“Good morning. Steel Security Services. This is Clover.”
Despite everything, Marc smiled at the sound of Clover’s voice. He was the receptionist at the Washington office. Marc said “receptionist” loosely. He ran the show at his location.
“Hey, Clover. It’s Steel.”
An adorable squeal came through the phone’s speaker. “I haven’t talked to you in so long. How are you?”
A small smile played on Steel’s lips. Everyone who met Clover was immediately smitten. He was too nice to dislike. “I’m good, but I need to ask a favor.”
Clover didn’t hesitate. “Of course. Anything.”
“I have a client who’s being harassed and blackmailed.”
Clover gasped. “That’s awful.”
Steel nodded as if Clover could see him. “It is. Not to mention, this is a huge client of ours. He’s also my cousin’s step-kid.”
Marc hadn’t thought about that. Of course, Steel would know about Ry.
“Tell me what you need. I’m here to help.”
“I’d like to have all of his calls except for an approved list re-routed to you.”
“Ooh. The confuse and aggravate method.”
A huge smile exploded across Steel’s face. “Exactly. I’ll warn you, it’s our client’s legal parent, so he'll definitely pull that card on you.”
“That’s horrible.” Clover sounded genuinely horrified. “Well, just leave it to me. He’ll never get past me.”
Steel’s smile never dimmed. “I know. You’re the best.”
“Awww, ditto.”
Steel’s smile softened. “I’ll send you the full details and get everything set up. Thank you for this. You’ll see it come bonus time.”
“You’re too good to me.” The sweet note in Clover’s voice warmed even Marc’s heart.
“I’ll talk to you later.”
Clover perked up even more. “Okay. It was good to hear your voice.”
“You too. Bye.” Steel disconnected the call and focused on Marc. “That’ll take care of any phone calls. He has you by his side. That’s two things. I’d also like to bring in a property guard, making it impossible for Ry to get to him while he’s at home. Blackmailers never actually release anything. Ruining Valon would ensure he never saw another dime. But this definitely buys us time to find a way to turn the tables.”
Marc nodded along. He appreciated Steel hadn’t asked what Ry had on Valon. “This all sounds great. I knew you’d know how to approach things.”
Steel leaned back in his chair, making the huge leather piece look small. He eyed Marc. For a moment, Marc expected Steel to lecture him about being too close to his client. “You’re good for Valon. I’m not sure any other guard would’ve found this out.”
Marc slowly nodded, trying to find the right words. “He really isn’t difficult. I think he’s just tired of being under everyone’s microscope. Imagine not even being able to relax at home because everyone thinks you’re too wild to give a moment’s peace. People never stop watching your every move. I think I would’ve snapped under the pressure a long time ago.”
Steel sat forward. “Makes sense. Keep me in the loop. We’ll find a way to stop this. In the meantime, we can keep Ry chasing his tail and give Valon time to breathe.”
Marc stood. “Thank you. I’ll let you get back to work. It’s almost time for me to pick up Valon from his dad’s place.”
“Have you talked to Kash about this?”
Marc shook his head. “I don’t know why, but it didn’t feel like a good idea.”
Steel made a dismissive gesture. “It’s fine. Leave it to me. Kash is definitely someone to manage carefully.”
