The Rented Husband (Southern Nights Series)

Chapter 18

**Edited by krisgee**

"The Rented Husband"

2011 Copyright All Rights Reserved


   

     Chapter 18

                “What the hell is going on in here?!” Ted demanded, storming into the small hotel room where Olivia sat on the edge of the bed.  Brody stood beside her, talking to a hoard of cops that had taken over her room.

                Olivia’s head snapped up at the sound of her father’s voice.  She should have expected him; she just didn’t think it would be so soon.  

                Sighing, she rubbed at her tired eyes.  “It’s nothing Daddy,” she insisted.  Dealing with Brody’s Alpha Male attitude was enough; she really didn’t want to add in her father’s as well.  One was about she could handle today.

                “The hell it isn’t Liv,” Brody spoke up from beside of her, outraged at how much insignificance she was giving the situation.  “The guy sent you a picture of your own gravestone outlining your date of death and you really think that it’s nothing?!”

                His cheeks reddened with anger and his eyes darkened to a cobalt blue that loomed like an impending storm.  And it wasn’t just because Liv was taking all of this so lightly; he was pissed because they didn’t know what they were looking for, who this bastard was and why he had such a hard-on for Olivia.

                It was the not knowing that chafed his balls more than anything.

                Ted stopped dead in his tracks.  “Gravestone,” he repeated, his eyes narrowing in on his daughter.  When Seth first told him about cops being sent to his daughter’s room, he had thought that maybe she come to her senses and was kicking the loser that she supposedly married to the curb.  He thought that maybe the punk had refused to leave and Olivia had to have him forcibly removed.  He had actually visualized delivering another face-smashing punch to him.  That he could have dealt with.  That was normal, but this…. How was he supposed to react to this?

                “What is he talking about Olivia?”

                “Daddy, I said that it’s nothing,” she reiterated, “And I meant it was nothing.”  She shot Brody a fiery glare which he just snorted at and rolled his eyes.

                “It’s probably the same stupid kids that somehow managed to get my number before we left North Carolina.  I received some prank calls earlier in the week and Brody had security at the firm check it but they couldn’t trace it.  It‘s just some kids who find it amusing to scare women like me; nothing more, nothing less.”  She turned away from Brody and met her father’s steely gaze.  “It’ll pass.”

                “That’s a load of bullshit,” Brody interrupted, “And you know it Olivia.”  He pointed to the phone sitting on the table, waiting to be taken in for evidence.  “See for yourself, Mr. Murray.  You look at that message and tell me that ‘it‘ll pass’ as your daughter so eloquently put it.”

                Turning back to Olivia, he put his hand on his hip.  “This isn’t some stupid kid prank Liv.  This is serious stuff and it’s time you paid some attention to it instead of blaming some kids.  Someone is stalking you and we need to find out why.”

                Brody was exasperated.  One minute he wanted to kiss the woman and wrap her up in cotton batting, keeping her safe from all the dangers of the world.  The next minute, he wanted to strangle her for her lack of ability to see the matter for what it was.  She was delusional to think anything less.