“There is someone else in the room”

She was immediately awake. In one fluid motion, she reached for the spot between the headboard and the mattress where she kept one of her bedroom guns. Her blood ran cold for a second as she felt the emptiness where she should be wrapping her fingers around a custom designed handle. Without missing a beat, she reached under her pillow for her knives. 

“Stop looking for ways to kill me. I removed all the weapons from this room. I figured you’d try to kill me before you opened your eyes.” 

Em opened her eyes and peered at her best friend, Margaret,  perched on a bar stool in the middle of her bedroom. She let out the breath that she didn’t realize she was holding. 

“What are you doing here?” Em asked once she took her first conscious breath. 

“Why didn’t we ever date?” her friend Margaret asked between bites of cereal. 

“Well, for starters, I change lovers the way most folks change underwear and you deserve someone stable. Secondly, if you think about your past 5 relationships, what do they all have in common?” Em climbed out of bed, poked Margaret in the side and walked to the kitchen. 

“Well, for starters they were all academic. They were all mid-western. They were all smart enough to get and keep my attention.” 

“Em chuckled.  There is one very important thing that you are leaving out….?” 

“What?” Margaret retorted innocently. 

You know what the hell I’m talking about! All your relationship, with men and women, are all with people at LEAST 15 years older than you.  And since I’m younger than you, I can never qualify.” 

“Thats not true” 

“Sure is.” 

“Humph. I have a type?” 

“Sure you do, we all have a type. And I love you too much to ruin what we have over some stupid romantic relationship that probably wouldn’t last. I trust you with my LIFE at least 6 times a year. That’s way more than I trust anyone else. Dang it girl, did you eat the last of my cereal?” Em opened all the cabinets and the refrigerator. She stared at the butter tub and the brita pitcher in the otherwise empty refrigerator. 

Margaret joined Em at the frig, remembered why she ate the stale cereal and went back to lean on the counter.  “Oh. Yeah. Sorry. It was stale anyway. You want me to fix you something else?” 

“First I want you to tell me what you are doing here.” Em, popped a can of Coke Zero, and took a long drink.  ”I didn’t tell anyone that I was back in town.” She sat up on the kitchen counter, ate the edges off a piece of wheat bread, and gave Margaret her undivided attention. 

“Where were you last night?” 

Em rolled her eyes. “Well, mother goose, my flight landed about 7:30, I drove straight to my favorite bar, Joneses, where I had 3 beers and 2 car bombs before I ran into a guy I knew from college. I picked him up or he picked me up, whateves. We came back here and…. 

Margaret covered her ears. “Ok, Ok. Spare me those details.” 

“And after I was done with him, I kicked him out and went to sleep.  Which I was still doing when you so rudely woke me up. So what are you doing here?” 

“Did you buy any drinks after you met up with this guy?” 

“Hmmmm, nope, I don’t think so. I knew I had to drive myself home, so I cut myself off after the carbombs.” 

“Wow. I applaud your self control. Did you two take any drugs?” 

Em hopped off the counter, and managed to find an almost empty jar of peanut butter and an equally empty jar of strawberry preserves. She looked at Margaret, made a face and said, “”What?!?! No! You know I don’t do drugs. I drink. Where the hell are you going with this 3^rd degree? What’s going on?” 

“A person with your training does not get her house broken into.” Margaret ignored Em’s questions. She brushed her shoulder off, “Even by someone with my extraordinary skills.” 

Em smirked. “HA! I was, excuse me, AM tired, so I slept through your clumsy break in. Or maybe you actually paid attention to my B and E lessons and got it right this time. 

“Get real. I’ve seen you with less sleep and more alcohol, with quicker reflects than you had today.” 

“Ok, Margaret, I’m slipping.”  Em, shrugged. “I’ll lay of the shots for a while. Just wine for a few weeks, ok? She walked over and gave Margaret a hug. Mid-hug she stopped. “You still haven’t told me WHY you broke into my house and ate all my cereal. What’s going on?” 

“Em, I got a call 16 hours ago from the Company while I was on location in Belize. I was told to get my ass here as soon as I could.” 

“Holy, Crap! That stunt I pulling in Japan won’t happen again. I got carried away, and Terry was so wonderful, and…” 

Margaret shook her head. “No, that’s not it.” 

“Then what?” 

I’m here as head of your security detail. Em, someone’s trying to kill you.