AllFreeNovel
Share Us
ARCHIE
He felt like her shadow all day as he followed her around. If he wasn’t within feet of her, his eyes were on her. He didn’t expect to feel so stressed at the meet and greet brunch, but he remained on edge. Hundreds had showed up and continued to show up when they announced the cosplayers in attendance. It wasn’t like anything he’d seen before.
The worst part was seeing a few guys flirt with her. Thankfully, she seemed oblivious to it. It shouldn’t have bothered him. He was here as her bodyguard.
It didn’t help his situation. Archie knew he shouldn’t be feeling this way about her. The chance to be with her had come and gone years ago. It was his biggest regret to not speak up about how he felt. But it was his to live with. It didn’t matter that they were both divorced and single.
It wasn’t fortuitous.
She deserved the world, and he couldn’t offer it to her.
He didn’t know what to think when they entered the private studio space. Lights, props, and professional camera people at the ready. They’d been there for almost an hour and still had two more hours left. All he could do was stand nearby and watch her make content with the other cosplayers in the studio.
“So what was she really like when she was little?” Max approached him.
When Archie first arrived at Tabitha’s house, he’d been worried about who this guy was. He was clearly attractive and fit. It didn’t help that he was into the same things as Tabitha. Then he realized they were both into even more of the same things. Guys.
“About the same.” He chuckled.
That was the truth, not that he would reveal any of her secrets. She was more timid in high school. Tabitha had always had a big heart and wore it on her sleeves. There was something about her now that drew people in. He could see it. He’d witnessed it all day. This confidence and kindness was like a magnet.
“I’m not surprised.” Max moved to one of the prop tables and started looking it over for the next item he would use. “How long have you been in love with her?”
Archie choked on the air around him, and everyone paused for a moment before resuming. He wasn’t. They were just friends.
“We’re just friends.” He was here for a job, that was it. Once his services were over, he would leave and she would continue to live her life. Every now and then, they would catch up when the families got together.
“Sure.” Max laughed while walking away.
Archie crossed his arms and leaned against the brick wall. His eyes floated across the room to watch Tabitha and one of the other cosplayers. She ducked out of the view of the camera before popping back up for some transition they were filming.
Tabitha had shown him on her phone on the way over some of the concepts they had, as well as some work from the special effects guy. They were going to legit make them look like superheroes and he could tell it was going to look amazing when they were finished.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, interrupting his thoughts. He glanced at Tabitha before looking at his phone to see it was Tyler. He knew he wouldn’t call unless it was important, so he stepped further away from where they were recording before answering.
“What’s up?” Archie tensed.
“I’m glad you both are away.” Tyler started. “The police have five men in custody who broke into Tabitha’s house. The security system silently alerted them before they’d all stepped foot inside. The camera shows them looking around. We’re guessing for Tabitha. When they realized nobody was home, they wasted a few minutes trashing the place.”
“Fuck.” Archie ran his hand down his face. “How bad is it? How long did it take for them to get there?”
“Fourteen minutes. Three minutes wasted at the front gate of the neighborhood. Arch, it’s bad. That house isn’t going to be safe. Her ex clearly means business. One of the men ratted him out. Stuff was trashed and broken. They all had guns on them.”
“Do you think he knows she’s got a bodyguard?” Archie knew he could still be the element of surprise if needed.
“There’s no telling at this point. I know she’s got some event tonight or whatever, and it might be okay, but that is your call. I do suggest not coming back tomorrow. You need to take her to a safe house or come up with a plan.”
“She released on social media that she would be away, so it doesn’t make sense that he would have people show up there.” He paused. “Unless he was testing out if she got new security. I know I can’t convince her to not do her thing tonight. There’s more security because of some huge celebrities or something though, so I feel comfortable with that. I’ll let her know what happened after.”
“Like I said, it’s your call. I’ve already got people going to clean up the mess and replace the door with a heavier one and stronger locks.”
“You said one of the guys admitted it was her ex?” This was good.
“He did at the beginning but has changed his tune sense then. They’re all saying they were just looking to steal things. Unless one of them tells the truth, we’re still stuck without being able to move in on the guy.”
Archie fisted his hand at his side. “Keep me posted. I’ll give you an update in the morning.”
He ended the call, slipped his phone in his pocket, then glanced up to see Tabitha watching him curiously. He faked a smile and hoped she bought it. There was no way he was telling her what happened right now. She needed to focus on getting through the next hour of this content thing she was doing. He knew he could tell her after this. They had nearly two hours before the premiere event.
