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Ryan winced He'd been hoping to put off disclosing the details of Sareement with Zoe

"That's a little complicated She doesn't knoho I a with thinks it's best if she's eased into things"

"I see"

A knock on the door told hio, but I'll call soon"

"Okay, and you take care"

Ryan hung up the phone, grateful he had at least one relative he could count on Unlike Zoe, who hadpeople ould always be there for her

Over the long, lonely weekend, Ryan watched three rentalMonday , he took Zoe's advice and booked a room closer to Ocean Isle, closer to Saot settled, he decided that although the place wasn't five-star, it more than suited his needs He checked in at his office and after speaking to his secretary, he was certain his partners were handling everything in his absence

It was time he turned his attention to the here and now

And noas time to visit the Costas clan

Chapter Four

MONDAY MORNING, Zoe left the house bright and early at 7:00 am to meet with Quinn, Connor and a friend of hers who used to ith the Secret Service, but as now a prouards and security specialists for their talent perfor in the area and Zoe, Quinn and Connor needed clients

Although the hour was early for a businessZoe was also only too happy to avoid dealing with her fa didn't bother her much, but thirty was aabout how Ari had le

She sneaked out of the house and reached the office, which was freshly painted in a bright yellow, much to Connor and Quinn's frustration To appease them, she'd promised masculine accessories, even if they had to be purchased secondhand, which was all they could afford

The discussions between the parties took place around the only furniture they owned, a conference table left by the original tenant and bridge chairs donated by her family Nobody seereement, easily reached since everyone involved had an interest in working together By 9:00 am , they'd decided on the preliminaries for a contract and Zoe, Quinn and Connor had officially retained their first client

Zoe arrived ho up to the house to find a police car out front She bolted inside, her fear overwhel in Greek Her father stood speaking to two uniformed officers, while Aunt Dee and Uncle John, who lived across the street, had joined the their pajamas The roolanced around Finally her gaze settled on the half-open door of the pantry A quick glance told her Sam sat huddled inside, no doubt with her new pet The poor kid probably feared the cops would take Ima away for the same reason they'd had to find a new hoe looked like a puppy crate, so there were no worries there