9. Millie
Millie
“Welcome.” The stranger’s voice pitched, a sure sign she’d witnessed everything. She was a little shorter than Millie, with long brown hair in the kind of waves Millie spent her teenage years craving. She held out her hand. “I’m Liss.”
Millie shook it. The diamond ring on a chain around her neck glinted in the sun. “The princess?”
Liss chuckled. “I prefer Bodyguard Corp gopher, but I sometimes answer to princess. When I give you the tour of the house, I’ll tell you about my past, if you’re interested.”
Bear—or as she remembered him, Drew—came barrelling out of the house. “Liss, what have I told you about being covert? You can’t run out of the house when people are at risk,” he shouted.
Millie trembled. Bear was stocky and beast-like.
When he worked as a doorman, he was the first to grab the misbehaving punters and escort them out or pick them up and toss them out the door for police to deal with.
He always let her into the club, but she didn’t go much because she didn’t have friends.
She opened her mouth to apologise, when Liss grabbed the scruff of Bear’s T-shirt and pulled until he was low enough for her to kiss his cheek. He smirked as she replied, “I’m sorry. I was excited to greet our guests.”
“I know, Princess, but you’ve got to check the cameras first. Morning, Millie. It’s been a while.” Bear pulled her into a hug. He hadn’t been the hugging sort before, but she let him envelop her. As her arms went round him, he added, “We’ll protect you.”
He let go and eased back, his eyes wary as he glanced over her shoulder. The heat from Strike’s body warmed her. When had he stepped so close?
Her knees weakened at his familiar scent, and she busied her hands with the broken tool in her pocket.
Liss mouthed to Strike, Don’t be a dickhead.
Two dogs ran out the door.
“Here comes the untrained cavalry,” Strike grumbled. “Bear, we need to talk about plans.”
“Plans that involve me?” Millie asked. Strike’s breath near her ear made her shiver. When he’d smiled in the car, little flutters teased the edges of her heart. But it was muscle memory.
Millie knelt to greet the dogs and escape his looming presence. She scratched their ears in turn, and the bigger, fluffy one rolled over for belly tickles. Her old dog had always been there for her, especially during those months of tears after Strike left.
“These are the worst guard dogs,” Strike grumped.
“They’re great therapy and full of welcoming care. We could all learn something from them,” Millie said over her shoulder. Her heart rate picked up at the view of him bathed in early morning sunlight.
Strike raised his eyebrow, and he squeezed his lips tighter.
“I asked if the plans involve me.”
“The plans are about many things, but yes, you too,” Strike replied. “Is that a problem?”
“They never learn,” Liss told Millie. The two women shared an eyeroll, making Strike grunt.
Liss raised her voice as she addressed the men. “If the plans involve Millie, she should be included in decisions. You don’t get to tell people what to do. We’ve been through this.”
“But—” Bear grunted.
Liss held up her hand, silencing him. “No. We’re doing this properly. I’m your ops manager, and I’m telling you to grab some food and make some for Millie, too. I’ll show her the clothes I’ve bought, and then we’ll talk plans.”
“But—” Strike replied.
“Are we clear, lads?”
Millie stared in awe, vowing to learn Liss’s story and emulate her.
“Yes, we’re clear.” Strike glowered.
Bear bent and kissed her hard on the lips. “Yes, baby.”
Millie continued to stroke the dogs, snuggling into their fur, but her curiosity about this new world left her sneaking glances at Bear and Liss. The lads had changed so much, yet she was the same person she’d always been.
“Are you a vegetarian or vegan, Millie?” Strike mumbled.
“Neither.”
Liss nudged him in the ribs. “There you go, Strike. You know how to not be a dick after all.”
“He can’t help himself,” Millie teased.
Liss laughed as she tucked her arm in Millie’s and walked her toward the house. “We’re going to be great friends.” She turned and waved at Bear and Strike. “See you lads, shortly.”
Liss left her in the bathroom to freshen up, but as soon as Millie returned, Liss popped her chin on her fist and bombarded her.
“You and Strike, were you dating, or was it one of those accidental things? Was that when he went to the army? Is this the first you’ve seen him since?”
Millie stepped back until she hit a wall. She struggled to steady her breathing as she looked toward the corridor. “I, um, well…”
Liss pressed her hands together, wincing. “I’m sorry. Bear tells me off for prying, especially with Strike. I’ve known him for over a year, and he gives nothing away. Ignore my questions. How about I remember how to behave while we check out the clothes?”
Millie nodded, and Liss grabbed clothes out of bags and scattered them across the bed. “Some of these are mine. I love jeans and T-shirts,” she said, adding to the chaos of strewn clothing. “I picked up extra bits, including underwear. I’ll return anything you don’t want.”
Millie grinned as yoga pants in reds and purples flew through the air. All it needed was a nineties soundtrack and she’d be in some sort of friend’s clothes montage. “Thank you. I haven’t treated myself to anything new in a long time. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”
“Don’t worry about that. This was the most fun I’ve had in ages. It’s nice having another woman around. I love the guys, but sometimes, they’re a bit much.”
Millie’s eyebrow popped as she picked up a hoodie with the royal crown logo on.
“That was a present from Strike. For a grumpy dickhead, he can be funny,” Liss said, chuckling. “Bear and Strike were my bodyguards after my life got turned upside down when I learned my grandad was the King and that someone wanted to kill me.”
Millie clasped her hands around the hoodie. “I read about it in the papers. Wasn’t it—"
“Yeah, but we don’t talk about that. Now, I work with Bodyguard Corp.” Liss sat, tapping a space on the bed beside her. “How are you coping with everything?”
Millie joined her, still clutching the hoodie. “I’m scared. I should be sitting in my sweats, reading books alone in my flat, not thrust into all of this.”
“It’s a lot to take in.”
“You sound like me when I’m counselling. What did you do before you worked with the lads?”
“I was the manager of a pub, although I spent as much time listening to people’s woes as pulling them pints.”
“Do you miss it?”
Liss adjusted the collar of her jumper, tucking her ring on the necklace under it, as she mused.
“I loved my time there, but being with Bear and managing this team gives me so much. Even though I miss my friends, I’ve never been happier.
The men can be pushy, and they focus on how things are in my best interests, but I always get my say. You will too.”
“You think?”
“Definitely. I suspect Strike plans to take you to a safe house while they determine what to do. The police will show up here eventually, and it’s best if you’re away, but you don’t have to go anywhere or do anything you don’t want to.”
“Thanks. I needed to hear that.” She took a breath. It was surprising she trusted this stranger. Maybe it was because Liss had no expectations of her. Millie had no idea who she was when she wasn’t trying to fulfil everyone’s expectations.
“Bodyguards and control. They can’t help themselves, which is why I have to keep teaching them otherwise,” Liss said with a conspiratorial smile. “They’re clueless.”
The familiarity and closeness were unexpected, but Liss reminded Millie of Rylee, her book friend in America. Millie fingered the hem of her top as she ventured, “That thing I shouted at Strike earlier?”
“Yeah?”
She shot her a glance. “If I tell you, do you promise not to share it with anyone? I don’t know if it’s being close to him, or the adrenaline, or that my life has spiralled in twenty-four hours, but if I’m going to be around him for another day, I’ll lose my shit and do something stupid.”
Liss gently touched Millie’s arm. “Tell me anything. I won’t tell anyone, including Bear.”
She closed her eyes and breathed slowly, her chest rising and falling. She’d only shared this with Rylee, and without her phone, she was alone.
Liss squeezed her arm. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me anything. But I’m here if you want to talk.”
“Thanks.” Millie swallowed the lump in her throat.
“Something happened between us one night… It changed my life. The next morning, I had to leave, but we promised to talk properly about our relationship and future when I returned later that day. While I was gone, he told my mum he was leaving for good. It was like he couldn’t stand to see me again. ”
“He didn’t wait to talk to you?”
Millie shook her head. Her voice cracked. “I never saw him again. He was my best friend and then became a stranger.”
“What a piece of shit.”
Millie flinched. He was, and yet there had been no signs he was the kind of guy to do something like that. He wasn’t closed off then like he was now.
Liss fixed her with a look. “How did you get over that? Because I’m telling you now, I’m not sure I could.”
Millie’s body sagged as Liss wrapped her arm around her.
A thud sounded near the doorway, and she whipped her head in its direction. She gasped at the sight of a blank-faced Strike. The blood had drained from his face, and there was a slight tremor in his fingers where his hands pressed against his jeans.
Shame snapped at her as he cleared his throat twice and studied the room before he met her stare.
“Breakfast will be ready in thirty minutes,” he murmured, like all energy had been torn from his body.
“Okay,” she croaked.
He gave a brief nod before walking away. Suddenly, he turned back, his eyes crinkled at the edges as they sharply met hers. “From the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry. I’ll never forgive myself for what I did.”
His departure from the room ripped open the crack that had formed when he’d left years earlier.
“Wow,” Liss replied, even her hands were trembling.
“Yeah,” Millie added. A lump like a rock in her gullet refused to disappear, and her pulse raced faster than when she’d run for the train the day before. “But a sorry can’t repair the past. Nothing can.”