*Annabel's POV*
My head was throbbing and my thoat felt like there was glass in it. The light poured in through the window and was relentless torwards my hangover. Over the years I had grown accustomed to this feeling in the morning, almost as if it was unusual for me to feel good in the mornings. I wasn't an alcoholic, but it became an alternative to either crying myself to sleep, having panic attacks, or popping xanax or asprin until I eventually fell asleep. I was always a good kid, doing my homework, getting excellent grades, co-hosting charity events, you name it. I thought I did everything right, until my family was ripped away from me. One of Dad's friends from the marines went crazy, and next thing I knew I was running through a dark forest, covered in blood that wasn't mine, thinking; this is it. Let me take you back to where it all began.
Most nights were quiet without Dad around. Mostly spent worrying that one day, we'd hear the doorbell ring, and two men would present us with a folded up american flag. One day, we hear the bell ring, and immeadiately I think the worst. I began to cry before even looking through the window and shuffle over to the door. Suddenly, as I open the door, I scream. There he was, uniform and all, standing in front of me with a teddybear and a box. Mom stood up from the couch, wiping tears from her eyes, peering around the corner to see who it was, and fell to her knees. It was one of he happiest memories I've had of my family, being together. So much love and happiness filling the room, almost as if nothing bad could ever happen. That was a stupid assumption wasn't it?
Having to live 5 years without ever huging my dad had been hard. Late night phone calls that lasted just minutes, and skype calls that were once in a blue moon weren't sufficient. That one day that he had surprised us, hadn't been all good, but noone knew that just yet. Dad had been honorably discharged, along with every other member of his troop, for reasons that were so classified that he didn't even know. For that moment in time, I didn't care, all I knew was that my daddy was back.
The next few months were easy. Family dinners every night, doing our own thing during the day, and family outings on the weekends. We were the "white picket fence" family and we loved it. Absence deffinitely makes the heart grow fonder, and my mom and I had gone through emotional ups and downs like no other family that lived near us. One day, Dad called a family meeting. He sat us down and prepared us for some news, and I was sure it couldn't be good.
He softly spoke his next few words, "Victor Shaw has gone rogue." He took deep breath, getting ready to explain his statement. "We were on a mission, and a couple men died. Once we got back to the base, he couldn't sleep, eat, or do anything. Our team began slowly falling apart, and i guess the captain couldn't use us to finish our mission, so we were sent home. The reason I'm telling you this-" he let out a sigh and looked over torwards the window.
"Whats going on Dad?" I ask, speaking just above a whisper, worry courcing through my veins.
"Victor has already killed over half of the troop... and their close family. I'm not trying to scare you both, but you're incredibly strong, the both of you, and I know you can handle this." When Dad got back from the marines, he continued his daily routine of working out and training, and even tought me alot of what he knew. I was physically stong, but mentally, I felt I was a bit weak. He took another deep breath and spoke again, "I think I might be next." That was all he said, and the room stayed silent. We knew we were in danger but remained hopeful, just like when Dad was gone and we knew what was going on.
Once we knew this information, we tried our best to live our lives normally, but the thought of death was eating us inside. My parents lived for another month or so, before Victor had finally gotten to them. I was stuck, suffering from anxiety and night terrors every night afterwards, from the horrible memories. I was left alone, cold, and had noone to trust except for an uncle who worked with the police, and had tried his best to keep me safe. Sometimes, I just wanted Victor to find me and just get it over with. I had people to watch me when I went out, and a new detective was assined every 2 weeks because they were either too afraid, or couldn't handle the constant danger. Victor had killed the first detective assigned my case because he was too open about it. Everyone knew he was protecting me, which meant Victor did too.
Now, I have to get up at 10:00 AM tomorrow morning, which means no drinking, and meet my newest detective. Oh joy. I'm getting set up with a rookie who's death will be on my conscience. Sounds like a great plan Uncle Simon.
Rolling out of my bed, I grab the glass of water from my bedside table, and take out the ciggarettes from the drawer. Lighting one up, I take a slow, deep drag of it, loudly inhaling it, and feeling the burning sensation in my throat. Once I downed the glass of water, I brought my pack of cigarettes with me to the kitchen, to make myself a breakfast of orange juice, dry toast, and asprin. Sticking the cigarette in my mouth to use both of my hands to make the food, I lazily pop the bread in the toaster, and get out the meds. One pill of xanax twice a day and two pills of asprin for my hangover, yay.
Soon after I finish breakfast, I shower and change into some skinny jeans and a tee shirt. In two rooms over, I can hear the faint ringing of my annoying cell phone. Walking over to get it, I read the ID; Simon. Pressing the answer button, I wait for his loud voice to come through the phone.
"Hey Uncle Simon, whats up?" I ask.
"Hello Annabel, I'm just about to go on my lunch break, care to join me?" He asks.
"Sure, I'll meet you at Leon's in fifteen?" I ask, knowing our routine.
"Sure, sounds great." He answers, hanging up the phone. Every time I was assigned someone new, I would be presented with a file that contained their criminal records, degrees, and any piece of information that would cause conern. It wasn't exactly legal, but Simon was a rule-breaker, thats why we got along so well.
**
Stepping on the cigarette butt, I swing open the door to the diner and scan the room for Simon. In a secluded booth in the back, I see the familiar fluffy, middle-parted hair that belonged to Uncle Simon. Plopping down in the booth, he greets me with a warm smile.
"Hi there honey, how've you been?" He asks me.
"Good, good. And yourself?" I respond sincerely, appreciating his concern for me.
"I'm good hun. So, this new guy, Liam, is completely clean." He begins, diving right into it. "He's earned his degrees with straight A's, he's well-liked, and wants to earn respect, so I think he might be a keeper."
"What makes you think that?" I ask curiously as he slided over the detective's folder, letting me double-check.
"Well, he's the type of guy to stick with something until he's proven himself, and seeing as that this is his first big case, he's going to do everything in his power to make the boss- me- happy." He says, pointing to himself.
I let out a small laugh before responding, "Are you sure he's good? I don't need another guy telling everyone and their mother about this case and getting killed." I say softly, concern filling my eyes.
"No, Liam's smart, he keeps to himself mostly, and the people he does speak to are professional, don't worry." He assures me. After a while, we order our food and continue to talk about normal things. I tell him how the bodyguards have been, and that I even got a few job offers.
"I haven't picked anything yet, but I'm going to speak to each of the companies about what they've got to offer." I say proudly.
"That's great! I'm so proud of you!" He says genuinely. Our food arrives and we discuss my career while we eat. I had been offered positions by a few companies who loved my artwork from college. Before I dropped out, I was in an art program that really helped me explore my creative side. Once we finish our food and pay for the bill, we say our goodbyes, and Uncle Simon reminds me of our meeting tomorrow at 10, where I finally meet this Liam guy.
Walking to the black escalade that my body guard was currently waiting for me in, I waved goodbye to Simon. The entire ride home was silent, but tha was only because I was thinking about tomorrow. I trusted Simon, I really did, I just didn't trust Victor. He was everywhere, but I never knew why he hadn't just taken me out, I was an easy target, and not very fast. I went out alot, got drunk alot, and left my front door unlocked. I might as well not even have a body guard. I just hoped, that maybe Liam could figure it out, this huge mystery that was keeping me alive. I needed to know.
**A/N**
Thankyou for reading! I'm so sorry for the slow updates! I have put one of my stories on hold so that I can focus on this one more and so I can give you all faster updates! Please vote if you liked this chapter, Liam will be in the next one, I promise! I love comments, and they motivate me to post faster, so please comment! (: also let me know what you'd like to see in the next chapter or so on because I'd love to know what you guys want! Again, thankyou so much for reading!
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