Agent Colton's Takedown by Beverly Long

Author:Beverly Long
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-09-09T17:46:48+00:00

* * *

Verity Colton swept into Bubbe’s Deli at four o’clock the following afternoon in a rush of cold air. She wore a stylish black coat with knee-high black boots and had a big smile for Olivia, who was at the cash register. “I was so glad and so grateful to get your call.”

“I really want to help,” Olivia said. “It breaks my heart to think that your students are hungry. That their families do not have enough food.”

“I know. It’s one of the hardest parts of my job, knowing that a child could be doing better, if only their basic needs were being met.”

Olivia heard footsteps on the stairs behind her. She didn’t need to turn around—she knew it was Bryce. He’d been working upstairs since the lunch rush had ended. They had not eaten lunch together. She’d claimed to be too busy for lunch, citing the need to do a physical inventory of supplies. He’d looked irritated with her excuse, and she’d thought he might call her out on such a flimsy pretext for avoiding him, but instead he’d fixed his lunch, taken it upstairs and stayed there. She’d known that he was ever diligent, watching his beloved screens that were synced with her security cameras, looking for Len Davison, for Mystery Man, for anybody who might be a threat to her.

That was what had, no doubt, brought him down the steps now. He’d seen his mother arrive. She was no threat, of course.

“Hello, Bryce,” Verity said, smiling when she saw him.

He hugged his mother. “How was school?”

“Exhausting. Tedious at times. Exhilarating at other times. Generally hilarious because, you know, they’re second graders. The usual.” She did not sound upset, but rather pretty satisfied.

Olivia understood the odd explanation. Work was not play, but when you loved what you were doing, it could be a very good thing.

“How was your day?” Verity asked, looking at both of them.

“Fine,” Bryce said.

“Yeah, fine,” she echoed.

His mother was too nice and too lovely to comment on the awkwardness that those three words, shared between the two of them, had evoked. “Shall we begin?” Verity asked.

“We can use my office,” Olivia said. “It’s upstairs.”

“I’ll need to move my things,” Bryce said.

“If that’s too much trouble, we can—”

“It’s your office.” He cut her off.

The three of them walked upstairs, and Verity and Olivia stood to the side while Bryce gathered up his computer, cell phone and tablet. Finally, when he was gone, they both took chairs.

“I’m sorry,” Verity said, looking uncomfortable. “My son is normally well-mannered. I suspect his unhappiness with me because of Wes is simply too much for him to get past.”

Olivia shook her head. There was already so much cluttering up the situation with Bryce and his family that she couldn’t let another thing be unfairly added to the list. “It’s not you or Wes. It’s me. Bryce is upset with me.” She paused. “Actually, that’s not even technically true. I think he’s upset with the...situation that we find ourselves in.” There, that was all she was going to say.

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