The Assassin's Billionaire Bodyguard

3

“Daddy, she’s crazy. I need you to deal with her.”

“Portia,” Camden Torres pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried with practiced discipline not to raise his voice at his only child. “Explain to me exactly how it you want me to deal with her.”

“Get rid of her. Isn’t it what you and your army buddies do?” She looked over her shoulder at her father’s head of security Gideon with a raised eyebrow.

He glared at her not surprised when she didn’t even flinch. He’d made grown men cry with this look and his daughter had him wrapped so tightly around her finger he couldn’t make her blink. “Portia, I run a security detail firm for high profile. I do not kill people for kicks.”

“But you kill people,” she argued.

“No,” he lied, “I do not kill people. I protect people.” He could see Gideon’s fists clench and unclench from where he stood. Even the most unflappable of his team was ready to throttle his only offspring.

“What’s the point of us having all this money if you can’t give me what I want?”

Gideon walked out of his office and Camden was desperately wishing he could follow him. “We do not have all this money,” he finally spoke after several long seconds of trying to measure his words, “I am a very wealthy man because I work hard, and I’ve made some exceptional investments. It allows you to have a life of luxury, a trust fund you are blowing through and top-notch education which you’ve made no attempt to finish. You’re nineteen years old. It’s time for you to grow up. If you’re not going to finish college, get a job. At your age, I had a job and goals. Be better.”

“I came to you for help,” she stomped her foot angrily.

He c****d his eyebrow at the display of temper, “Portia, I love you, but I have back-to-back meetings starting in five minutes. Either go to school or go find a job.”

“I have a job.” She protested folding her arms over her chest.

He closed his eyes, “taking photos in Thailand with the ladyboys is not a job.”

“It is when I get sponsors to do it,” she pursed her lips at him.

“And do you have sponsors to do it?” He held her gaze until she looked away and looked out the window of his top floor office in downtown Manhattan. “I didn’t think so. If you want to do the social media thing and make millions off it like Kim and Kylie, go for it.” He cursed he knew the names of those two women because of his teenage daughter. “I’d be thrilled if you showed half of their entrepreneurial spirit. Until then, you’re grounded from using the jet, your credit card will have a maximum allowable spending limit and you’re not to leave the country without my express permission.”

“Daddy!” she shrieked at him. “This is unfair.”

“Portia, you just came into my office and asked me to kill a romantic rival. I think you’ve clearly demonstrated you’ve been overindulged far too long.”

“Ugh!” she threw her arms up in anger. “Can you talk to her then?”

“What exactly am I supposed to say?” he rolled his eyes as his phone lit up telling him his next appointment was entering the building.

“Just tell her to back off and leave Ev alone. She’s always calling him, and he keeps liking all her photos and chasing after her. I know he went to see her today.”

“And how do you know this?”

“I followed him.” She said with a toss of her blonde hair.

“Oh my god,” he groaned, “you followed a boy.”

“He’s a man. He’s almost thirty.”

“Wait, your new boyfriend is only nine years younger than me?” He watched as for the first time since she’d flopped into the leather chair opposite his desk she squirmed. “Does he know you’re nineteen?”

“Yes,” she paused, “I told him it was almost my birthday.”

“So, you lied. You just had a birthday in May. We’re only October. What does a thirty-year-old man want with a kid?” he asked angrily. “I hope his ex-girlfriend takes him back. I don’t want him around you.” He stared furiously. “What’s his last name? Ev? Evan is it, Evan what?”

“Andropov, Evgeni Andropov” She spoke quietly looking at her perfectly polished manicures much too closely. When the sound of a pin dropping could have been heard in the office but still her father said nothing, she lifted her blue eyes curiously to look at her father.

His green eyes were flashing like fresh cut emeralds and his face was set so stonily she wondered for a moment if he’d died and froze in place. “Daddy?” she squeaked.

“Your dating Evgeni Andropov? Mikhail’s son?”

“Yes.”

“We had dinner with his family and friends two nights ago and neither of you thought fit to tell me this?”

“It’s all-over social media,” she shrugged, “I thought you knew.”

“For how long?”

“Six months,” she whispered as he swore loudly and smashed his fist against his desk.

“I might kill you both,” he said suddenly and looked at her furiously, “I might kill you both and be done with it.”

“You said you don’t kill people,” she said suddenly, realising for the first time in her life her father was truly furious with her. “Why don’t you want me dating him?”

“He’s too old for you, he’s the son of an old friend and it will make things weird, and his father is goddamn mobster!” he yelled the last of it ignoring how she flinched at his raised voice.

“You can hang out with mobsters, but I can’t?” she asked incredulously and then immediately wished she could take back her words at the cold rage emanating from her father’s face blistered.

He stood then and walked to the now closed office door and yanked it open, “out! Get out Portia before I sent you to England to stay with your mother for the next ten years.”

“Just talk to her for me?” She got up from her chair and walking slowly. “Her name is Isabella Ruiz.” She punched her fingers on her phone and smiled at him as she patted his chest as she walked past him. “I just texted her number to your phone.”

He slammed the door so hard he was certain they heard it on the first floor and then kicked it for good measure. Ten seconds after Gideon stepped back into the office and Cam pointed at him. “Shut up, just shut up. Did you know she was dating Mikhail’s son?” At his surprised look he grimaced, “how the f**k did we miss she’s dating him?”

He flung himself back into his seat. “I want everything on him, everything. I want to know why a thirty-year-old man is probably screwing my little girl.” He grabbed a paperweight off his desk and wailed it across the room and watched as it wedged into the wall.

Gideon walked back out without saying another word and his administrative assistant poked her head into the room.

“Mr. Torres, Mr. Lewis is here to see you.” Her eyes went to the paperweight in the wall. “New art installment?”

“Funny Gisele,” he met her gaze, “show him in.”

“Cam!” Lyle Lewis stepped into his office, “good to see you. Who was the young hottie getting into the elevator? Afternoon quickie?”

“My daughter,” Cam held the man’s gaze and watched as he swallowed nervously as he realized his faux pas.

“I’m so sorry Cam, I,” he stood still aware the man in front of him was notorious for his bad temper. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you even had a kid.”

“Sit,” Cam motioned to the chair and waited for the man to sit down before he took his own seat. “Do you know why you’re here?”

“Not really, Mikhail Andropov asked me to come see you,” he shifted nervously. “I know it’s never a good thing when Mikhail is sending me somewhere.”

“Relax, it’s not your head on a platter he wants,” Cam leaned in his chair and eyeballed the weasel sitting in the chair his daughter had just vacated. He didn’t like this guy in the least, but Mikhail trusted him, so it said something. “Mikhail came to me and wants you overseas. I’m sending one of my guys with you. You up for travel?”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you and the boss need.”

He quickly outlined what he wanted the man to do and was glad the man didn’t even flinch. When he called for his employee Dustin to be brought to his office, he made the introductions and then motioned for the door. “Your flight to Cairo leaves in two hours. Don’t screw this up or Andropov won’t be the one you need to worry about.”

“Yes sir,” Dustin nodded and grabbed his go bag from where he’d dropped it on the floor in the outer office.

“And Dustin,” Cam called out, “be careful. You cover his ass. I want him,” he pointed to Lyle, “back here alive and unharmed. If he screws this up, if he does anything to mess this up, you better make sure your hands are clean and not part of it. If he manages to piss off the wrong person, you get him out and get home. Got it?”

“Got it boss,” he clapped the other man on the shoulder. “Let’s go Mr. Accountant.”

He picked up his phone and called Mikhail. “Your accountant now has security detail.” He opened his bank account and waited for the money to be deposited as they ended the call with no further words.

He leaned back and closed his eyes against the throbbing headache battering his brain. He didn’t need to open them again to know Gideon had come back into the room. He knew the man’s footsteps as if they were his own. They were closer than brothers and he waited for the tongue lashing his friend was likely about to give him over his kid.

Instead, he opened one eye to look when he heard Gideon’s laugh rumble through the office.

“What is so funny?” he turned his chair to look at him.

“Your kid,” he wheezed, “wants us to off her boyfriend’s ex.” He held his ribs as he laughed, his raspy voice echoing in the quiet of the room.

“When did my kid become such an asshole?” Cam rubbed his face in humiliation. “She actually wanted me to threaten this girl.” He held up his phone so his friend could see, “if you won’t hurt her, just talk to her.” He read the last text aloud.

“Jokes on her,” Gideon finally started to speak, “do you know who the ex is?”

“What did you find out?”

“Clara Draxton’s sister-in-law,” he grinned widely as Cam cursed explicitly. He passed him his own phone, “it’s better man, she’s the eye candy from the deli earlier today.”

Cam cursed again and rolled his eyes.

Gideon read from the file their investigator sent him, “she’s twenty-six and works at Draxton as an actuary. She ran the New York City Marathon last year with Clara and Edward and made precent decent time.”

“Tell me why Evgeni is dating my daughter instead of her?” Even to him it seemed the man had downgraded, and he loved his daughter more than anything in the world.

“Because she kicked Andropov to the curb. One night they were dancing in the clubs and the next night she was gone. Nobody seems to know what really happened other than they were a couple and then they weren’t.”

“And since then?” he asked quietly.

“Nothing as far as anyone knows until this week. It seems your Portia blew a gasket after dinner the other night.” He grinned at his boss and best friend’s expression. “Her security agent said she lost her mind over the fact Evgeni’s family is so tight with Draxton. Evgeni called her a child and walked away. Today Evgeni showed up at Ruiz’ place of work and she had security toss him on his ass.”

“If my memory serves me right, she was cursing at her phone when we left the deli.”

“She probably was getting calls from both of them.” Gideon made a face. “I love you and I love your kid but she’s a nightmare on legs. She makes me glad I’ve never procreated.”

“I don’t want her near Andropov.”

“Seems like he agrees after the last couple of days.”

“I want to keep it this way. Find me Ruiz’ number and address. I want to make her an offer she can’t refuse.” As Gideon lifted an eyebrow at him, he shrugged. “If she takes him back, then I don’t need to worry about my daughter being hooked up with this guy.”

“How do you make it happen?”

“I appeal to the one thing all women love,” he linked his fingers behind his head and flexed his elbows wide as he leaned back in his seat. “Cold hard cash.”