yet?’
‘About what?’
‘The prom!’ he cried in exasperation.
Alicia looked thoroughly unimpressed by his second clumsy attempt at asking her.
‘Sorry,’ she replied and faked an apologetic smile. ‘I’m already spoken for.’
Connor glanced over in surprise. This was news to him. And judging by the reaction of her girlfriends, news to them too.
‘What?’ exclaimed Ethan, disbelief written all over his face.
Alicia looped her arm through Connor’s. ‘My knight in shining armour is taking me.’
Ensuring he was alone in the rear kitchen, Malik switched on the untraceable mobile phone he’d acquired from his contact. Then he dialled the number he’d committed to memory. Answered on the fourth ring, there was a burst of high-pitched squealing and electronic chatter as the scrambled signals synchronized with one another.