Page 67 of Protected

Kenton explained Supreme’s process, including the fact that an appointment was preferred, but under emergency circumstances they accepted walk-ins.

Chelsey watched their two visitors carefully. James carried himself confidently. As for Debby, the way she wrung her hands together and shuffled from one foot to the other, her nerves were getting the best of her. Chelsey wasn’t sure why she was this anxious or why she needed security, but her brother seemed more than capable of protecting her. By the looks of him, he could handle himself and wouldn’t take shit from anyone.

Though she didn’t like to judge, he looked a bit thuggish.

Maybe a gang member?

During her time as a cop, she’d encountered plenty of them, enough to recognize their edginess, their cockiness, their energy. She had also learned to identify gang tattoos, but because thisguy’s body was covered by his clothing, there weren’t any visible signs of an affiliation.

Still, she wondered.

“Why are you staring at us like that?” the woman snapped as she narrowed her eyes at Chelsey.

“Like what?” Chelsey asked calmly.

“Like you don’t believe I need protection!”

Though surprised by the woman’s outburst, Chelsey remained calm. “What do you mean, I don’t believe you? I have no idea what threat there is to you, because you haven’t given details of why you’re here.”

“Debby,” her brother said, a warning note in his tone.

His sister straightened. “I’m sorry. I’m—I’m on edge,” she sputtered, her words tumbling over each other. “My ex threatened to kill me.”

“I understand,” Chelsey replied.

Deep down, she sensed these two were up to something.But what?

She grabbed the electronic tablet from the desk to gather information from them. “We don’t take threats lightly. Have you gone to the police and reported him?”

“They’re not going to do anything. That’s why we came here,” James said. “I want someone watching her back whenever I can’t.”

Chelsey nodded. “Okay, Debby, I’ll need some information from you. Then I’ll set you up with an appointment to meet with an intake specialist.”

While she talked with Debby, Kenton chatted with James.

“How’d you hear about Supreme?” Chelsey heard Kenton ask.

“My cousin, Sean, recommended you guys. He said y’all do good work, and he said to request Parker Wilcox.”

Every cell inside of Chelsey went on high alert. Not because it wasn’t uncommon for people to request a particular security specialist, but because ofwhothey requested.

“We appreciate when other clients refer our services. When did your cousin use Supreme?” Kenton asked.

“Actually, he didn’t use y’all. Someone he knows used the service. I don’t know the guy’s name.”

“When you get a chance, check with Sean to get the name,” Kenton said, then turned his attention to Debby. She looked even more nervous than she had when they first arrived. “We offer a discount to clients who refer us to their friends, and you’d also get a discount if we take on your case.”

“If?What do you mean, if?” James snapped. “If someone is threatening her, I’d think you’d automatically offer her protection.”

“Not automatically,” Kenton said as he moved from around the desk, towering over both visitors. It was a power move since the guy was getting a bit testy. “Our intake person will get some details about your sister, about the threat, and then they’ll decide if her case is one we can take on.”

James shook his head. “Nah, nah. She can just talk to Parker Wilcox since he’d be the one protecting her.”

“It doesn’t work like that,” Chelsey chimed in. “Based on what comes of the interview with Debby, our intake person will determine what type of protection she needs and what security specialist to assign to her. That will be dependent on the threat, as well as who Supreme has available for the assignment.”

James glanced at Debby, who was looking at him and nibbling on her lower lip. It was as if they were having some private conversation with their eyes. Neither said a word, which only made Chelsey more suspicious of their motives.

“If you guys want to set up an appointment, I can do that, but first I’ll need to see your IDs,” she said.

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