Billionaire's Bodyguard [𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃.]

𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐕𝐄𝐑. 2 | Bounded

SECOND SAMPLE CHAPTER

***

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐕𝐄𝐑.

𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐙𝐎𝐍.

***

"Mr. Sullivan," Dad shook the hands of an old man whose gray hair had this rippling quality to it. His eyes crinkled as they scrutinized me whilst my father kept his arm around my waist. "This is my daughter, Gabrielle."

"It's lovely to meet you, young lady," Mr. Sullivan's eyes studied me, causing me to squirm under his intense gaze as I nodded politely.

"Gabrielle, this is the man I'll be partnering with," Dad explained quietly whilst Mr. Sullivan was momentarily distracted by a waiter who walked by with champagne. "Why don't you mingle with the other guests while I talk with Mr. Sullivan. You'll be okay."

It wasn't a suggestion, but I still sent a reassuring smile his way, taking that as my queue to leave. Slipping out of my father's protective grip, I suddenly became aware of the hundred pairs of eyes that peered in my direction as I swerved through the crowd to look for a place to breathe, the suffocation from the loud music and chatter was beginning to get to me and for some reason, an unsettled feeling nestled deep within me.

"Hello," someone said, as I found myself in an empty foyer, far from where everyone else was. Turning around, I noticed this tall and largely built man in a black suit, which looked neatly tailored, grinning at me. His smile was unsettling, and I glanced over his shoulder to see that I was alone with him.

"Can I help you?" I responded, warily.

"What is a pretty lady like you doing here?" He took an intimated step forward, so I took one backward, trying to create a considerable amount of distance between us in case I needed to run.

"What's it to you?" I answered curtly, knowing that type of attitude could get me killed and immediately cursed myself for my snake-like tongue.

"Are you lost? Maybe I can help?" He gave me a wicked smile and I frowned at him. I'd never seen him before, not even on my dad's list of guests. Something didn't feel right as the air thickened with tension.

"I don't need your help. I'm perfectly fine. So, excuse me," I shoved past him, dying to get back to the safety of my father, but his cold firm hands shot out and grasped my wrist.

"Uh-ah, sweetheart. You're not going anywhere," he tutted.

The red flags that I saw appearing waved frantically in the air and impulsively, I stomped on his feet and raced down the hallway as that moment of pain had weakened his grip around my wrist. Lifting my dress up, I ran as quickly as I could without tripping over, the sound of his footsteps causing my heart to race like a wild animal being chased by a predator. Foreign words were thrown in my direction as he chased after me, not knowing this house as well as I did. I knew it wasn't the right moment, but I couldn't help but curse how large my home was as I turned another corner, trying to follow the sound of the music. My breathing became heavy and short as I turned yet another corner, so distracted by the man chasing after me that I didn't notice the music had stopped and I found myself lost in my own home. The foyers looked the same due to the panic swarming my body, I couldn't think straight.

Until I heard the gunshots.

Screams and shouts were thrown in the air, replacing the enjoyable evening we were having only moments ago. My heart plummeted as I heard my father scream my name, frantically, before it faded into a whisper and then silence, as I finally found the room I was searching for.