Our Bodyguard|18+

Two

I find Luca at the Portland Police Bureau, North Precinct. He's on the phone as I approach hurriedly toward his crooked Station Wagon, trying hard to control my heartbeat that's shooting so rapidly.

"Dude, you owe me one! I want the info right now or I'm gonna rip off your throat," he snaps, probably scaring one of his underground contacts.

Like a hunted gazelle with a strong sense of smell downwind, he turns around instinctively as I get closer to him.

"Yeah. Wise choice. Five minutes." He hangs up as he finally sees me. I let out a breath and halt. "It's ugly, Bruh," he tells me.

"How ugly?" I urge him, a deep frown on my face.

"The redhead is really dead. Two bullets on her chest," Luca replies. My eyes narrow. "I don't have much info, but little Madam is the primary suspect according to the cops."

He glances at the glass doors of the building in front of us, where some cops are moving, fluxing casually. I still can't believe Mia is held inside here, accused for murder. What the fuck happened here?

No panic, Red. You need to be calm.

"Has anyone dropped by? Any Kingston, maybe?" I inquire.

"Nope. None so far," Luca replies vaguely and in a jiff he squints his eyes as a white Mini Cooper pulls over hastily. "I think that's her friend. The attorney?"

"Kenna," I mutter and at the same moment I see her scrambling out of the Mini Cooper, a phone in her ear. "Kenna?" I call loudly and grab her immediate attention.

She stops and whirls her head around impatiently.

"Red?" She seems surprised to see me. I stride toward her quickly. "Hold on a sec, Attorney. I'm already at the police station, so I'll give you the exact details in . . . Let's say one hour." With that she ends her call and says, "You're back. Did you hear what happened? They arrested Mia. They're saying she killed Anne!"

"Yeah, that's why I'm here. I think it's absurd; Mia couldn't have done that," I blurt out plainly.

"Of course she couldn't, right? I have to go in and find out what really happened and under what grounds are they detaining her. Fingers crossed, I think this is only circumstantial given that she's the only person who's been on bad terms with Anne lately," she says breathlessly, worry evident on her face.

"I'm coming with you," I tell her.

If I stay here waiting I'll lose my shits.

"Sure. Let's go."

We find the supposed detective in charge of the Precinct, a middle-aged black American with a clean shaved head. He gives us a very solid look when Kenna mentions Mia Kingston, and my eyes study every detail as he checks the ID card she's just handed him.

"No visit allowed at this hour," he says bluntly.

Kenna smirks. "I'm not here as a visitor, Detective. I'm here as her lawyer and there's nothing you can do to stop me from seeing her," she stipulates.

"Okay," he replies after a long hesitation. "But only you can see her. No one else is allowed until tomorrow." His stern condemning look is directed to me, as if he's been aware of my presence way before I even arrived here.

And I wouldn't be surprised that he did. Those sickening Kingstons knew I'd come.

I want to retaliate but Kenna gestures for me to chill down. The undying rage in my blood turns my breath fickle, and I know I need to hit something before I punch someone on the face. Damn, where can I get the self-composure I need so terribly right now? I suck in a breath.