Page 92 of Oddly Fine

“The car will be here in 40 minutes. I’ll head on over now—your uncle is—getting impatient,” she explained smoothly, even though her smile was a little forced.

Matthew sighed and grabbed an apple from the basket on the counter.

“Yes, well, what else is new?” he said with a touch of petulance. “We’ll be right behind you,” he said, offhandedly, waving her off.

Amanda frowned slightly and headed for the door, passing them both on the way, eyes narrowed as she scrutinized them.

“Gentlemen,” she said politely before walking out the door.

When the door closed behind her, Beckett and Hayes turned as one to look at Matthew inquiringly.

“Are we sure she’s safe?” Hayes asked before Beckett could.

Matthew shrugged. “If Amanda is a mole, then we’re all dead. That woman knows everything about me. Including everything about Franklin—and his—demise.”

Maybe it was Beckett’s imagination, but he thought Matthew’s voice cracked on that last word.

“The whole point of not staying at your place was to avoid any bugs or moles,” Beckett pointed out.

“This place is clean. I had it swept for bugs this afternoon while you were getting your things. As for Amanda—” he shrugged, “it couldn’t be helped. Keeping her out would be more suspicious than including her.”

“Very well,” Hayes said. He touched Beckett on the arm lightly as if saying, “I’m here.”

Beckett didn’t think he could ever come up with the right words to thank Hayes for his unfailing support.

“You’re meeting with your uncle?” Hayes asked.

Matthew nodded and grimaced, looking like he’d prefer not to go.

“The first week of every month we meet to review and discuss our finances. The whole family will be there, including my uncle, my brothers, and my sister.”

“Anything we should know? Like routine procedures, or about—”

“One of you will be allowed into the conference room with me. The other will have to remain outside. I don’t expect we’ll be discussing much beyond basic business matters and current figures. Probably nothing that would add to your testimony, but you never know,” he said, with a shrug. “My brothers are harmless—armed, but as dumb as a box of rocks. My sister is the one to watch out for. If anyone is going to sniff you out, it’s going to be her.” But he didn’t actually look all that worried about it.

“Is she a potential threat?” Beckett asked.

“No—but I’d like to keep her in the dark until this case is done. Hopefully, when I step down, she’ll be able to take up the reins. It’ll be easier if her hands are clean.”

“Okay, got it.” Beckett nodded his assent.

“Perhaps you should be getting dressed then,” Hayes said, frowning in open disapproval at the satin robe. “I don’t expect your uncle would approve of your fashion choices.”

Matthew began to smile, as if the idea of showing up in the robe appealed to him.

“I’ll go change,” he agreed. He went to the armoire beside his desk and pulled two files from a drawer. Unceremoniously, he dropped them on the kitchen counter.

“These are your identities. I had Mr. Kent send them over so you could refresh your memory on the little details that might get you killed,” he said, casually.

Before Beckett could mention how dangerous it was to have those lying around, Matthew added, “We’ll shred them before we leave.” Turning gracefully, he walked towards his bedroom.

Wordlessly, Hayes went over to the counter and picked up his file. Beckett followed suit and they read up on their undercover roles as bodyguards.

They’d reviewed this information previously, of course, having memorized everything in the files when they’d worked for Mr. Kent. But a year had passed since they’d pulled that job, and reviewing all the details again couldn’t hurt. Besides, these identities had only served them for a single night during which very little of their personal lives had mattered. In their current situation, they were probably going to be stuck for several weeks with these fictitious identities. They needed to live and breathe them, not just memorize the contents of their files.

Donovan Carpenter was a 35-year-old retired Marine. He was born in Boston, but moved to Montreal to attend school before enlisting. Having completed most of the same special ops courses listed in Donovan’s file made it easier for Beckett to maintain his cover. He was the only son of a single mother named Alice Carpenter. His father wasn’t in the picture, but Donovan had gained Canadian citizenship because of his status. He was single with no kids and owned a small condo in Maine where he was currently based. After his honorable discharge from the Marines, he’d begun doing private security, taking on a variety of gigs, including one for Mr. Kent.

Hughes Holloway was a 37-year-old ex-military sniper. He’d served three tours with the 75th Ranger Regiment in the Middle East before hanging up his rifle and walking away from Uncle Sam. The details about his post-military life were vague, containing a few references to possible mercenary work. He’d switched to private security after having been recruited by CLEVER, Inc., Ms. Goodman’s private security firm. He was the son of a British businessman, Oliver Holloway, and an American cardiologist, Melissa Holloway, both of whom had been killed in a car accident, along with his younger sister Hannah.