Chapter 3 Sage
SAGE
Black dots swim across my vision as I struggle to catch my breath. What the hell just happened? Who are those guys? What has my dad gotten us into?
I blink a few times, trying to make the world around me stop spinning.
Tilting my head up, I look into the eyes of my new bodyguard.
A kaleidoscope of colors greets me, shades of green and brown holding me captive.
I notice a scar running through his left eyebrow, making him look fierce and in control.
However, I see a surprising amount of tenderness behind his gaze.
The man is a giant, taller than anyone I’ve ever met.
His rippling muscles stretch out his button-up shirt, which I notice for the first time is a khaki color that matches his pants.
My eyes catch on the myriad of pins and patches decorating the left side of his shirt.
I don’t know much about military ranks and branches, but I assume all the bling means he’s done some admirable things during his time serving his country.
I’m surprised that my dad knows someone in the military.
I’m also surprised that my father knows anyone so handsome.
Okay, that’s a massive understatement. The man towering over me and offering his hand is scorching.
He’s the hottest person I’ve ever seen outside of a movie screen.
Actually, scratch that. He knocks every celebrity out of the water, and I just know he has an eight-pack hiding underneath his uniform.
“You’re safe,” he tells me again, softer this time. He holds his hand steady, and his eyes lock on mine, never wavering in their intensity.
I nibble my bottom lip and consider my options, which are pretty much zero.
Taking a fortifying breath, I slip my hand in his, the warmth of his skin against mine causing me to shudder.
My sinfully sexy bodyguard pulls me to my feet, and I sway slightly as my head throbs.
I can hear the blood rushing in my ears with each frantic beat of my heart.
The man never lets go of my hand, nor does he look away.
His free hand gently rests on my hip, studying me even further.
“I’ve got you,” he whispers, the genuine look in his hazel eyes, urging me to trust him all the more.
Against my better judgment, I lean into his chest, resting my head over his steadily beating heart. He freezes at first, and I worry I crossed the line. Before I can doubt myself further, my bodyguard engulfs me in the warmest, most grounding hug I’ve ever received.
He crushes my body against the solid slabs of his muscles, his hands running up and down my back in gentle, steady strokes.
I bury my nose into his shirt, breathing in his earthy pine scent.
I can’t remember the last time I felt so safe.
He’s the exact opposite of my dad and his friends, which begs the question…
“How do you know my dad?”
The man tenses slightly, then untangles himself from me and takes a step back. A chill runs through me without his warm, comforting presence, and I wrap my arms around my torso to try to make up the deficit.
“We have a mutual friend.” His eyes dart to the left as he gives his explanation, which is the first time he’s looked away from me.
I narrow my gaze in suspicion, sensing that something is off. However, I don’t know enough about my dad and his extracurricular activities to call him out on it. Plus, there’s no denying that the man standing in front of me has shown me more kindness than I’ve been offered in a long damn time.
“Did my father tell you the situation?” I ask, studying his reaction. Without hesitation, he nods, which gives me a little more confidence.
“He did, but I would like to hear it from your point of view.”
Damn him. That's the perfect answer without giving anything away on his part. Still, at the end of the day, he saved me from two men who wanted to do me harm. I’m not sure what they had planned for me, but I know that I would rather be here with this man than going through whatever torture I could be enduring right now.
I nod and let out a heavy sigh before rubbing my temples to try and clear my head. I wince at the pressure, then drop my hands and close my eyes, feeling both overwhelmed and completely, utterly drained of strength. When I open them again, hazel eyes meet mine, silently encouraging me to go on.
“Well… To be honest, I don’t have a lot of information.
All I know is that my dad got mixed up in something bad, which I’m sure is no surprise to you.
” I roll my eyes, but he doesn’t seem to acknowledge the jab at my father.
Maybe he doesn’t really know him, and he’s doing this as a favor for their “mutual friend.”
“And now they’re after you, too.“ He’s right, of course, but that doesn’t mean he is who he says he is. Anyone could draw that conclusion from what I just said.
“It was just an email,“ I say softly. “A stupid email that I almost didn’t even tell my dad about. All it said was tell your father we know how to find you. When I called my dad to report the strange email, he became completely paranoid and wouldn’t even talk to me over the phone. He said I had to come in person.”
My bodyguard has had the same stoic expression throughout my entire story. It almost looks like he’s bored, but I can tell he’s logging every detail. I don’t think anyone has ever listened to me this intently.
“When I got to his house, he still didn’t give much away.
His paranoia was at an all-time high, and he looked genuinely, truly afraid.
” I stare into the distance, my vision unfocused as I remember the fear emanating from my father.
“I’ve never seen him like that before. He stuttered out something about them and how they can’t do this, and then he ended his fear-fueled rant by telling me he’s leaving for a bit and he won’t be able to contact me. ”
My new bodyguard crosses his arms and nods to himself once as if confirming a plan in his mind. “First, we’ll go to your place, and I’ll perform a security check. After doing a sweep of the perimeter, checking for recording devices and weak spots in security…“
His words jumble together, the information too much to process at the moment. My pulse pounds against my head, each beat of my heart sending excruciating pain ricocheting around my skull. I take a ragged breath, struggling against the heavy, uncomfortable weight sitting there.
“New plan,” he says with all the authority of a military man. “We’re getting you checked out at the hospital. In fact, I should’ve taken you there first.” He says something under his breath that sounds like he’s scolding himself.
“No, that’s okay,” I rushed to say. “Really, I’m fine. Just a headache and a bit of a scare. That’s all.”
“I’m not messing around with your health. I’m here to protect you, all of you.“
Why does that sound more like a wedding vow than a statement from my bodyguard?
I look away from him, embarrassment flooding through me and turning my cheeks red. “I don’t have health insurance,” I whisper.
“What?”
I let out a frustrated sigh, trying to cover up my shame. “I don’t have health insurance,” I say again, louder this time. “And I really can’t afford a medical bill right now.“
The man clenches his jaw and his nostrils flare, but he doesn’t seem angry with me. He wipes a hand down his face and mutters something that sounds like, “That won’t be a problem for long.”
I have no idea what he’s talking about, or if I heard him right, but I ignore it.
“Fine,” he says with a decisive tone. “If you won’t let me take you to a hospital, I’ll just have to patch you up myself.” I open and close my mouth, but in the end, I can’t protest. “Good. Lead the way to your place.”
We walk the last couple of blocks to my apartment in silence. When I reach the door of my ground-floor apartment, I unlock it and step inside. Turning around in the doorway, I give my bodyguard a hesitant look, still not sure about this whole situation.
He steps closer, though he’s not using his size to intimidate me. As the man slowly lifts his hand to my face, he pauses, silently asking permission to touch me. I nod, and he tucks a few strands of hair behind my ear before gently cupping the side of my face.
“You can trust me,” he whispers.
The thing is… I do trust him. As insane and naive as it might be, I’m filled with a sense of safety and belonging.
“I do,” I murmur, matching his soft tone.
Stepping aside, I let him into my apartment and close the door behind us. I twist my hands nervously in front of me as he performs the security check he was talking about earlier. I go to the bathroom and grab the first aid kit, pausing to stare at myself in the mirror.
Ouch. I do look a little rough, I’ll admit. I rinse off my face, getting rid of the dirt and grime. Taking a few moments to compose myself once more, I step outside and look around for my bodyguard.
It doesn’t take me long to find the giant man sitting on my couch. If I weren’t so scared and overwhelmed by everything that’s happened to me today, I might find it comical that his knees are nearly up to his ears as he crouches on my tiny loveseat.
He looks up as if sensing my presence, his hazel eyes roaming all around my face before he pats the spot next to him.
I join the man on the couch and present him with the first aid kit, my hands shaking the entire time.
He takes the plastic box and sets it aside before wrapping his much larger hands around mine.
He rubs the pads of his thumbs across my knuckles, taking a few deep breaths, and silently urging me to do the same.
After a few moments of deep breathing, I feel a little more in control. No words pass between us, but they don’t have to. His actions show he already understands me more than anyone ever has.
My bodyguard works silently as he cleans the cuts and scrapes on my hands, arms, and face, putting bandages over the worst of them. When he’s done, he once again tucks my hair behind my ears, letting his fingers trail down my neck and slide over my shoulder.
“I’ll be standing post outside your front door all night, so you can sleep peacefully.”
“Please stay. I can’t ask you to stand outside when I have a perfectly good couch in here.”
We both look at the tiny loveseat, and then I take in his large frame, trying not to drool. I let out a soft laugh, just picturing him folding himself onto the small seat. He must be thinking the same thing.
“I’m not sure this would be any more comfortable than standing outside,” he jokes.
“I have extra blankets and pillows. I can make you a bed on the floor,” I suggest. He’s about to protest again, but I won’t let him.
For some reason, the thought of him being on the other side of that door nearly sends me into a panic.
“What if someone tries to sneak in my window? Shouldn’t you be inside so you can protect me?
” I meant it as a way to convince him to stay, but now that I think about it, that is a truly terrifying thought.
Before today, I’ve never been a very paranoid person.
But after getting jumped in an alleyway, all of that has changed.
“Hey,” the man says soothingly. He seems to know I’m on the verge of a breakdown. “I’ll stay wherever you want me to; wherever you feel the safest.” The earnestness in his gaze lets me know he means every single word.
“Thank you,” I whisper, letting him see how much his presence means to me. It occurs to me we haven’t had a proper introduction. “What’s your name? I probably should’ve asked that before demanding you stay in my apartment,“ I tease.
“I’m Jackson Bennett,” he says, holding his hand out for me to shake.
“I’m Sage Makenzie, but I suppose you already know that.”
I shake his hand, noticing a flash of something across his features. It’s gone before I can dwell on it, but I store it away in the back of my mind. I want to trust him, and I already do, more than I should. Still, growing up the way I did, I have a healthy dose of cynicism.
“I’ll grab the extra blankets and a pillow–” a yawn overtakes me, breaking off my sentence.
“Why don’t you point me in the right direction, and I can get myself all set up?“ I start to shake my head, but he insists. “You’ve been through a lot today, Sage. Get some rest, and I’ll take care of myself.“
Hearing my name falling from his lips shouldn’t have a shiver of desire running down my spine, but it’s there all the same. I nod before letting out another yawn, and I see a brief smile curl up one side of Jackson’s lips.
I hardly remember going into my bedroom or putting on pajamas before crashing onto the mattress and rolling up in my blankets. As the heavy darkness of sleep wraps itself around me, the last thing I think about is that I feel safer than I have in my entire life.