Page 193 of Stand: Part One

“Your new bodyguard.”

I stilled for a moment, my nerves catching up with his words. Slow, heavy footsteps thumped against the hardwood of the floor, the sound bringing my attention to the person I hadn’t realized was standing behind me in the corner of the room the entire time.

Turning around, I widened my eyes as I watched my new bodyguard approach me, surprised at Darren’s choice. Standing before me was a very tall, well-built Amazon of a woman.

She had the typical haircut of a man—longer at the top with a high fade at the sides. But the fresh buzz cut revealed a sweet ass black and red oriental-looking dragon that was tattooed into the side of her skull.

The tattoo was so fucking cool that it nearly distracted me from all the other scars spread across her hardened, but still surprisingly, pretty face. She had to be at least six feet two, maybe six feet three, and built like a fucking tank. I couldn’t stop staring at her. I was in complete awe.

“Wow,” I whispered, just gawking at her like a dumbstruck idiot. My clit suddenly pulsed as it brushed against the pearls.

Am I in love?

“Jaden.”

I blinked. “Huh?”

Darren’s gaze hardened with perplexed annoyance. “This is Sloane. She’s your newest Camaro,” he informed me.

Turning my wide stare back to the incredible Amazon, I gave her a pitiful little wave. “Hi,” I breathed, sounding like a dazed child.

Her eyes warmed as the corner of her lips lifted. “Hello, Mrs. Davis. It is nice to finally meet you,” she said politely, her accent noticeably Russian. It wasn’t heavy, but it was definitely obvious.

Camaro walked closer to Sloane, her head tilting left and right as her nose sniffed the air around her. She must have been satisfied because she turned her nose down and moved back to stand beside me with a yawn.

“Only one?” I asked Darren, surprised he didn’t replace both Clive and Owen.

“For now,” he answered seriously. “That will change by a lot if or when I decide you can leave the house again.” I nodded solemnly, hating the way he phrased that. But he continued, tilting his head with an odd sense of pride at the giant of a woman behind me. “Sloane surpassed all the trials far better than any of the other candidates. She will make an excellent addition to your security team.”

I raised my brow. “She outperformed the men? Imagine that,” I commented as I turned my gaze back to Sloane, catching the flash of humor in her eyes.

It was a subtle taunt, but I couldn’t help but point it out. Even Darren had to admit that women could serve as more than just a profitable wet pocket for men to use.

“You know I prefer intelligence to brawn any day,” he responded darkly.

I nodded in acknowledgment and pursed my lips for a moment. Muscle wasn’t everything in this world.

“Is she aware of what happened to my last bodyguards?”

Darren’s gaze narrowed. “She’s well aware of their failures, yes,” he replied, his voice laced with warning.

I tried not to glare back at the insult, instead turning my gaze back to Sloane to find her standing like a proud soldier, like she was ready to lay down everything on the line.

But given the risks, why would anyone even want the job in the first place? If the ultimate end was to die for me, what benefit was there for them? What was Darren using to secure the role? Were these people just suicidal or something?

“What made you want the job?” I asked Sloane directly.

She didn’t even look at Darren before answering. “It’s a great honor to protect you from harm,” she answered confidently. “For both me and my family.”

I furrowed my brow in confusion. “A great honor? Your life expectancy just dropped to zero for someone you don’t even know. Your termination ends in death.”

“That’s enough, Jaden. This is an introduction, not a fucking interview,” Darren scolded, clearly not liking my line of questioning.

Sloane nodded, unbothered by the exchange. “Yes, an honor. And my family will be rewarded should my sacrifice be required.”

Well, someone had a damn good life insurance policy.

My gaze returned to Darren, catching the warning in his eye that made my stomach clench. He’d found another sucker willing to die for me, and I needed not to fuck it up.