A/N: NEW CHAPTER FOR YOU MY LOVELIES! And happy early Mother's Day for those mothers out there, for fathers out there who act as both mothers and fathers, and for anyone else who raises a child, even if they're not your own or related to you in any way, with love and support.
On another note, this chapter got pretty dark, so I'm probably going to move the rating up to M. It's not too graphic, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. It's more like TV-14. But I am just warning all you lovely readers, please don't read this chapter if dark matters make you feel negatively or offend you. And please know that that is not my intention.
Thank you!
Beauty and the Bodyguard
Chapter 7: Pills
Troy raised his eyebrows as he watched Chad pull into a party. He could have sworn that he overheard that asshole say that he was taking Gabriella to dinner. So, why were they are at a party?
He saw Curly (that's what he called Chad because of his stupid curly hair) get out of the car, open her door, and lead her inside.
She was smiling. So bright and beautiful.
He bit back the rage and bile rising inside of him and leaned his head heavily back into the headrest.
He looked into those big puppy dog eyes and promised that he wouldn't care and he would behave. So behave he would.
Just as he was opening Candy Crush on his iPhone, a loud tap was heard on his window.
He looked over, suspicious, for he knew not to roll the window down if someone tapped. He was trained.
But he was still a man.
A lovely woman stood on the other side of the glass. She had hair the color of fire and eyes that were a lilac shade. He assumed they were contacts, but as he rolled the window down, he saw that they were indeed lilac.
He had heard of a genetic disorder where that could happen, but it was extremely rare, and he was instantly drawn in to the rare beauty.
Her skin was tan and she was the definition of curvy. She smiled brightly at him, and he couldn't help but notice her deep dimples.
She extended her hand towards him and he glanced at it warily.
"Aloha!" She greeted and he quirked an eyebrow. She did the motion back to him.
"Are you Hawaiian?" He inquired and she nodded politely.
"My name is Leila!" She introduced cheerfully and he sighed. She was like a human Energizer bunny.
"How may I help you, Ms. Leila?" Troy asked.
"Well, I'm head of the neighborhood watch, and I got a call about a suspicious car. So, I came to check it out." She explained calmly.
"By yourself?"
She chuckled. "I'm a third degree black belt in Krav Maga." She reassured quickly and Troy's mouth dropped open.
He was trained in that martial arts form as well, but this little woman was deadly? He was pleasantly surprised. A woman who was strong and could protect herself… unlike Gabriella.
Troy shook his head to clear the thoughts of the young woman, who obviously did not reciprocate his feelings, and who also was on a date with some other guy as he spoke to a mature older woman, from his head.
"So, I must ask you to leave, unless you have a valid reason to be here." Leila warned. Her tone was fierce but she still had that bright, disarming smile plastered on her face.
Troy scrambled to think of something.
"My name is Jake, and my boss's daughter is in that house at a party over there. She's on her first date and her dad just wanted me to keep an eye out. He's my boss and he threatened to fire me, so, you have to do what you have to do." Troy lied smoothly, batting his aqua eyes and grinning sheepishly.
The woman nodded. "Well, that's really sweet of you. I've been monitoring that party too. I have a nice little balcony that overlooks it. It's hidden pretty well, so you can only be seen if someone's trying to find ya." She explained.
Troy nodded slightly, not quite understanding. Leila laughed.
"Want to come in? I just found this great movie on Netflix and made some coffee so we can keep up with those crazy kids and you can be more comfortable and able to watch out for her at the same time." She offered, still smiling.
Troy faltered. Leila was offering him, a man she didn't even know, into her home for Netflix and coffee? And the teenagers at that party were the crazy ones?!
Troy wanted to believe that she had good intentions, but something was off about all this.
Leila sensed his hesitation and it was her turn to bat her violet eyes at him. How could he resist? She just seemed like a caring person.
"Come on. I'm not dangerous, despite what my ex's say." She joked.
Troy didn't find that amusing. Not when he was just questioning her motives.
For the first time, her smile vanished from her face. He wasn't responding to her obvious advances.
"It's kind of chilly out, you'll get sick again and miss work. Your boss wouldn't like that. Just come in, warm yourself up, drink some coffee, and then you can come right back outside." Leila bargained.
Troy was confused. Why was she trying so hard?!
Then he saw those pretty eyes drop down to his lips.
Gabriella was probably kissing Chad right now.
What was the harm in one cup of coffee?
…
Gabriella smiled and talked to everyone at the party. It was like being surrounded by sharks. Every time someone saw her with Chad, they snapped pictures, asked questions, and pretended to be her friend.
She should be used to it by now.
As Chad gripped her had like a boa constrictor and paraded her around, she began to feel pressure in the back of her eyes. He was using her too. She wondered why she had gotten her hopes up. What guy would like a mess like her?
"Chad. I thought we were going to go to dinner?" Gabriella subtly hinted, trying to rectify the situation.
Chad turned and smirked at her.
"I have a sweet set up out back! We get to eat dinner and party at the SAME time!" Chad excitedly stated.
Gabriella smiled but wanted to roll her eyes. She wished she was stronger so she could tell him to take her home, but she was too shy, and he was being awfully nice, regardless of if he was using her or not.
Chad smiled and waved at some members of his basketball team. Gabriella noticed the ways their eyes devoured her as they passed and she got a chill down her spine.
True to his word, Chad unlocked and opened the back patio doors with a "Ta-da!" and revealed a candlelight dinner on a table. Rose petals lined the way from the doors to the table and Gabriella smiled as Chad locked the patio doors back and pulled out her chair for her.
"What is all this?" Gabriella wondered as her eyes traveled all of the expensive looking dishes around her.
"There's lobster risotto, teriyaki chicken stuffed with scallops, asparagus in olive oil, steak cooked medium with truffle butter-."
Gabriella's head jerked up and her face wore an expression of horror.
Chad burst into laughter. "No! No! No! I wouldn't feed you something like that, Gabi! I mean actual butter made from truffles, it's the best kind." He explained through his laughter.
Gabriella giggled in embarrassment at her dirty mind.
"And for desert, there is crème bruelee and chocolate covered strawberries. Our beverage for this evening is champagne." Chad rounded out the menu and Gabriella almost fell out of her chair. All this food was expensive! Why was he going through all of this trouble?!
Chad picked up his glass of champagne and Gabriella lifted up hers as well.
"Cheers to a great date!" Chad toasted and Gabriella repeated the phrase before clinking the glasses together.
She smiled as she began cutting the steak. Chad made eye contact with her and she forced her smile.
Something felt off about him,
She decided to pretend that he was Troy. That would make her feel happy and safe.
No, that wasn't right. Despite what he said, she knew Troy was only infatuated with her, and he would forget about her as soon as the opportunity arose.
…
Leila's hands trailed up and down Troy's very impressive abs.
Troy must have been crazy. Here was a beautiful woman trying to feel him up and he had been fighting her flirtations off all night. They had talked, watched the party, and as he drank coffee, she "accidently" jostled him and he spilled hot coffee all over himself.
She went and got a shirt from when "the last guy left it", a fact that Troy didn't need to know. He didn't care about her sexual life, it was her life after all, and he just wondered why she didn't say, "Oh, I think I have a shirt for you!"
When Leila gave him the shirt, he asked to be shown to the bathroom and she after she led him there, she excused herself. As soon as he shut the door and pulled his shirt off, she was in there, and trying to get him into her.
"Leila! Please stop!" Troy pleaded as he ran away and scrambled to put his shirt on.
"Why are you fighting it?! I know you're attracted to me! And who cares about that stupid little girl at that party?! Any trouble she gets into is her own fault. She needs to learn from her mistakes." Leila exclaimed, slamming her fist down on the counter as Troy ducked to evade her outstretched arms.
"Are you serious?! She's on a date with a boy. Just because she accepted the offer to go on a date doesn't mean what happens to her is all her fault! If anything happens to her, which won't because I am watching out for her!" Troy defended, red flaring in his cheeks.
Leila was silent, and stared at him wide eyed.
"I think you'll look good in orange." She admitted suddenly.
"…What?" Troy gasped out as he finally had enough time to put his shirt on.
"IF YOU KEEP MESSING WITH JAIL BAT OVER THERE THAT'S ALL YOU'LL HAVE TO WEAR!" Leila screamed suddenly, shattering the quiet. Her voice had been deep and seductive earlier but now it sounded like nails on a chalkboard.
"I don't care about her like that!" Troy yelled back.
"LIAR! Let me help you forget about her!" Leila pleaded. Troy was in complete shock. She had gone from accusing him of wanting Gabriella to Miss Saigon in just a few seconds.
And who was she to act like she knew him?! They literally only knew each other's names. This lady was insane.
He had to get out of there. There was something seriously wrong with this woman. She had to be mentally disturbed and he hoped she got the help she needed, but until then, he wanted to escape.
The sound of a doorbell echoed through the mansion.
Troy casted a curious look towards the front door.
"I thought you'd might react this way, so I got some insurance." Leila announced smugly, folding her arms over her well-endowed chest.
Troy squinted at the door.
There was a loud pounding on it.
"POLICE! OPEN UP!"
…
"Chad, that was delicious. Thank you so much!" Gabriela gushed as she leaned back in the chair in satisfaction.
Chad laughed. He laughed a lot, and it was starting to get on Gabriella's nerves. Maybe it was a nervous tick, but he had never done that when they were growing up.
"Want to go back to the party?" Chad questioned and Gabriella threw an anxious look to the door.
"I'll meet you in there. I'm a little too full to move." Gabriella fibbed awkwardly. She didn't expect him to believe it but he laughed and nodded before unlocking the doors and leaving. Gabriella noticed that he didn't lock them back but it's not like anyone was going to come back there.
Just then, she heard the door swing open. Gabriella turned towards the patio door with a smile, expecting Chad to have forgotten something or to try and force her to go and party, but instead she saw no one there.
Fear tingled up and down her spine.
She wanted to bolt, but where was there to go? The patio door was the only way in and out of the courtyard. On top of that, an electric fence surrounded the property to ensure that paparazzi and criminals didn't try to scale it and break in. She was trapped.
Gabriella stood up slowly, and reached into her pocket for her cell phone without tearing her eyes away from the door. She glanced down just for a second to hit "Troy" and dial him.
When she looked back up, someone was standing in front of her.
She had time to scream before they placed a cloth on her mouth and everything went black.
…
"THE POLICE?!" Troy screeched, his rumbling voice rising an octave.
Leila smirked proudly. "When I went to get the shirt, I wondered if you were going to let me have you the easy way or the hard way. I realized that you weren't really flirting back so I figured it would be this way." She shrugged.
"What are you talking about, crazy?!" He yelled. The police banged on the door again and he lowered his voice.
"Are you saying that if I don't give into you, you're going to have me arrested? For what?! There's nothing you can charge me with!" Troy argued.
Leila's face scrunched up unattractively and she began to sob. Tears rolled out in waves from her odd, crazy eyes and snot and eyeliner settled into pools on her heavily-made up face.
"I went out to check on him, which are part of my duties as head of neighborhood watch! He seemed so nice and said he was having car problems and if he could come in and use my phone. I let him and then he attacked me! I locked myself in the bedroom and called the police. I thought maybe he had left but when I came out of there he jumped out of the bathroom and grabbed me!" She suddenly grabbed her own arms and squeezed, screaming.
"STOP!" Troy yelled, stepping forward and pulling her hands off of herself and trying to cover her mouth simultaneously.
"I have cameras all around the property! You can check them for proof!" She finished her spiel as the knocking on the door intensified.
As Troy glared at her in mortification, she smiled that bright white smile.
"I hope you enjoy unemployment and jail!" Leila giggled.
She was right about that. He knew that he would lose his job and go to jail. The truth would hopefully eventually come out, after all his hands were too big to match the bruises on her, but he would already be sitting in jail by then.
More importantly, if arrested, for any reason, Troy's true identity would be revealed and the whole mission would be compromised. The people after Gabriella would know that the FBI were involved and that would only make things worse.
"MA'AM WE'RE COMING IN!" An officer yelled.
"Whatever you want, I'll do it! PLEASE!" Troy snapped. Before he could think, she had ripped his shirt open, pulled her shirt down, jumped onto the counter, and pulled him close to her. She started screaming again just as the cops burst in.
"OH MY GOODNESS!" Leila shrieked and moved to cover herself.
"Officers, I'm so sorry! We were role playing! I didn't know I actually called 911! Whoops!" Leila said, feigning an embarrassed laugh and hurriedly trying to redress.
The cops were baffled.
"Ma'am… are you sure you're alright? How about you come talk to us outside?" One cop ventured, taking a step forward.
Leila turned and stared at Troy. It was his cue. He had no idea what to do.
"Uhhh… honey, why did you actually call the cops?! We will not be playing Fifty Shades of Gray ever again!" Troy pretend pouted as he stepped away from her and tried to adjust his ripped shirt.
"I'll talk to them and clear it up, sweetheart. Wait for me in the bedroom." Leila winked seductively.
Troy felt his stomach churn.
He went into the bedroom and watched the window. When the cops pulled off with an awkward wave to Leila, he readied himself.
Leila stalked in and Troy smiled at her and kissed her.
"Oh, what a pleasant change!" Leila admired and smiled.
"I went into the kitchen and got us some champagne while you went and handled the cops for me. Thank you so much for doing that." Troy smiled falsely. Leila twittered as she took the champagne flute from his hand and downed the whole thing and then his when he offered it to her.
"Now where were we?!" She asked as she pounced on Troy. He kissed her, long and hard. As she crawled on top of him, she suddenly shifted and almost fell off of the bed.
"Oh my, that champagne went right to my head." She slurred.
Troy got up, lifted her, and placed her under the covers in her bed.
"It's the flunitrazepam." Troy mentioned nonchalantly.
"What?!" Leila slurred once again before she was out.
Troy was prepared for any situation. He sighed as he went and cleaned the house of his prints.
…
Gabriella's head was swimming and pounding. She woke up slowly, her head pounding, and her body sore.
Her caramel eyes could barely focus, but when they did, she noticed that her legs and feet were bound to the bed, and she was in just her undergarments.
"Troy!" She croaked out. There was no reply.
Gabriella's head felt too heavy to hold up so she dropped it back onto the pillow.
"Gabriella!" A voice called through the fog. Gabriella tried to focus on it, cling on to it.
She recognized it.
"Help!" She begged the voice but the voice just laughed.
"I can't. I'm so sorry. Team! We have work to do!"
Gabriella screamed but it came out like a whimper.
"Troy!" She cried out again but there was no answer.
She was not going to be saved this time.
Tears ran down her face as lips pressed against hers.
…
"Where's Chad?!" Troy asked for the hundredth time. All he got was a shrug in response. These kids were so high, drunk, or narcissistic that they didn't even know. Troy was going to have to resort to checking all of the rooms.
For about 10 minutes, he opened doors to find some pretty unsavory things going on behind them. His male pride was relieved every time when the couple necking whirled towards the door and it was revealed that one member wasn't Gabriella. Finally he heard what sounded like a lot of uproarious laugher coming from one door.
Feeling hopeful that Gabriella was back there with friends, he tried to open the door. It was locked. Dread formed in the pit of his stomach.
Without thinking, relying only on feeling, he rammed his shoulder into the door.
Everything went red.
…
Gabriella came to in Troy's muscled arms. She was happy, so very happy.
"Troy!" She rasped. She heard Troy ssshh her and so she was quiet.
He was carrying her like a bride, one arm under her back and the other under the bend in her knees. She had never felt so safe.
"What happened?" She whispered.
"Nothing, Ella, I got you, sweetheart." Troy murmured into her ear. Warmth filled her body.
"Ella… I like that. Sweetheart… I like that too." She smiled, her eyes still closed.
Troy knew he would have to tell her, but that could wait until tomorrow, and he was glad that she wouldn't remember it and that he had made sure to make those boys sign a non-disclosure agreement before the cops hauled them away.
The FBI got things handled very discretely and efficiently.
As Troy balanced her on one strong arm and pulled the covers back to place her in the bed with the other, she grabbed onto him.
"I got you, Ella." He soothed her but she shook her head.
"I know that. I just want to say… how wonderful life is, now you're in the World." She sang quietly and sweetly into his ear.
"You're singing Moulin Rouge to me." Troy noted before he smiled and tucked her in, kissing her forehead. She wouldn't remember in the morning, and it wasn't like he was taking advantage of her like those-
He stopped thinking about it before he blacked out again.
"Pills!" Gabriella chirped suddenly.
Troy froze in his tracks.
"I need my pills!" She said in a sing-song voice.
Troy glanced at her with bewilderment.
"What pills?" He queried quietly.
"Drawer!" She sang, trying to point with her limp arm towards her armoire.
Troy opened the drawer and sure enough he pulled out a bottle of pink and white pills.
He turned towards Gabriella, anger etched onto his face,
"Gabriella… what are these?!" He hissed.
A/N: Lord, it's like Star Wars in here, we went straight to the dark side! I actually have never seen Star Wars but I'm pretty sure that's the right quite… pretty sure. Don't judge me. Anyways! I hope ya'll enjoyed it! Love you! MWAH! *Blows kisses*
