My Fiancé’s Bodyguard by Ivy Wild

"Excuse me, my dear,"Johnny said as he put his phone up to his ear. We'd spent the entire afternoon in Cambridge touring and were just finishing up lunch at a French restaurant called Craigie on the Main.

The restaurant was good, but when you were forced to eat small portions of high-end food your entire life, the meals tended to blend together. What I really could have gone for after all the walking was a burger.

"That's odd," Johnny said in a concerned voice. The butterflies in my stomach started to churn at his tone. Had he discovered something at the house? I wasn't even sure what Max had done. For once, I was completely in the dark and not involved and while I knew Max was doing it for my own good, it made me incredibly uncomfortable.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Johnny said. He put the phone down and gave me an apologetic look. "Something's come up and I need to head back to the house."

"Oh," I said, blotting my mouth politely with my napkin. "That's fine. I'm happy to go with you."

Johnny shook his head. "No. This is something I need to handle myself." His demeanor had shifted and suddenly I started to see the Johnny that everyone else saw. This version of him was cold, detached, and intimidating. The tone of his voice alone was enough to make my blood go cold.

"Is everything alright?" I asked him.

He didn't respond. Instead, he stood up and offered me his hand. I took it, not knowing what else to do, and he escorted me out of the restaurant without saying a word. A car was waiting for us out front and I climbed in, my anxiety increasing with each passing minute.

Johnny said something to the driver in Italian. I tried to get a good look at the man, but I wasn't sure if I recognized him or not. Johnny had opted to sit in the front passenger seat rather than in the rear with me. Suddenly, everything felt very, very wrong.

I recognized the streets as we got closer before the mystery man finally stopped the car in front of the bakery. Johnny looked straight ahead. "Go ahead and wait for me here, dear. I'll be back for you this evening."

"Um, okay," I replied slowly. "If you're sure everything's okay."

Once again, I was met with silence. I climbed out of the car and closed the door. I thought about making a run for it. I didn't know what I was running from, but my survival instinct told me that I needed to get the hell out of dodge. But, unfortunately, a group of Johnny's thugs was loitering outside the bakery and Johnny rolled down the window and said, "Boys, make sure my guest is well taken care of. I'll be back in a few hours."

The tinted window rolled back up and the car drove off and I knew there was nothing left for me to do but enter the bakery. I walked inside and looked around. Max was nowhere to be found and I had no way of contacting him. After he'd dropped me and Johnny off in Cambridge for the afternoon, I had no idea where he went.

As I sat there at one of the restaurant tables, I felt completely alone.

The hours ticked by and after a little while, I understood that the men were on a rotation schedule as far as watching me went. There was always one guy in the corner of the restaurant. If he got up to use the restroom, someone would take his place while he was gone, and they switched out every hour or so.

It was disconcerting to know that Johnny had placed me under guard. I couldn't understand why he would do something like that. A few hours ago, he was spilling his secrets to me and trying to shove his tongue down my throat. Now I was worried that I was going to end up in the Charles River by the end of the night.

I'd been foolish because I'd left Johnny's house earlier without any of my belongings. I had just wanted to get out of that situation, that I hadn't thought about what I might be walking into. I didn't have my phone, my purse, or my wallet. I had nothing. I just sat at the table as the clock at the back of the restaurant continued to tick its way toward my doom.

The sun began to fall below the horizon and at some point, I fell asleep. I was woken up by the bell on the door followed by someone nudging me gently.

"Madelyn, my dear. You fell asleep waiting for me," Johnny said.

I blinked my eyes open, trying to make sense of my surroundings before realizing I was still back at the restaurant. Johnny looked as if he'd returned to his usual self and my nerves started to ease. Maybe the whole thing hadn't had anything to do with me, after all.

"Come on," Johnny said in a kind voice. He encouraged me to get to my feet and I smiled at him.

"You were gone for so long," I said.

He nodded as he led me towards the back of the shop. "Yes, but that's all taken care of now," he said. He thread his fingers with mine and squeezed my hand a little too tight. As we walked through the back door, he started leading me through the kitchen and to an area I didn't recognize.

"Johnny, where are we going?" I asked him, my nerves starting to increase again.

"Not to worry, my dear. There's a wine cellar in the basement here. I wanted to grab a bottle for tonight," he replied, not letting go of his grip on my hand as we started to descend a dark set of steps.

"Oh," I said, still feeling just as anxious.

When we reached the basement, there was a room off to our right that was fairly well lit behind large glass doors. Bottles of wine lined the shelves and I started to breathe better. Perhaps we were just grabbing a bottle of wine.

A tug on my wrist to the left had me looking down and then looking up at Johnny. "The wine is just there," I said, pointing with my free hand.

"Yes," Johnny replied, still in his calm and gentle voice. "But I have a private collection. It's just this way."

His grip was almost bruising at this point and he tugged on my wrist and I had no choice but to follow. We walked down a dark hallway a few feet before we approached another door. This one was not well lit and it was not made of glass. It was solid and made of steel and I knew I needed to not walk through it.

"Johnny," I said to him. "Please, I'm scared. Take me back to your house," I pleaded.

"After I get something I need," he replied, opening the door and forcing me inside.

He let go of me the moment we were both locked inside the dark room, but I didn't have a chance to even move before two sets of hands grabbed me. I screamed as metal clasps were wrapped harshly around my wrists. My body was pushed against a wall, my legs separated and my ankles cuffed and attached to hooks behind me. My arms were raised above my head as chains rattled through the room and even without being able to see hardly anything, I knew I'd been chained to the wall with no hope of escape.

"Please, Johnny," I whimpered. "What is this?"

"That'll be all, boys," he said before I heard the door open and shut. My eyes started to slowly adjust, but Johnny turned on a dim light and in some ways, I wished he hadn't. Because now I could see the hopelessness of my situation clearly.

I was in an unmarked, windowless basement room. The door was solid steel and there were a few cuffs hanging on the other walls. My ankles and wrists were cuffed and spread wide and I was completely unable to move. Worse than that, I knew my strength at trying to hold myself up would give out soon.

"Please, Johnny," I begged. "Why?"

A dark smile spread across his features. He was standing next to the lone piece of furniture in the room. A small wooden table with the lamp on top. He fished something out of his pocket slowly and walked over to me. He held it in front of me and I forced my eyes to focus on it.

It was an engagement ring box, that was clear. The little black velvet box rested on his fat fingers and he looked at me with a crazed look. "I'm sorry if I've made you wait," I said to him, trying to grasp at anything that might get me out of this situation. "We can get married now if you want," I said. Promises were free so long as they got me out of this room.

Johnny didn't say anything. Instead, he just opened the box slowly. As the contents revealed themselves, my stomach dropped. Inside, there wasn't a ring. Instead, resting on the little cushion was the black plastic listening device Max had given to me.

"Do you want to know where I found this, my dear Madelyn?"

I gulped but stayed quiet.

"Your quiet suggests you recognize what this is."

I didn't know whether lying or telling the truth would be better for me at the moment, so I just stayed still and quiet.

"I found this attached to the phone in my office. And, you see, I know it was a recent addition, because the guys that guard my house, they sweep the entire place for bugs on a regular basis. Every day in fact in the afternoon." He paused and I tried to swallow, but it was no use, my throat had gone completely dry.

"So, imagine my surprise when they found this. They hadn't found it yesterday. And then I had a guest over and suddenly, this appears. Now, how could that be?"

I found my voice somehow in that moment. "Johnny, it wasn't me!"

"See, that's what I assumed at first, as well. But, just to be safe, I sent my guys over to your father's house. And you know what they found in his office?" he asked. My stomach dropped as he pulled a second device out of his pocket and held it up for me to see. "A his and hers set."

"Johnny, please!" I said before pain lanced across my face. The devices clattered against the floor after Johnny struck me hard with his open palm. Tears welled in my eyes.

"I don't want to hear it!" he yelled, spittle flying all over my face. "Tell me who gave these to you," he demanded of me.

I was crying now. I wasn't ashamed of it. Anyone who thinks that they'd stay strong in a situation like this was an idiot. I was terrified for my life and I wasn't ashamed to admit that. I thought about Max. I thought about what he'd asked me to do. I thought about the situations he'd put himself in over the past five years to try and avenge his friend.

And then I thought about my mother. I thought about how she'd been murdered. I thought about how I didn't even need anyone to admit to it. That deep down, in my heart, I knew it was the truth. I knew she'd seen too much, and my father and Johnny had taken care of it. Just like Johnny probably intended to do to me.

At this moment, most people would have caved. Given in. Told Johnny the truth to save their own skin. But, my mother had been right. The hardest battles are those fought silently within your own soul. They are the ones no one ever sees. And they are the ones that define you.

I knew she fought her own battles and paid the price. I was ready to do the same.

"No one," I finally said. "No one gave them to me."

Johnny laughed darkly before pressing his phone up to his ear. "Got a job for you. Get down to the basement," he said before hanging up the phone.

He approached me then and I tried to turn my head away. "You've denied me this entire time. Teased me, tortured me, flaunted your beautiful body in front of me. All while spying on me." His fingers began to ghost over my skin and I could feel bile rising in my mouth. "Well, you're going to pay for it. All of it. Now I know this little virgin act of yours was that. Just an act. And even if it wasn't, it ends tonight. I'm going to get the information I want out of you. Then, I'm going to have you. Just like this. Chained to this wall so you can't deny me any longer. And when I'm done with you, I'm going to let my boys have their fun with you. How does that sound, my dear?"

My entire body shook with fear but still, I wouldn't let myself break. His face was close to mine and I acted without thinking. I spat on him, my saliva landing right on his cheek and trailing down his chin. "I told you. I don't know anything."

My scream echoed through the room again as he hit me harder this time. His hands started to grab at my body, intent on pushing my clothing aside. I cried out before light flooded the room from the door opening and closing.

"You called, Boss?"

It was Max's voice.

"Max!" I cried out and Johnny stepped back.

"He's not here for you, my dear," Johnny said, adjusting himself in his pants. Max's eyes locked with mine and his face was impassive, just like it always was. He didn't move. He didn't say anything. He just stood there. Taking in the fact that I was chained to the wall and Johnny had just been touching me.

"What's this about?" Max asked in his bored tone. If it were even possible, my anxiety started to grow. Max wasn't acting concerned. He wasn't trying to get me down. He was talking to Johnny like he was talking about the weather.

Suddenly, I started to question everything that had happened. Max had me plant the bug in my father's office. Johnny had found it. What about the one in Johnny's office? Had he planted that? Had he framed me on purpose? Had I been set up somehow?

But, he said he loved me. That was real, wasn't it?

Tears started to well in my eyes as I tried to focus on Max. But, the water kept getting in the way. I couldn't see clearly anymore. I could barely see at all.

"It seems like my bride-to-be has been spying on me."

"You don't say?" Max replied in a flat tone.

"She's just a dumb girl, so I know it wasn't her doing any of this. She's working with someone and I want to know who," Johnny said.

Max stayed quiet.

"Go ahead and get the information out of her," Johnny said. "However you want."

"Messin' up girls ain't really my thing, boss," Max replied.

"Your thing is whatever I tell you it is," Johnny replied. "Now, my bride and I were just about to consummate our wedding. So, you're free to watch or you're free to wait outside."

Johnny approached me and I could hear the zipper on his pants drop before a hand started to tug at my skirt.

I closed my eyes and let my head fall back against the cold stone. "Please, Max," I whispered as my world went dark.