Page 4 of Cole

“I want to go in to Serenity.”

“What for?”

“Coach Jay called to say he had booked the gym for a few hours this afternoon and he asked if I wanted to join him.”

Annie considered the request, knowing that it wouldn’t be as simple as just agreed. “Let me tell Jude and see how he reacts.”

Benji grimaced, but nodded as he lowered himself to his knees to greet Nyla. Her tail wagged rapidly as she licked Benji’s face. He was definitely her favorite human.

Nyla and her two sisters had been bred as personal guard dogs for them, with Nyla being her constant companion when at home, and even sometimes when she went out. They’d been purchased from a special breeder in Scotland, who had also been the one to train them.

“Benji and I are going to go to the gym in Serenity so he can play basketball with some of his teammates.”

“Who set it up?” Jude asked, his voice gruff. The man had been in charge of security at their Serenity estate for the past ten years, and he took his job seriously.

“Jay Halverson.”

She waited for him to protest or put his foot down, but instead, he just said, “Dawn and Andrew will follow you.”

When she glanced over at Benji, he punched the air in celebration, though he didn’t make a sound until she ended the call.

“Maybe your last argument with Dad sank in,” Benji said as he got to his feet.

Annie hoped that was the case, especially for Benji’s sake. “We’ll see.”

“Can we go now?” Benji asked.

“Yep. Just let me get presentable.”

“I’ll wait downstairs.” Benji walked to the stairs, calling for Nyla to follow him.

Annie headed toward the bathroom, walking past her large comfy bed as the space transitioned from work to comfort. She pulled off the shorts and sweatshirt she was wearing and dropped them into the hamper, then went to her walk-in closet. After a brief consideration, she decided on a maxi dress in a pale pink with tiny white polka dots on it.

She paired it with a gauzy white blouse that she tied at the waistline of the dress. It might be a questionable fashion choice, considering her height, but she went for what she liked to wear over what others might think she should wear.

With deft motions, she twisted her hair up into a messy bun, then slathered some tinted moisturizer on her face. After a quick spritz of perfume, she put on a pair of wedges that added a few inches to her height, then grabbed her purse and phone and headed for the stairs, pausing just long enough to shut off the television fireplace and the music.

It didn’t take long to get Nyla and Benji into her car, then she pulled out of her garage and headed down the driveway, which wound through the forest to the main house. Once there, she got out and called for Nyla to follow her while Benji darted into the house to grab his bag.

Rather than enter the house, she walked toward the security building, which was set back from the main house behind a row of trees. The building had four apartments on the second floor, three of which were occupied, while the main floor housed state-of-the-art surveillance equipment and a top-of-the-line gym.

The door clicked as it unlocked for her, and she pulled it open. She held it open for Nyla, then crossed the small foyer to another door, which also clicked open. Three people were in this room which had two walls covered in large monitors, showingall different scenes from the property, including four angles of her home.

“Ready to go?” Dawn asked with a smile as Nyla greeted her two sisters with tail wags and sniffs.

“Yep. Benji is just getting his bag.”

“We’ll stay out in our cars at the gym,” Dawn said. “But you use the walkie talkie if something looks suspicious.”

Annie patted the outside pocket of her purse where she kept the walkie talkie.

“And your gun?” Jude asked, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair.

Grimacing, Annie shook her head and braced herself for the lecture that was to come.

Jude’s frown deepened, aging him beyond the thirty-nine years old she knew him to be.

“If you keep making that face,” she warned. “It’s going to stay that way.”

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