Page 10 of Special Agent Isabella

“Yep. I believe it. Don’t know how often she’s sat and listened to my own whining about cases that never seem to have an ending. This city has a lot of grisly murders and psychopath rat bastards that commit them.”

“Wait! Hold it! You tell that kind of stuff to Demi? My God, have you no sense? She’s way too naive and soft-hearted.”

Tanner turned to stare at her as if she had two heads. “Are we talking about the same person here? Demi is the most down-to-earth person I know. Her and common sense walk hand in hand. That’s why she’s so successful in the job she does.”

* * *

Isabella had to stop and take a moment. Her mind sifted over the situations that had come up in the past, and she filtered through those occasions when Demi had called for help. They only occurred when physical violence was involved. Otherwise the girl handled everything else herself.

“Now that you mention it, I guess you’re right. Never thought about it like that before. Only time she ever calls on me is when you’re not around, and there’s a chance of aggression. Guess she knows I carry a firearm.”

“See, she’s crafty as all hell. That’s my girl… a go-getter who makes things happen in the world she’s chosen. But we can’t tell her about this job. In fact, we can’t tell anyone. If it gets out that the Governor has been harassed, all the other wackos will jump on the wagon, making it harder to single out this one sociopath.”

“Not to mention the thirsty news reporters looking for a juicy story… or willing to turn any molehill into a mountain for their ratings.”

“Exactly. I knew you’d understand. Anyone who’s done as much undercover as you have, understands the importance of keeping this garbage contained.”

“My lips are sealed. When do I get to meet Governor Bolden?”

“Tonight. If she likes you, we’ll get you moved into her house tomorrow. Your main job is to be Abbie’s bodyguard. You okay with that?”

“Let’s wait and see if the kid wants me around. I can be a bit off-putting when I’m nervous, and kids make me really nervous.”

“Hey, go figure. I’ve seen that side of you a lot, and I’m all grown up.”

“Not the way I see it. In my opinion, you’re nothing but a spoiled brat in grownup clothes.”

Now why did his laughter make her break into a grin too. Christ knows, she’d meant every word she’d said.

ChapterEight

Bella worried all the way over to the large mansion-like house. Without her knowing particularly why, she wanted this job badly. Over the course of dinner, when Tanner had succinctly laid out the facts of the case, she’d come to terms with her need to help this family.

She’d felt an overwhelming instant connection. One that surprised the shit outta her. Usually, one case tended to be like all the others. The harder to solve, where the risks were enormous, the more she wanted to be involved. Probably because she had huge confidence in her skills.

But this one was different. She lacked that self-assurance when it came to the kid. Plus, she often became tongue-tied when it came to other women. Having no real background and experience like most teens in best friends, she found it difficult to relax with the same sex.

Demi had been her only real BFF, and they’d both had so much baggage that as hard as they’d worked to be there for the other, she’d always known she’d held back just a little. Had hidden parts of her past that no one had the right to know about… hell, she didn’t even want to have those memories herself and would excise them from her brain if she could. And… she had no doubt that Demi had similar unspeakable stuff hidden in her past.

Now here she was, needing to make a connection with another female and her kid no less. Christ… what the hell was she doing here?

When Tanner guided her into the house, past the security and into the living room where a woman stood next to a small girl, she felt like throwing up the pasta she’d gobbled down an hour earlier.

ChapterNine

Stacy waited for the two agents to walk toward her. Tanner strolled up to them in his usual sexy way, but the woman at his side hesitated as if fear held her back. Not understanding, wondering what the hell happened… Stacy stood there and watched.

Abbie, seeing her favorite uncle, ran to Tanner and got lifted into his embrace for a hug. Meanwhile, the woman next to him had trouble bringing a smile to her lovely face. If prettiness were the only criteria to hiring a bodyguard for Abbie, this agent would be a shoe-in.

Her wavy black hair worn loose, her tanned skin and enormous brown eyes, instantly marking her with probable Spanish ancestry, had caught her attention as it would for most people. But what kept her watching was the hesitation the gun-toting agent showed when Tanner introduced Abbie to her.

She didn’t look like a person who had a lot of experience with children. In fact, if she didn’t know better, she’d think Agent Isabella dreaded meeting her daughter. Not knowing how to take the situation, she held back.

Tanner, at ease with Abbie as usual, nuzzled her neck to make her giggle and then in the gentle tone he used around the little girl, he said, “Sweet potato, this is my friend, Isabella. She’s scared of kids so be nice to her. Don’t make any sudden moves.”

Stacy smiled, thinking at first he was kidding, but when she saw the way his partner paled, she wondered if there was any truth to the statement.

Her six-year-old daughter who could be precocious one moment, shy and withdrawn the next, and babylike to the extreme, held her head to the side like a sparrow looking at a mouth-watering worm.

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