Lester was intent on getting the bodyguard job.

  As the sun was going down, Lester, who was now breathing hard from the run, arrived at the address, and he saw in front of him, a heavy steel gate, which was connected to a concrete wall with razor wire on top. Along the wall, there were cameras. There was even a warning sign, which stated that there would be landmines behind the wall. It was like the owners were paranoid or something.

  Lester approached a communication device beside the gate, and, leaning into it, he said, "Hi, I'm Lester. I'm here for the bodyguard job." He waved at a camera that was pointed at him, and he showed his new villain ID toward it.

  After a moment, a voice answered, "Come in, stay on the road, and go to the second utility building on the right."

  "Understood," Lester said as the gate opened by sliding behind the wall.

  As he walked into the compound, Lester looked around. There was a huge mansion ahead, or maybe it was a palace judging by the amount of marble and statues and stuff. There was even a fountain there, gushing with water. Definitely a lot of money. There seemed to also be, as he looked to the right, a gunman on some watchtower looking his way and casually holding a rifle. This was a sign that maybe he should just do as he was supposed to and not ogle at stuff.

  Lester traveled the road until he came to the second building on the right. At the door, he was met by a guy in a suit. Despite having age wrinkles on his face and having lost most of his hair, the guy looked to be in somewhat good shape. The man said to Lester, "Fuck, cargo shorts and a t-shirt. What kind of a bodyguard are you?" The guy paused for a moment, like thinking what to do. "Just come on in before a family member sees you."

  As he walked in, Lester glanced at his clothes. He was indeed maybe a bit badly dressed to be a high-class bodyguard. But there hadn't been any mention of a dress code on the job posting. But even still, it was five thousand and he would do his best to get that money.

  "I didn't have my good clothes with me when I noticed the job," Lester said.

  "We'll just have to fix the clothing problem."

  They went into the small auxiliary building. It was a small room with a single desk and many large closets, of which one the guy opened. It held suits similar to the one the man was wearing. There were plenty of them, and they all had numbers for sizes. It was, Lester noted, really convenient. It seemed the people here were always prepared for some random guy to just run in with shorts on and jump into a suit to become a bodyguard.

  Lester suppressed a smile and said, "I'm medium-sized."

  The guy grabbed a suit and shoes and said, "Quickly put this on. We don't have much time."

  As Lester was changing there in front of the guy, the man said to him, "Okay, this is the deal. We had a last-minute inconvenience and are short of staff for the moment. If anyone asks how you came to be here, it's because you know me, and we've worked together. Understood?"

  Lester thought about it for a second. For five thousand he would definitely understand.

  "Sure," Lester said. "But what's your name?"

  "I'm Jeff Anderson. I've been a senior security manager for Lord Psion for twenty years."

  Lester recognized the latterly mentioned name immediately. Lord Psion. He was one of the six master villains of Recalm City. Maybe there was some favor to gain here if he performed well on this job. Or maybe he, Lester, a low-level villain, should just keep his head down and try not to attract the attention of guys like Lord Psion.

  "So, what's the job," Lester said.

  This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

  "Lord Psion's beloved great-granddaughter Nancy Psion wants to go out to have a good time. You will be attending her as her bodyguard, and you will make sure she stays safe."

  Lester nodded while trying to put on the gun holster which was somehow tangled to the suit.

  Jeff looked at Lester, looking a bit doubtful. "You do have bodyguard experience, right?"

  "Of course," Lester said as he managed to attach the holster so it sat at his left side and would go under the jacket. "I actually have a lot of experience escorting people in the wilderness and other stuff." Lester knew it was the truth. Well, maybe not the exact truth. It had been more like he had walked along with the others, and they had kinda been escorting him, but it was at least close to the truth.

  "You'll need a gun," the man said as he pulled a pistol out from a safe inside the closet and put a magazine in it. "You do know how to handle one of these."

  "Absolutely," Lester said, took the gun, and put it in the holster. He had, in fact, fired some pistols during his time at Juniper Grove. And most likely, he wouldn't need to fire this gun anyway.

  "One more thing." The guy handed him a device that looked like an epipen. "If it looks like she is going to overdose, pull this sock here and slam this to her thigh."

  Lester took the device and took a closer look. There were instructions on it. There was even a picture of a needle and an arrow. There was a question of which he would most likely use, this needle or his gun. Most likely neither, but at this point, he would maybe give the chances slightly toward the syringe.

  Lester put it in the pocket of his borrowed black jacket. Then he looked at himself, evaluating the setup. It was a bit loose, but on the whole, he'd never looked this professional in his life.

  The man looked Lester over, and after he nodded approvingly, he said, "And just you understand, if Lord Psion's great-granddaughter gets hurt, he will punish you personally."

  Lester stopped to think about it. This job might be a bit more dangerous than he'd thought it would be. But it was still just a simple bodyguard job. He would just have to be extra vigilant and careful not to invoke the wrath of the master villain.

  New Quest: Keep Nancy alive and unhurt.

  Award: 1 point.

  Note: Failure will likely result in your death.

  ***

  Moments after he'd gotten his new bodyguard clothes, Lester was standing next to a limousine parked next to the mansion. The car was entirely black and, by the looks of it, somewhat armored, having eight wheels to hold the weight, and the windows seemed to be at least several centimeters thick.

  As he stood there, Lester saw the party people approaching. There were four of them. All young, maybe in their late teens or at least slightly younger than him. Three of them were women, and one of them was a man. They all were dressed in evening clothes, the women wearing short dresses along with high heels.

  Jeff nodded toward the group. "On the center-left, that is Nancy."

  Lester's gaze fell on the woman. And she was, indeed, good-looking with a slender body and a porcelain face. She was smiling. Her name was Nancy Psion, and he would be responsible for her safety for the night.

  Lester gulped, telling himself that he was here to do a job. And Nancy was way above his league. He would just do his job, get the money, and if Nancy thanked him after, it would be all fine.

  As the group got to them, Jeff turned to Nancy and pointed at Lester. "Your bodyguard for the night, Miss Psion."

  Lester observed Nancy just give him a quick glance, not seeming to really notice him. Was he supposed to introduce himself? It might be rude not to. Or maybe the other way around. But usually people did introduce themselves.

  "My name is Lester, Miss Psion."

  Nancy rolled her eyes and said to Lester, "Just keep your distance, henchman. I don't want you to flatten this night by your presence."

  Lester thought of telling her that he was not a henchman but an actual villain. But that would have definitely been the wrong thing to say at this moment. Also, because they were paying him five thousand, he would gladly overlook some mistakes from the fine woman.

  "Very well, Miss Psion," Lester said and opened the door to the limousine.

  As the last of the people went in, Lester noticed one of the girls had already a white line of some powder on the back side of her hand, which she seemed to be intending on snorting. From how things were starting out, it was far more likely that he would be using the overdose syringe instead of the gun.

  After the VIP:s had gone inside, Jeff said to Lester, "Remember, Lord Psion will be really displeased if his great-granddaughter gets hurt."

  "Understood," Lester said as he proceeded to enter the car.

  As he sat into the front seat beside the driver, Lester wondered about his life. Was this what being a villain actually was? It wasn't as glamorous as one might think, but at least he was making big money. Though, now that he really thought about it, it was really strange that they couldn't find anyone else to do this job.