The Bodyguard by Lena Diaz Page B

seemed silly with the coffin sitting a few feet away. They couldn’t hold a funeral without the guest of honor.
    She hadn’t gone near the coffin with everyone else there. At first, she had assumed she wouldn’t want to, but now, knowing this was the last time she’d ever see him, she had the sudden urge to do so.
    “I’d like a few moments alone, please.”
    Leslie frowned. “But we need to—”
    “I need a few moments alone,” she repeated and looked pointedly at the security guard closest to her.
    Leslie’s brows rose, but she got up as the guard stopped in front of her. She gave Caroline an irritated look and left the room.
    Once all the guards were gone, she sat for several moments, trying to gather her courage.
    A whisper of sound had her turning her head. Luke Dawson, dressed in a black suit, moved up the aisle and sat beside her. He put his hand on the wooden bench seat, palm up, an unspoken offer of friendship and support. She didn’t hesitate. She put her hand in his.
    “I’d hoped you’d come,” she said.
    “I gave you a promise that I’d keep you safe. In spite of what Alex recommends, I can’t seem to stay that far away from you.” He inclined his head toward the coffin. “If you want me to leave, I will.”
    Her hand tightened on his. “No. I’m glad you’re here. Would you mind...standing with me?”
    “Whatever you need.” He helped her to her feet.
    She was still wobbly and weak. She would use the wheelchair later, at the graveside service, but right now—with the coffin open—it was almost as if her husband could still see her. She knew it didn’t make sense, but she didn’t want to use the wheelchair here so she wouldn’t look weak in front of him.
    Luke’s strong arm was her rock to cling to as she slowly approached the coffin.
    She stared down at the man she’d married, and a shiver ran through her. Luke placed his arm around her shoulders and drew her against his side. Somehow that action helped stave off her panic and allowed her to do what she really wanted to do—face the monster and say goodbye to the man the monster had once been, the man she’d fallen in love with.
    Tears coursed down her cheeks. “I’m sure to someone like you, just knowing about the awful things he did to me, you can’t imagine why I’d cry. But he wasn’t always the man you’ve heard about. When I met him, he was my savior. He took me from a life of poverty, from an unhappy home, and gave me a fresh start. He was so handsome, and strong, and his smile...I felt it all the way to my heart. I truly, deeply loved him, before...before he...changed.”
    Luke gently stroked her upper arm. “You don’t owe me, or anyone else, any explanations.”
    The lack of judgment and condemnation in his voice dramatically highlighted the differences between these two men. Where Luke treated her with respect and tried to build her up, Richard had only sought to break her down with his constant criticism and humiliating lessons.
    She blinked back her tears. Crying wouldn’t soothe the hurt deep in her heart, or heal the ache for the man he’d once been and the man he’d ultimately become. Only time would do that—or, at least, she hoped so.
    * * *
    L UKE STOOD WELL back from the group of mourners and security guards and police officers, the latter there mostly to keep the press from mobbing the graveside service. A dark green tent covered the casket and the thirty or so white folding chairs that were all occupied, with many mourners standing at the edge of the tent, spilling onto the green grass.
    Luke stood in the cover of oak trees, scanning the crowd, watching for anything that didn’t seem right. Normally he performed bodyguard services right beside the person he was guarding. Watching over Caroline long-distance didn’t sit well. It didn’t sit well at all. But, again, the guards with Stellar Security seemed to be doing a good job of keeping everyone back and keeping a ring of their men around