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“We should really go, mom,” Kyle tries to interject again, his tone now sounding suspicious more than worried.

But Mary continues like I hoped she would. “She’s fine, but she does photoshoots and the couple today ended up robbing her and getting a good punch in on Kyle when he stepped in.”

My whole body turns stiff. “And she has another one of these photoshoots tomorrow?” The question comes out harsher than I intended.

Mary doesn’t skip a beat though. “She does. I don’t want Kyle going though. It’s too dangerous. I don’t know why she advertises herself on those shady websites anyway. Doesn’t she know that’s how people get murdered?”

“That’s what I said.” Kyle throws his hands in the air. Frustration lacing his tone.

My brain is working overtime as I take in the information.

Jordan not only works at the coffee shop but does photography on the side? It makes sense since I saw her fiddling with a camera on the beach the other day.

But shady websites? I know there are better ways to get yourself out there as an entrepreneur.

An idea forms.

Is it a good idea? Not for me.

I shoot my thumb over my shoulder towards the water. “Is it alright if I talk to Kyle for a minute, Mary?”

Her brows furrow. “Uh… sure. Kyle?” She looks at him.

He doesn’t look too happy, but I think he knows what I have to say shouldn’t be said in front of his mother, so he nods his head and kisses his mother's cheek.

“It was nice to meet you, Mary. I won’t take up too much of his time.”

She nods and gives me a smile and a wave. Kyle dutifully follows me down to the water, in direct line of sight to his mother.

I know a caged bird when I see one and I don’t want to come off as a threat. Or too much of a threat since he already knows I’m not his biggest fan.

I shove my hands in the pockets of my joggers, and he follows suit. I stay facing the water and say, “Tell me what happened today.”

“Why do you want to know so bad?” He’s suspicious and I don’t blame him. “You and I aren’t exactly friends. I don’t have to tell you shit.” He puffs his chest up slightly. He’s protective of Jordan and as admirable as it is, I can’t tell if it’s a friend thing or if he has a crush on her.

I pray it’s not the latter and play nice. “Look, I’m not here to threaten you. I just want to know what happened today.” I bring my tone down to be a little more non-threatening.

He bites his cheek like he’s not sure if he should trust me.

He shouldn’t.

But to my surprise, he dives into the story, telling me everything about a Candy and Brad character, and how they seemed like professionals when the two robbed Jordan and Kyle.

My jaw is tense as he recounts the events, and I swear I feel a tooth crack when he gets to the part about Brad groping Jordan.

The story only gets worse from there, and Kyle seems as pissed as I feel.

“And you say Jordan has another meet-up tomorrow? From the same site?” I ask.

“Yup. And she doesn’t seem worried at all. Like today was a one-time thing and it won’t happen again. I’m trying to convince my mom to let me tag along but she’s not having it.”

I nod my head. “Why don’t you tell me where she’s going to be and what time, and I’ll accompany her?

His face screws up. “Yeah, no. How do I know that you’re not stalking her?”

Smart kid.

“You don’t. But also, I’m a professional bodyguard so…” I say and shrug my shoulders, trying to convince him that it’s a good option and I’m not a creep.