The All-Seeing Security Guard

Chapter 003

Cade followed the line of her legs upward and froze. A woman hung in midair, working through an aerial yoga routine, and he recognized her at once: Lila Sinclair, the woman who had nearly been attacked that afternoon.

Her yoga outfit clung to every curve, and her long hair had come loose in soft waves over her shoulders.

Bit by bit, every inch of her came into view through the wall.

At twenty-two and still a virgin, Cade felt heat rush through him.

It got worse as she shifted from pose to pose, each one more distracting than the last, and his heart pounded harder.

Then she dropped into a full split.

Cade swallowed hard, his throat dry, and turned away with his eyes shut.

But in that same instant his eyes snapped back open. Right before closing them, he had caught a glimpse of two dark shapes lurking in the courtyard outside her door.

He looked again. Two men in black baseball jackets and military boots were crouched by her doorway, knives in hand, moving with practiced quiet.

Text flickered across his vision.

[Name: Vince Hobbs, Bruno Tate]

[Threat level: 560]

[Intent: Planning to abduct resident Lila Sinclair and take compromising photos for blackmail!]

The moment the words appeared, Cade jolted upright.

Before he could process it, the door was already open. The two men worked in practiced sync, and Lila had no time to scream before she was seized.

Cade blinked, and the scene vanished, replaced by the cold wall of the security office.

Damn it, had five minutes already passed?

He cursed and moved, grabbing a rubber baton from the storeroom before running for her building. There was no time to call the police.

He reached her door and swallowed his nerves. Two armed men, both trained fighters by the look of them. Even with his body's recent upgrade, he had no guarantee he could take them down and keep her safe.

There was only one option.

He activated x-ray vision.

Through the wall he saw one man fiddling with a camera while the other sliced open Lila's yoga outfit with his knife, pale skin showing beneath.

Cade pounded on the door. Both men inside startled, and he caught the flicker of hope on Lila's face.

One pressed his knife flat against her throat and hissed, "Did you call the cops?"

Lila shook her head frantically. "No. No, I didn't."

Before he could press further, Cade's voice rang out from the hallway.

"Lila Sinclair, I know you're in there! You've got the nerve to cheat on me, but not the nerve to face me? Open the damn door!"

Lila's eyes flashed with humiliation and fury. She tried to speak. "He's lying, mmph."

One man clamped a hand over her mouth while the other crept to the peephole.

Seeing only an angry man alone, the lookout studied him, then nodded to his partner. Both shot Lila a look of contempt.

So much for the pure, wholesome image. The entertainment industry really was a mess.

The man holding Lila nodded toward the door. Better to deal with him quietly than risk a scene loud enough to bring the police.

As the door creaked open, Cade's palms were slick. He drew a breath and caught a faint, clean fragrance from inside.

It smelled incredible.

He muttered something angry for effect and stepped through.

The man behind the door grinned viciously and lunged with his knife aimed at Cade's back.

Cade had anticipated it. He dropped low and swung the baton into the man's shin.

Neither attacker understood how he had moved so fast, as if he'd seen the strike coming.

The man's leg gave out with a sharp crack, and he collapsed.

Cade raised the baton and brought it down on his head.

Blood pooled across the floor, and the man went limp without a groan.

The second attacker tensed and raised his knife. "Who the hell are you?"

Cade wiped the baton on his shirt. "Security."

The man barked out a laugh. "Security? You expect me to believe that?"

Cade tilted his head toward Lila. "Don't believe me? Ask her."

Lila nodded rapidly, her voice a mix of disbelief and relief. "It's true! He's the security guard for our community!"

The man jabbed his knife toward Cade, snarling. "A security guard playing hero? For a few thousand bucks a month? Not worth dying for."

Cade hurled the baton at him. As the man raised his knife to block it, Cade closed the distance in a flash.

The attacker recovered fast and thrust the blade at Cade's chest.

Lila lurched up in horror, and the movement threw the attacker off balance.

The blade caught Cade's shoulder with a tearing sound, and warm blood splattered across Lila's neck.

Ignoring the pain, Cade kicked the man's legs out from under him, then drove a fist into his temple.

The man dropped and did not move. Cade snatched up the fallen baton and struck him once more across the face.

"Stop!" Lila's voice trembled. "You'll kill him!"

Cade looked down at the bloodied face and lowered the baton.

He turned to her. "Thank you."

They said it at the same time, which drew a tired smile from each of them.

"Do you have any rope?" Cade asked.

"Yes! I'll get it!" She hurried into a side room and returned with two coils of nylon rope. "The renovation crew left these behind. Will these do?"

Cade took the rope and bound both men.

Once he had called the police, the adrenaline drained away, and the pain in his shoulder hit all at once. He hissed through his teeth.

"You're hurt," Lila said, hurrying over with a first aid kit. "Let me take you to the hospital."

Cade shook his head. "I'm fine. Just a scratch."

The words had barely left his mouth when his legs gave out.

Lila caught him and guided him to the couch.

Pale and breathing shallow, Cade murmured, "Thank you, Ms. Sinclair."

She opened the kit and began cleaning the wound. "I should be the one thanking you. You need to rest."

Cade nodded faintly, watching her bandage him, her perfume close enough that the memory of what he'd seen earlier surfaced.

His pale face flushed, and he looked away.

"How did you know someone had broken in?" she asked when she finished.

"I was on patrol and noticed something off," he said vaguely.

"That's impressive," Lila said with a small smile. "No wonder you're the hero of this building. You've saved me twice today."

"You know who I am?" Cade asked, startled.

"Of course. I saw everything from the car." She looked him over and smiled again. "I didn't expect you to be this good looking."

Cade avoided her eyes. "Do you know who those two were?"

"No idea," she said, shaking her head.

A woman in her thirties rushed in, short haired and dressed in a sharp suit. It was Dana Whitlock, Lila's talent agent.

Lila threw her arms around her. "Dana! I was so scared! He saved me."

Dana stared at Cade in surprise. "You again? You're the one who saved her?"

At that moment Chief Walter Brennan arrived with his officers. He frowned at the two men bound beside the table.

Cade got to his feet. "Chief Brennan."

The chief's eyes widened. "Cade? You did this again?"

Cade nodded silently.

Dana turned toward the chief. "Chief Brennan, if it weren't for him, Lila could have been in real danger today."

The chief finally noticed Lila, and his voice turned unsteady. "Ms. Sinclair."

Dana's tone went cold. "That's right. This is the second time she's been attacked today. Is Rivermont really this unsafe?"

Brennan wiped sweat from his brow, nodding stiffly. "I apologize. Please, Ms. Sinclair, Ms. Whitlock, rest assured. The Westside Precinct will find whoever is behind this within three days."

He turned and ordered his men to escort the two attackers out.

Dana said curtly, "Then we'll thank you for that. I need to take care of Lila, so we won't see you out."

With the attackers gone, Cade spoke quickly. "Ms. Sinclair, Ms. Whitlock, if there's nothing else, I should head back."

Before either could respond, he bolted out the door.

Lila said nothing, just covered her mouth and laughed at how flustered he looked.

Dana watched his retreating figure, something thoughtful on her face.

Back in his room, Cade pressed a hand to his chest and tried to steady his breathing. Images of Lila would not leave his mind. In the end he dunked his head in cold water to clear it.

[Congratulations, user: you successfully subdued the intruders and protected resident Lila Sinclair, preserving her safety and dignity.]

[Points awarded: 700]

[Current points: 975]

Only twenty-five short of a thousand.

Tomorrow, stopping the first person who steps out of line might close the gap.

He clenched his fist, wondering what the next draw would give him.

Julian Ashford, just wait.