the bodyguard

Lili Mahdavi 31 Firefighter Bodyguard Glorified Babysitter

[notsolovely-lili]

lili wasn't someone who panicked, she never had been. since nick had left though, there had been a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. she should have trusted her gut sooner, that much was clear. she had texted atticus before she'd checked her tracker app, hoping that the worst that would happen was her wasting his time. but that wasn't going to be the case. not tonight.

as the red dots on her phone didn't move, worst case scenarios were running through her head more and more. lili passed her tablet, ear piece and apologies to her number two guy. she was dialing nick again from outside when she saw atticus arrive. as nick's number went to voicemail again, she felt sick to her stomach. "atticus-," she breathed, turning her cell towards him, "something's wrong. both of their cars have stopped here and unless they're really making up... i think we're in trouble. we've gotta go." @atticus-bass

[notorious-nick]

Nick's eyes were trained on his phone, watching this red dot move further and further away from him. Gabriela. What they'd done to her was wrong, he knew that. He wished he'd never agreed to be a part of all this even if the threat was very much real. He wished he'd just told Gabriela what was going on, more than anything. There was no turning back the clock, though. Nick did what he did, he was who he was. All he could do now was try and get her back.

He finally looked back up at Lili, nodding at her offer. "Okay."

[notsolovely-lili]

"Okay," she repeated. Lili didn't take long to find someone on staff who could drive Nick for the evening. His ID card checked out so his background check had already been run. She'd seen him before - hadn't she? - and everyone in here was a professional. Lili trusted that Nick was safe to follow him out and into the car, following after Gabriela. She could see for herself on the app that Nick was headed in the right direction. The night was still in full swing, her attention dragged from her phone and back into the present. Her sister still in eye shot - always - while she carried on working the room. But something was wrong, wasn't it? A feeling in the pit of her stomach, a chill up her spine. Something about the man who had walked out with Nick to that car. A feeling of unease she couldn't shake no matter what she tried.

[notorious-nick]

Nick was about to argue when she asked for his phone. Of course, there was an app for it. He did so obediently, looking down at his feet and chewing back words he wanted to throw at her. The worst part was Nick knew this was hopeless. He could run after Gabriela all he wanted, he'd destroyed what they had with extreme precision. Nick was reckless and destructive, but not with her. He never meant to be with her.

"Gabriela is never going to forgive me, Lili," he said at last, finding his wave of anger had made a sharp turn to devastation.

[notsolovely-lili]

Lili made short work of adding Nick onto the app that was tracking Gabriela's car. She watched as it made a steady path away from here and felt her stomach churn all over again. Even if she had to keep moving, it didn't mean she didn't feel awful about how they'd left things. If Nick had any hope of getting her back, she should let him try. If any of them stood a chance, it should be Nick. Gabriela had told her not to make excuses for him, but Lili and Atticus had led him down this path. He was a means to an end, there was no denying the facts. Lili handed his phone back, giving his hand a brief squeeze.

"You don't know that, Nick. And you won't know it until you try. That's her car there-," she tapped his screen- "I'll get someone from the staff to drive you. Okay?"

[notorious-nick]

"No, I was at the office," he answered, waving a dismissive hand at her worry. This wasn't about him and honestly, he couldn't stand the sympathy in her eyes for him now. Lili and Atticus were more similar than he'd ever realised before. Always so together, always so in charge. Playing with people's lives and pulling their strings without them being any the wiser. Lurking in the shadows, making moves in the name of safety and security. He knew he was drunk and bitter, and heart broken. He didn't want to take it out on her.

"Fuck-," he hissed under his breath, running a hand through his hair before the solution came to him clear as day. "Wait, you know where she is, though. Don't you? Tell me. Link me. Whatever it is you do to track us, give it to me. You owe me, Lili. Both of you do."

[notsolovely-lili]

What was Nick going to do, run after Gabriela? She would have to get someone to drive him. That or she could tie him up and toss him in the supply closet until the night was over... It was a tempting thought, truth be told. She understood his frustration and was sure he blamed her as much as Gabriela did. This was such a bad idea. Lili shook her head, stifling a sigh at his words. You owe me. Maybe if Gabriela hadn't torn down her defenses so thoroughly earlier, she would have fought him on this more.

Maybe.

"I'm not apologising for putting trackers on the people I care about, Nick," she said, holding her hand out. "Give me your damn phone."

[notorious-nick]

Nick had tried drowning his sorrows tonight. He'd tried to assuage his guilt with the most expensive bourbon in the office. Hell, he's even considered calling up whoever from his contacts- a list he hadn't even thought on in the months he'd been tangled up with Gabriela- but he didn't. Couldn't? What did it matter! The point was, nothing he tried was giving the quick fix he needed. And nothing could erase the memory of her face when she found out how he'd lied to her. Betrayed her. All the while, Howard Archibald's threat dripped down the wall behind them. He'd closed his eyes tightly to try and get rid of that imagine. No luck.

There was nothing more for it, he had to try again with her. It was a terrible idea but when had Nick ever shied away from them? He would have charmed his way into Jamie Park's event had he not spotted Lili from across the room. She gave him a long look before rolling her eyes, saying something into an earpiece that allowed him through the door. Nick made his way over to her, trying to stay focused while his eyes scanned the room desperately for Gabriela. "Lili, where is she?" @notsolovely-lili

[notsolovely-lili]

Lili should have known this night would go from bad to worse. Exhibit B came in the shape of a decidedly disheveled Nicholas Vanderbilt, lurking at the entrance to his brother's gallery. "Damn it," she mumbled to herself, clicking her earpiece to give her door guy the all clear. She headed towards him, stopping close enough to give him a once over. "Did you drive here?" She was already shaking her head, sure that he had been drinking and no good could come of him chasing after Gabriela now. But it was so hard to deny that lost, pleading, entirely un-Nick like look on his face.

"She's not here, Nick. Gabriela left."

[gabriela-archibald]

while she was furious and lay that all out on the table, she wasn’t sure if there was a care about it. after all, according to lili, nick and atticus, they had all did it in her best interest. if they still saw it as that, maybe they didn’t care if she was angry about it.

“are you? or are you more sorry that it all came out?” she retorted, her voice still laced with annoyance. “i’ve never kept anything from any of you and i expected the same respect, i guess that’s on me. my bad” she snarked, holding her hands up. yes they were work colleagues but they were also her close friends. “i’m aware of that now, no thanks to any of you.” to say that gabriela was exasperated at this whole ordeal would be the understatement of the century. “but they were left somewhat unattended. you three ran around using archibald’s like pawns on a chessboard. what if something happened to them? to nate? to elena? what was your damn plan then, huh?” if they were at risk all to protect her then she didn’t want it. she would go to howard herself before she’d let her cousins be put in the firing line. 

“for convenience…” she finished lili’s sentence to drive home that she had figured out everything about their plan now. convenience. that turned her stomach. it all sounded so detached, like she was something to watch and move when required. “he was involved enough, don’t cover for him. he knew what was happening and he did what he did anyway.” he made sure he was involved alright. that was another level of betrayal in itself between her and nick. “do you not think I’d take this seriously? the bloody personalised note on my office walls would say otherwise, lili. i could’ve been prepared for this. i could’ve take nate and elena and got out of the city for a while. i could’ve had things in place but none of you decided to use your collective brain cells and cognitive thinking skills to consider that, so please don’t stand there and have the audacity to tell me of all people to take this seriously.” 

[notsolovely-lili]

"i'm just sorry," she answered despite it not meaning much now. lili was sorry, of course she was. she never wanted to put gabriela in danger, she never wanted to cross the line into her personal life either. lili didn't want to be involved in the first place. she gave nick a hard time for leading with his heart, but she was no better. she never had been. when she'd left her life at the fire house behind, it was supposed to be different. babysitting brats she didn't give a damn about was a way to fill the time, to distract her from everything she had been running from. lili was too close to this now. she was too close to her. so, she took her punishment on the chin, letting gabriela continue uninterrupted and unanswered.

when gabriela finished her sentence, she briefly closed her eyes. this had blown up in their faces so spectacularly, she couldn't imagine a way back. that wasn't the point though. whether gabriela hated her guts or not, she was in danger. lili looked back at her again and swallowed back any more apologies. nick had been a mistake. maybe this whole damn operation had been a mistake. there was something she saw in gabriela now though, in her fury and her gut-wrenching worry for her family. she would do anything for them. and that was dangerous. not only did she now have the knowledge of what was happening, she was alone in it. she would isolate herself from them (at least, she'd try) and that would only make it worse. angry, alone and responsible... it was a recipe for disaster.

"i think you'll take it seriously. i think you'll take it all on your shoulders and you'll do whatever it takes to keep the people you care about safe. i think you're at risk of doing something you'll regret, gabriela." lili knew she wasn't going to win this one and she didn't have to. gabriela could hate her, it wouldn't stop lilo keeping track of her. "hate me, hate atticus. hate nick. but don't be a hero."

[itsoliviaburke]

"some might say otherwise" she noted, enjoying the view of lili and her smile. she hadn't seen her since well... "the wine is flowing and i'm not one to complain. plus it helps that jamie has impeccable taste in wines." another incredible skill the woman has "i don't eat cheese, but there's an art critic in there that i'm convinced is part mouse with all the cheese i've given him"

[notsolovely-lili]

"well, they don't sound very fun." olivia was still so beautiful (of course she was!). she was busy, too. they both were busy - that's how people meet at the airport - but not strictly right now. they were both here. "i think jamie might have every hidden talent a person could have, she's put a lot of detail into this thing." lili laughed unexpectedly at her mouse comment, taking a tiny step closer. "sounds like a match made in a disney movie. and, um, how have you been? are you in new york very long?"

[itsingridmontesmahdavi]

she wasn't going to let her own drama with her sister cause any hiccups this evening. they could hash this out and lili could go back to ignoring her, it would be fine. ingrid quickly answered a question to another staff member passing by and directed another towards the event coordinator "oh good so you can hear, just not when your phone rings" it was a quick jab, and ingrid knew better but old habits die hard when you're annoyed at a sibling "yes, i work for jamie. i have been for a while. you'd know that if you'd bother to keep in touch. what kind of security doesn't know who their employees staff members are? and don't think i don't know that you got your friend in here. what the fuck, lili?"

[notsolovely-lili]

the dig about lili not picking up her phone was expected but it still stung. her thoughts were spiraling to the worst possible case scenario now. ingrid was here. gabriela was here. what if something happened to ingrid? what if she was collateral damage? lili had to focus tonight, she couldn't be distracted by worrying about her baby sister. "i was going to call you back-," she started but was cut off by her explanation (and further digs, deserved and otherwise). "okay, leave mahesh out of this. he's literally the nicest person who's ever existed and jamie will love him. i have a handle on the guest list, thank you. you're just the last name that i thought i'd-... look, that isn't the point. are you staying in new york now? for good?"

[atticus-bass]

"nick has long passed that line. passed it so long ago that the line doesn't exist anymore, not that gabriela is much better" as much as nick's method of keeping gabriela safe was unconventional in a security front, he was somehow succeeding at keeping her safe. atticus couldn't complain about that part. the antics on the other hand were ridiculous and he would absolutely complain about that, like the time he was on a call with gabriela and was an unwilling participant in their shenanigans. they couldn't keep their hands off each other and they have the audacity to act like they can and they're being subtle. "he's not going to let up anytime soon. if anything he's only going to escalate" atticus reached into his pocket and pulled out some painkillers for the headache this whole situation was giving him. taking two and washing them down with his drink, he sighed "he's come this far, there's no turning back. cyber attacks isn't enough, there's no stakes there other than financial. he wants this to hurt, it's the only way any of the elite will take his threats seriously."

[notsolovely-lili]

"it sounds like you've had more than your fair share of dealing with nick-and-gabriela." lili could only begin to imagine the details and she was decidedly glad it wasn't her. nick was incredibly charming, that much was true but lili thought he wore his heart on his sleeve more than he'd admit. being with gabriela wasn't something he had to do. he was with her so he agreed to look out for her. either way, lili was tracking them both like a bloodhound.

"i know... it feels like he can't be patient much longer. it's all a show for him and everything up until now was the opening act. there's no chance of him getting his life back, the only option left is to scorch the earth for everyone else," she sighed, emptying her wine glass. she watched atticus over the top of it, washing back his painkillers and she paused. they had a strong working relationship and their combined efforts to protect gabriela had brought them closer. but this was still that, a working relationship. so, she hadn't meant to reach out and brush the top his hand with her fingertips and once she realised she had, she pulled it back. "are you doing okay?"

[romanravenwood]

roman chuckled at the mention of it sounding like something jamie would note. "yeah, that sounds like her. she can be a real firecracker when she wants to be" it was part of her charm to everyone is what he told himself. "if it makes you feel any better, i don't plan on throwing mine or flipping tables. the week is still young, there's time for that to change." he knew a bit of people asking the world of someone, especially clients. "knowing jamie, she'll want you all to enjoy the night as much as anyone else. take the win, lili. there's worse clients to have"

[notsolovely-lili]

"i think she lives up to her powerhouse reputation perfectly. i don't think i've ever met anyone quite like jamie park. that does make me feel better, thank you. now if i could only get all the guests to sign a 'i promise not to cause any scenes, commit any crimes or break any glasses' form on arrival." lili wasn't complaining about her work, her gig with 'friday night bites' had been nothing short of lovely. it was the kinda job that made this career feel like a forever thing. she just wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. "yeah, you're right. we'll see you there, then?"

[agnesandrews]

"impossible" she grinned over at lili. shocking that lili would ever think that she would cause trouble. she was innocent. she was an angel. "but there's sooo many impulses. i can't repress them all"

[notsolovely-lili]

lili shook her head at agnes even if there was an arguable smile creeping onto her lips. everyone who worked with her was warned, you know? "well, can you at least rank them 1 to 10 and sidebar the worst of 'em?"

[itsoliviaburke]

inside the gallery everyone was more than pleasant, olivia having her brief conversations before she had slipped out moments ago. taking a drag of her cigarette and tucking her lighter away, she turned at the sound of a familiar voice. one that she hadn't heard for some time "one could say so. then again, i have multiple bad habits"

[notsolovely-lili]

"nothing wrong with that," lili smiled. "well, in moderation, but still-," she added, letting out a nervous laugh. she wished she could take the entire night off - have a break from her whole life - but if 15 minutes was all she had, spending them with olivia burke sounded good to her. "how's the, uh, wine and cheese going for you?"

[gabriela-archibald]

"exactly. if only people would listen to me, we'd all be better off for it" she laughed, shaking her head. maybe atticus hadn't divulged any information but she figured it wouldn't do any harm to ask. that crease in his brow was looking permanent these days. "i know it's all been a lot with howard and i don't think anyone is giving him time to breathe. atticus needs a minute as much as the rest of us" if she was saying that someone needed to relax then it was serious. gabriela did a double take and frowned "what?! and you didn't think to mention this to me at all?"

[notsolovely-lili]

"i won't argue with that," she smiled. lili had always thought gabriela was the smartest person in the room and she doubted anyone would disagree. atticus always kept it together, that had been her experience since signing on with bass industries. they saw each other now more than ever about howard archibald. lili didn't think it was her place but... yeah, he needed a minute. "i know, i'm just not sure he knows that." she should have anticipated gabriela's reaction, looking down before facing her again. "it's okay, really. i wasn't hurt, you know? i didn't want to worry you, you have enough on your plate already."

[imchuckbxss]

"well said bestie" he grinned and gave a wink "i don't know he's the business one, i'm the personality hire. he gets like that all the time with me, thinks i should grow up but he's done that enough for the both of us" what was life without fun? boring as shit, that's what. "right! that car is my kid, he's threatening my first born, lili. had his keys pressed right to the paint ready to score it off. it was traumatising" he knew he'd earned some brownie points when she had laughed. "this is a face for sitting on...and being the poster child for being so filthy rich"

[notsolovely-lili]

lili feared being called 'bestie' by chuck bass might be her career highlight at this point. maybe she had to seriously reevaluate her choices. "thanks," she said, trying not to roll her eyes. "you don't think atticus was a personality hire?" she asked, barely holding off a smirk. "i'm sure he can hold up the bass empire just fine, he's really good at paperwork. threatening your first born... wow, you're right. that is pretty traumatic. should we sue him for fun? right. your achievements near cease to amaze, chuck."

[gabriela-archibald]

lili could look as guilty and regretful as she wanted. gabriela, however, was filled with a level of anger that she hadn't tapped into in a long while.

"it was still a risk, whether you calculated them or not." she shot back, already unimpressed with how this conversation was going "you didn't though. you left me open and none the wiser. i'm walking around and living my life not realising there's a target on my back, never mind the fact all three of you knew and decided to keep that crucial bit of information to yourselves considering the threat is against my life" she was on a roll now. every ounce of frustration she had unleashed on nick and atticus now being channelled to the third person in the party. "i have my own people to worry about, lili. did you even consider that? if there's a threat against me, then there's a big chance there's one against them. nate, elena, anne, my own parents...or do they not matter in your plan?"

she was bait. her three closest confidants had reduced her to bait and left their sitting duck bobbing around oblivious in the pond. "you all were too busy plotting to even consider all of that. and after all of that howard still got into my office, he's wherever he wants to be." her office. nick. his confession of everything. "good thing i was being babysat by nick i guess, right? if that's what you want to call it. were you even going to intervene on that? you and atticus knew...you saw...do you know how used i feel? like i was reduced to some play thing or assignment for him"

[notsolovely-lili]

lili let gabriela speak without interrupting her, she was under no illusions about what they had decided to do. it was a betrayal and it was a risk, there was no denying that. they could have told her from the beginning and anything could have happened. lili couldn't waste time on what-ifs, she'd already lost years to that.

whether she thought of gabriela as a client or something more, she had to accept her reaction. she had to stomach her venom. "i'm sorry for how it played out, gabriela. i truly am. this is your life and the bottom line is that your life is still in danger. yes, i'm sure howard has a list of names that have wronged him - my own included - but there's one he's going after hard. there's one he wants more than the rest. they weren't left completely unattended, i didn't forget about them. but this was about you, protecting you. it still is."

lili looked away when she mentioned their failed plotting and worst of all, nick. "i wish it didn't have to get this far but howard won't get away with this. i--- nick wasn't involved with our...plotting, he was just involved with you. where you went, he went. it was already happening so we- we looped him in." for the convenience, she neglected to say. nick had been sold on protecting her, of course he was. he let his feelings get in the way. "gabriela, i know you can't forgive this but i need you to take it seriously. you know now and you have to be careful."

[iris-sharp]

iris wasn't the type of woman to ever sugarcoat something. if she didn't like someone, it was made known. "why would i appreciate this ghastly get together?" she groaned "if actors want to inflate their egos then go do that on set, don't make the rest of us suffer through this farce"

[notsolovely-lili]

lili pressed her lips together as she fought her instinct to laugh at iris' comment. she had worked for the elite way too long now, she'd let herself get caught up in it. there was a time when she would have said just the same about the brats she babysat. "tell me how you really feel, huh? pays the bills, though. you must be used to that too... actors and their inflated egos."

[iris-sharp]

the gallery event was in full swing and it was fine. if it were anyone else hosting, iris would be less resistant to it's assault on the senses but this was jamie park's event. no matter, iris was here for her boss, rebecca ravenwood (and her family by extension).

if she was asked, she wasn't sure what anyone saw in the whole thing. the event was tacky in her eyes. one lavish stomach churning detail after another, iris walked through the event to check in with the ravenwoods, her face making no effort to hide how unimpressed she was by the spectacle.

"so ugly"

@tfrstarters

[notsolovely-lili]

lili saw iris sharp coming from her peripherals, face a storm of judgement. she knew rebecca ravenwood's assistant was formidable (which only made her think of her sister and how she should have known she was jamie's assistant at all). at her comment, she turned and raised an eyebrow.

"that doesn't sound like you're appreciating the party, iris."