“Markus and I joined Inner-G’s Ultimate G package. That means that they assigned us new names. I think they’re both great names. I’d appreciate it if you all respected them.”
“Your name already started with G,” Phil pointed out.
She inhaled sharply but answered in a calm tone, “No more questions. I’m Gia. This is George.” All she’d wanted was a couple of dates without mixing the family in—was that too much to ask?
“Sheridan.” Gabby looked at the psychic. “You are going to stay with my mom. It’s our best option at the moment.”
“Was George able to find my phone?” Sheridan asked.
“He’s working on that now.”
She and Markus were officially putting their careers on the line based on a psychic prediction and some weak circumstantial evidence. Why Markus was going along with it so easily was beyond Gabby. She should add it into the suspicious behavior column. For her part, Gabby was doing it because she saw real fear in Sheridan’s eyes. There was no way she was putting the woman on a plane in this state. What if she got off in Washington and something happened to her? Gabby could never forgive herself.
Elena squinted and looked between Gabby and Sheridan Lane. She looked torn between complaining and celebrating the chance to cozy up to a minor celebrity.
“Mom, Sheridan needs your help because she’s trying to stay out of the way of the paparazzi. She doesn’t even want the butler to know she’s with you.”
“There’s a butler?” Elena’s eyes went big.
“Yes, it’s very nice here. Basically, you’re Sheridan’s bodyguard. She needs peace and quiet while she works on her… podcast. The paps found her in her private cottage this morning. She asked for our help.”
Her mom didn’t think to ask why Gabby felt responsible, or maybe she was just excited to be involved. Elena just gasped. “Poor dear! We’ll have a nice, private vacation.”
Sheridan listened to all of this without comment, clearly resigned to her fate.
There wasn’t even a standard operating procedure to cover what was happening here. They were too far off the books, but Gabby knew what she was doing. Her mom was the worst because she was relentless, but that same doggedness would make her a great protector. If she committed to a task, she committed a thousand percent. After this, she would probably be offered a Secret Service gig.
Phil couldn’t stop clearing his throat. Was he going to hawk a loogie? “So if Elena’s the bodyguard, what am I?”
“Just relax in your luxury suite. Don’t come out unless necessary.” She made it sound like a time-out, but maybe that’s what he needed. Gabby couldn’t have them wandering around the resort, blowing her cover.
“Mom, Phil, grab your things. Let’s get you checked in.” Gabby walked them over to their rooms in the main resort and they took the elevator up to the third floor from the lobby. Gabby waved at Lana as she walked by. Apparently, the news had spread because she ogled Phil and Gabby’s mom with a satisfied smirk. Rule number one of working undercover was lying low and not becoming the biggest source of gossip. Oops.
The rooms were on par with the rest of the resort. They had ocean-view balconies, soaker tubs, and small kitchens. Gabby wouldn’t be able to get her mom out of here without a pry bar.
A moment after Gabby arrived with Phil and her mom, Markus arrived with Sheridan. He’d ferreted her in through a back staircase.
“Sheridan,” he said, “stay off the balcony and keep the blinds drawn.”
Sheridan nodded. “I’m ready to settle in.”
“But the view is so nice,” Elena said.
For a second, Gabby worried about putting her mom in danger. “He’s serious, Mom.”
“The paparazzi aren’t too good for open windows,” Markus said. “It’s the price of fame. And they try to get the ugliest pictures. They always publish the ones where you’re chewing.”
Nice touch, Markus. That might actually get her mom to keep the shades drawn.
“And Mom, you should stay in the room too. Keep away from classes or spaces where you might end up interacting with other guests. I need you to take care of Sheridan.”
“But—”
“No. I’ll come get you if you need to be anywhere.”
Elena’s expression hardened, but Gabby could not risk her mom blowing her cover. Having them here was bad enough, being here and causing trouble would make this mission unsalvageable.
After they’d settled everyone in, she and Markus took a collective sigh of relief in the halls outside the rooms. Markus destroyed the peace immediately when he said, “We should call Val.”
