Page 33 of Trust My Bodyguard

Something slams on the table. We turn to see Brody with his fist on the polished wood.

“I saw an ant.” He fumes at me and Nick.

It’s working. I place my hand on his friend’s arm. “Maybe sometime you can take me to the slopes.”

“I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.” Nick’s eyes shimmer.

He’s not serious. I can tell. Maybe he knows I’m trying to get under Brody’s skin and he’s helping. Why though?

“That’s enough,” Brody says after a while. “We have the investigation to talk about.”

When the dishes are cleared, we all return to our seats at the table.

Zane looks up from the laptop he pulled out when we were up and busy. “Uh, what are you still doing here?” He looks between Iris, Sera, and I.

I look at the ladies. Their faces reflect the confusion I feel.

“We’re here to hear what you have so far,” I volunteer.

“No.” He shakes his head. “You can’t.”

My mouth falls open. Brody is rude, but this guy is just plain dismissive. Is this a club for difficult men?

I start to speak but Nick cuts in. “What Zane is not saying is that the information we’re going to share is sensitive and important to the investigation. We can’t let just anyone hear it.”

“We’re not just anyone,” Iris says. “It’s my and my sister’s lives that are at risk here. You think we’d go and tell someone to come get us?”

“No one thinks that. It’s just standard procedure,” Zane says.

“Yeah, well. We don’t agree. Simple as,” I say. “We are all going to hear what’s going on. Lies and secrets got us into this mess in the first place. You’re not going to leave us out now.” My eyes connect with Brody’s and I dare him to argue against that.

Sera lifts a hand. “I know I’m not the client, but I need to be here for my job. Something may slip past if I’m not here to take note of it.”

“What could possibly slip past you?” Zane grouches. “Your job is to answer the phone and confirm schedules.”

Sera shoots him a look but says nothing about his snide remark.

“Enough,” Brody says. “The ladies can stay. Let’s get this over with.”

“Good.” I lean back, making myself comfortable.

“Just don’t interfere,” Brody says.

“Wasn’t planning on it,” I bite back.

“You already are,” he returns.

“Jesus, Iris. I don’t know how you cope with this duo,” Nick says.

Iris’s lips lift at the corner. “Me neither.” She turns to the man who’d either bring us good news or shatter our hopes. “Zane, please start us off.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Brody

“Is everyone calm?” I look around the faces at the table, avoiding Ivy’s. Looking at her is liable to do two things to me—make me want to fuck or yell. Neither is appropriate for the discussion we’re about to get into.

“Just say you mean me,” she says. “Everyone knows it.”