The Bodyguard (Red's Tavern 7)

Most of the stalls were already closing up shop, as I’d expected. We parked and got out, and I followed Theo as he weaved his way down the little grassy pathway.

“Look at these,” Theo said as he made his way over toward a stand with fresh strawberries.

“First ones of the season,” the woman behind the stand said. She did a double-take, looking up at Theo and peering at him. “Wait a minute. You can’t be—are you Theo Castille? Oh my God.”

“Guilty as charged,” Theo said, a megawatt smile appearing on his face as he pulled down his sunglasses.

“Ah!” the woman called out, a massive grin spreading over her face, too. “Linda! Come here! You’ll never believe this!”

I watched in real-time as Theo transformed into Theo Castille, the famous actor, instead of just the regular Theo I had just been driving around with.

As Theo took photos with the two women from the strawberry stand, I hung back, not getting involved. When I turned around, I almost jumped. It was like watching a controlled explosion happen in slow motion, right in front of me. A type of domino effect like nothing I’d ever seen.

A small crowd had amassed behind us, all in the span of a minute. People looked right past me like I didn’t exist, their eyes wide as they gawked at Theo, whispering about him.

“It’s not really him, is it?”

“Can’t be. Here in Amberfield?”

“No, didn’t you read? He is here! I saw it online last week!”

“Theo Castille? No way.”

“Yes!”

“Theo! Oh my God! I am, like, obsessed with you!”

It only took another thirty seconds for the people to flow around me like a river, closing in around Theo like a miniature mob. I hadn’t even realized this many people were still at the farmer’s market.

I watched, in awe, as Theo took it all in stride. He morphed into a total and complete star, giving everyone the million-dollar smile and graciously signing napkins, receipts, and anything people could find.

People from nearby market stalls came up, pressing free items into Theo’s hands. Someone left a bag of jewelry at his feet, and another old man left a painting of a mountain for him. The women with the strawberries pulled out a case of them, insisting that he take it, free of charge.

“Violet Fire changed my life,” a teenage girl was saying to him now, a couple of tears streaming down her face. Her mom was right next to her, and as she held up her phone to take a photo of them, her hands shook.

Theo wasn’t just famous. He was absolutely beloved, even here in our tiny little town.

After watching in awe for a couple of minutes, something snapped back into place in my mind. I was on duty. I wasn’t here to stand around and be amazed. I was here to act as a shield between my client and the rest of the world. I moved forward.

I assessed everyone directly surrounding him, checking their body language and quickly trying to read their intentions. It was pretty clear that everyone here was just buzzing with excitement over seeing a celebrity, but in this job, I had to analyze everyone as a suspect.

I had to manage this for him. To make sure that he could move through life comfortably, no matter how much of a natural he was at being the center of a crowd.

“Okay, okay,” I said in my best firm, assertive voice. “Move aside. That’s all for now.”

“Theo!” another woman screamed from the back of the crowd.

“You are incredible in Base of the Mountain,” a young guy said, reaching out to shake Theo’s hand.

“Mr. Castille needs to head out, now. Thank you all for your kindness,” I said, reaching to pick up a bag and the little crate of strawberries.

“It was so lovely to meet you,” Theo was saying to one of the girls, who had been telling him a story about how her sister fell asleep every night to one of his movies. “Tell your sister I wish her all the best.”

Slowly, finally, I was able to get to the center of the little mob and get my arm around Theo. I cupped him close to me like he was something precious—the same way I’d seen my brother Brody tuck a football to his side as he ran, protecting it from the other players trying to take it from him. Theo grabbed as many of the other little gifts as he could, and we hurried back to the Porsche. A trail of people followed after, holding their phones up and snapping photos and videos as we made our way back into the car.

Immediately, Theo closed the top of the convertible. I put all of the items into the back seat.

“That was amazing, wasn’t it?” I said, unable to keep a smile from my face. My adrenaline was surging, my heart pounding harder than I’d even realized.