Hey guys, sorry for the long wait in this fic.

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Chapter Six

It was silence inside the car as Jhil drove through the road. I was leaning backward into my chair thought I kept putting a hand upon where the bullet had grazed my head. I can feel the cut there underneath my fingers thought but I can`t actually feel the pain that come with it.

It was weird to tell you the truth.

"You`ve got a headache?" Jhil asked me.

I gave her a glance.

"No, it`s nothing," I answered her.

I pulled my hair down as it covered where the wound was. I gave the inside mirror a glance, seeing our passenger in the back. She was quiet thought she seems lost in her thoughts. It was like she was not actually there since her green eyes seems unfocused and lost.

"You`re okay back there?" I asked.

I see the awareness return to her eyes and she blinked, looking up toward the back of my head.

"I`m sorry…what?"

"I asked you if you are feeling okay," I told her.

Vanille glanced down.

"I…I`m fine," she said, "Feeling a little shocked about the entire thing…but I am fine."

Vanille was a pretty girl. Anyone with two set of eyes on their face can admit that. She must have quite a bit of admirers with all things considered.

"So, how old are you Vanille?" I asked her.

She seemed confused as to why I was asking that but she answered me.

"Nineteen,"

"That`s a good age," I told her, "Got anything planned for your future? Any college applications?"

Vanille shook her head.

"Not yet," she said, "but I am still looking through my options."

"I`m sure you`ll find something you`ll like," I told her.

"Probably," was the answer I received from her.

I noticed Jhil giving me a look as if to ask me what I was doing but I simply gave her a smirk before returning my gaze toward the road in front of me.

"These men who attacked you," I asked her, "You`ve never seen them before?"

Vanille shook her head.

"No," she said.

I narrowed my eyes at her. I can tell she was holding something back…thought what it could be, I have no idea.

"Don`t be scared to talk about it," I told her.

"I`m not scared," Vanille snapped, her anger stepping in.

"I`m not saying that you are," I told her, "But what happened earlier today is not something any nineteen years old experience. Those kind of kidnapping take times and planning you know."

Vanille was now staring at the back of my chair, but I can tell she was listening.

"They follow you around," I continued, now that I have got her attention, "They watch and wait until you are alone by yourself before they act. They probably could have been watching you days before, they kidnapped you."

Vanille`s eyes seemingly unfocused and I can tell that she was thinking about what I told her. I feel the car slowing down and I glanced back toward the main road to see that we were arriving in front of what look like a large Gate.

A security guard approached us and Jhil flashed him her badge and he inspected it for a few seconds before giving it her back. Then he signaled someone from the small post station that was beside the gate.

The gate opened slowly and when they were wide enough, Jhil moved the car forward through the stone path that lead up straight toward a large mansion. This must be the Dia residence, I concluded and I must say, it was a beautiful place. It looked exactly like someplace out of a Home Magazine.

The car came to a stop in front of the house`s stone steps.

"Well, here is your stop Vanille," Jhil told her, "Claire, you go in with her."

I gave her a confused glance.

"You know…your job application," she told me.

I remembered now and I nodded at her. I pulled out the gun from my waist and handed it over to her.

"Here,"

"Keep it," Jhil told me, "I`m sure it will come in handy."

I took hold of the gun and holstered it before opening the car door stepping out along with Vanille who had done the same. The front door of the house opened and a man stood there.

"Vanille," he said.

The girl looked up at him before running up the stairs and takes him in a hug. I stood there looking at them. He was probably her father.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

Vanille nodded giving him a smile.

Her father was a blond haired man. He was dressed in a black suit, a nicely tailored one. He looked exactly like a businessman. His face was young for a father, with lines showing upon his face, probably stress lines from his line of work. From what I can notice about company leaders, is that those people seem to get older than normal.

He then turned his attention toward me, just noticing me there.

"Claire Farron," I introduced myself stepping forward extending my hand toward him.

He shook it.

"Vincent Dia," he introduced himself, "I can`t think you enough for what you have done today…wait a minute, are you the same Claire Farron who applied for the bodyguard job I have?"

I gave him a nod.

"The very same Mr. Dia," I told him.

"Excellent," he said, "How about we take this conversation inside?"

I nodded and followed him inside the Mansion. It was a fancy home just as I expected. Everything that my eyes could see, were probably expensive. The main room had a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, giving it the Oerban architecture.

"It`s quite old fashioned," Mr. Dia told me noticing how my gaze wanders around the inside, "My grandfather was quite a proud blooded Oerban native, not unlike the people of today. While our technology are advancing, it`s still warm our heart to see that we still hold the old tradition."

"Ah," I said, "Where is Vanille?"

"She is probably in her room," Mr. Dia said.

"I don`t see her mother," I told her.

The man had suddenly a sad smile on his face.

"My wife passed away ever since Vanille was a little girl," he said, "I miss her everyday…ah, here we are."

We have arrived in front of mahogany door which he turned the handle and we stepped inside. It was a well taken care of room. It was filled with many books on the shelves, but it looked they were here as mere decoration rather than reading materials. A large painting of a valley dominated the wall above the fireplace in the corner, which was empty of flames.

"Well take a seat," he said, seating upon the large red chair.

I took a seat in front of him, pulling off the sunglasses I was wearing. If I was going to work for the man, I might as well let him see my cybernetic eyes. I noticed the change on his face immediately as he stared at me.

"Oh, you`re one of the Metals?" he said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"It won't be a problem will it?" I asked.

"My dear girl," he said, suddenly chuckling, "I meet people with cybernetics everyday in my line of work…thought the same can`t be said about most of the Pulsian country. As you know, it`s one of the countries that strongly protest against the use of cybernetics in people."

"I know of the situation," I told him, giving him an easy smile, "I watched the news back home Mr. Dia."

The man pushed a button upon the desk and a screen hologram appeared in front of him and he pushed some buttons.

"I presume you know what happened to the other bodyguards I hired," he said.

I leaned forward.

"I have," was my answer, "But I want to know why someone is targeting your daughter Mr. Dia. Whether it`s a rival company with a grudge against you or someone you pissed off recently."

I noticed the man paling slightly but he kept his composure. I must admit he have quite a control over his emotions but he was not quite ready yet. Mr. Dia turned his attention toward me.

"It's not something that I can discuss…," he started.

"You have lost a number of bodyguards in the past months," I told him, "All of them which were assigned to your daughter. As much as I want to keep other deaths from happening, I need to know into what I am entering here."

He let out a soft sigh.

"Alright," he said, nervously rubbing his fingers together.

"I'm listening," I told him.

"Look, five years ago, I was contacted by a man," he said.

"Who?" I asked.

"We never spoke face-to-face," Mr. Dia told me looking worried, "Only by telephone."

I narrowed my eyes.

"How did it begin?"

"Well, one day I received a folder containing pictures of my daughter and a single message of we are watching you," he said, "I thought I was getting prank by someone so I didn't pay attention to it, but it all changed when I received a phone call from that man. He never introduced himself to me and simply told me that I have to pay him a 50 million gils a year or he will kill my daughter."

He glanced down toward the desk.

"I wanted to ask the police for help but I couldn't trust them ever since they had tried to rape my little girl," he said.

I nodded at him.

"So I hired bodyguard for her," he continued, "But they keep dying during their job. I couldn't go public with all I know for it will cause a scandal and I could lose everything. I just wanted to protect my little girl."

"I can assure you," I told him, standing up "I will protect your daughter for you Mr. Dia. But one last thing, you said that you had to pay them money…how was that working?"

"Every year on the same day a man came in a black car to take the money from me," he said, "But I defied them, wanting to show them that they didn't have control over me anymore…and then the event of today happened."

"They wanted to force your hands into paying them," I said, "Very well, I will take on the post of your daughter's bodyguard for you."

"Thank you," he said, giving me a bow, "Consider yourself hired then Mrs. Farron."

I gave him a slight nod before putting my sunglasses back on. The man walked around the desk and out of the room which I followed him back into the house main room. As we approached a young man quickly ran toward us.

"Mr. Dia, your flight will be leaving in half an hour," he said.

"Ah, yes," Mr. Dia said, "Thank you Mica. I have to leave soon for Tenebrea since I have a conference there about the new development that I have there. Mrs. Farron, I leave you in charge of the security here. I will come back on the week-end."

"Alright Mr. Dia," I told him.

He gave me a nod before walking out of the house and I followed along with Mica.

"Is there a security room in the house?" I asked him.

"Sure," Mica told me, "It's on the floor below the house. Highwind should be the one that is working in security there, but be careful, he got a short fuse."

"I'll keep that in mine," I told him.

He gave me a nod before getting inside the car along with Mr. Dia. Then the car took off down the drive way and I quickly started to dial Jhil's number.

"Nabaat,"

"Jhil, its Farron," I told her, "I have gotten the job but I want one of you to keep an eye on Mr. Dia. He is on the way to the airport and I don't want anything happening to him till his plane is off the ground."

"Suspecting something might happen?"

"If it's Ghost that's behind this," I told her, "I don't think he will stop at one kill attempt today."

"Okay, I'll keep an eye on him," Jhil told me, "That's Phase One complete, let's see if we can actually catch the bastard this time. We already lost too many good soldiers because of him."

"I know," I told her, before disconnecting.

I stood there for a few seconds before turning around and stepping back inside the house. I have work to do.

So ends this chapter.

Hope you have enjoyed the read.

R&R

Jacques0 out.