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Since Harrison ordered all of us to increase our security, I talked it through with Johnny and Wes, and after a quick, efficient discussion, we all decided that I would hire them outside the agency I originally hired Wes from and through which Johnny was hired by Jim’s head of security.

I need two more bodyguards, one to relieve the guys on their days off, and another to become Sunny’s bodyguard.

I haven’t told him it’s happening, but I did ask him what he thought about it. He was so immediately awkward, but eventually mumbled that he understood it was going to be necessary eventually.

Eventually is pretty damn soon.

So I rehired Johnny and Wes, gave Wes the promotion to my head of security, and asked him to see if anyone he knew and trusted was looking for work.

So none of this is exactly unexpected.

“That’s great, thank you.”

“Of course.”

I see the back of his head bob with a very firm nod.

There has to be more, there just has to be, but I doubt pressing and pestering him will get me answers any faster, so I just wait.

It doesn’t take long for him to suck in an audible breath, and keeping his gaze forward and on the road, he launches into a nervous ramble.

“I was thinking I could hire that PI of yours and give him the names. Just to check out whether any of them are bribeable, or have any issues with their past. Then if they pass a background check, I’ll do the first round of interviews before you meet them.”

Ah.

Protective as always.

“I’ll do you one better,” I tell him. “I’ll get a friend of mine to do a background check that will tell us more than any PI can do, and have him send you everything he finds. I gotta warn you, though, it’ll be a lot of material.”

There’s a very stark pause and then he nods.

“If you think that’s best.”

So formal.

I bite my lip to stop from laughing. It’s cute. He’s taking his new role very seriously, and of course that only makes me happy to have given it to him.

“I do, so I’ll call him now.”

I get only a glimpse of his confused frown from the rearview mirror as I get out my phone. Once it’s secure with Eli’s app, I call him.

“Hey Tuck.”

“Hi, Eli.” I look up just in time to see Wes’s eyebrows shoot up. “What’s up?” I ask before asking another favor of him. He has been texting me all morning.

“The article went live!” he cheers.

“What? Really? Wait.” I put him on speakerphone and go searching online. “I’m gonna read it right now.”

“It’s really good,” Eli says, his voice coming through giddy over my phone’s speakers.

I find it quickly enough and start to read out loud so Eli will know what I’m reacting to.

It turns out Sunny’s ex’s parents were doing shitty, shitty shit with their foundation. Basically stealing money to avoid taxes—stupid, man. Just pay your fucking taxes.

So Eli went ahead and anonymously sent all the info he’d gathered on the foundation and the little tidbit about their son having a dating violence injunction against him.

There’s the mention of famous people giving testimony, and the cherry on top is that it doesn’t mention Sunny’s name at all.