“I…” I frowned. There was for sure a catch in there. “I suppose. I’m not sure this will be my last trip abroad.”
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.
“Exactly.” Grandfather nodded like I’d agreed with him. “And to assist you in that endeavor—in really building a foundation in the community you’re serving—I bought you a house.” He spread his arms wide. “Congratulations.”
“A house? What house?” I literally looked around, like a game show host might come through one of the doors carrying a picture of a small cottage, or a midsized colonial, or anything that didn’t have five wings and a ballroom.
“This house.”
“This house?” I looked around again, and only then did I understand. “Wait, this giant estate? Grandfather, it’s way too big—” Not to mention gaudy, too big, and in every conceivable way, over-the-top.
“But that’s the best part! Plenty of room for me and your cousin to visit!”
“To v-visit?”
“Extensive visits!” He beamed. “You can thank me later, once you’re home safely.”
I mentally revised that to I would cancel this transaction once I was home safely, because I was way too shocked to deal with it just then. ”And speaking of you coming home safely… a prospective future leader of the foundation, I think it’s wise to take some precautions to ensure your safety while you’re gone.” He paused. “And it would help me sleep a lot better at night too.”
He’s old. And he worries.
I pursed my lips. “What sort of precautions?”
“Nothing unreasonable,” he assured me. “For one thing, I’d like you to make sure you notify the American embassy of your location, in case of natural disaster for example.”
“Oh.” I blinked. That was reasonable. Unlike the house. “Yes, sure. I already planned on that.”
“And for another thing, I’d like you to contact us by satellite phone once a week so we know you’re alright.”
“I will,” I said fondly.
“I’d like you to make sure you wear sunscreen and bug spray daily. Malaria in Venezuela is no joke.”
My heart squeezed. “I promise.”
“And I’d like you to take along something else for your protection too. Martine, if you could?” He nodded at his assistant, who hurried away.
“Alright, I’ll take whatever you’d like me to take.” I grinned and impulsively clasped his hand. “I really appreciate you trying to understand my point of view here. Compromise is so imp—”
“You wanted to see me, sir?” a voice behind me rumbled, so deep it set off small earthquakes in my gut.
“Ah, Riggs!” Grandfather smiled widely. “Meet my grandson Carter.”
I turned to look at the man and quickly realized I had to adjust my gaze up… and then up again.
Holy shit, it was Señor Shoulders from the bar.
And, even holier shit, how flipping tall was this guy? He had to be some kind of genetic anomaly.
The man lifted a hand to push his dark hair back from his chiseled jaw, and his flexing bicep seemed to push against the seam of his jacket much the way his enormous quadriceps pulled against the legs of his pants.
Oh. Okay, then. So… less a genetic anomaly and more like a preview of human evolution.
Well.
I, for one, welcomed the future of humanity. Couldn’t get here fast enough.
Do not swallow your tongue, Carter. Don’t do it.
“Carter, meet William Riggs. Your new bodyguard.”
“My…” Shock broke through the lust haze like being thrown into cold water. “My who now?”
“Your bodyguard.” Grandfather grinned slyly, like a hunter about to spring a trap. “The one you agreed to take to Venezuela for your protection.”
“I… what? No. I agreed to take a thing to protect me. A four-leaf clover. A can of mace. I did not agree to take an entire… tree-sized human being with me—”
“He’s fully vaccinated, trained in first aid, and I’m paying his expenses.” Grandfather drew a deep breath and sighed in satisfaction at a job well done. “I appreciate you trying to understand my point of view, Carter. Compromise really is important.”
“I… but…”
“Remember, now! Satellite calls once a week. Sunscreen daily.”
“I’ll make sure of it, sir,” Shoulders said, respect dripping from his voice. “I promise you, no one will touch a hair on his head.”
“Excellent. I’ll be reporting great things to your boss, Riggs! Now, I’ll just leave you boys to sort out the details.” Grandfather patted my arm as he departed, leaning on Martine’s arm for support.
I set my jaw.
Okay. Alright. This was fine. This was an old man’s overreaction, and I understood it, even if I didn’t like it. But that didn’t mean that Shoulders and I couldn’t come to an agreement that satisfied all parties.
“Mr. Riggs,” I began with a friendly smile. “I need you to understand a few things—”
“Riggs.”
I frowned. “Uh, yeah. That’s what I said.”
“Nope. You said Mr. Riggs. I go by Riggs with everyone but my friends.” He folded his arms over his chest. “And you and I are not friends, Carter. You’re a principal. A body I’m protecting. A job. Remember that.”
My head went back, and my shoulders followed. Of course we weren’t friends. I had no interest in being his friend. But who the hell talked like that, to a client especially?
“Well, I go by Dr. Rogers with everyone who’s not a friend,” I lied. And when he rolled his eyes, I added in a nasty voice, “Especially people who work for me, like yourself. So, as I was saying, I need you to understand—”
Riggs shook his head firmly. “No, I need you to understand. You and I are getting on a plane for Caracas tomorrow because you’ve chosen to put yourself in harm’s way—”
Was he for real?
“So I can do important, life-saving work,” I reminded him.
He rolled his eyes again. “Sure. Okay. Whatever. In any case, we’re getting on a plane for Caracas—”
“Don’t you whatever me. Admit I’m right! Say ‘Yes, you’re doing important, life-changing work, Dr. Rogers.’”
I had no idea why I was pushing this issue. I didn’t know this man from Adam. I sincerely hoped I’d never see him again. Why did I care what he thought? But after dealing with Grandfather’s worry, and my own worry over Kev, and this palatial but un-asked-for house, I felt like my life was spinning wildly out of control. And Riggs’s smirk was the final straw.
His smirk grated on me, but that would have been fine until he opened his mouth. “Listen, you’re probably a nice enough guy, but clearly you haven’t spent much time outside of Tennessee if you think passing out Band-Aids to people who are living in abject poverty is actually changing lives.” He shrugged. “Not that it’s any of my business, just that I’ll have to take your need to play hero into account while I’m protecting you, that’s all. Which is why I’m sticking to you like white on rice the whole time, and you’re gonna do every single thing I say.”