The Bodyguard » Niall Horan

01 » Welcome Home

" Morning, Fulton." " Morning Jarrod."

" Hiya Mercer, had a good trip?" " Sure thing, especially since I didn't come across your face all month." " You Rock, Mercer."

" I know. You're welcome."

   The department Kenneth, my adoptive father, was in charge of was in full work mode. They all greeted me, and I greeted them. A woman on dad's floor was a rarity and every opportunity of anything flirtatious would be taken. You had to be truly confident to walk this floor as a woman, or they'd eat you alive.

   I stood in front of the open doors of the chief of this department, Kenneth McCoy. He was staring absentmindedly through the thick glass. I knocked on the door. " Knock Knock."

   The tall man turned around and on its tired face appeared a large smile. I dropped my duffel bag on the floor.

   " Mercer! So good to see you, love. Come over here, I've missed you! Welcome home." He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a bone-crunching cuddle.

   " Dad, watch out. They might pick on your descending masculinity." I mumbled in his shirt. He laughed his typical laugh and let go of me. " They know they can't pick on a McCoy." He leaned against his desk and studied my face.

   " How was Bootcamp?" He asked. I sat down on one of his chairs he had stood in front of his desk.

   " Like always." I started. " Let me guess," dad stopped me, " You hit the bullseye with all shots, they re-use every scenario and you showed the newbies the legend that is Mercer Fulton?" He looked at me with a pulled up eyebrow and a smirk on his face. I started laughing.

   " Kind of like that. Just that last bit happened on the first evening when the recruits thought they could kidnap me in the middle of the night and dress me down in the shared bathroom." Dad's face sank into anger. I shook my head. " Don't worry, they didn't get to that. Let's say all five of them had to go to the ER and were punished by the Bootcamp leaders the next morning when they heard what happened. I mean, I hadn't said anything but their damaged faces were enough proof."

   " That's what I'm talking about Mercer. No man has the right to do so." He turned around and walked to his chair.

   " Mer, Waterlane asked about you. If you could get to his office as soon as you were back." I sat upright. " Stan? What does he want from me?" I asked dad, who avoided my eyes.

   " I don't know, but he wanted you to stop by today." I noticed he was lying about the fact that he didn't know. I decided to leave it.

   " Well, then I might hop by his office," I said and stood up.

   " Mer, your mum asked if you wanted to join us for dinner tonight. Claire is coming too. It's lasagna night." I nodded. The McCoy lasagna was a local phenomenal no one would resist.

   " Sure, I'll see you tonight," I said and grabbed my duffel bag off the floor.

   " Where are those pretty legs going?" Garrett called from his desk to me. " Garrett Dane, I would like it if you proceeded with your assignment, rather than looking at my daughter's legs." Dad blared from inside his office. Garrett's face turned bright red. " Yes, boss." He mumbled and crept down his cubicle. I smirked.

   Stan Waterlane's office was a floor above mine, on the floor where all the big bosses with gigantic offices were housed. Ones I rarely ever saw, except for Stan, obviously. Stan was the sub-director of the MI6 and briefed missions. The upper boss, the chieftain of this insane government building, was Jameson Hunt. He was old and wrinkly, but don't let that eighty-year-old-looking face fool you. He knew everything, saw everything. Not one to mess with, that's for sure.