to get someone uninvolved to guard you.”
“Why?”
“Too close to the situation. An involved bodyguard might overreact.” As I had last night.
Someone yelled my name. “Be right there!” I called back. “Can we talk about this later?”
“Of course. I thought I knew what you did, but I’m beginning to see that I knew very little. Be careful, please?”
“For you.”
I went to join the others.
“McGonnigal, you’ve drawn Spink.”
Leon Spink is a huge black guy. He was beginning to build a gut, which meant he was less in demand for clients that require running around, but more for those that require standing around
looking impressive as part of the job description.
There isn’t any particular enmity between us; let’s just say that he’s not a big believer in women as bodyguards. He gave me this tombstone grin, pearly white perfect teeth in
the ebony of his face, cracked his knuckles and said, “I’m going to enjoy this.”
I knew I wouldn’t. But Tori’s presence meant I was going to make a damn good showing. Nobody was going to wipe the floor with me in front of my girlfriend, I promised myself
that.
Everyone paired off and began the circling and talking to psyche out their opponents.
“I’m going to show you why women shouldn’t be in Personal Protection, little girl.”
The mammoth body began a lumbering run towards me. His arms spread wide to gather me into a bear hug that would bruise ribs even through the Kevlar and break any limbs that got in his way. There
was nowhere I could run without looking like a coward, and precious few spots on his body that were not protected by something. He had no neck to speak of; his arms and legs were rolls of fat and
muscle; he wore a box to protect his cock and balls; and the Kevlar vest sandwiched his torso.
As the inexorable juggernaut barrelled towards me, I did the only thing I could think of. At the last moment I dropped into a squat, then lashed out with a foot to his right kneecap.
A sickening snapping noise stilled all movement in the gym. Leon Spink shrieked, lurched, then fell backwards, crashing to the floor. I stood. As quickly as that it was all over.
All bodyguards know elementary medicine. Nobody needed to examine Spink to know I’d broken his patella. He’d be out of action, and work, for some time. With the weight he was
carrying, he might never be free of pain, even if I hadn’t permanently weakened him. I didn’t like what I’d been forced to do, but what choice had there been? He wouldn’t
have stopped till he’d proved his point and I couldn’t afford to be hospitalised, now of all times. I’d acted out of instinct and self-preservation. It was what I was trained
for.
The real medic we had on hand immobilised his leg and called for an ambulance. Since I’d been responsible I got changed, then sat with him till it arrived. Tori stayed in the background on
her chair. Spink did his fair share of cursing and moaning about his fate to the air, then addressed me directly.
“You’re good.”
“Thanks.”
“Been lookin’ for an excuse to get out. My old lady thought it was time to move on. Looks like you’ve given me what she wanted.”
I wasn’t sure how to answer that. It was sort of a backhanded compliment.
“Someone will need to take my place till they can find a replacement in my current job. I’ll phone and recommend you.”
“Leon, I can’t…”
His laughter interrupted me. “Sure you can. It won’t interfere with your client. Might even be helpful to you. I’m bouncin’. At your lady friend’s club.”
I was so carried away with this gift from the gods which had fallen so conveniently into my lap that I didn’t notice how quiet Tori was until we reached my apartment.
“So that’s what you do,” she said quietly as I turned off the engine. “You hurt people.”
“I protect people.”
“That wasn’t how it looked to me.”
“Would you have preferred I just let him wipe the
“Why?”
“Too close to the situation. An involved bodyguard might overreact.” As I had last night.
Someone yelled my name. “Be right there!” I called back. “Can we talk about this later?”
“Of course. I thought I knew what you did, but I’m beginning to see that I knew very little. Be careful, please?”
“For you.”
I went to join the others.
“McGonnigal, you’ve drawn Spink.”
Leon Spink is a huge black guy. He was beginning to build a gut, which meant he was less in demand for clients that require running around, but more for those that require standing around
looking impressive as part of the job description.
There isn’t any particular enmity between us; let’s just say that he’s not a big believer in women as bodyguards. He gave me this tombstone grin, pearly white perfect teeth in
the ebony of his face, cracked his knuckles and said, “I’m going to enjoy this.”
I knew I wouldn’t. But Tori’s presence meant I was going to make a damn good showing. Nobody was going to wipe the floor with me in front of my girlfriend, I promised myself
that.
Everyone paired off and began the circling and talking to psyche out their opponents.
“I’m going to show you why women shouldn’t be in Personal Protection, little girl.”
The mammoth body began a lumbering run towards me. His arms spread wide to gather me into a bear hug that would bruise ribs even through the Kevlar and break any limbs that got in his way. There
was nowhere I could run without looking like a coward, and precious few spots on his body that were not protected by something. He had no neck to speak of; his arms and legs were rolls of fat and
muscle; he wore a box to protect his cock and balls; and the Kevlar vest sandwiched his torso.
As the inexorable juggernaut barrelled towards me, I did the only thing I could think of. At the last moment I dropped into a squat, then lashed out with a foot to his right kneecap.
A sickening snapping noise stilled all movement in the gym. Leon Spink shrieked, lurched, then fell backwards, crashing to the floor. I stood. As quickly as that it was all over.
All bodyguards know elementary medicine. Nobody needed to examine Spink to know I’d broken his patella. He’d be out of action, and work, for some time. With the weight he was
carrying, he might never be free of pain, even if I hadn’t permanently weakened him. I didn’t like what I’d been forced to do, but what choice had there been? He wouldn’t
have stopped till he’d proved his point and I couldn’t afford to be hospitalised, now of all times. I’d acted out of instinct and self-preservation. It was what I was trained
for.
The real medic we had on hand immobilised his leg and called for an ambulance. Since I’d been responsible I got changed, then sat with him till it arrived. Tori stayed in the background on
her chair. Spink did his fair share of cursing and moaning about his fate to the air, then addressed me directly.
“You’re good.”
“Thanks.”
“Been lookin’ for an excuse to get out. My old lady thought it was time to move on. Looks like you’ve given me what she wanted.”
I wasn’t sure how to answer that. It was sort of a backhanded compliment.
“Someone will need to take my place till they can find a replacement in my current job. I’ll phone and recommend you.”
“Leon, I can’t…”
His laughter interrupted me. “Sure you can. It won’t interfere with your client. Might even be helpful to you. I’m bouncin’. At your lady friend’s club.”
I was so carried away with this gift from the gods which had fallen so conveniently into my lap that I didn’t notice how quiet Tori was until we reached my apartment.
“So that’s what you do,” she said quietly as I turned off the engine. “You hurt people.”
“I protect people.”
“That wasn’t how it looked to me.”
“Would you have preferred I just let him wipe the
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