is over, we can find a nice match for you. Now, come downstairs. It’s only proper while we have guests.”
Roman
I pulled up in front of the gate at the Senator’s estate and pushed the button on the speaker.
“Can I help you?” a voice asked.
“Yes, this is Roman Barnes from Hart Security. I’m here to see the Senator.”
“Yes, Mr. Barnes. The Senator is expecting you. Pull through. You can park to the left of the house.”
The gates swung open, and I drove forward towards the massive house. Everyone knew Senator Coben’s story. He’d started out as pastor of a small independent church that grew into one of the largest churches on the East Coast. The services for his church had been broadcasted on television, and while he never reached actual televangelist levels, he was extremely popular in this area.
His wife had capitalized on his fame and used it to launch a series of books on being a godly wife and raising a godly family. Before long, she was being interviewed by the morning talk shows, talking about homeschooling, and how it was a parent's job to protect their children from the influences of the world. I glanced out over the expansive backyard that sloped down to the river. It looks like that was a lucrative career choice. Especially since most people credited her for the success of her husband's political career. He talked a good game, but she made it look tangible to the American people. The sweet homemaker who had her interviews interrupted by her children’s math questions and the oven timer had resonated.
I parked my car to the left as instructed and got out. I scoped out the area to see how easy it would be to protect. The security gate had given me hope the residence was secure, but the more I looked, the less that appeared to be the case. It had a scalable fence that ran around the property on three sides and stopped at the sandy beach area on the bank of the river. The river made the fourth side. So basically, that meant the property wasn’t secure at all, and was quite easily accessible, making the gate pointless and for nothing but show.
This was going to be a pain in the ass, and I blamed Rand. He was up in the rotation for the next high-profile security detail, but because of the stunt he’d pulled, we couldn’t send him. Everyone else was on assignment, and that left me. So here I was ready to play babysitter to the Senator’s son. The information on Malcolm Coben III was pretty straight forward. The guy was squeaky clean. There was a lot of information about him. He was in the public eye too much for there to not be, but no dirt. He’d graduated top of his class with a master’s degree in political science and immediately returned home to work on his father’s campaign—no drunken college pics, no arrest records, no sexual assault accusations. Hell, there weren’t even any pictures of him anywhere near a girlfriend. The Senator’s head of security had sent over copies of the letters, so I’d expected to find stories about a wild child in the file. Not so.
I walked around to the front of the house, noting the light-activated flood lights on the house. That was good, at least. I rang the bell, and a middle-aged Latino woman opened the door. “Mr. Barnes, welcome. The Senator is waiting for you.”
“Thank you,” I said, following her through the foyer and down a hallway. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Barnes. I’m Alejandra Morales, the Cobens’ housekeeper.”
“Ah, well, nice to meet you, Alejandra. And please call me Roman,” I said, being careful to soften my voice. I knew my size and appearance could be intimidating. That was part of what made me a good bodyguard, but I tried not to walk around putting everyone on edge.
That earned me a smile, and she said, “The Senator’s head of security, Fredrick March, is in his office with him. Once I have you situated, I’m going to fetch Malcolm.”
“Great, thank you.”
She stopped in front of a large wooden door and knocked. “Come in,” a deep voice called from inside. She pushed it open and stepped to the side so I could enter.
The Senator sat behind a huge desk, in an office chair that reminded me of a throne, but that could just be because I’d never been a fan of the Senator. It