The Soldier

Chapter One

The Captain sat in his office, peacefully sipping at his scotch when his downtime was interrupted by a shouting match coming from the foyer.
"I can't do this anymore! You're insufferable!" A man's voice echoed through the hall.
"I'm insufferable?! You're the worst bodyguard I've ever had!" he heard his daughter, Addison laugh harshly.
"You're a spoilt brat! I can't stand you." The man bit back.
"Get out of my house! I hate you!" Addison screeched.
Just then, Addison's most recent bodyguard Samuel Bennett burst into the captains office, an overflowing duffle bag hanging from his shoulder and a set of keys in his hand.
"Sir, I apologise for interrupting you but this job isn't for me." Sam spoke, trying to remain calm.
"Sam, surely there's just been some kind of misunderstanding."
"No sir. I quit." Sam growled, slamming the keys on the captain's desk before hurrying out of the office.
"Yeah, run away! You're pathetic!" He heard Addison yell again as the doors to main entrance slammed shut behind Sam.

"Well this is just fantastic." The Captain sighed heavily as he stood up. Addison was on her third bodyguard in four months and by the sounds of things, they were about to lose him too.
"Care to explain what is going on?" The Captain spoke calmly as he appeared in the foyer, Scotch still in hand.
"It's not my fault you hire the most incompetent fools to 'protect' me" Addison huffed from where she stood at the top of the marble stair case.
"You need a bodyguard, Addison." The captain spoke firmly.
"I'm not a baby, Captain!" Addison whined, folding her arms across her chest.
"You are twenty two years old, with no clue about the real world. Of course you do."
"No I don't." She argued.
"You know what, this isn't up for discussion. Just get out of my sight."
"Gladly." Addison spat as she stormed off, another slamming of a door echoing through the large foyer.
"Jesus Christ." The Captain groaned as he downed his drink.

After she calmed down, Addison poured herself a large glass of wine and made her way outside. It was a summer's evening in Connecticut, not too hot but not too cold. A warm breeze filled the air as she joined her older brother, Archer, on the pool loungers.
"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in." Archer smirked around his cuban cigar.
"Give me one of those." Addison demanded.
"Nope." He teased his younger sister, earning him a smack across the side of the head.
"Ow!" Archer rubbed his ear as he handed her the pack. She lit a cigar as she lay back in the chair.
"Jesus, what's gotten into you?" Archer winced.
"Sam left." She said, blowing smoke.
"You've got to stop screwing your bodyguards, sis." Archer scolded.
"I'm not screwing anyone." Addison frowned.
"Okay. If you say so." Archer replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"You're an asshole, you know that?" Addison rolled her eyes.
"But you still love your big brother." Archer grinned
"Sadly." Addison smiled as she sipped her wine.

"So, Samuel Bennett resigned today." The Captain announced as he entered the main living room, where Bizzy was enjoying a cocktail.
"I know, I heard the screaming match." she said, nonchalantly.
"Oh." The captain replied, a look of confusion etched across his face.
"Well that's three bodyguards in four months, Mark Sloan, Eric Rodriguez and Samuel Bennett."
"I mean I'm not really surprised, the way she treats them." Bizzy sighed.
"I need to hire another, as soon as possible."
"Why make everyone suffer? Leave her be." Bizzy laughed, she was clearly drunk.
"Don't be ridiculous, Bizzy." He snapped.
"Well, don't get them from wherever you got the last three... they're clearly incompetent if a young woman can send them running for the hills." Bizzy chuckled as she poured another drink.

It was nearing midnight and The Captain had exhausted all of his options. Bizzy was right, the agencies he had hired the previous bodyguards from were clearly lacking in ability. He laid back in his arm chair and closed his eyes, listening to the soothing ticks of the grandfather clock. Addison was spoiled and selfish, he knew that. But he also knew that a lot of it was just a facade, he needed to find someone who couldn't be worn down easily, someone who was used to being yelled at and picked on. He opened his eyes, glancing at the picture on his desk. It was a picture of him with his platoon, back when he is was in the army. He laughed to himself at the thought of Addison in the army. She wouldn't last 5 minutes. Then it dawned on him, someone with a military background was exactly what he needed, not some agency bodyguard. He sat forward immediately and picked up the phone.
"Colonel Matos?" The captain spoke.
"Speaking." A man's voice came from the other end.
"It's me, The Captain. Listen, I need a favour..."