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"Hurry up or I'm pushing the CLOSE button," Sady threatened Matt as he dawdled in the hall of their apartment building.
"Go ahead. I'm not in any hurry to work this Saturday afternoon," he said sourly. Sady pushed the button when he was a few feet away from the elevator.
"I hope you get stuck," he yelled through the crack just before the doors closed in his face. Twenty minutes later he was still fuming when he pushed through the back door of Knight Investigations where he and Sady worked.
"I told you," Sady said to CJ and Harry, owners of Knight Investigations.
"Who ground your gears?" CJ asked Matt as he flopped down in the conference room.
"I had plans for the afternoon."
"Really? They must have been pretty important. I've never seen you show up to work so grumpy. Well, not an emergency work call anyway," CJ continued.
"Well, now you have," Matt said, not giving any details.
"Hot date?" Sady teased. He glared at her. "Hmm... let's see. What would have you so bent on a Saturday afternoon? You did have a date, didn't you? One you don't want to admit?"
"Why don't you mind your own business?" he asked.
"Take my word for it. You're not missing anything special," she said with a consoling pat on his hand.
Matt's head looked like it would blow off his shoulders.
"Someone want to fill us in?" Harry asked.
"He's just steamed because Amanda was taking him to the football game," Sady told them. "He doesn't want to admit he had a date with her."
"Can you blame me? A thing like that could ruin my reputation," he protested.
"What reputation? You don't have one," Sady snickered.
"I at least wanted to see the game. It would have been worth putting up with Amanda for the afternoon so I could watch a U of M game from the fifty yard line," he explained.
"I already told you, you're not missing anything. Not unless you want to dodge beer baths from the drunks behind you. Watch the news tonight," she suggested. "You can save yourself a couple hours and the drunks will make the news so you can see what they are spelling this week. By the end of the game it's never GO BLUE."
"This from a woman who decides what team she likes by its mascot?" he asked incredulously.
"I have standards," Sady insisted. "I don't root for Trojans or Spartans. They're not cute. Now the Ducks have a cute mascot."
Matt looked ready to launch over the table and even Harry looked sympathetic. CJ cleared her throat while trying not to smile. "We wouldn't have interrupted your afternoon if it wasn't an emergency," she told Matt.
"Yeah, right," he said with a sigh. "So let's get to it already."
CJ sent a look at Harry. "Why don't you see if there's a beer in the fridge," she suggested. "We might even be able to catch some of the game." She looked for the TV remote.
Matt’s palm hit the table. "Cut the crap. If you're offering beer and a football game, this isn't an emergency."
"Well, our client has had an unexpected delay. But the emergency is real. We'll have to wait until he arrives," Harry said.
Matt snorted. "There’s only one client you would meet at the last minute on the weekend. Morrow’s sorry tail is late. When is it arriving?"
"It just did." The voice at the door made them all jump. Sady's uncle stood in the opening and poked his head around the corner. "Your friend isn't here, is she?" he asked Sady.
"No, but if you hang on, I can give Amanda a call," she teased.
Morrow's eyes got big, and he quickly said, "Oh, no. This job doesn't involve her. If she were here, I'd have to insist she leave."
"She wouldn't come if you called and begged," Matt taunted Sady. She pulled out her phone.
"I bet she'd come if she knew Uncle John was in town."
Morrow grabbed her phone. "No need for that. I'm sure we can... er... catch up some other time."
Matt turned to Morrow. "Stop sweating. She's going to the U of M game with someone who isn't me." Morrow lifted a brow and Matt defended himself, "It's the University of Michigan! Fifty yard line seats," he moaned.
"We know, we know," Sady interrupted. "Quit whining. He'll get over it, Uncle John." She gave Morrow a smile of encouragement.
He cleared his throat and said, "Normally this isn't something I would have you do, but I don't see any way to keep you out of it." He nodded at Sady. She waved her hand in a manner that suggested he get to the point.
"I need the company to keep an eye on a family for a couple days."
"As in a bodyguard," Matt told Sady. Then turning to Morrow he asked, "Why can't you keep her out of it?"
Sady gave Matt a dirty look as Morrow explained, "They live in your building and she's bound to see you at some point. Besides, you two will have a large part in this. You’re protecting a neighbor."
"Please, tell me it's Amanda," Sady begged as a look of horror passed over the faces of Matt and Harry. Morrow's face grew pale, and he shook his head rapidly while the men sighed in relief.
"No. I need you to take care of a young married woman and her..." he stopped to look at a paper, "two children. Kristen Davis is the mother. Her children are Argus and Beatrice." He looked closer and shook his head. "That must be a mistake," he frowned.
"No mistake," Sady told him. "At least about Argus. We didn't know she had any other children, but Beatrice wouldn't be surprising."
"You've met them?" Morrow asked in delight. "Wonderful. That should make things easier."
"Obviously, you've never met them," Matt mumbled under his breath with a grimace. He remembered the booger smeared hand five-year-old Argus offered in greeting the first time they met. "There's two of them?"
Morrow nodded. "One's five, and the other is three."
"Good thing the second child is a girl," Matt said.
"Why?"
"If it was a boy, they probably would have named him Boris or Beavis," Matt said sarcastically. "Are you issuing PPE?"
"Personal protective equipment," Harry explained to Sady with a smile.
"You wouldn't need it if you were nice," Sady told Matt. "Kids don't like it when you make fun of their names."
"Neither do adults," CJ warned before Matt could say anything. He bit back a retort and turned to Morrow.
"How long is this torture gig?"
"Just until Monday evening." He turned to CJ and Harry. "Any questions?"
Sady raised her hand and Matt pulled it down. "He didn't mean you. You aren't allowed to ask questions."
She yanked it away and raised it again, wrinkling her nose at Matt. Morrow smiled. His niece was settling into her new life. Morrow lifted a brow, and she stuck out her tongue at Matt. "Uncle John, how would you like to go to the game today? Amanda's date stood her up."
Morrow scratched his head. "You said fifty yard line seats?" Sady nodded while Matt yelled in protest. Morrow looked at Matt and said, "You're right. It's worth putting up with Amanda for the afternoon. Besides, you have to work. Tell Amanda not to leave without me," he told Sady as he headed for the door.
"I can't believe that just happened," Matt said. "Can someone explain how my chance to see a home game turned into a two-day baby-sitting nightmare, and Morrow now has my seat?"
"It's because you're a poor working slob," CJ said unsympathetically. "Suck it up, fella. Morrow made a special appearance just for you and Sady."
Matt snorted and muttered under his breath about Morrow, thieves, fifty yard line seats, children, and work in general. A minute later he flushed when he saw the others watching him. He grinned sheepishly and said, "Okay, I promise it's out of my system. Besides, I'm going to text Amanda. Morrow will think twice about swiping my seat again." They all had a good laugh over that. Amanda was one of the few people ever known to make Morrow edgy.
"Now that we've gotten over the game let's discuss the case," Harry suggested.
CJ nodded. "You know anytime we work for Morrow there's not much information. He can't tell us why they need protection, but assume the worst. All he could officially give us is the family schedule for the next couple of days. Looks like our duty ends at about nine PM Monday." She passed out papers. Matt and Sady looked at their papers, then each other's.
Matt reached over and snatched Harry's. "Why is his different from ours?" he asked CJ in a suspicious voice. He showed Sady Harry's paper, which had Mrs. Davis' schedule outlined. Matt and Sady had schedules for the two children.
"Well, Mrs. Davis agreed for the safety of her children to stay at a hotel until Monday night. Splitting them up is a precaution. We'll be covering her security since it will be more complicated with her going to work. And she will probably be at greater risk," CJ explained.
"Have you ever baby-sat?" Sady hissed to Matt with a worried look.
"Me? He... heck no! Guys don't babysit. What about you? You must have watched some kids. Don't all teenage girls babysit?"
"My only experience was when I was seventeen and I watched a neighbor's eleven-year-old son. He wanted to know if my swimsuit top was padded, did I use glue to keep the bottoms from riding up, and would I model?" She scowled. "I'd rather work the fryer at Burger Bucket than do that again."
"Well?" Matt asked.
"Well, what?" Sady asked while Harry shook his head in warning.
"Come on, Sady. The kid was just asking the questions every guy wants to know about beauty contests," Matt said with a grin. A smack to the back of the head was the only answer he received. He rubbed his head and said, "Ouch." But he didn't lose the smile... until later.