Page 28 of South Beach Bodyguards

“I’m okay now. I’m not going to faint or anything. I’m also not that fragile.”

She seemed pretty fragile to me in general. “Okay.”

“You don’t believe me.”

“No. Not really.”

Isabel sighed. “I want a sandwich.”

“I can get you a sandwich.” Publix was right around the corner from my apartment. “Just relax. I need to call my dad.”

Isabel crossed her arms over her chest while I called Mickey as I was working around the front of my car. I didn’t really want her to hear my conversation.

“Hey,” I said when he answered. “Did you learn anything? I don’t see anything out of place at the house.”

“I can’t find anything. None of my contacts know anything. I have the surveillance cameras going back on the exterior of the house, even though Kim doesn’t want them. But I’m starting to think that Isabel just tripped and fell. She’s not the most graceful kid on the planet.”

“Everyone can trip,” I said, and it sounded defensive. “But did you check up on the guy she went out with a few times?”

“What guy?”

“Some dude named Juan Carlos. I think you should run a background check on him.”

“On a Juan Carlos? Are you kidding me, Ryan? There’s only about ten thousand guys named Juan Carlos in Miami.”

“I’ll give you his phone number. Just to eliminate him. I’m sure he’s just some prick she met online but I want to be sure.”

“Sounds good. I’ll put someone on it after you give me his number.”

If someone just happened to have a conversation with Juan Carlos and told him to stay the fuck away from Isabel, I was okay with that. “Talk to you later. We’re going to stop at your place so Isabel can get her dog.”

“Um, not any time soon, if you catch my drift.”

It took me a second. I stood in front of my car and tried to not be bitter that my father got more action than I did. There was just something really wrong with that. “When would a good time be?”

“I may be busy for the rest of the afternoon.”

Well, that was disgusting.

“I’ll bring the dog to your place later tonight.”

That made me forget about my father’s sex life. “No, Mickey. Seriously, do not bring that dog to my apartment. I’m not prepared for a canine houseguest.”

“It’s not a big deal. I’m not asking you to adopt it. It will probably only be tonight. Tomorrow I think Kim and Isabel can go back to the house.”

I sighed. “Fine. But text me before you come over.”

“Why?” Then my father made rustling noises like he was moving around. “Wait. You can’t touch that kid, Ryan, do you hear me? That is not something Kim would be okay with.”

“Isabel is an adult. She can do whatever she wants. And who said I was going to touch her?” It was none of his damn business. He was the one who had embroiled me in his bullshit mess, but he couldn’t dictate what I did with Isabel.

“There are plenty of other girls you can hook up with. Not her.”

That annoyed me. “Are you lecturing me on morality? Nice try, Dad.”

Isabel was watching me through the window and she mouthed, “What are you doing?”

I held my finger up.

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