HER BODYGUARD

Kimberly nodded. “But let’s call my father first,” she said.

Asher agreed. He called her father thrice and got no reply. When he stopped trying, Kimberly was already freaking out and pacing the room.

“My father can be absent minded sometimes” she said. “There are times when he switches off his phone on purpose and stays away from anything that has to do with the internet. He says they interfere with his work and when he does that it’s really hard to get to him, except in person. That might be what’s happening right now. I’m just worried because he wouldn’t do such a thing right now, when he knows there are people after me…. Unless what Christopher Keane said is true… He’s sick… He is sick and there is no way to reach him. Oh my God, Asher. What am I going to do?”

“Calm down Kim,” Asher said. “Let me call my men before we jump into any conclusions”

Kimberly nodded. “I want to make sure he didn’t go to the hospital or anything. Can they find that out?”

“Yes they can” Asher replied. He reached for the phone again and quickly typed in a text message. “I will hear back in less than fifteen minutes,” he said.

She drew in a breath. “Thanks,” she said. “I don’t know what’s happening, but I need to be sure”

“Of course you do. He is your dad’s close friend. You have known him for a very long time. You should be concerned”

Kimberly stared at him and smiled. “I’m glad I have you here with me to help me get through all this. Having you on my side helps”

“Good,” Asher said. “I’m happy to help in any way that I can”

Kimberly leaned back in her chair and pointed to the computer screen with the strange symbols. “Is that an encryption program?” she asked.

“It’s an anti encryption program” he replied. “No progress yet though. I’m using it for one of my other cases. The bastard didn’t use any of the better known programs. I’m thinking he had this one custom made. Maybe somewhere in the far east”

“Does that mean you can’t break the code?” Kimberly asked.

He smiled. “It means that I will have more fun breaking it.”

She looked at the lines of symbols and odd bits of text. “Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yep. Just a matter of time” Asher replied.

Kimberly admired his confidence and suspected he had earned it the hard way.

“I guess the people after me are trying to lure me out” she said. “I know I shouldn’t go out there, But I’m worried about my dad. What if he is really sick… Oh, he’s is sick and he’s alone”

Asher leaned forward and took her hands in his. “Relax, Kim.” He said. “Everything is going to be fine.”

“I appreciate the show of support,” Kimberly said. “I just can’t help but worry about him. I know how he is. He will ignore his own health and just keep on working… Especially when I’m not there to force him to see a doctor”

Asher watched the muscles in Kimberly’s jaw tighten. Whatever she said aloud to him and the world, she still had her doubts.

“You are tough and smart and if you give in to the fear, you let those bastards win,” he said.

“I know,” Kimberly said. “That’s what keeps me going”

He heard the fear in her voice, and all he wanted to do was protect her. To keep her safe from any harm.

“I will stop them, Kimberly,” he said. “I swear to you”

Kimberly smiled at him. “You gonna beat them up?” she asked playfully.

“Would that make you feel better?” he asked, grinning.

“I’m starting to see the appeal” Kimberly replied.

His phone rang. He released her head and reached for it. “Adams,” he said.

“Gray here, boss. You want to know if Mr Blake went to the doctor?”

“Hold on,” Asher said. He put the phone on speaker. “Okay, I have you on speaker. Kimberly got an email from her father’s friend saying her father was ill. That he’d been to his doctor and was diagnosed with a heart condition”

Gray swore. “That is not true,” he said.

Asher looked at Kimberly and nodded. “Are you sure?” he asked Gray.

“Boss, I can tell you Hillary Blake hasn’t seen a doctor since we started watching him. He is healthy. He is either at his office or at home. He doesn’t stop anywhere on the drive back and forth. All his appointments are logged by his secretary. We have crossed checked them with the security camera tapes we are tapping into. There haven’t been any doctors around to see him either. You talked to him too…. If something was wrong with him, he would have told you right?” Gray said.

Asher looked at Kimberly.” You want to ask him anything?” he asked her.

She leaned toward the cell phone.” Gray, how does my father look?”

“Like I said… He looks fine. He eats breakfast, goes to his office, and then back”

Kimberly glanced at Asher, then shrugged. “It’s what I needed to know. My dad is fine. Thank God”

Asher nodded. “Thanks for the report, Gray” he said. “If you see or hear anything unue, let me know right away”

“You got it, boss,” Gray said.

Asher hung up the phone and turned to her. “Better?” he asked.

“Yeah. Thanks. You are in a very interesting business” she said.

“Every day is different”

She smiled. “I like my days the same. Routine is very comforting”

“Soon you will have yours back” he said.

“Maybe” Kimberly replied. She studied her fingers, then glanced back at him. “So why would Christopher Keane lie about my father’s health?”

“Well, I don’t want to jump into conclusions, but I think that you and your father should be careful about him. Telling you that your father is sick when he’s not means one thing right now. He is trying to lure you out, and the only explanation he has for doing that is that he is one… Or maybe even the master mind of your kidnap. I told you a part of me suspected this might be someone close to you”