Read Online The Socialite and the Bodyguard by Dana Marton - Free Book Online

should really try to enjoy it.”
    He thought, three more days and counting .
    They were at a meet-and-greet thingy, the competition wouldn’t start until tomorrow morning, but he recognized tonight’s event for what it was—assessing the enemy.
    On the surface, there were enough smiles for an Oscar ceremony. Emotions ran deep behind those toothy grins, however. He detected amazing amounts of hostility. His senses were on alert.
    And he wasn’t the only one.
    People watched, calculated, dropped the occasional snide remark, or else killed with kindness. There was as much tension in the air as before any battle he’d seen.
    If it weren’t for the cell-phone photo, he would have been sure the source of the threatening messages was someone from here. Could still be. Could be some dog-show rival paid someone on Kayla’s staff. Something to definitely consider. Maybe the threats to Tsini had nothing to do with Kayla’s family tragedies.
    Except that wasn’t what his gut was telling him.
    He’d been watching the staff on the plane, and every chance he’d gotten since their arrival. He’d searched their luggage, one by one, as they left their rooms on errands. He made a point of talking with them, measuring them up, waiting for a dropped word or any hint in body language that they were not who they seemed to be. Nothing had jumped out at him so far.
    He planned on keeping up the vigilance. Sooner or later, the bastard was going to trip.
    Most of the staff had come down to the meet-and-greet to check out the competition and give Kayla advice and moral support, supposedly.
    Elvis held her hand. He seemed pretty protective of her. True friend or pretending? He went on the maybe list.
    Dave was eyeing the statuesque brunette who was giving the welcome speech up front. Mike had stayed up in the suite with Greg, who hadn’t wanted to come down. He’d bought a giant puzzle of the Vegas Strip in the hotel’s gift shop, and wouldn’t move from that until it was finished. Can’t before I finish , seemed to be his mantra.
    Both bodyguards had been in the apartment when the photo had been taken. But for now, Nash was keeping them on the trusted list. They had an official record in the trade. Clean. They were from a reputable outfit. The personal-protection business to the stars—the circle they ran in—was still small enough that everyone knew pretty much everyone else, the players relying heavily on references.
    Then there was Tom, Tsini’s handler. His job was to carry Tsini when she was crated. He was also responsible for exercising the dog and working on all aspects of the show, including Tsini’s styling. When Tsini had to go in front of the judges, Tom would be the one walking her. Kayla Landon in the ring would be way too distracting.
    Nor would Nash have allowed it.
    Tom was about the same age as Nash, with gym muscles and shifty eyes, scars all over that he explained as old dog bites. He tried to dress to the upscale image the rest of Kayla’s team projected, but fell short despite his expensive slacks and shirt.
His record had a few blemishes, but nothing serious and nothing recent. A couple of bar fights that had gotten out of hand. As far as Nash could tell, the man had turned his life around years ago. Still, given his background and going by sheer looks alone, he would have been Nash’s number-one suspect, except that he hadn’t been at the apartment last night, so he couldn’t have taken that picture.
    Nash kept an eye on him anyway. Especially around Greg. He’d seen Kayla slip an envelope to her brother the day before, and he had an idea it’d held cold, hard cash. Greg needed money for something or someone. And Tom had clothes way more expensive than his fees would support. Could be he was taking advantage of Greg in some way. Another thing to be investigated.
    He went down his mental list of suspects so far: Fisk, Ivan and Elvis. And Elvis was allowed around Kayla with sharp instruments. When on the