Her Bodyguard

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Pushing Izar away was nothing more than impossible. Calida put their bags in the car trunk and then settled into the passenger seat. The driver took that as a hint to start moving. Calida looked out the window, deep in thought. She felt a warm hand slowly start to wrap around her arm until she felt Izar's head on her shoulder.

She sighed. "What are you doing?"

Izar shrugged. "Nothing. What do you think I'm doing?"

"Don't you get it?" She asked Izar.

She shook her head. "I don't get it. I don't want to get anything if it means you're going to ignore me throughout. You did it last night and I just assumed you were tired and needed space. Don't do it today!"

Calida didn't bother arguing further. Izar was right. She made them dinner last night and disappeared. This morning, she'd only woken her up to inform her that they only had about three hours to get to the airport. She really had been ignoring her and Izar hated being ignored.

"We're going back home, Izar. I'm taking you back to New York so you can see your father. What do you think he'll say when he sees this...?" She pointed at her arm that Izar was currently holding on to.

"I don't care!" Izar stated. And Calida knew that was the end of the matter. There was no arguing with Izar.

She sat still until they arrived at the airport and boarded the flight with ease. Calida stayed quiet throughout the flight, ignoring the ache in her heart. It took eight hours before they landed in New York city.

The person they found waiting for them at the airport was none other than James and a few other bodyguards Izar didn't recognise. James gave her a small hug while Calida stood behind like the view before her was a strange one.

Well, it was strange for two reasons. It was unlike Izar to let a bodyguard hug her and Calida wasn't really sure how to deal with Izar's actions. She let the other men put her things in the car before sitting in the back with Izar who held on to her again.

"You both seem close now. I thought you hated bodyguards," James teased Izar.

She chuckled, ignoring him, with her hands still locked around Calida's arm.

"People change with time," Izar responded.

Calida stayed quiet in her spot. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to respond to that. Things had changed. And Calida knew she and Izar had changed as well. Three months ago, she would never have let her hold on to her arm like this. Yet here they were. Calida took a deep breath, ignoring James' eyes on her. She didn't have the answer to the questions he was asking and she wanted to keep her interactions with Mr. Sterling's bodyguards short or non-existent.

When she turned to face Izar again, the heiress was fast asleep. Calida sighed and turned her attention outside the car window.

The penthouse was just how Calida remembered it, unchanging even with the passage of time. She shook Izar awake but when the young woman only mumbled something incomprehensible, James moved towards her to lift her up. Calida held up her palm to stop him without looking at him.

"She's my responsibility James. Not yours. Until I hand her back to her father unharmed, she's my responsibility," Calida said possessively.

Izar seemed to smile in her sleep. Calida placed one arm under her thigh and then the other behind her back, picking up easily. James eyed her, but she ignored him as Izar snuggled into her. They walked into the building together and rode the elevator in silence. Once they were at the penthouse, Mr. Sterling was waiting for them with his Chihuahua. He looked happy to see them, spotting a wide smile on his face.

"You kept your word," he said, taking off his had and rubbing the spot on his scalp that was growing bald.

"Of course. It's my job," Calida said. Her job? Izar was more than a job to her now. She was her source of joy, the only person who'd put a smile on her face without effort. "She's asleep. Where's her room? She's been through a lot. She needs her rest."

Mr. Sterling led the way while James stayed put. He took her through a hall and stopped in front of a pink door. Definitely looked like Izar's room. Calida chuckled as she tried to picture the room. Mr. Sterling held the door open and once they were in, he pulled the covers open so Calida could gently place Izar in bed. She did so, without looking around the room. She needed to start learning to forget Izar.

After this, she would leave, return to her life as a mercenary, a hired hand. Nothing more. That was the life she loved. She wasn't going to give it up for anyone. She walked out the room and waited by the door for Mr. Sterling.

She could hear him talking to Izar who was still asleep. She tried not to pay attention even though she could hear their conversation. If she left without saying goodbye, would Izar take it? Would she move on with her life? Would Izar be able to forget her existence? That was all she could think about.

"You did a good job, Arell," Mr. Sterling said as he walked out of the room.

Calida broke out of her line of thoughts. Of course she did a good job. Izar was more than just a client she was paid to protect. She had risked her life for her. She would have gone wild if anything had happened to Izar.

"I just did my job. You wanted her back home and safe and I did just that. I take pleasure in doing my job, Mr. Sterling," Calida said.

The shorter man nodded. Calida could see the resemblance between him and Izar and yet she could point out all the differences between them. Things she had taken months to learn, to know about Izar.

"Good. The final payment will be made to your account. Once again, I extend the offer to make this a permanent or long-term job. I think it would be best for the both of you. Izar needs protection," Mr. Sterling said as they walked to his sitting room.

He'd asked her the last time he called. But Calida had turned him down. She was turning him down again, afraid of what would happen if she said yes, if she took the offer to protect Izar long term.

"It sounds like a good plan," Calida said. Yes it was a good plan, she could stay longer with Izar, protect her how she wanted. But she needed to leave. "But my contract has come to an end. If you insist on getting her a bodyguard, I'll recommend someone who'll be more than willing to carry on from where I stopped."

Mr. Sterling shook his head dramatically as he poured himself a glass of wine. "I don't think anyone will be able to protect my baby girl like you have. And she's accustomed to you. She might not be welcoming to others."

Mr. Sterling wasn't wrong. Calida stared at her knuckles. They were still bruised in some spots, but definitely better than it had been a few hours ago.

"Then don't get her a bodyguard. She's safe now and no one can hurt her. Not when they know what would happen to them," Calida said in a low voice that only Mr. Sterling could hear. "She's under my protection no matter where she goes."

Mr. Sterling just stared at her for a second, nodded and turned to walk away. He stopped halfway and turned to her.

"Do you need anything to make your stay more comfortable?" He asked suddenly.

"Yes. Can someone send a bag of ice or two up to my room?" Calida asked.

The older man looked confused. "A bag of ice?"

"Or two," Calida continued.

"What do you need that for?" He asked her.

Calida shrugged. "Me. I need the ice for myself. Can you get it?"

"Yes, I can have them bring it to your room," Mr. Sterling said.

Calida gave him a firm nod as he walked away before turning and heading to the room she had stayed in the night she first came to the penthouse. Now she was back here and unsure of her next step.