Page 27 of Blue Moon

“But that doesn’t mean she won’t do something else equally dumb.” Emmy heaved out a sigh. “Fuck.”

“I have vacation days stored up…”

This was it. This was the point where Emmy decided Ryder’s future. Either she’d let him stick around to make sure Luna stayed safe, or she’d haul his ass back to Virginia. Quitting without notice would be a shitty thing to do, but Luna?—

“Dude, you’ve got one month. One month to teach her enough common sense that she won’t get herself kidnapped or killed.”

“A month?” He’d been hoping to talk Emmy into another week.

“With your head in the place it’s at, I can’t use you on any high-pressured jobs anyway. Sort yourself out. Sort Luna out.” Another sigh. “Plus I owe her. She could’ve raised merry hell after the debacle in San Gallicano when she ended up in mortal danger not once but twice, but she didn’t. And I kind of like her. She might be a pain in the rear end at times, but deep down, she’s a good person.”

It was true. All of it. “I know.”

“Consider your future, though. If your face gets splashed across the internet, that’ll limit your career prospects. I can’t send you on undercover jobs if there’s a risk of shrieking teenage girls telling the world that they’ve just spotted Luna Maara’s boyfriend.”

“We’re nowhere near that stage, but I get it.”

If things went further with Luna, he’d have a decision to make. Love or his livelihood. Their vocations weren’t compatible, and he’d never ask her to give up singing. Not when it was her passion. Not when she’d spent her whole damn life bending to the wills of other people.

“So stay in Sin City, see what happens with Luna. If the Vegas office needs assistance with a job your skill set can handle, then you’re up, but otherwise treat it as personal leave. Okay?”

“Thanks, boss.”

“And send everything she’s received from Mark A in for testing. Receipts to the cyber team in case they can track down a credit card, everything else to forensics.”

“I haven’t seen the earrings.”

“Well, find out what she did with them. Call me if there are any developments.” Then, more quietly, “I don’t want to lose you. The team doesn’t want to lose you. Before you do anything drastic, be sure Luna’s worth it.”

Ryder already knew she was. “I will.”

He hung up and closed his eyes. Breathed. Felt one type of stress melt away and a new weight settle in his gut. He’d been prepared to bargain, to offer Emmy his firstborn to get the time he needed with Luna. But she’d given him everything he’d hoped for without him even having to ask. When he’d first heard whispers of Emmy Black, two comments had come up over and over again—one, she was fucking crazy, and two, she put morals above money, even if her moral code was whacked. So far, she’d lived up to his expectations, but today, she’d exceeded them.

He had a month. A month to convince Luna that he was one of the good guys. A month to make sure she’d be safe from the monsters she feared. A month to decide whether a future with Luna was worth a future without everything else he’d grown to love.

That night, Ryder dreamed of Neve and wished he’d had the gift of an extra month with her.

“I have fruit, pastries, and breakfast sandwiches with hash browns, hot chocolate, and coffee.”

Luna was digging through the bags before Ryder finished the sentence. Once, she’d still have been wearing the silk camisole and shorts she slept in, but she’d made the effort to get dressed today, although her tank top and skintight leggings didn’t hide a whole lot more than the sleepwear. Had she just gotten up early? Or did the change in clothing represent another change in their relationship?

“Hash browns? That right there makes you a hero. Did you bring ketchup? Something went wrong with my last grocery order—I thought I ordered ketchup but it turned out to be tomato soup, plus they ran out of Goldfish crackers, so they sent a whole octopus instead. Why would they do that?”

“I guess the person packing the bags was having an off day. You’re getting groceries delivered?”

“Isn’t that what regular people do?”

“Yeah, when they don’t have a stalker. A different person makes the delivery each time? Brings the bags right to your door?”

“How else am I supposed to get food? I can’t just drive to the store when I don’t have a driver’s licence. And don’t tell me to hire a chauffeur because I don’t have the money for that anymore. At least, I don’t think I do. I’ll have to ask Caro.”

“You’re not going to the store yourself.” Aside from the risk Mark A would show up, she’d get mobbed by fans and paparazzi. “Caro’s helping with your finances?”

Ryder knew Caro had been speaking with Luna, but Caro had refused to tell him what they discussed. Said she’d be betraying a confidence.

“I’m not real good with numbers. Are you mad at me?”

“For not being good at numbers?” Ryder was genuinely confused.

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