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Bethany tapped her pink pen against her pink laptop case, nervous energy radiating off her. “Um, I’m sorry, but I have a busy practice to run. I meet new clients every day, and I don’t have time to vet everything through a committee.”
“Fine.” Levi frowned. “I’ll just assign one of my guys to you—so you can run everything by one man, not a committee. But your agent needs to come with you everywhere.”
“This isn’t going to work for me—” Bethany spluttered.
“Randy, you are hereby assigned to Bethany.” Levi waved at one of the guards in the back, an enormous, grizzled-looking man in his mid-forties with tattooed knuckles. He was thickly muscled and built broadly, like a refrigerator, one of the Viking ones with double doors. He came over and sat by Bethany, grunting at her in greeting.
She grunted back. “You can’t bring weapons into court,” she instructed Randy.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And don’t call me ma’am.”
“Yes, Attorney O’Donnell.” Randy offered her a small smile.
She smiled back. “You learn fast—that’s at least in your favor.”
“Appears you two will get along fine,” Levi said, clearly pleased with himself.
Bethany glared at him. “I don’t like being told what to do.”
“Duly noted, Attorney O’Donnell. Any further objections?”
She scowled and tapped her pen.
“Timmy, you’re with Lauren. Ash, stick with Gabe.”
Timmy nodded. Ash and Gabe both groaned.
“Brian, you’re still with Hannah—”
Wes raised his hand. “Actually, Levi, I’d like to watch Hannah. I’m a Paragon employee, though, so I guess I need permission from Lauren.” He leaned forward and looked to her, silently begging. “I’m cleared for most physical activity. I can do this, and I want to be close by in case something happens.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. “Wes, no. You just got out of your wheelchair, which I’m not even remotely sure is authorized—”
He squeezed my hand. “Babe? This isn’t your decision. Lauren?”
I stopped talking and furiously turned my attention to my sister.
Lauren’s shoulders sagged. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”
“Brian will be there, too. I’m not going to compromise Hannah’s safety by trying to do this alone. But I need to be there to protect her. I can walk now. I don’t need the wheelchair anymore—”
“Wes, we need to talk,” Levi said. “After the meeting, okay? We’ll figure it out then.”
“Okay,” Wes said. He didn’t dare look in my direction.
Levi went on to discuss the security plans for Jim Pace’s service, which was happening the next morning, but I couldn’t focus on his words. Lauren and I were going to Fiona’s house later today, and I felt sick for my grieving friend. That, plus what Wes had just pulled, combined to make me a hot mess.
When the meeting wrapped up, and I grabbed Wes’s hand. “I need to talk to you.”
“I have to talk to Levi first.”
“I’m coming with you,” I insisted.
Wes cursed under his breath, but he held on to my hand and headed toward Levi, who was addressing Randy and the guard assigned to Kami Robards.
“I want to know every detail. I want you to run a background check on everyone in their offices, and I want you to send me a copy of their schedules. You are to be in every meeting.”
