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“Yes, yes. I know the routine, Beau.”
“Really? Because the routine specifically states that you are to tell me in advance if we’re going somewhere. I like to send Mr. Anders our schedule whenever possible.”
“You’re very grumpy today,” I say jokingly. “Trouble with the wife?”
He looks back at me, a sheepish grin on his face. “Yeah, I forgot our anniversary. She wouldn’t even talk to me last night.”
“Uh oh. You better take care of that.”
He holds up a hand to stop me from walking down the next step, then pushes me behind him. His hand goes to his waistband. He listensquietly for a moment. That’s when I finally hear what he hears. Someone is walking up the stairwell.
A teenage boy wearing earbuds comes up around the corner and continues past us. We wait until the boy disappears around the next set of stairs. Beau waves me on, and we continue down. That man must have some insanely good hearing. I guess that’s why Ethan pays him the big bucks.
We make it to the entryway and then to the car. Pretty soon, we are on our way to Peggy’s townhome. I probably should have visited her sooner. She’s one of my oldest friends. We were friends long before Trent and I dated. And even though she is Trent’s sister, we remained friends even after Trent and I called off our wedding. I’m glad she sent me a text so I can get a chance to say goodbye.
The traffic is pretty heavy. Peggy doesn’t live too far from my apartment, but the traffic is always bad around here. Five miles can easily take forty-five minutes. She lives in a fairly quiet part of town, if you can call anything in Manhattan fairly quiet.
“You can pull right up to her building and let me out there, Beau.”
“I’d prefer to come inside and do a quick sweep of the place,” he says. The serious look on his face tells me he’s coming in, whether or not I want him to.
“Fine, but she’s home alone. Her husband is at work, and the kids are at school.”
“That’s good. So I’ll be quick then.”
“That’s her building over there.” I point to a beautiful, old townhome. “See if you can find a spot to park near there.”
“Yes, ma’am. There’s a place to park right here.”
Beau pulls over and scans the area before letting me out. I lead him up to the large wooden door.
Peggy opens the door with a huge grin. “I’m glad you could make it, Liz! Come in!”
I grimace at her. “My bodyguard needs to check over your place if that’s okay.”
Her eyes swivel to him. She looks him up and down in appreciation. “Oh, of course. It’s just me here, but you can look around.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Beau says.
As he passes us and walks into the kitchen, Peggy’s eyes follow him. “He’s a hunk,” she whispers. “If I weren’t a happily married woman . . .”
“He also has incredible hearing,” I whisper back, giggling.
“Well, he can come protect me anytime,” she jokes out loud. “Let’s go into my sitting room. Can I get you some water or something else to drink?”
“No, I’m good, thanks. I can only stay for maybe thirty minutes or so. I told Ethan I’d meet him at home.”
We walk into a room beautifully decorated in bold reds and blues. It’s filled with restored antique furniture. Peggy pats the spot next to her. “Here, sit next to me. I just bought this chaise lounge from an antique store. It’s from the nineteenth century. Can you believe it?”
“It’s gorgeous. I love how you decorated the room. It’s different from when I visited last time,” I tell her.
Beau walks in before Peggy can respond. His face is pale, and he looks shaken and scared.
“Beau, what’s wrong?” I ask, concerned.
“Ms. Blakely, I . . . I just got a call from the hospital. My wife has been in an accident. I need to go to the hospital right away. Would it be okayif we left now and I dropped you off back at Mr. Anders’s condo? My partner can come by his place to take over the watch in about an hour.”
I hesitate for a moment, thinking about what to do. I just got to Peggy’s house, and this is the last time I’ll be able to see her for a while.
