Don't Mess with Red

Lena Mitchel sat at her desk finishing up the bill for her last client at the family’s personal security business.

“Red, we have a new client,” her father said from his desk. “I need you to take it.”

Lena smiled at her father. “What’s it about Dad?”

“Wealthy corporate types with a teenage son. They take him with them on occasion but always farm him out to bodyguards. He gets into a lot of stuff like most teenagers. He wants attention and they won’t give it to him.”

“Why do I have to play babysitter? I’m a highly qualified and skilled bodyguard. And why is it Nick can’t do it? He’s a huge kid himself,” she said, pointing to her brother at another desk.

“Are you daft? He has no business around an impressionable boy.”

“Yeah Red, I hate kids.”

“You are not allowed to call me Red; only Dad,” she retorted.

“He only calls you that because you have Grandma’s red hair,” Nick told her.

“And her Irish temper!” her father said. “You best remember that. As far as why your brother cannot take the case; the last time he handled kids he gave them alcohol.”

“And the little beasts settled right down into compliance,” Nick added proudly.

“They trashed the hotel room and ran up a huge bill that I had to cover because their parents were going to sue us if we didn’t,” their father interjected.

"What? That's not normal?" Nick asked.

“Point taken,” Lena said. “Okay, give me the file and I’ll go over it before I go home.”

Her father laid the file on her desk. “You’ve had a long day. You can go over it tomorrow. Go get some rest.”

“Alright,” she agreed. She slipped her dress shoes off and put them in a desk drawer and pulled on her Nike sneakers.

“Are you walking through the park?” Her father asked.

“Sure,” she answered. “I usually do.”

“There was a report on the news about some guy attacking women in the park. You’d think they would have caught him by now, but they haven’t, so be careful.”

She kissed him on the forehead. “Thanks Dad for caring. I’ll be careful.”

Lena zipped her jacket as she entered the park. She breathed in the fresh cool fall air enjoying the fading light of the sunset. Suddenly she felt an arm around her neck and was being dragged into the woods that lined the park. She grabbed the man at the elbow and gasped.

“Just relax and this won’t take long,” he said.

Lena let go of his arm. “I should let you know that in the time it took for you to say that little spiel, I thought of six ways to kill you. If you’re lucky I’ll only subdue you,” she said.

He laughed. “I have a knife. Do you?”

“I don’t need one. Do you?”

“You women are all alike. Bluff all you want; you are not getting away.”

“So you really want to take that chance,” she laughed.

He pressed the knife top into her ribs. “Do you?”

Lena elbowed him hard and kicked his shin. As he grabbed for his side and rubbed his shin she spun around and kneed him in the groin and then she punched him in the nose. He fell to the ground cursing and screaming. He tried to get up and hit her. Lena wrapped one arm around neck and locked it in the other, cutting his circulation off until he passed out. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed the police.

“Now Lena, why did you go and have to put that sleeper hold on him?” Officer Tilford asked her. “You know how dangerous that is.”

Lena laughed and smacked the reached down and rubbed a place on the man’s neck. He started to rouse. 

“No he’s awake.”

The officer cuffed the man behind his back and sat him up against a tree while they waited for the paramedics. His partner stood up the hill to guide them down when they arrived.

“What’s your name?” the officer asked his prisoner.

He looked up and saw Lena. “Keep her away from me,” he demanded.

“Well, she says she warned you. You should have listened, and my experience with her is that when she tells you she can kick your butt; she is about to. You might want to keep it civil.”

“I’m telling you that bitch is crazy,” he said.

Lena leaned back on one heel and kicked him in the head knocking him over. “I am not a bitch.”

“What did I just tell you about keeping it civil? Lena! You can fill out the report tomorrow. You need to go home now.”

The man struggled to get back up. His head was bleeding where he hit a rock. “Did you see that? She kicked me!”

“I didn’t see anything except you falling over. Hey Conolly? Did you see anything?”

“I didn’t see anything either,” he replied, grinning. “Do I need to have the medic take a look at Lena?”

“No, I’m fine,” she said. “I’ll you gents in the morning.” She growled at the man in handcuffs and stomped her foot at him. “Not so tough after all; are you?” She walked away laughing.

Lena called her father to let him know she was okay and was actually surprised he hadn’t already called her or shown up. He would have heard the call on his police scanner and been worried. She realized she was on speaker as she heard her brother laughing and her father smack him on the back of the head when she told him what happened.

“I told you to be careful.”

“I know Dad. I was. He was just really quick on the draw until he had me. Then he got cocky and I had the upper hand. I’m fine. I’ll be in after I fill out the report in the morning.”

“All right. But be careful!” he reiterated.

Lena shook her head and disconnected the call. “Like you always tell Nick, Dad,” she said to the disconnected phone. “Don’t mess with Red.”

(Let me know if you think I should write more about 'Red').