Free Private Bodyguard by Tyler Anne Snell

shoulders weren’t wide, either, but he still held himself up straight and proud. With dark hair, muddy-green eyes and a surprisingly hard jaw, Jace Marks was sculpted with equal parts his father and the most average of people.
    Oliver shook the twenty-six-year-old’s hand and couldn’t help but compare him with Nigel.
    While his father dressed to impress, Jace wore a blue flannel button-up, jeans and tennis shoes. Instead of having a cropped haircut like Nigel’s, Jace slicked back his short hair with a pair of sunglasses resting on top. Despite the past forty-eight hours, he looked rested enough.
    However, one detail that matched his father to a tee was the trademark smile he wore easily. It spoke of wealth, privilege and many, many secrets.
    â€œIt’s good to properly meet you,” Jace said. He shook Oliver’s hand. He had a firm grip, which also surprised Oliver. “A passing hello at the police station isn’t the same thing, if you ask me.”
    â€œNo problem. I didn’t realize you would be in Mulligan during our stay,” Oliver admitted. All clients were asked to disclose pertinent information. That included their travel companions.
    â€œWhen the merger got complicated, Nigel called me in,” he answered. “I hadn’t planned on staying, but given recent events, I feel I should be here to support him.”
    They were standing in the kitchen, Oliver next to the back door with a clear sight line to the front. Nigel was still upstairs in his study with his lawyer, Stan, while Grant was stationed outside the door. Oliver had sent Thomas to rest as soon as he had come through the door, considering the new recruit hadn’t slept yet.
    â€œNigel,” Oliver repeated the name. Had he been informed wrong? Was Jace a stepson and not the millionaire’s blood relation?
    â€œHe doesn’t like when he’s referred to as Father in a work setting,” Jace answered with an apologetic smile. “He doesn’t want anyone to think he’s partaking in favoritism. So we keep to a first-name basis when working, but I guess it’s become a general habit.”
    Oliver supposed that made sense. He didn’t call Nikki by her first name in front of the new recruits or clients, but that was more of a show of respect. Members of Orion earned the right to be familiar with the head honcho by doing a good job and remaining humble. Nigel having his son call him by his first name might make sense, but Oliver couldn’t deny he didn’t like the informality of it. If he’d ever called his dad by his name, Jacob Quinn would have been fast to correct him.
    â€œSo you work at Charisma?” Oliver asked when it was apparent Jace wasn’t leaving the kitchen anytime soon.
    He sat down at the island and faced Oliver. “It’s the only place I’ve ever worked,” he said with notable pride. “I oversee the company’s support specialists and deal directly with the more complicated clients, walking them through every part of the investment process. With this merger going through, however, I’m hoping to make the move up in the ranks. But now, with this...” He looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. “I just hope it all gets taken care of before it does any damage to the company.”
    Oliver couldn’t help the raise of his eyebrow or, he was sure, the look of slight disgust that contorted his face. If Darling had been in the room, she would have flown right off the handle at how crass the millionaire’s son was being. She would have pointed out in no uncertain terms that he was referring to a human being who had been murdered and that finding justice for her was much more important.
    But Darling wasn’t there.
    â€œHopefully it will be sorted out,” Oliver offered.
    Jace nodded, oblivious to Oliver’s thoughts. “You know, I told Nigel he shouldn’t have even come back to Mulligan