Page 144 of Save Me

I shake my head. “Safety is always my number one priority. I keep a burner phone to keep my professional and personal life separate. I always let my boss know when and where I’m meeting a source and always do my best to meet in a public place.”

Is that always possible? No. Not in my line of work but I’m not a dummy.

“I can protect myself,” I say with just as hard an edge in my voice as he has.

He visibly swallows. “It’s not about whether you can protect yourself or not.”

“Isn’t it?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “What if one of these sources is setting you up? What if something you’ve never thought up happens, and there’s no one to help you?”

I shake my head but admit, “That could happen.”

“Is any investigation worth dying over?”

“No,” I readily admit. “I’m not a martyr, nor trying to be one. I told you I take all of the precautions I can. I make my job as riskless as possible.” I push out a heavy breath. “But I can’t walk away from a source when my gut tells me I’m on the right track.”

He stares at me, his dark eyes assessing me. I don’t know what he sees, but eventually, his gaze softens. It’s not by much, and I doubt anyone else would recognize the softening of his eyes.

But I do.

That’s when I see the fear hiding beneath the anger. He’s afraid for me.

I move closer and cup his face.

“I love you,” I tell him first because as pissed off as he can make me, I know it’s because of how deeply I’ve fallen for him. “I don’t take intentional risks, and I will never intentionally put myself in danger,” I assure him. “But this is my career. I’ve worked hard for it, and I will continue to work my ass off for it, not only because I’m a hell of a writer but because these stories deserve to be told.

“These aren’t just cases or investigations to me. These are people’s lives. Erika Dalton’s life. And if I can, in some small way, shed light on the crimes and injustices that led to her taking her own life, I have to go for it. Her own mother won’t fight for her.”

I swallow the lump that forms in my throat.

“So I will.”

He lowers his head but doesn’t say anything.

“I’m not begging you to allow me to do my job,” I tell him. I won’t beg anyone for that. “I’m asking you not to stand in my way because that will end us.”

As much as it hurts to say, I mean every word.

His dark eyes meet mine. He steals the breath from my lungs when his arm wraps around me, pulling me fiercely into his body.

“You’re not going any fucking where.”

I do my best to ignore the way my nipples harden from the roughness of his tone. The possession his voice holds.

I swore I didn’t want a partner who was possessive and overly demanding of my time. Then I met Dae Kim, and slowly, or quickly, I fell for him without much of a fight—as if we were inevitable.

“Then don’t make me,” I tell him, my hands still cupping his face.

After a beat, he relaxes his jaw and nods. He turns his head and kisses the palm of my hand.

His hard eyes meet mine. “What time is the meeting?”

I debate for a second. “Six thirty. That’s all I’m telling you, and don’t even think of saying you’re coming with me.”

He shakes his head. “Promise me you’ll be safe.”

“Promise.”

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