The Bodyguard

chapter 17

Alexander POV

I found Grandma sitting on the back porch, watching the sunset over the fields. She looked up when I walked toward her.

"You're out late." She says.

"I needed to talk to you." I replied.

"That sounds serious." Grandma raised an eyebrow.

I sat beside her. For a moment, I didn't say anything. Then I reached into my jacket and pulled out the small velvet box.

"Oh." Grandma's eyes immediately widened.

"Yeah." I smiled.

"Open it." She reached for my hand.

"It's not for you." I shook my head.

"Well, obviously." She laughed. I opened the box. The ring caught the fading sunlight.

"You're finally going to do it." Grandma stared at it for a few seconds before looking at me.

"I am." I stated.

"I knew you would." Her smile grew.

"I want to do this right." I closed the box again.

"How?" Grandma's expression softened.

"I don't want her saying yes because she thinks she owes me." I looked out across the fields. Grandma was quiet. "I want her to say yes because she wants me." I said.

"Then make sure she knows she's free to choose." Grandma reached over and squeezed my hand.

"I will." I looked at her.

"And Alexander?" She begins.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"Don't wait forever." She says.

"I wasn't planning on it." I laughed.

"Good. That girl has already become part of this family." She smiled.

I looked toward the house. I could almost picture Hannah inside. Probably sitting somewhere with a book or getting into a fake argument with my mother over something ridiculous. I smiled. She had no idea what I was planning and for once, I was glad.

I wanted to surprise her. I wanted to see the look on her face when she realized this wasn't another part of the story we'd created. It was real. She was the woman I wanted and I was going to ask her to choose me.

—--

Camille POV

I sat at my desk with my laptop open, staring at the screen. I'd finally found something. An old business record. The names were different, but the photograph attached to it made my stomach twist.

Hannah and Caden together. I clicked through the records. Another alias, another city, another scam and every time I searched deeper, I found the same two people.

Hannah and Caden. They hadn't just been friends. They had been partners. Partners in scams.

"So that's what you were hiding." I stared at the screen.

I thought about the photographs I'd found earlier. Caden's arm around Hannah's shoulders. Hannah smiling beside him. They had trusted each other, or at least, Caden had trusted her.

Then I remembered the article. Caden had been killed by the Aldo Mafia and Hannah had disappeared afterward. I leaned back in my chair. The pieces suddenly seemed to fit. Caden had been working against the Mafia. Hannah had been his partner. Then Caden was dead and Hannah was gone.

My eyes narrowed. She probably betrayed him. I didn't know exactly how. Maybe she gave someone information or made a deal. Maybe she knew the Mafia was coming and left Caden to deal with the consequences.

Whatever happened I couldn't believe it was a coincidence. Especially sinceHannah had survived and Caden hadn't. Now she was here with Alexander, living in his family's home and letting everyone believe she was just another woman in his life.

I closed the laptop. My anger surprised even me. If Hannah had betrayed Caden, Alexander needed to know who she really was.

Because if Hannah had betrayed Caden...

She could do the same to Alexander.

—----

Hannah POV

Something was different about Alexander. I couldn't put my finger on it. He'd been quiet all afternoon, but not in his usual way. He seemed almost nervous.

Alexander nervous. That was new. When he asked me to come downstairs, I followed him into the living room. Grandma was sitting on the couch beside his mother, while his father stood near the fireplace. All three of them were smiling.

"What is going on?" I looked at Alexander.

"You'll see." He smiled.

"That's not an answer." I said.

"I know." He replies.

"Just sit down, sweetheart." Grandma laughed.

I sat beside Alexander. He reached over and took my hand. His palm was warm against mine. I looked at him. He was staring at me with an expression I'd never seen before.

"What?" I whispered.

"Nothing." He squeezed my hand. Then he stood. My heart started beating faster. Alexander stepped in front of me. "Hannah..." I looked up at him. He reached into his pocket.

For one second, I thought he was going to pull out his phone. Instead, he dropped down onto one knee. I stopped breathing. Grandma covered her mouth. His mother smiled through tears. His father looked between us, already grinning.

Alexander opened the small velvet box. Inside was a beautiful ring.

"Alexander..." My eyes immediately filled with tears.

"I've been trying to figure out how to say this." He smiled. I couldn't look away from him. "When you came into my life, I never expected any of this." He took my hand.

"But somehow, you became the person I look for when I walk into a room." A tear slipped down my cheek. "You became the person I want beside me when things are good and when they're not." His thumb brushed over my hand. "You make me laugh. You drive me crazy." He said.

"That sounds romantic." I laughed through my tears.

"It is." He smiled. Grandma laughed softly. "I love you, Hannah." Alexander looked back at me. My heart nearly stopped. "I don't want to imagine my life without you." He opened the ring box a little wider. "Will you marry me?" He asked.

I stared at him. For a moment, I couldn't speak. This was the moment I'd dreamed about without ever allowing myself to admit it. A future, a home, and Alexander.

"Yes." I smiled through my tears.

"Yes?" His smile broke across his face.

"Yes." I laughed.

He stood and slipped the ring onto my finger. I threw my arms around him. He held me tightly. His mother was crying. His father clapped him on the shoulder. Grandma was wiping tears from her eyes.

For a few seconds, everything felt perfect. Then—

"Stop." Everyone turned. Camille stood near the doorway. She was holding a piece of paper.

"Camille?" Alexander's smile disappeared.

"You can't do this." She looked at me. Then at the ring on my finger. My stomach dropped.

"What are you talking about?" He asks.

"Alexander deserves to know the truth before he marries you." Camille walked closer.

"Enough." Alexander stepped toward her.

"No." She held up the paper. "I found him." She states smugly. My heart stopped. Caden. I knew exactly who she meant. "Her partner." Camille looked at Alexander.

"What partner?" Grandma looked confused.

"Caden." Camille looked at me. My hands started shaking.

"Camille, don't." Alexander's expression hardened.

"Hannah and Caden weren't just friends. They were partners. They ran scams together under different names." She ignored him. His mother looked at me in shock. His father frowned.

"What does this have to do with Caden?" Grandma stared at Camille.

"He was killed by the Aldo Mafia." Camille held up the article. My heart shattered all over again. I couldn't breathe. "And then Hannah disappeared." Camille looked directly at me.

"That's enough," Alexander said.

"She betrayed him." But Camille wasn't finished.

"No." I shook my head. My voice barely came out.

"Maybe she gave the Mafia information. Maybe she made a deal with them. Maybe she knew what was going to happen and left him." Camille stepped closer.

"That's not true." Tears were streaming down my face now.

I looked at Alexander. He was staring at Camille trying to get her to stop talking about it.

"I didn't betray him." I said softly.

"Then why did you disappear?" Camille shook her head. I couldn't answer. Not with everyone watching. Not with Caden's death suddenly being dragged into this room. I backed away.

"Hannah." Alexander reached for me.

"I can't." I shook my head. Then I ran.

---

Alexander POV

"Hannah!" I ran after her. I barely made it two steps before Camille grabbed my arm.

"Alexander, wait." She yelled.

"Let go of me." I spun around.

"You need to listen to me." She says..

"No." I stated.

"She's been lying to all of us." She states.

"You have no idea what you're talking about." I stared at her.

"I found the records." She continues.

"You found pieces of her past and decided you knew the whole story." I yelled at her.

"She was Caden's partner. He died. She survived." Camille's grip tightened.

"Because she was a witness!" I pulled my arm free. The room went silent. Camille froze. My mother stared at me. My father straightened. Grandma slowly stood.

"What did you just say?" she asked.

I looked at my family. There was no hiding it anymore. Not after what Camille had done.

"Hannah was a witness to Caden's death." I said..

"No.” Camille shook her head.

"Yes." I looked at her. "You don't know what happened." I stated pointing at Camille..

"Then tell us." My mother said.

I took a breath. "Caden and Hannah were trying to scam the Aldo Mafia." Everyone stared at me. "Caden didn't tell Hannah everything. He kept details from her." I continued. "He went inside an abandoned building while Hannah waited outside." My jaw tightened. "She heard gunshots." Grandma's hand went to her mouth. "Hannah looked through the door and saw Caden on the floor." My mother's eyes filled with tears. "Then the Mafia came after her." I looked toward the door Hannah had disappeared through. "She ran." Camille's face had gone pale. "She didn't betray Caden," I said. "She was trying to survive." I finished explaining.

"Then why is she here?" My father looked at me.

"Because the Aldo Mafia is still after her." I swallowed.

"Why?" My mother looked confused.

"Because Hannah is the only witness who survived what happened." I said. Silence filled the room.

"And you knew all of this?" Then Grandma looked at me.

"Yes." I nodded.

"How?" Camille stared at me.

"Because protecting Hannah was my job." I looked at her.

"Protecting her?" My mother's face changed.

"Hannah was never my girlfriend." I nodded.

Camille whispered, "Then what was she?"

"When I first met Hannah, I was assigned to protect her. I asked her to pretend to be my girlfriend so I could keep her close and keep the Mafia from finding her." I took a breath. My family stared at me. No one spoke. "The relationship started as a cover." I looked toward the door. "But it didn't stay that way." My voice softened. "I fell in love with her." Grandma's eyes filled with tears. "And she just ran out that door believing everything was over." I turned toward the door. I didn't care what anyone thought anymore. I had to find her.

Because five minutes ago, Hannah had said yes to me. And I wasn't going to let her believe that meant nothing. I ran outside after her.