MY PERFECT BODY GUARD CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR ;THE SHOWDOWN AND GETAWAY

Waking up in the morning, Richard's eyes shot open as he looked around the bed and noticed that Linda wasn't there. Panic surged through him like an electric shock, and he jumped out of bed, calling out, "Linda! Linda!"

There was no answer, and his heart raced as he raced to the bathroom, but she wasn't there either. He dashed to the kitchen, and there he saw her, calmly cooking breakfast.

"You scared me," Richard exclaimed, his voice trembling with relief.

Linda turned to him, a mischievous glint in her eyes, "Well, good morning to you too, Richard. I thought I'd surprise you with breakfast."

Richard, still catching his breath, couldn't help but smile. "You definitely did surprise me," he admitted. "I thought something happened to you."

"Hey, relax, Richy. We're in a hotel on the 87th floor. I don't think Gloria would guess we'd be here," Linda said as she sliced a carrot.

"So you can cook?" Richard asked as he approached her and took a seat at one of the tables.

"I thought a rich girl like you must have been raised around maids and servants, so you wouldn't bother to cook," he remarked.

"Well, unfortunately, I can cook. Sorry to disappoint you," she said, smiling.

"I mean, I don't mean it that way, you think. I just thought maybe you don't need to do stuff like cooking, considering it's less important, you know," Richard said, trying to make Linda feel better.

Linda smiled at him and reassured, "Hey, it's okay. I'm totally fine with it, and you don't need to feel uncomfortable."

She continued, "Ever since my mom died, my dad had trust issues. He didn't trust anyone to the extent that he taught me how to do things on my own. No maids, no house help, just me and him. He protected me a lot."

"Wow, that's cool," Richard commented. "So what are you cooking?"

Linda replied, "Well, rice."

"We can't go on the mission with empty bellies; we need to eat," she added.

Richard nodded. "I'm aware of that. So when are we going?"

"By 12 noon," Linda said. "It's the busiest hour of the company."

After finishing their meal, they tidied up, and Linda dressed in a black trouser, a white long-sleeve shirt, and a bulletproof jacket. Richard wore a similar outfit with matching colors, and they both covered themselves with large jackets as they walked away from the hotel, ready for their mission.

They headed to the place where Richard had parked their bike, and they quickly hopped on it and raced off. 

Richard asked, "So, remind me of the plan."

Linda explained, "Well, we follow the iron heaters' quarters; it leads to Gloria's secretary's office. You distract her, and I go inside Gloria's office to look for the documents."

As they reached the company, they climbed down and Linda discreetly placed a communication device in Richard's ear. She reminded him, "This is for us to communicate. Do you have the weapons?"

Richard confirmed, "I do," and he revealed his baton and gun. "If you get into trouble, alert me immediately," he told Linda.

After jumping the fence, they headed straight into the iron heaters' section, where they acquired uniforms and caps to blend in. As they made their way to the secretary's office, they encountered Robert, who asked, "Where are you two headed?"

Richard and Linda quickly turned back, and Linda lowered her head, pretending to be occupied.

"We're on a break, sir," Richard replied as he approached Robert, with Linda following closely.

"On break? I thought this was the busiest hour of the day," Robert said, sounding suspicious.

"We've been working since 4 AM, sir, so it's our time to rest, get some snacks, and come back," Richard explained, hoping to satisfy Robert's curiosity.

Robert, still not entirely satisfied, reluctantly let them go, and Richard and Linda walked away. They continued until they reached the secretary's office. As they arrived, Linda nodded to Richard, signaling him to enter.

Richard approached the secretary, whose nameplate read "Lyla Clark," and spoke, "Hello, ma'am. There's a guy in the iron heaters' section who came. He said he was looking for you."

Lyla Clark appeared puzzled but curious. "He has something he wants to tell you, and he claims it's a matter of life and death," Richard added.

Intrigued, Lyla Clark followed Linda outside, and they headed to the iron heaters' section.

Meanwhile, inside the office, Linda quickly got to work. She was fortunate that Gloria hadn't set a different password on the computer, and she used Jim's password. Linda began searching the computer for files, uncovering evidence of Gloria's involvement in money laundering for politicians through drug and cocaine operations. She also noted the location of the next operation.

Linda meticulously copied all the information onto a USB drive she had brought with her, ensuring that she had everything she needed. With her mission complete, she exited the office.

However, as she left, she accidentally bumped into one of Gloria's bodyguards who had previously worked for Jim. The guard recognized her and exclaimed, "Hey, you're Jim's daughter!"

Linda pushed him away and made a run for it. The guard quickly rushed to sound the alarm, realizing that an intruder was in the building.

The alarm blared throughout the building, and Richard, who was escorting Lyla Clark to the iron heaters' section, abruptly stopped when he heard the voice on the security radio announcing, "We've spotted Jim's daughter; she's inside the company." In an instant, he raced back to the spot where he had left Linda.

Meanwhile, Linda, who had encountered Mike and other bodyguards, found herself in a perilous situation. Mike, torn between his loyalty to Gloria and his hesitation to harm a girl, finally lashed out. He grabbed Linda by the hair and delivered a stinging slap with the back of his hand, causing her to fall to the ground.

"I can't touch a girl," Mike muttered, appearing remorseful for his blow, as a female security officer rushed forward and began assaulting Linda. The situation had taken a dangerous turn, and Linda was now in a precarious position.

As Linda was being ruthlessly beaten, with the female security officer delivering the final blow, Richard raced to her rescue. He kicked the assailant away from Linda and sternly confronted her, saying, "How dare you lay your hand on her?"

Mike, watching the scene, appeared amused. "Here for a rematch, Richard?" he asked.

Richard's response was firm. "Believe me, it's not going to be more of a rematch." He swiftly engaged with the security personnel. Dodging their attacks and fighting with remarkable speed, Richard knocked down three dozen of them, leaving only him and Mike.

In the tense face-off between the two, Richard confronted Mike for his betrayal. "Jim trusted you, and this is how you repay him?"

Mike casually replied, "I just went for the highest bidder. You know the saying, 'Only follow the path of the winning and jubilations.'"

"You're the worst," Richard retorted, his frustration mounting. They engaged in a heated hand-to-hand combat, and it was a close match. At one point, it seemed like Richard had the upper hand as Mike grew tired. It looked like Richard was winning the battle.

Mike immediately pointed a gun at Richard,  "You're a coward." Richard said Just as Mike was about to pull the trigger, Linda intervened, firing shots near Mike, forcing him to flee as Linda continued to shoot in his direction. The confrontation had reached a critical point, with Mike narrowly escaping and Richard and Linda standing their ground.

Once the area was clear, Richard rushed to Linda, who was badly injured. he pleaded, "Please stay with me." He cradled Linda in his arms, carrying her as he prepared to exit. However, he spotted a group of armed men rapidly approaching them.

Linda had already lost consciousness. Richard, with no other option, raced in the opposite direction, carrying Linda. As he reached a multi-story building, he dashed upstairs to the first floor, seeking a vantage point. From there, he could see the road clearly as the men closed in on him.

With no time to spare, Richard jumped as high as he could, still carrying Linda. When he was about to land, he skillfully turned and absorbed the impact with his own body, cushioning the landing. He quickly regained his balance, gently placed Linda on their bike, and raced away from the danger, determined to get her to safety.