Her Bodyguard

Chapter Six

Calida rushed to Izar's room. Izar was on the floor, telephone in one hand and shaking furiously. Calida walked over to her.

"Hey, it's fine. You're safe, and nothing has happened. I'm here to look after you. But I need you to calm down, relax, so I can figure out what has happened, okay?"

Izar nodded, dropped the telephone, and grabbed Calida's arm. Calida didn't mind. Instead, she picked her up in her arms and carried her to her room. She needed to call the police to inform them about the girl. But she needed to know who it was.

She turned to Izar, "I have to call the police, Izar. Do you know who it was on the phone?"

Izar nodded, "my friend, Alyssa."

Her voice was small and filled with fear and sadness. Calida opened her bedside drawer and picked up a burner phone. She had at least eight left. She dialed 9-1-1 immediately.

After reporting the incident without giving out her identity, she asked for Izar's phone and quickly called Han with it.

"Hello? Izar? We just left each other not too long ago, you know. Miss me already," Han said.

Calida wanted to say she talked a lot, but instead, she said, "if you're not yet home, Han, I want you to check if any car has been tailing you or following you. If there's non, drive home, get your valuables, your important documents and drive back to Izar's house. You have thirty minutes to do all of this."

Han was quiet for a few seconds before replying with a simple okay. Calida ended the call and went back to Izar. She was asleep now. Calida brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and watched her quietly. For the first time since she met the stubborn girl, she noticed the freckles scattered across her cheeks. Calida sighed. She must have been using makeup to cover it up.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Calida opened the door to a hysterical-looking Han. The younger woman sped past her into the house. Calida was too stunned even to be mad at her rudeness.

"She called me first. She left me a ton of messages. I never really bothered using the telephone machine at home since I had a mobile. I would have informed the police!"

Calida closed the door and locked it up. She moved towards Han carefully. Calida placed a hand on both her shoulders. One thing Calida sucked at was showing affection, and here she was, trying to be sweet and pleasant.

"It's alright. I don't think anything has happened that could be not good. But I'll need to know what the hell is going on. Think you could calm down long enough to explain what's going on?"

Han sat down on the couch and folded herself into a small ball. She rocked herself back and forth for a while. When that did not help her at all, she bounced her feet.

"I think they killed Alyssa. She told me she had something that could expose them. She said she made copies and hid the copies in different places. I didn't understand her until I recalled the night all three of us went out. Something sketchy happened that night. If they killed Alyssa, that means I'm next. Oh my God, they're going to kill me. I know nothing of what happened that night! What will happen to my parents? Are they hurting close relatives as well?"

Calida watched her quietly. When she stopped talking, Calida walked up to her.

"Do you know where Alyssa might have kept the copies she made?" Calida asked.

"Yeah, I know a place she might have hid one of the copies. My apartment. She might have left a copy there. I think she left one here too. When last did you guys check the mailbox?"

"Oh fuck," Calida grunted. "Alright, I'll check it. But I need to keep you safe. Where in the world do you think you can easily hide at and no one can find you?"

"China. Hold on, are you trying to send me to China? Do you know what it's like to have Asian parents? I'd rather die."

Calida sighed, "so you mean your parents would happily accept your dead body, but not you, alive, and in a different part of the world?"

"No..."

"Exactly what I thought. I'll need your details to book you a flight to China. Someone will be here to pick you up and take you there. You'll be safe with them, that I promise. But you'll need to change your identity."

"Why?!"

"You're a witness to a possible crime. That's why. We'll need you alive at the end of everything. So you need to be alive."

°°

Calida shoved a gun in her holster before walking out of the house. Han was asleep on the couch and Calida was grateful she hadn't started asking questions about why she knew too much.

She walked to the mailbox, opened it and pulled out a ton of letters and envelopes. She gathered everything and carried them inside and dumped them on her bed.

Most of the letters were unimportant. She rearranged the letters by date and then went through the ones that had been delivered recently. Calida opened all of them, spilling their contents on her bed. At first, she found nothing.

Maybe Han was wrong, she thought. Maybe Alyssa didn't send anything, she would have to go over to Hands apartment. But as she was about to get up, her eyes caught something sticking out of a paper.

Calida grabbed it and unfolded the paper immediately. She dropped the contents on her palm. It was a flash drive. A small unnoticeable flash drive.

An hour later, Calida had made plans for Han. It would be another hour before her escort would arrive. She was awake now, sitting on the couch and sipping hot coffee.

Izar on the other hand sat quietly on a love seat. Calida watched her carefully, hoping she would not have another breakdown again. She wasn't sure she could handle another one.

Calida flipped through TV channels, bored. She checked the time every five minutes. She was about to check once more when someone rang the doorbell.