Page 39 of Love on the Byline

CLARK: Ten minutes out. Noelia will probably beat methere.

OLLIE: Roger that.

He pulled up his contacts and found the one he needed,shooting off a quick text and crossing his fingers. The reply came back almostimmediately, and he smiled. One less thing to stress over.

“Bran?” He headed through the atrium and down the hall thatled to the back of the house.

“Out here.”

He found him standing on the upper deck, overlooking theinfinity pool. The sun had begun to set. Everywhere he looked, there wasnothing but sky and sea. It was almost enough to settle his jangled nerves.

“I know you think places like this are OTT,” Bran said. “Butyou can’t argue with this view.”

“You’ve got me there.”

“Brandon. Oliver.” The woman’s voice startled them both.Turning, Ollie found Noelia standing in the open doorway. Raising her carefullygroomed eyebrows, she surveyed the scenery as well. “Well, if this isn’t thefanciest hideout I’ve ever seen.”

“Hey, Nellie.” Bran moved to hug her but stopped when shegave him a sharp look.

“Don’t call me that, especially when I’m pissed at you. Whatin the fresh hell, Cody?”

“Don’t be mad.” He gave her his famous cover-worthy grin.“It’s just a couple of pics and a naughty text or two. It’ll blow over bymorning.”

“Are you telling me how to do my job now?”

He held his hands up in surrender. “No, ma’am.”

She rolled her eyes. In the dying rust of sunset, her darksepia skin seemed to glow from within. She pointed at the sectional surroundingthe rectangular fire pit. “Sit down.”

He sat just as the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it. It should be Clark.” Ollie jogged to open thedoor for the agent, who entered with his ear pressed to his phone.

He offered a curt nod. “Where?” Clark whispered, and hedirected him towards the back deck.

Clark didn’t blink at the opulent surroundings. Given hisclient roster, Ollie wasn’t at all surprised. “I don’t care if you have tophysically break into their office and rip every hard drive out by hand, I wantthose photos obliterated. The texts, too. These won’t be as easy to deny as thelast time we went through this. Bran’s everything is on full goddamneddisplay.”

Before he could close the door, another man stepped across thethreshold. Ollie blocked the man’s path. “You’re not Clark’s usual driver.”

“You must be Oliver Benjamin,” the guy replied, sizing himup.

“And you are?”

“Rory Dunn.” He held out a hand. “I’m Mr. Cody’s detail.Well, until you find someone permanent.”

It was his turn to size Rory up. Ollie was tall, but the guyhad three inches and about thirty pounds on him, all of it muscle.

“The Skinner Agency referred me.”

He blinked. “I only called a few minutes ago.”

“I was finishing a job nearby.”

“Lucky us.”

“Indeed.”

It was hard to pinpoint his age, given his neat, full beard,but Ollie put him somewhere in his late-twenties or early-thirties.

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