into the back of the SUV and Ryan got into the passenger seat. Both specialists would be attending the party and providing surveillance. It made Will feel a little ridiculous.
And greatly relieved.
The driver pulled out of the garage and backed into the street, barely missing the photographers who swarmed the vehicle. Despite the paparazzi’s frenzy, the driver managed to get the vehicle away without running anyone over. Will kept Katie distracted with his phone until they were clear. Jasmine exchanged a concerned glance with him.
Please let things be normal from here on out, Will silently prayed.
When they got to the complex, they parked in a spot directly in front of the pool gate that Evan reserved for them. A tall, slender black man wearing a polo shirt and khakis manned the gate. Will deduced from the logo on his polo that he worked for the complex’s property management company. He nodded at Ryan and opened the gate with the key card he wore strapped to his belt.
“Nice to see you again, Specialist Westbrook,” the guy said.
“You too, Oliver.” Ryan gestured at his companion, who pulled out an ID wallet and flashed an official-looking badge. “This is Specialist Velasquez. He’ll be providing additional on-site support during the event.”
Oliver scanned the ID and nodded. “Sir.”
Will pegged the polo guy as a military vet. He had the straight posture and respect thing down pat.
“Enjoy the party,” Oliver said as they all passed through the gate.
“Thanks,” Jasmine said.
Ryan had explained that he would stick close to Will’s side as Will did an initial circuit around the party and interacted with any attendees who were already there. It would give the specialist a baseline so he could more quickly identify anyone new as they entered. That was one of the reasons they arrived right before the party was scheduled to start. They wanted to be among the first ones there.
Will caught the scent of chlorine and heard the sounds of laughing and splashing before he rounded the corner of the clubhouse to see the impressive zero-entry pool and surrounding party area. There were only three kids in the pool at the moment. It looked like all the adults were otherwise occupied.
Sierra and Everly stood with two other women by a trio of tables covered in tablecloths. He recognized Christine Cordero and Shannon Fry, the wives of his teammates, Dylan and Duane. It looked like the women were organizing snacks, plates, and other party essentials.
“I’ll go see how I can help,” Jasmine said. “Do you want to come with me, Katie?”
She nodded and took her hand. Will smiled and watched them as they headed to the tables, then turned to the right where his teammates were arranging coolers and discussing grill times for the burgers, hotdogs, and chicken breasts one of the coolers contained.
Cole spotted him from where he sat entertaining his daughter Grace on a padded play mat. “Uh-oh. Looks like the party’s really about to get started,” he said with a grin.
“Hey, Campbell,” Duane greeted him. He stepped forward and pulled him close for quick back slap. “Glad you could make it.”
Duane had been one of the first bullpen pitchers to hop on Will’s “let’s get our act together” bandwagon. Because of that, Will connected with him better than most of his other pen-mates. Duane had even offered to come out and help on some of Will’s renovation projects. There was every possibility they’d end up working together more after they both retired from baseball. Plus, Duane had a boy about Katie’s age. He was probably one of the kids in the pool.
“Yeah, good to see you.” He turned to Ryan. “Guys, this is my friend, Ryan.”
He made the introductions between his teammates and the security specialist, pointing out to Ryan each of the player’s wives where they now stood talking to Jasmine and Katie just like he would to any other friend. No one seemed to find his behavior unusual.
He felt like a confidential CIA informant.
Cole and Evan both knew about the added security because Will told them ahead of time, but they acted like they believed the whole friend thing for Duane and Dylan’s sakes. Ryan had said it would be more comfortable for everyone if they played him off as just another party-goer. That was why he was wearing board shorts and a Dri-Fit shirt with sports sandals, an outfit not unlike Will’s own. The other specialist would be walking the perimeter most of the event.