The Bodyguard

Chapter 7: The Lake

“I’m DEAD?!”

“There has to be an explanation.”

“Warren, that’s a body bag!”

The TV read, “It was early this morning that the remains of a young woman were found beside an abandoned building on Lake Street. Two joggers noticed the body and immediately called 9-1-1. Though it’s said to have been burned beyond recognition, the woman was reportedly wearing a wedding ring on her left hand. Just one hour ago, Senator Adam Lexington identified the body as his now dead wife, Charlotte Lexington. His wife went missing only a few days prior to…”

“Warren, please shut it off.” I don’t know if I was more angry or upset because tears began to slide down my face.

He took the remote and quickly turned the TV off. “Look at me.” “I can’t do anything.” I stood up and went to the bedroom and laid down in pure shock.

After a few moments, I hear footsteps coming towards the bedroom.

“Charlotte.” He walked over to her and sat next to me. “Just breathe.”

“Warren, I…” He takes my hands in his and rubs soothing movements on my palms with his thumbs. I try my best to match his breathing with my own, but my heart feels like it’s about to blow up.

“There has to be some sort of explanation.” She’s never had a man be concerned like that.

“Why the f**k would he do this? What do we have to gain from this? Saying I was kidnapped is one thing, but dead?! That sick dog bastard.”

“I don’t know Charlotte, but I’m going to get to the bottom of this.” He looked at me with pleading eyes.

“I won’t ever leave you Charlotte. I’m keeping you safe no matter what.”

I sighed as he lifted his thumbs up to gently wipe the tears away. “Maybe there was another threat we don’t know about?”

“Another?”

“It’s possible he may have felt he didn’t have an option.”

“To kill me off?! What the f**k is wrong with him! There must be an explanation for this bullshit.”

“Well, I’ll make sure we get an explanation because I don’t like this at all.”

“You and me both. This whole thing is fishy and the fact that an actual body was found. Could it be a case of a mistaken identity? Except the woman was wearing my own wedding band!”

“That reminds me. Isn’t your ring here? I saw you wearing it a few days ago.” His eyes gaze down to my bare fingers.

“I have 2. He lost them before the wedding, so he ordered another set. Then he found them a few weeks later...he must’ve used one of those.”

“Possibly.”

“And honestly, I…” Then I stopped.

“Honestly, what?” I looked up at him with a sad expression on my face.

“Tell me.”

“That bastard doesn’t deserve me. f**k wearing my rings to symbolize my marriage with him. But, is it possible he killed someone?” Would Adam go that far?

Warren sighed. “I don’t know. I… I don’t know what your husband is capable of, Charlotte.”

“Don’t even call him my husband anymore. I’m filing for a divorce once I get back.” Looking down at the floor, I had a realization. “Everyone thinks I’m dead. My neighbors, friends, my family.”

He notices more tears roll down my face. “Charlotte…”

“I can’t ever go back. All my money, my belongings, even my home… they aren’t mine anymore. Everything belongs to him.”

“No, it doesn’t. This is just temporary. I’m getting in touch with that bastard and he’s going to explain everything.”

“How can you be so sure, Warren?”

“I’ll make him.” Something dangerous comes over him but he softens once he looks at me. “Don’t give up.” He opens his arms and I absorb his comforting hug. Even with all this chaos, he’s made me feel so safe. He kisses my forehead then rests his chin on top of my head, so I use the opportunity to hug him even tighter. “We’ll get through this. I promise.”

I frown and pull away. “What if he doesn’t agree to this?”

“I won’t stop, don’t worry. How about I make you something to eat? You look stressed.”

“I can’t eat anything right now, Warren.”

“What about some tea?”

“Sure.” He picks up the blanket from the back of the couch and wraps it around me.

“Sit tight, I’ll be back.” 15 minutes later: just as I take a sip of tea, he storms into the room and tosses his phone on the table.

“He won’t answer any of the numbers. No one is answering.”

“No surprise there,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I wonder if Adam told Hannah and my family that it wasn’t true. I doubt it though… they’re all probably dying inside thinking that I’m dead, and I can’t even contact them. Even if I could, my dad would have a heart attack as soon as he heard my voice.”

He takes my hands into his own. “I’m not letting you sit and think about what-ifs. I want to take you somewhere.”

“Where?”

“You’ll see.”

“I don’t want to be around anyone else except you right now.”

“No one else will be there, I promise.”

I nod my head.

“Go put something warm on.”

“Okay.”

He smiles then turns to walk towards the front door. Listening to him, I head into the bedroom. He said to wear something warm, so I’ll wear a fuzzy warm trench coat and a dress.

A gentle, cool breeze causes my hair to lift and move in the wind. I close my eyes and deeply inhale. “Wow. It’s beautiful here.”

He smiled at me. God, I love his smile so much. “A little fresh air helps me clear my head. Do you feel better?”

“Yes. This is exactly what I needed.”

“Good.”

“How’d you find this place?” He chuckles and I look at him in curiosity. Coming up behind me, he wraps his arms around my waist and rests his chin on my head.

“It’s actually quite funny. It happened by total chance. I was playing in the yard at the cabin when I heard my mom yelling my name. It wasn’t one of those “Warren! Come inside, sweetie!” kind of calls. It was a “Warren! What did you do?!” call.”

I smiled. “How old were you?”

He pauses, thinking for a minute. “Probably 7 or 8. Once, I heard my name, I knew she’d finally found the pieces of glass I broke on accident into the closet.”

I laugh and he grins. “Why would you do that?”

“To hide the evidence. It was one of my mom’s favorite cups.”

“You bad little boy.” He laughed.

“What happened next? Did you run?”

“You’re damn right I did!”

“Oh, come on. She couldn’t have been that scary.”

“When that woman glanced at you, it doesn’t matter what you did. You run as fast as you can. Her disappointment was worse than bullets from a gun.” He suddenly laughs. “I ended up going down a road I didn’t normally go down and ran into this place. It became like a secret spot for me. Whenever I needed to clear my head, I always came here.”

He brought me to his special place. “Well, thank you for bringing me. It means a lot that you shared such a sacred place with me.”

“Of course. I’m glad it helped someone else out.”

“It’s amazing here.”

“In all honesty, I’ve never brought anyone out here, until you.”

I smiled and turned to him. “Thank you.” We stood on the deck for a few more hours, just talking about our past experiences and our lives at home.

“We should get going before the sun goes down. You ready?”

“Yes.”

Since we got back to the cabin, he seemed quiet. I tried to strike up a conversation, but it got nowhere.

“You okay?”

“Yes.”

“I’m here if you need me.”

He turns and walks away. “I’ll be in the bedroom.”

I watch him step into the room and close the door behind him. I wait to see the bedroom light turn on, but it never does. I guess some alone time will help. Sighing, I grabbed the wool blanket and laid down on the couch, tossing and turning until I finally fell asleep around 4:30.

When he woke up, he acted like nothing happened last night and I never brought up anything. It’s pointless.

A few days later, the heat breaks down. The cabin turns into an icy bitter cold that leaves me feeling almost breathless. He immediately goes out to check and is far from happy when he comes in.

“What’s wrong?”

“It seems that one of the heat valves is broken.”

“How?”

“The heater wasn’t used for months until we started using it...I should’ve checked it out.” He looks irritated that I reassure him and hide how cold I am by covering my hand over my chattering teeth.

“I’m fine, I promise.”

“No, you’re not fine! You’re shivering.” I shrug. Why is he so upset? Even though we didn’t expect this to happen, at least we’re safe.

“I’m a big girl, I can take care of m-myself.”

“It’s my damn job to worry about you. I can’t protect you if you freeze to death!”

“Why are you m-making such a big deal out of this? I’m not f-freezing.”

“Your lips are turning blue for God’s sake!”

“If you’re that w-worried, come and warm me up.”

His body suddenly tenses up. “I…” He hesitates at my offer. His gaze becomes heated as his eyes look at my frozen body, and I can feel my cheeks blush.

“Like you said, you were hired to take c-care of me, right?”

He takes a step toward me, his eyes locked on mine. “Warren?” His arms reach out and he gently pulls me into a hug. I can’t help but tremble in desire when I feel his skin against mine.

“Your right, it is my job.” He places a hand on my waist while his other trails down my cheek until it reaches my neck. “Your skin feels like ice.”

“Not for long if you keep touching me this way.”

He leans his head down until his nose touches my neck. His warm breath sets my body on fire and I can see he wants me. “I think I can help.” His mouth lingers on my shoulder, and the moan that escapes me sounds pleading and the need for him. “Does this help?”

“Please…”

“Please, what?” His words are tense, but obeys.

His lips become more persistent as he trails open-mouthed kisses down my body. I slide my arm down his stomach and feel he’s already hard. Smiling at him, I slide my hand down his sweatpants and stroke him. He looks at me with hungry eyes and his hand tightens on my waist as his other one explores my curves. His teeth lightly graze my ear, and I grab onto his shoulders when I feel my legs go weak.

“Do you feel warmer now?”

“I…”

“No? How about now?”

“W-Warren!”

His mouth moves lower, every inch sending a spark through my body. I throw my head back and sigh in pleasure until he stops. “Tell me what you want.”

When I don’t answer, he pulls back to look into my eyes. Both of us are heavily breathing, our chests rising in sync. This man...I don’t know what it is about him, but I can’t stay away. Not anymore. This is so wrong, but I don’t want it to be right.

“I-I want…” he leans in until our lips just barely touch, sending tingles down my spine.

What do you want, baby?”

Calling me baby makes me want him even more. I look straight into his eyes and take a deep breath. Every touch, every kiss, every moment we’ve shared has been amazing. If I tell him I want him, it could change everything between us. But the way he’s looking at me tells me he’s hoping I’m saying this. I bite my lip and place a gentle hand against his cheek. I tangle my finger into his hair and pull his face closer until his lips are directly over mine. “I want you.”

He pauses but before I can beg him to continue, another voice disturbs me. “What’s going on here?!” f**k, is that my husband?!