Firewall Read Free

limo, Calder closed the door behind them. “Okay, back up,” he ordered as photographers pressed close to try and get a glimpse through the window. The windows were tinted but the photographers were desperate for one last glimpse. “Show’s over.”
    With a moan, the horde backed away. Calder climbed into the front passenger side of the limo and quickly closed the door behind him. “Evening, Joe,” he greeted the driver. He had seen the man around enough now, since he was Mr. Leman’s regular driver.
    “Evening, Calder,” Joe greeted. “Are we good to go?”
    “Yep, go ahead.”
    Joe pulled away from the curb and rejoined the traffic on the street. It was only then that Calder was able to breathe a little.
    Mere moments after Calder was settled, he received a text message from his best friend, Justin.
    Calder smiled as he glanced to the text, which simply read:
    Another day done.
    Calder responded:
    Mine’s done tomorrow
    He put his phone away, not wanting to be distracted by texting on the job.
    He loved getting texts from Justin, even if he couldn’t always answer them. With his job being so time-consuming, he didn’t get much chance to socialize outside of working with and for his clients. Even then, the acquaintances he had in the city were tiring. A lot of other security guys were full of themselves and led lavish lifestyles. While Calder was making decent money too, he preferred to store most of it away for a rainy day. That made him an outlier, especially in this city.
    Calder knew how to handle fame. Justin was a hotshot, too, as far as the tech world went. He came off as cocky sometimes but Calder knew it was because of his Asperger’s. As a kid, Justin was always picked on because of that and his general social awkwardness. Even Calder had thought Justin to be weird until he really got to know him.
    Calder remained focused on the job for the rest of the drive back to Mr. and Mrs. Leman’s luxurious home. As soon as they were in the drive, with the gates sliding closed behind them, Calder relaxed a little. Once they were parked, he stepped out of the limo and glanced around, making sure the coast was clear. The Lemans’ property was large but fairly open, so it was easy for Calder to keep an eye out for suspicious activity.
    When he was satisfied, Calder opened the door for the couple and led them out. Now that the Lemans were away from the spotlight, the laughter and smiles had died down. No, now they were back to being a couple where it seemed like all the love was lost.
    Mrs. Leman definitely knew her husband was being unfaithful. Calder wished that such a situation was unusual but he saw the ugly side of a lot of his clients. That made him lose some faith in humanity.
    He guided the Lemans inside.
    “We’re in for the night now, so that will be all,” Mr. Leman stated as he and his wife removed their outer clothes in the foyer.
    “All right, sir.” Calder nodded, and left to go to the surveillance office. As soon as he was in the office, he blew out a breath while stealing a moment for himself. He brushed his hands back through his hair, loosened his shirt collar, then sat at his desk. Before him, several screens were set up that showed him various views of the property via cameras. Everything was quiet at the moment and the night had gone well.
    Calder busied himself next with filling out some paperwork. He actually didn’t mind doing the paperwork since it was calming.
    When he was finally done the paperwork and could relax a little, Calder removed the phone from his pocket. There was another message from Justin.
    I miss you. We should get together sometime soon.
    As soon as Calder read this message, his heart tightened. It had been eight years now since they’d seen each other, as they had grown absorbed in their futures. There had never seemed to be time for it. Still, they were every bit as much best friends as when they’d met on the first day of third grade. Phone calls, texts,