The Nerdy Tech's Bodyguard

3 - NEW BEGINNINGS

Ten years later

“Well, how are you going to deal with this latest development?” Jorja asked, handing Marcy Lawson a hot cup of coffee.

“I don’t know yet. I’m trying my best not to resort to violence. But as it is, I can’t sleep. I barely eat. I’m so stressed they are going to give him custody of my son and I’d have no one else but myself to blame,” she said with a sigh, shaking her head and sipping her coffee, unable to continue.

“How much longer? When will you know the judge’s decision?”

Marcy took a deep breath. “In about a month’s time. But jerk-face is talking about requesting unsupervised visitation rights during the interim. A few months ago, I would not have had any issues with it, but now that I know how he treats our son, I don’t want Jackson being subjected to his father’s vileness for another second longer. It horrifies me to think he has been subjecting our son to such hate while I was away. What kind of man treats his own flesh and blood that way?”

Jorja winced. “Isn’t there something you can do?”

When her friend only looked away, Jorja bumped her shoulder with her own. “You can tell me, I won’t judge you. What did you do?”

“You don’t understand,” Marcy stated desperately. “I had to do something. I know what it’s like to not be accepted by your family. I don’t want that for my son.”

“What did you do?”

Unable to look Jorja in the eye, Marcy replied “I called his ex-wife.”

“Wait… you called the woman your soon-to-be ex-husband cheated on when he hooked up with you? You’ve got some balls.”

“When she’d found out about our relationship she tried to warn me about the person he is. So I was hoping she knew something I could use in court to win. I was desperate.” Shaking her head, “I had to do something, Jorja. I can’t lose my child.”

“I understand, Marcy.”

“No, you don’t. With me, my family couldn’t understand my choice of my career. To them it was too manly. They didn’t understand why I wanted to be a soldier. My father straight up told me to my face – a woman’s place is in the bedroom and the kitchen. And if by chance, she is allowed to work outside the home, she should look at nursing or teaching. That s**t crushed me. Now my child is experiencing the same thing. The only difference is his sexuality. Yeah, according to the doctors, I gave birth to a girl. But according to my child, he identifies as a boy. Who am I to tell him he shouldn’t feel how he’s feeling? Why can’t his father accept his s****l orientation? Aren’t parents supposed to love their children unconditionally?”

Jorja sipped her coffee and marveled at how her best friend could be juggling so much and still manage to give one hundred per cent to their company. She’d met Marcy on her first day in the army and they’d taken an instant dislike of each other. They’d both had s**t to prove and had sized each other up as being obstacles. However, during their nine months of intense training, they’d grudgingly acknowledged each other’s abilities and strength and by the time they were sent on their first mission, they’d come to rely on one another to stay alive. Now, fast forward ten years later, they were both out of the army and co-partners in an up and coming security services firm.

“Did she help?”

“I don’t know. I spoke with her assistant and was told she’d return my call later today. So I’m patiently waiting. I didn’t want to call again and sound too desperate, even though I am.”

Jorja didn’t blame her friend. Sure, they may have been soldiers together, caught in the middle of firefights where they were outnumbered and out gunned. Sure, they’d infiltrated foreign countries, doing whatever their government asked them to do. But not once had they ever felt a fear equal to having to turn to the one woman who hated Marcy the most in the world for advice and help.

“Well, we’ve got a few more hours here at least. Work should keep you distracted until the dreaded phone call. Just let me know when she calls, so I can ensure you aren’t disturbed.”

Marcy finished off her coffee. “Thank God for work. It’s the only thing keeping me sane… grounded right now. I hate going home to that empty house knowing my son is in foster care until this whole mess is sorted out.” She crushed the empty coffee cup. “It’s crazy. It’s completely insane to not allow a child to stay with his mother.”

Jorja finished off her own coffee and tossed the remainder in a trash can. She glanced at the TV screens. They’d set up cameras covering every inch of the venue. This was their biggest job to date, and she wanted it to go off without a hitch. As their performance in this job would either make or break the newly formed company. A lot of eyes were on them, as they were operating the only female-led security services firm in the country.

So far, their skilled and capable team have stopped at least twenty people trying to sneak into the function. When Marcy told her a couple of months before they’d been offered a job as party security, Jorja had thrown a fit. That type of work was for ordinary security firms. Not for those who want to brand themselves as being above the pack. They were a well-armed military trained team, specially assembled by Jorja and Marcy for their unique and complimentary skill sets. But hearing the full details about the function and the organizers, Jorja had reconsidered her stance. This wasn’t some bullshit event, but a computer geek’s wet dream. The major players in computers—millionaires to billionaires—from around the country came to the function, which had become an annual event. Getting the job of providing physical security for a group of rich tech nerds who provide cyber security would look good in their portfolio. The amped-up security was to protect the serious heavy hitters that even Jorja, who could give a s**t about computers except when she needed to send an e-mail or do online shopping, recognized.

With a few short sentences, it went from “that low grade job we have to do” straight into an all-hands-on-deck event “high profile job we have to nail”. Thankfully, they now had the manpower—former military-trained women, like themselves, looking for a new life among the civilians. So far, they’d hired only three men, and they were proud card-carrying feminists.

“We better go back inside.” Marcy pushed open the back doors. “You guys okay?” she asked the three women monitoring the screens and keeping in close contact through headphones with the entire team.

“Yep, we’re good,” Sally answered as she quickly flipped through channels, her laser sharp focus picking up everything.

“Good.” Marcy slammed the doors after Jorja jumped out and the two headed back to the party.

They quickly checked on front-door security and walked inside the building, a five-story concrete office the company that hired them owned. They weren’t a big company but apparently had a tight hold on the computer and database security niche of the market. To be quite honest, Jorja didn’t much care once they had the means to pay her. And they did.