Taken by My Bodyguard

Taken by My Bodyguard ADDISON ROWE Copyright © 2023 by Addison Rowe All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Contents 1. Cooper2. Mia3. Cooper4. Mia5. Cooper6. Mia7. Cooper8. Mia9. Cooper10. Mia11. Cooper12. Mia13. Cooper14. Mia15. Cooper16. Mia17. Cooper18. Mia19. Cooper20. Mia21. Cooper22. Mia23. CooperEpilogueAlso by Addison Rowe CHAPTER 1Cooper Ipinch the bridge of my nose, expecting it to relieve the stress pounding in my head, but it doesn’t. The mountain of paperwork on my desk doesn’t seem to get any smaller. Nor do the bills stop coming. The small dingy office reeks of sweat and the clanking of the air conditioning unit reminds me there’s always going to be one more problem needing to be solved. “Cooper, better get out here.” I glance up to find Luke poking his head around the door, concern etched into his brow. My first thought jumps to a busted pipe in the bathroom. “Just turn the water off at the junction and I’ll get a plumber out here to fix it.” “What are you talking about?” Now, I’m confused. I arch an eyebrow and glance at Luke “What are you talking about?” “Jake’s going ballistic on Max again. Max is trying to tap out, but Jake keeps coming at him.” “Get Bobby to break it up,” I say. “I’ve tried already. I don’t know what Jake is on this time, but he’s not letting up,” Luke says glancing over his shoulder. “Damn it all to hell,” I grumble and jump to my feet. “Who authorized those two to get in the cage in the first place?” I push past Luke and charge into the gym. My nose crinkles at the smell of sweat, chalk and various deodorants permeating the air. Several guys are standing around the black wired cage in the corner of the room cheering and howling like wild animals. Others are too busy on the ropes to pay any mind. The 5pm class stops their stretches to watch me stride past them without so much as a nod in their direction. Storming to the cage, I point to the guy closest to the bell. “Call it.” “What?” he asks, dumbfounded as he hunts for the button that rings the bell. “I said call it.” My voice drops and I know the only way I’m going to get anyone to listen is to use my drill sergeant’s voice. The sound of the bell ringing causes the bystanders to grumble as they scatter back to their training spots. Jake is unaffected by the sound and continues pounding Max to a pulp. Blood trickles from Jake’s nose. I look at Max, huddled in on himself trying all he can to block the barrage of blows coming from all directions. I hop over the four-foot chain link fence and without a word slam my elbow into Jake’s jaw. He stumbles back, releasing Max from the onslaught of Jake’s torture. “What the hell?” Jake mumbles through his mouthpiece. “Enough!” I shout, glancing at Max to make sure he’s on the outside of the cage. I turn back to Jake. “What the hell is wrong with you?” “Thought this was no holds barred,” Jake replies, with a growl in his voice. “You’ve got the wrong attitude for this sport.” I mirror his footwork as I scold him, uncertain if I’m about to be his next target. Rolling my shoulders to loosen them up, I glare at Jake. “You don’t come into my cage and act like an animal, understand?” “Are you kidding me? What kind of pussy ass gym is this?” Jake asks. I throw a quick glance over at Luke, as he gives Max ice for his injuries. “Last time I checked, I was the owner of this place, not you. And as the owner, I get to make the rules. Not you. You need to leave your emotional baggage at the door. I don’t want your shit stinking up my place. Got it?” “You’re just pissed I handled that pussy like the bitch he is,” Jake says smearing the blood across his upper lip with his forearm. “You think Max is a pussy, then why fight someone weaker than you? Or do you like picking on people you think are lesser?” I say as my blood pressure rises. “What do you know old man? I’ve never seen you step into the cage. You just shout orders and think you’ve got what it takes,” Jake says. I arch an eyebrow and let a cruel, wicked grin stretch across my mouth. “That’s what you think? That I don’t have a clue what I’m doing? Alright then,” I say, “Show me what you’ve got then. Bare knuckles, let’s go. You wanna play dirty, we’ll go backwoods dirty.” “You sure you want to be doing this?” Luke chuckles as he glances at Jake. “I’d listen to your friend, Coop,” Jake snickers. “It’d be a pity if I punished the owner of the gym in front of everyone here. I don’t want to hurt you, but you do this, and I’m not going to go easy on you,” Jake says with such a cocky tone that it makes me smile when Luke responds. “I wasn’t talking to Cooper,” Luke says. “I was asking you. You sure you want to get in the cage with Coop?” “Please,” Jake says nonchalantly as he bounces from one foot to the other. “What can this old man do to me? I’m half his age.” “And half as experienced,” I say as I crack my knuckles and flex my fingers to stretch them out before balling them into tight fists. “But what do I know? We gonna do this or what?” “Coop,” Luke warns. “Take it easy on him. We don’t need another lawsuit.” “The kid wants to rumble,