Page 8 of Better Watch Out
Frannie grunted. “Well, when you put it that way.” Her understanding of what Ryan did was mostly based off television shows and movies. She didn’t want to shift his focus away from the job and then something bad happen.
“What if you go to D.C.?”
“What?”
“Go to D.C. I know Vivi and Jisoo would love to have you hang out with them, especially while I’m gone.”
The idea of spending the week with her sister-in-law and niece sounded way better than returning home. “What about my ticket? Will it cost a lot to change it?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of everything and send you the details. Now, do me a favor and enjoy your breakfast and movie while I go fight crime.”
“We all know you’re a glorified paper-pusher,” Frannie teased. “But I’ve heard those paper clips can be deadly.”
“It’s the staples I have to worry about.”
Frannie laughed. “I love you.”
“Love you too, Frankie.”
“It’s Frannie!” But Ryan ended the call, no doubt smiling that he got the last laugh. Nerd.
ChapterFour
“You missed a great afterparty.” Brayden Winick leaned his hips against Andrew’s desk. “Did you have a hot date last night or something?”
“No date.” Andrew had arrived at the fundraising banquet in time to find his seat, eat his meal, take a photo with the Defensemen Agency employees, and then slip out right after the guest speaker, Dan Spencer, got to the stage. He’d hoped he’d be able to sit there and watch his former Bandits teammate inspire donors to give in support of injured players, but the guilt had spoiled the few bites he’d managed to eat. The cashier’s check he passed to the treasurer before he left helped ease that guilt. “It was a long day and I needed to get some stuff done for the Malone detail.”
“Spending the whole day with a wealthy heiress.” Steve “Mac” McAvoy was sitting in Oskar’s chair, flipping his lucky puck in the air. “Our jobs really are horrible.”
Andrew had come in early to get some paperwork done and found Mac, Brayden, and Doug already there. Mac and Brayden usually worked the graveyard shift if it was required so it wasn’t surprising to find them there. Doug’s early presence was curious.
Brayden smiled, showing off the space where two teeth were missing. “Yeah, it feels weird not worrying about losing more chiclets.”
Andrew ran his tongue over his full set of teeth, grateful he hadn’t lost any in the game like so many of his athletic colleagues. Most wore dental flippers, giving them the appearance they still had all of their teeth, but Brayden chose to keep his gaps exposed like it was an honor almost as exciting as holding up the Stanley Cup—which Brayden had for two seasons.
If Brayden’s muscular frame didn’t intimidate sufficiently, the missing chiclets at least suggested the man was willing to lose his teeth in a battle.
“Andrew?”
Andrew swiveled in his chair and faced Doug Bowie. He was the oldest team member at fifty-six and a former NYPD officer who had worked with Amanda Landry’s husband. He was also the most senior man in the agency and mentored them regularly.
“I just got off the phone with Mr. Malone’s head of security and he’s informed me they received an email notifying Mr. Malone of a possible ransomware attack if he goes through with the deal here in New York.”
Andrew frowned. “Is it a valid threat?”
“Mr. Malone’s IT and cybersecurity team are working with the local FBI to determine that,” Doug said. Mac dropped the puck on Oskar’s desk, his attention reflecting the gravity of the update. “But it hasn’t deterred Mr. Malone’s intentions. Everything is moving forward as scheduled.”
Which meant no changes to the safety itinerary Andrew had created for Ms. Malone and her father. “I appreciate the update.”
Oskar and Joey walked in and Mac popped out of Oskar’s seat, choosing to lean against the wall as Oskar sent him a dirty look. He moved the puck back in the exact position in which he’d left it the night before. Mac shrugged with a smile that said he wasn’t sorry.
Andrew gave them a brief rundown of the new information Doug had shared and confirmed they were to move forward as planned.
“I don’t foresee any issues but if the situation changes I don’t want you to hesitate to call any of us,” Doug said. “We’ll adjust whatever we’re working on to make sure the Malones are taken care of.”
Andrew nodded, appreciating the support. The weight of protecting people, doing his job, was personal to Andrew. Every successful assignment helped make up for his past and Doug was offering the silent message that he wouldn’t let Andrew fail again.
Mac and Brayden left to head home from their shift and sleep. Doug returned to his office and Andrew called Simon Malone’s head of security to go over the details of the ransomware attack threat and get information about the FBI’s involvement. The man could barely talk but it was clear the flu wasn’t going to keep him from focusing on the safety of Mr. Malone and his daughter. After their conversation, Andrew was about to double-check the flight schedule when his cell phone rang.
