Page 505 of Dark Love

“Fine, I’ll be in tomorrow morning.” After Dahlia leaves. Everything about that is wrong. She’s going to be out of my sight and my reach for a week.

Alone.

Unprotected.

Which is completely unacceptable and about to change.

“Don’t call Mr. Vincenti.”

My squirrely hacker took too many energy drinks this morning. “I’ll have to fill him in anyway.” Working together and all of that nonsense is a pain.

“Not about this.”

Barb. Shock found something about Barb. “Do I need to adjust our security?”

“No.”

“Tomorrow, noon.” I click off. Payne will need to be there. Without Imogene.

Me: Tomorrow noon. My office. Ditch the girl.

Payne: ?

Me: We’ll talk then.

Payne: Got it.

After those two conversations, maybe Dahlia is right. My life is becoming a spy novel. None of which can ever touch Dahlia.

The phone rings as I sink down into my office chair, waiting for Ethan to pick up. Dahlia’s probably lost all sense of time and space in my library. A smile spreads across my lips. How did I find a woman who loves books as much as I do?

“What?”

Ethan's friendly greeting does nothing to dampen my happiness. “I need to hire one of your guys.”

“Don’t want your money, boy.”

Why couldn’t he make this easy on me? He knows I don’t like asking favors. “What do you want?”

“You and your girl for Sunday dinner.”

Why? I’m already bringing her over to one family dinner.

“Emilia heard you were bringing her over to Matthew’s, and she wanted to have you both over.”

I pound my head on the back of my office chair. Dahlia isn’t a pony to be shown off to the world. “I can afford to pay your normal rate.”

“Don’t need money. Have more than I can ever spend.”

We both do. But you’re a mercenary—fine, a mostly retired mercenary, but you still run your company. Not that matters one bit. Emilia wants something, so Ethan’s going to get it for her. “I’ll check our schedules, and we’ll make plans soon.”

“Good, I’ll tell Emilia to make arrangements with your girl.”

I groan silently. How am I going to explain these people wanting to meet her?

“What do you need?”

“Dahlia’s going to Vegas tomorrow.”

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