The Bodyguard

Chapter 40 - Just Trust Me

I’ve been at Gabriel’s, sorry OUR cottage for almost a week now. It’s been going well so far, he’s been making an effort to help me unpack and feel at home, he even took the week off work although it means he has to be away this weekend instead.

I have my interview at the art agency at 2pm and my nerves are making my heart race and my palms sweat. Gabriel offered to take me, but I need to see how the journey is on the train since I can’t rely on him to take me every day if I do get the job.

We compromise and I let him drive me to the station which I can see is a reasonably long walk or a short bus ride. Nothing I can’t handle.

The train arrives in the city in less than 15 minutes, so far so good. I take out my phone and I see the office is around a 10 minute walk and I have 30 minutes to my interview. I like to be early, but 20 minutes is excessive so I grab a coffee and walk the length of the street by the office to see what kinds of cafes they have for lunch options should I be offered the job. There’s a lovely little shop selling sandwiches made to order and the usual coffee chains, plus a small burger bar and an Indian restaurant.  I like the area and I can picture myself getting acquainted with all these little eateries. All I need to do now is actually get the job.

The office is glass fronted and modern, but the building is small. I’m glad because I’m not a high rise multi office chaos kind of girl.

A lady on the reception desk looks up as I enter and smiles.

“Kristen James, I’m here for an interview,” I announce trying to sound confident.

“Take a seat Miss James, Mr Freeman will be out to see you shortly.”

I sit on the pink cube shaped modular sofa and look around at all the art on the walls. For an art agency they aren’t as imaginative as I’d have hoped. The pieces they’ve chosen to decorate their offices are very traditional and it seems they’ve taken zero risks. As an artist this would put me off if I came in here searching for someone to represent me.

“Miss James?”

A voice interrupts my thoughts and I look up to see a short skinny man with grey hair. He has the basics to be good looking, nice eyes, good skin and straight teeth, but there’s something about him I can't quite put my finger on that’s off putting.

“Yes, nice to meet you Mr Freeman,” I reply shaking his hand.

He leads me into his office, which is also decorated with little imagination and I find myself wondering how such a boring little man could run a successful art agency.

The interview goes well, I’m able to answer all his questions articulately and he seems impressed as he reads through my academic transcripts.

“My final results come at the end of the month, but I’m keen to start as soon as possible,” I tell him.

“Well I seeing your transcripts I doubt you’ll have much trouble getting the grades you want. Your drive impresses me and you seem to know what you like and what you don’t. I’d love to have you on the team.”

“Thank you so much Mr Freeman,” I say feeling ecstatic. “I really appreciate this opportunity.”

He discusses hours, salary and the role itself and introduces me to the small team I’ll be working with. The team is made up of three other women, Lucy, Imogen and Rachel, who all seem only a few years older than me and then there's our line manager Eve who looks to be in her forties. All four women welcome me to the team warmly and they seem quite close. There are amusing posters on the walls so at least I know they have a sense of humour.

I’m elated as I head home and I can’t wait to tell Gabriel my news. I want to tell him face time face though and see his reaction rather than over the phone so I decide not to call him as he suggested. I know he wanted this for me so I know he’s going to be thrilled.

I decide to walk the journey from the station to the cottage and I let myself in with my shiny new key Gabriel presented me with the day I moved in. I shout him, but I’m greeted with silence. I head upstairs and I listen carefully on the landing but don’t hear anything so I assume he’s in the gym or his office, I race up there, but the gym too is empty. I wander into his office, a space I rarely visit because he almost never used to work when I visited and then only if I was sleeping.

I notice a huge safe I’ve never noticed before in the corner of the room behind his desk and it’s wide open. Despite my curiosity I make myself stay away even though I’d love to know what’s in it. Instead I find my eyes drawn to the desk and the five passports on it.

I pick up the top one and opening it I see it’s Gabriel’s, his picture isn’t awful like mine. Despite his serious expression he still manages to look good, which I find slightly irritating.

Who do the rest belong to then?

Before I can stop myself I pick up the next and it’s Gabriel’s picture again but the name reads ‘Harry Stirling’ and it’s got a totally different day and month of birth.

I frown in confusion then quickly open the others. They all contain Gabriel’s photo, but different names ‘Daniel England’ ‘Graham Turner’ ‘Robert Jennings’ and they all have different dates of birth and birth places.

My eyes land on a shiny piece of metal in the safe and my breath stops as I realise it’s a gun. What the hell is all this and why does Gabriel have it?

“Kristen!” s**t. He’s here and I have no idea what to say to him. I’m genuinely afraid of the answers to all my questions.

I turn around slowly trying to hide the fear in my eyes and reading his expression. He looks pretty angry.

“I was just looking for you so I could tell you about my interview,” I offer in explanation.

“I was packing clothes in the closet for my trip. Why didn’t you call me when you were on the train like we discussed.”

Yes, that’s the main issue here.

“I wanted to surprise you with my news. I got the job,” I say, all the excitement has gone now and I’m just thinking about what I’ve seen.

“That’s wonderful news beautiful,” he replies cautiously.

He’s trying to work out if I’ve seen anything and while I want to pretend I don’t know anything I need an explanation if I’m going to ever trust him again. I look back at his desk and then at him.

“Oh, you saw those,” is all he says. “They are private and you shouldn’t be snooping in here,” he says angrily

Snooping? I only came to find him.

“I wasn’t snooping, I was just looking for you. What are they for anyway,” I probe.

“When I am working with high profile celebrities they make us all use false names and IDs so the media and paparazzi don’t know where they are staying. The gun I have a licence for, it’s necessary in my line of work. I’m sure you understand that.”

I do. I guess it all makes sense, but why did he seem so angry about finding me in here and if it was so simple and innocent why didn’t he just tell me in the first place.

I accept his explanation but it leaves me wondering what else he’s hiding and the fact I’ve never even seen his apartment in the city concerns me most.

Fake passports and guns, what else am I going to accidentally find?

“Is there anything else I should know,” I ask tentatively.

“No, why would you even ask that? I only kept these things from you because the less you know about my work the safer you’ll be. Some people need protection for a reason.”

What kind of people does he mean? Celebrities aren’t a danger to me so what’s he talking about? I want to ask more, but he stops me.

“Just trust me, ok? That’s all I ask.”

“Ok, fine.” I reply in defeat to avoid an argument.

This isn’t over though and I will do everything I can now to try to find out what he means by some people need protection for a reason and what he really does. He gives me so little information about where he goes when he works away and is so secretive about his work. I can’t trust him until I know everything.