Page 29 of Marked for Danger

“Boss has a new job for you,” the man grunted. His voice was rough and laced with an undercurrent of menace. “He wants to see you first thing in the morning.”

Izzy’s heart sank, knowing the big jerk was talking about Dante Valdez. God, she hated that Olly was entangled in the evil man’s web.

“You couldn’t have texted that shit?” Olly didn’t sound intimidated by the man in the least. “Can’t you see I have company?”

That makes one of us.

“Boss wanted to make sure you got the message.” His cold, shiver-inducing focus returned to her. “Who’s this?”

Olly glanced her way before answering, “Just a chick I know.”

Normally Izzy would balk at being called a chick, but in this particular instance, she wasn’t going to complain. It was clear Olly didn’t want to announce her as his sister, so she went along with it.

Plastering a polite smile on her face, she stepped toward the unknown man and held out her hand. “I’m Bella.” A nickname her dad sometimes used. “It’s nice to meet you.”

The man’s emotionless stare pierced through her as he ignored her outstretched hand. Turning his attention back to Olly, he reiterated his message with an air of authority. “Be at the warehouse at seven-thirty sharp. And don’t be late.”

“Whatever, man. I’ll be there. But the next time you come here, you’d better fucking knock.”

Unfazed by Olly’s vague threat, the man shot them both a final intimidating glare before turning around and walking away. Left in the uneasy silence, Izzy raced to the door and shut it.

“Let me guess.” She faced her brother once more. “One of Valdez’s men?”

“You need to go.” Olly’s voice was stern. “I’ll call as soon as whatever job he has for me in the morning is finished. And…” He filled his lungs before blowing out a breath. “If your buddies at the DPD and FBI still want to meet, we can figure out a time. But you heard what Tony said. If I don’t make that job in the morning—”

“It’s fine. If you decide to listen to what Riedell and Hunt have to say, just let me know. We can always plan to meet up later in the day.” She put a hand to his arm. “Just promise me you’ll be careful.”

“You know me.” The wink and hint of a smirk were the first real signs of the old Olly she’d seen since knocking on his door.

“Call me when you’re finished doing whatever Valdez needs you to do. I’ll keep my phone on me at all times, so I don’t miss you.”

“See that? I let you in my place, and you’re already trying to boss me around.”

Flashing her brother a genuine smile, Izzy rose to her tiptoes and kissed his rugged cheek. “I love you, Olly. Don’t forget to call, okay?”

“If I do, you’ll probably just show up at my door anyway.”

The teasing tone in his voice was a soothing balm to her soul. “Damn right, I would.”

“Come on.” He opened the door and waited for her to step into the hall. “I’ll walk you out.”

As she made her way through the decrepit hallway and down the creaky stairs, Izzy felt lighter than she had in years. It wasn’t as if there weren’t still cracks in she and Olly’s relationship, but this was the first time in their entire adult life that she felt hope.

Now she just had to make sure Riedell, Hunt, and Umbridge didn’t get him killed.

Chapter 6

Grady watched from the shadows as Izzy and a man he recognized as her brother hugged goodbye on the building’s front steps. He waited, not wanting to cause a scene. Especially if the meathead he’d seen exit the building a few minutes before had somehow circled back to lurk around.

From the front seat of his non-descript car—courtesy of the DPD’s overflow lot—Grady had taken several pictures of the muscle-bound man when he’d first arrived. He’d then sent them to Declan, who’d run the image through the department’s facial rec system.

By the time the man left, Grady knew pretty much all there was to know about Anthony George Fitch, A.K.A. Tony the Tank.

The thirty-four-year-old douchebag had a rap sheet as long as Grady’s arms. Everything from petty theft, to illegal drugs and weapons possession, to assault. But the most interesting detail in the guy’s jacket was his association with Valdez.

On paper, Fitch was Valdez’s head of security. If Valdez needed to be somewhere, Fitch drove him. If there was a public event at which Valdez needed to make an appearance, Fitch was his unofficial bodyguard.

The two were practically attached at the hip, and the fact that he’d just gone into the same apartment building where Olly Garcia lived couldn’t be a coincidence. But right now, Grady’s focus was on making sure Izzy was okay. And from what he could see, it appeared as if she was.

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