Private Gold

Chapter 5

Thanking his lucky stars that his watch was waterproof, Joey checked the time and saw it had only taken ten minutes to finish loading the office furniture. The attempted mugging hadn’t caused too much of a delay.

But there was no time to check the USB he’d picked up. He needed to get to his bodyguarding assignment with Isobel Collins — the sooner, the better.

In the building’s small basement garage, he stripped off his soaked shirt and put on a dry one. He always kept a change of clothes in the trunk of his SUV, because investigation work was unpredictable. In the past, he’d often had to drive straight from a dirty, dusty site to a boardroom meeting. Today, he was especially thankful he’d packed a fresh pair of shoes and socks. His gym bag with the change of clothes was packed next to the other essentials in the Private Johannesburg world — cable ties, duct tape, rope, bottled water, and a knife.

Then he set off, joining the Friday rush-hour traffic heading out of the city center and onto the highway going east.

As soon as he got onto the road, he called Jack Morgan on his cell phone.

Jack seemed to travel almost nonstop. When Joey had phoned to break the news of Khosi’s death, Jack had been in Paris, on his way to board a plane to New York. In the few seconds this call took to connect, Joey had time to wonder in which country, and which continent, Private’s owner would be now.

“Joey.” Jack answered after just one ring, sounding concerned. “You doing OK?”

“It’s tough at the moment, but I’m coping,” Joey replied. “I’m on my way to a bodyguarding assignment. It’s the first time I’ve done this. I thought it would be routine, that it was just a tourist needing some extra security. But the lady sounds scared, and she’s staying in a very dangerous part of the city. I don’t know why she’s there. Don’t know if it’s my job to ask questions.”

Jack was silent for a moment, and Joey was sure he heard a seagull calling in the background.

“As a professional, your job is to assess the risks and threats effectively,” Jack said eventually. “Ask all the questions you need to in order to do that, and continually assess your surroundings. Circumstances can change very quickly in those situations, so keep your eyes open.”

“I will,” Joey promised.

“And remember, whatever she’s there for, your role as a close-protection officer isn’t to get in her way or try to stop her, it’s to keep her safe while she does it.”

“Thanks, Jack. Appreciate the help.”

“All the best with it, and call me if you need anything else.”

“I will.” Putting his phone down, Joey accelerated through a gap in the traffic, heading to his assignment with a renewed sense of purpose.