Roger thought he was late. For some reason, he knew it was expected of him and so he had tried not to let that happen this time. Tami was probably waiting for that call from him about where he was supposed to go again. He wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of railing on him so early in the morning.

But as he drew to a halt, the very moment he stepped through the tall, wide double doors of the Staton mansion, he realized he was right on time. The scream that rented the air was a sure indication of that.

"What was that?" he asked, feigning shock and confusion. He already knew though that the princess of the house was home.

The maid who had just let him in shook her head and gave him a wide smile dripping with falseness. "Nothing you need to worry about," she told him. "If you'd follow me..."

Roger nodded and set off behind her. He glanced at his watch to see that he was ten minutes behind when he was supposed to get here. Tami was going to have a problem with that, but he couldn't think about that right now. He flexed his mouth around, settling into the character he had created for himself.

Jason Valhorne, a trained bodyguard who had previous experience working for high-end officials. He was quiet, proficient in a variety of martial arts, and knew the special art of being a fly on a wall when he needed to be. All of that was true, though Roger usually didn't care to be a fly on the wall. He liked the in-your-face approach much more.

Tami had made sure to tell him not to mess things up. Roger didn't know why she bothered to waste her breath on such things, though. Roger may be late from time to time and was sometimes more reckless than he needed to be, but he always got the job done. She knew that and just like any other job, this would be a breeze for him.

Although, he had to wonder if seeing the princess again was going to make this more interesting. He had a feeling she was going to spice things up a little bit. Especially since, as they drew closer to their destination, he could hear her high-pitched screeches coming from further down the hall.

He could tell the maid was growing more uncomfortable as they drew nearer. Roger watched her closely, listening to the way she sighed and hesitated for half a second in front of the door. He caught sight of a slightly annoyed expression before she wiped it away and offered him a small smile.

He guessed the staff wasn't very happy that she was back.

She knocked lightly on the door and the screeching on the other side stopped. Pretty good doors, Roger noted. He could hear sounds but he couldn't decipher anything she was saying.

"Sir?" She opened the door, hands clasped before her. "Your guest is here."

The maid gestured with her hands, stepped back and looked expectantly at Roger. Seeing his cue, Roger stepped into the room. All eyes fell on him, including that of Angela Staton. She was standing in the centre of the room, arms crossed, and when she caught sight of him, her mouth fell open.

Roger only allowed himself to look at her for a second. He was tempted to unnerve her, to wink or something, but he didn't. He let his gaze rest of Stephen Staton, who was sitting in the chair on the other end of the room.

"Reporting, sir."

"Ah, you're here." As the door closed behind him, Stephen jumped to his feet. "Good, you're right on time."

"Who's this?" Roger looked at the woman sitting on one of the couches. He recognized her as Stephen's ex-wife and Angela's mother, Brenda.

"This, everyone, is going to be my personal bodyguard during the campaign. Jason Valhorne."

Brenda frowned. Angela was silent but Roger noticed the way she kept looking at the man standing in the corner of the room. It must be the butler. "Your personal bodyguard? You have more than enough bodyguards."

"This guy is special," Stephen stated. "He's top of the line, the best out there. Nothing is going to get through this guy and if I wanted to do a safe campaign, I'm going to need him with me."

Brenda crossed her arms. Her eyes ran down the length of Roger and he badly wanted to grin when he saw the appreciative glint in her eyes. "So, what about us?" she asked. "Do we get a bodyguard as well?"

"You don't need it." Stephen's tone left no room for discussion and he dismissed her, making her face fall. "Angela will be getting one though."

"I'm your wife, Stephen. I think I deserve to—"

"You're not my wife," Stephen cut in coldly. "And that's the end of the discussion."

Brenda clearly wasn't pleased by that but she swallowed her next words, crossing her arms and leaning back in the couch in a pout. Now Roger knew where Angela got her attitude from.

Speaking of Angela ... she had sunken into a seat, staring holes into Roger. Glaring, more like it. He caught her gaze and, unable to help it, he winked at her. Angela's jaw dropped and she gasped loudly.

"Daddy?" she spoke up. "Where did you find this guy?"

"He was recommended to me by a friend."'

"Did you vet him beforehand? How do you know you can trust him?"

Stephen looked confused by the question. "Well, I did all the research I could beforehand and saw just how qualified he was. And the person who made the recommendation is very reliable."

Angela didn't tear her eyes away. Distrust burned in her gaze. "And who's that?"

"Her name is Tami Gonzales." Stephen folded his arms as well. "What's with all the questions, Angela?"

Angela didn't respond straight away. All eyes were focused on her, most confused. Roger, however, knew exactly why she was being so wary and the thought delighted him. Finally, she shook her head. "Nothing."

"Good." Stephen seemed glad to be over the interrogation. He smiled broadly at Roger. "Jason, as you can see, this is my lovely family. You'll be seeing them a lot over the next few months so I hope you all can get along swimmingly."

"I don't think that'll be a problem," Brenda spoke up. She didn't bother to hide the appreciation in her eyes this time and Roger felt like everyone collectively groaned inwardly at her words.

"Okay, now that we have all that out of the way." Stephen clapped his hands loudly. "I'm heading to my study. Helman? Why don't you show Jason around?"

"I'll do it, Daddy."

Again, all eyes fell on Angela and the room filled with shock. "Really? Well, alright, Angela be my guest."

Angela gave him a sweet smile and got to her feet. As she drew closer to him, a shiver ran down his spine – odd considering he knew he could take her down in a second.

"Why don't you follow me?" she suggested, then left the room without waiting for his response.

Jason nodded to everyone else in the room before taking his leave. Angela didn't stop to wait for him. She strutted away from the room and he followed, unable to wipe the smile off his face any longer. She didn't say anything to him and so neither did he. He only waited.

They made a turn down a long, wide, empty hallway and she whirled on him. Even in her heels, she still had to look up at him. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Didn't you say I needed to pay for the damages, Aliyah?" he questioned. He leaned against the wall, amusement spreading through him.

"Don't give me that bullcrap," she snapped. "You know my name is Angela."

"Angela..." Roger tested it on his lips. "Right, I think that was it. Why are you so upset, Angela?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" she hissed. "Is this another one of your little missions? Because if it is then it's not going to work."

"Why is that?"

"I won't let it! I'll stop you. I'm not going to get caught up in one of your little government schemes again and I'll be damned if I let you drag my dad into this as well."

Roger was honestly surprised by her conviction. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The anger he saw sparking her eyes was slightly frightening. "This is another mission. What is it? You wouldn't be here under a different name unless there was."

Roger only grinned at her. She was a pretty thing, might even be prettier if she wasn't baring her fangs at him. "You make it sound like you know me like the back of your hand."

"I know your kind."

"I wasn't aware I had a kind." As much as he was enjoying this, Roger knew better than to let this go on for too long. He launched himself away from the wall and advanced on her, forcing her to step back. Angela didn't back down though. "Look, whatever you think you know, just forget it. You're better off that way." He couldn't help himself. He touched a lock of her hair between his fingers. "It's nice seeing you again, princess."

Surprisingly, she didn't say anything to him as he walked away. But just as he was about to bend the corner, she said, "If you think I'm going to let this go, you made a sad mistake, Roger Dumas."

He looked back at her. Her golden hair was shining around her like a halo, contrasting the devilish anger in her eyes. He grinned and the anger deepened. "Hit me with your best shot, princess."

**

Hi guys! I've been gone for WAY too long but I hope you liked this chapter! Stay tuned for more!