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.There were three other bedrooms, as wellas the master bedroom directly across the hall from Brody s room.Olivia informed him that the master bedroom had its own en suite, butthere were two other bathrooms on the top floor.Brody wandered around each room and made a show of checkingwindow locks.In the master bedroom, he stepped out onto the balconythat ran the length of that side of the house and leaned over the railingto study the perimeter of the property.The gardens were surrounded bytrees to give extra privacy from neighboring houses, but it would be alltoo easy for someone to hide in those woods and then scale the fenceinto the garden.Turning to Nash, he frowned in mild concern. Are thegardens fully lit? Have you fitted sensors? Yes, it s one of the reasons I bought this place.It s got excellentsecurity.I m not entirely sure why you re here, Nash replied, sarcasmdripping from every word.Brody smiled brightly, squashing the desire to squash Nash. Well, I guess I m here to give your mother a little extra peace of mind.Don t worry, Nash, he drawled, you ll find I m fully house-trained.As long as you feed and water me, we ll get along fine.You won t evenknow I m here. The only indication Nash gave that he caught thesarcastic intent behind Brody s cheerful banter was a slight narrowingof his eyes, but Brody didn t drop his gaze. Are we done? I want to have a nap and then I ve got to go intothe office for a meeting this afternoon.I need my rest if I m going toput 4,000 people out of work, Nash said, turning to his mother. Why would you want to do that? Brody asked incredulously. It s an acquisitions and mergers company, Mr.Tyler.I buy andsell companies.The company I m in the process of buying at the 100 Lisa Worrallmoment is going under anyway.I m just moving it along a little faster, Nash replied without emotion. Is it a good company? Brody asked, noting the way Olivia waswatching the interaction between the two men.At Nash s raisedeyebrows, he continued. I mean, with a little investment, could it beturned around? Nash wasn t the only one with a head for business.Nash thought about it for a moment and nodded. Yes, it probablycould.But it s worth a lot more to me now if I just buy it and sell it at aprofit.It could take years to get back money on any investment. You mean you d rather buy it out because it s more fun? Brodyshook his head slowly at Nash s nod. Wow, he muttered under hisbreath and then looked over at Nash. Why don t you go have your napand let me know when we re leaving for the office? You re not coming, Nash said decisively. Nash No, Momma, I m not having him following me around theoffice. Mr.Walker.I have other clients that would be far moreappreciative of my babysitting skills.If I don t have your cooperation, Iam not going to be able to adequately protect you. Brody s voice wasfirm.No matter how big an asshole Nash was, he was going to makesure he was safe, whether Nash liked it or not. If you want me to go,just say the word and I m gone.I have less bratty clients to cater to. Nash s eyes narrowed at Brody s condescending tone and hehuffed a painful breath through his parted lips. Whatever.I m going tosleep.Be ready at three and wear a suit. Nash kissed his mother on thecheek and walked into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.Olivia turned to Brody, an apologetic smile on her lips. I msorry, Brody.His bark really is worse than his bite, so please don t takeanything he says personally.It s just his way.He was only twenty-threewhen he became the head of a multi-million-dollar corporation, and hewanted to be taken seriously, so he decided that he should behave acertain way.He just doesn t always remember to switch it off when heleaves the office.Deep down, he s a very sweet boy. Brody chuckled involuntarily. I m sure he is, Mrs.Walker, he Unshakeable Faith 101replied, following her down the stairs. Real deep down. Olivia smiled as she picked up her handbag and gestured forBrody to walk her out to the car. You know, Brody, I think I made theright choice.I m betting you can handle anything my boy throws atyou.Don t let him rile you, because believe me, he ll try, andplease&. Her eyes took on a serious glint. Keep him safe. Brody gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, his heart achingfor this woman who must have gone to hell and back wondering whereNash was for six months, not knowing whether he was alive or dead.Hell, he d only been without him for ten days and he d gone crazy; hecould only imagine how it had been for Nash s family. It s mynumber-one priority, he assured her, waiting until she d climbedbehind the wheel and driven the sleek BMW through the gates and theyhad closed behind her.Back inside, he wandered up the marble staircase again and intowhat was now his room, unzipping his suitcase and unpacking hisbelongings.It didn t take very long and he hadn t thought to bring asuit with him, so Mr.Walker would just have to take him as he foundhim, at least for today.He quickly stowed the empty case in the bottomof the wardrobe and sat down on the bed to call Wyatt.His friend musthave been sitting by the phone, because it only rang twice before it wasanswered. Hey& it s me. Are you okay? Wyatt was obviously concerned. Yeah, how s the bar? Brody returned, not really wanting to gointo specifics right now. Never mind the bar, you moron.What s happening? Are youmoved in yet? Wyatt s questions were quick-fire and there was a not-so-subtle pause before he added, Still nothing, huh? Nothing
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