Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 40546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
Gabriela Morales knows this is her big chance. Playing a Little girl in a sizzling movie production could be her ticket to making it in the industry. Before she can reach stardom, Gabriela must deal with two looming a frightening threat and her enticing new bodyguard.
When his employees are unavailable, Kole Jeffers steps in to protect a vulnerable actress himself. That's when the owner of Guards, Inc. discovers this client is the most important of his career. Gabby is the special woman this Daddy has been searching for years to find, and he'll risk everything to keep her safe.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
CHAPTER 1
“It’s always so great to see you!”
Gabriela waved goodbye to her friends and headed toward her car. The private party had been a great escape but now she had to deal with the masses in the hip area. Her heels clicked on the sidewalk as she wove through the crowd that had gathered in the popular city spot on Friday night. She caught a few second glances and knew she looked familiar to some. Thankfully as Gabriela hurried past, no one figured out who she was.
The idea of losing her freedom bristled. Just because she brought stories to life on screen didn’t mean people had total access to her. She heard a whisper behind her and turned to see a man walking in the shadows behind her. Gabriela quickened her pace, feeling her heart rate escalate.
Turning the corner, she spotted her car. She beeped the remote to unlock it and opened the door, breathing a sigh of relief to have avoided detection. A hand smacked against the paint, forcing the door closed. Her heart immediately raced in her chest as she went on full alert. Whirling, she gripped her keys as a possible defense to see who that hand belonged to.
“Gabriela Morales.” An unfamiliar masculine voice recited her name. Fright ran down her spine at the look in his eyes. Pure hatred spewed from his gaze.
Her hand tightened on the remote, triggering the alarm. Lights flashed, and the horn honked repeatedly as she backed away from the dark figure.
“Hey! Are you all right?” a young man’s voice called to her.
“No! I need help!” Gabriela shouted without taking her eyes from the man staring at her.
“There will be a time where no one can help you,” he hissed before turning and disappearing into the shadows as the young man clattered to a stop beside her.
“Need me to call the police?” he asked, obviously enjoying playing the role of protector.
She struggled to turn off the alarm. The racket played havoc with her nerves. “No. I’m okay. You scared him off. Just probably a guy trying to rob me.” Gabriela tried to calm her thudding heart.
His gaze locked on her face, and recognition dawned on his.
Damn it! Get out of here. Quickly, she thanked him before opening her door again.
“You’re her. Gabriela Morales. You should not be out here alone,” he lectured her sternly before grinning. “Can we take a selfie? My friends will never believe that I met you.”
Quickly, she smiled for his camera and jumped into her car. Watching the road behind her, Gabriela took several sharp turns trying to lose anyone who might be trying to follow her. Finally, completely on edge, she fled to her home in a gated community.
Huddled on her couch with PupPup in her arms, Gabriela wondered what she should do. Finally, she called her agent.
In the morning light, everything looked less scary. Maybe she’d just overreacted. Now with the gardener outside and her housekeeper bustling around, she scolded herself for the sleepless night.
When the doorbell rang, Gabriela straightened her back and shoulders. Her agent had chewed her into little bits for taking such a chance. She had promised to send someone over in the morning to assess the threat.
“Miss, there is a big man from a security firm at the door. He says your agent sent him,” her housekeeper reported.
“Yes, Jayna. Send him in.”
Gabriela stood to greet the visitor and about swallowed her tongue when she discovered just what qualified as big to Jayna. He was massive, with biceps bigger than her head. She tried not to check out the rest of him, staring deliberately at his face. As he walked forward, he seemed to fill the room.
“Good morning. I’m Gabriela Morales. I’m afraid I may have wasted your time. In the light of day, I feel like I’ve overreacted,” she admitted.
“That’s usually how people feel. I’m Kole Jeffers, the owner of Guards, Inc. Your agent contacted me to come talk to you. Since I’m already here, let’s sit down and you can tell me what’s going on,” the man answered her smoothly.
She liked that he didn’t automatically dismiss her. She was used to men expecting her to be an airhead, since she was attractive. Gabriela nodded and motioned to the couch as she chose an armchair.
“Tell me what happened last night.”
“I don’t want to see this in the tabloids,” she stated quickly. She’d learned quickly that they would publish anything.
“My services are completely confidential. Nothing you share with me will go further than this room,” he promised.
Gabriela quickly ran through everything, trying to keep her emotions out of it. She failed when she admitted, “He scared me. The malice in his gaze felt like he wanted to harm me—badly.”
“That isn’t the usual demeanor of a street thug. It felt personal?” Kole asked.
She shivered in reaction to that question. “So personal.”