Episode 5

Bley slowly opened his eyes. He looked at his hands, sat up in bed surveying the room and swallowed hard, as all of it continued to play out in his mind.

He let out a sigh, checking out his room, then closed his eyes with a strong grasp of the fact that it wouldn't be so easy to forget what happened. Forgetting wasn't a day's work and the thought of visiting a doctor, getting some sleeping pills, or perhaps more, crossed his mind.

Standing up, he made his way downstairs. Along the way, he politely greeted a few maids.

Upon reaching the ground floor, he heard voices. Hardly surprising; his father often held meetings at home, inviting guests for poker or other entertainments, day or night.

He moved to the kitchen for a glass of water, then returned to his room with it in hand. He sighed, preparing to dress and visit the doctor. He didn't want the daily plague of those noises, the echo of gunshots repeating in his mind.

"Bley."

He stopped as his father called him. Walking into the hallway, his father gestured for him to come closer.

After hesitating for a few seconds, he complied. He saw the usual men guarding the area, silent, waiting for orders, hands clasped in front, backs straight. Taking steps in following his father, he spotted someone the guards had obscured by standing together.

He stood still for a few moments, recognizing the figure all too well. Tall as he remembered, with intense red hair, arms covered in tattoos, and an imposing bearing. The man did not glance in his direction, eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Is he the one who helped you?" his father asked.

Bley swallowed, perceiving the man even taller than before. As he continued to stare, memories trickled back, realizing this wasn't the first encounter with him. The memory of a past collision blinked through his mind, and he blinked himself, confused, uncertain if the memory was real, for that time, he had thought he'd seen someone else entirely.

He scrutinized the redhead for a few seconds until the man cast a serious, emotionless gaze back at him.

And it became clearer.

Everything rushed back; en route to a performance with his bodyguards when suddenly, someone was hit by a car. It wasn't serious, but the injured person had seemed meek, nothing like the imposing, dangerous figure before him now.

"Bley, answer the damn question," his father demanded firmly.

Looking up at him, seeing his annoyed expression, Bley simply nodded.

"Good. My son says you protected him when his worthless bodyguards did not. Do you work?" asked his father.

"I'm a security guard at a supermarket."

"And where did you learn to handle a weapon? Or what's your background? You look like you've been in the police," he prodded, feet on the desk, showcasing his control over the estate.

"I've had military experience too," he replied effortlessly, betraying no strain despite the lie. Everything flowing from his lips was a fabrication.

"And what's your name?"

An enormous silence fell.

Bley waited with growing impatience for the response. His curiosity had waned at the prospect of hearing his name, so he observed the man. He didn't seem nervous or shaken by having been brought there. His expression showed indifference to it all.

"Maverick," came the clear, robust response, the redhead now looking directly at the man he deemed ridiculous, as were the other guards surrounding them.

Hearing the name gave Bley another reason to assume this was the same person who had helped before, yet also presenting a drastically different persona.

Standing still, he waited for the expected outcome so he could proceed with the mission he'd been sent to fulfill. To Maverick, his target's father seemed foolish, and he anticipated no difficulty in executing his task.

He didn't dwell much on the plan because it was straightforward for him: infiltrate the mansion, earn the boy's trust, obtain the safe combination, extract the contents, and eliminate them.

"So, you'll stay? How much do you make?"

"Eight hundred thousand."

"I'll pay you two million if you agree to guard my son."

Maverick glanced at the boy's father to confirm the proposal. He hadn't anticipated such an offer. He recognized that his father's face showed amusement, an expression Maverick didn't share. He didn't see bribing with money as a simple solution, for all potential bodyguards had to undergo stringent tests.

"Dad, what are you doing?"

"Don't you want me to say thanks? Well, we'll thank him with a paycheck while he works to guard your foolish life. If you have nothing useful to add, leave. You recognized him, that's all I care about. Don't you have lessons? Keep practicing until your feet bleed."

Blinking, Bley exited without looking back. However, the redhead followed his movements, noting how the boy's blonde hair cascaded down his back like gold. Maverick didn't find the boy familiar – he had never seen him; it was Alay who had, and they were quite different.

After the boy left and the father's mirth-filled gaze rested on Maverick, the man behind the desk posed the question again.

"Do you accept?"

"It's not my forte," he replied casually.

"Here, all candidates undergo tests to assess their skills and capabilities for any possible event. Some always accompany me, the finest without a doubt. You'll be with my son, better one excellent guard than ten useless ones."

"Why do you want him guarded?"

"I can raise the offer to five million. Money is no object."

Money wasn't an issue for Maverick either, as it was of least concern to him. He bided his time for the perfect moment to agree and execute his plan flawlessly.

"I don't know what you expect of me, but bodyguard work isn't my calling. I think it's better to assign one of your current guards."

The father sighed in frustration.

"I only want you. Take the test, and if you're not fit for the job, simply leave. I'll pay for the week of physical, psychological, blood, and urine tests."

Bingo.

Silence ensued for a few moments, with the father detecting no hint of acceptance in Maverick's stoic visage.

"Fine, but I make no guarantees. I saved your son out of sheer kindness, nothing more."

"Perfect! One of my men will take you to start immediately, so no time is wasted. You seem strong and smart, and protecting my son shouldn't be too complicated. I just want to prevent another disturbance like the other day; they ruin my mornings more than you could imagine."

Maverick nodded, his eyes roving the room, missing the presence of the safe he had imagined elsewhere.

When his gaze met that of one of the guards, he simply followed the implied direction to their next destination.

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