Page 200 of Dark Love

“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.”

“And you need security.”

“Quiet security.”

“She doesn’t know.” Ethan laughs. “Stalking is a crime.”

“Dahlia is traveling with a group of women, and she doesn’t want them to know.”

“Ah. So I’ll have the guy introduce himself, then fade away.”

Ethan won’t let it go. He knows very well that I don’t want Dahlia to know. “It’s not stalking when you love the person.”

“Well then… that’s a different story. I don’t have a guy in Vegas. But Taylor does. Let me get him on the line.”

I should have just insisted on going with Dahlia. She can’t stay mad at me for long. It would have been much easier than this. “I’m paying Taylor.”

“Course you are. Double his normal rate because of the short notice. But you’re still coming to dinner.”

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