Page 435 of Dark Love

That’s not happening here.

Me: What?

Dyce: I need a meet.

Why today? I had the whole day planned. A day of blissful nothing reading, eating, and getting to know Dahlia while letting her get even more comfortable with me.

Me: Monday

Dyce: It can’t wait. He followed me home.

I turn off the oven.

Me: Where are you?

Dyce: Safe now. Had Maddox arrange a safe pick up.

Me: He can’t handle this?

Maddox and his crew are mostly legit, but they aren’t afraid of getting their hands dirty on occasion.

Dyce: No.

Me: Where?

Dyce: The library

That’s going to open up a whole new host of problems if Luisella is there today. She never lets me walk by without a whole host of questions that I refuse to answer.

Me: An hour?

Dyce: Fine.

I turn the oven back on to a slightly higher heat. There isn’t time to lollygag.

Who was crazy enough to follow that woman home? Not only is Dyce a piranha of a lawyer, but she’s also related to Maddox who runs the Deathadders. At one time they were a small-time gang… now they’re complicated. If she wants me involved, it isn’t simply a husband who’s threatening his wife’s lawyer. Maddox could take care of that on his own.

Dyce found something. Something big. Something that’s going to take my time. Time I should be spending with Dahlia.

She’s going to ask questions that I can’t answer.

***

“Anything I can do to help?” Dahlia walks into the kitchen. Her slightly damp hair is looped up into a loose bun on the top of her head.

All I want to do is tug what’s ever holding it up out so that it tumbles down around her face. What I don’t want to do is tell her I’m about to leave. “Breakfast is just about ready.”

“It smells delicious, veggies and all.” She takes two plates off of a display shelf and sets them on the bar near me. “Do you want some orange juice?”

Yes, but there isn’t time. If I’m going to be on time for the meet, I need to be out the door in fifteen minutes. “No, thanks.” I pour her cocoa into a mug and top it with some mini marshmallows I found in the pantry. She might not have actual food in the fridge, but her pantry is jam-packed with every ingredient imaginable and some I’ve never even imagined… who thought of strawberry chocolate chips?

Dahlia eyes the cup with eyes of longing and the sweetest little smile. “You know you don’t need to bribe me to eat ‘every’ meal.”

Bribery hadn’t even come to mind this morning. Dahlia looked like she needed a pick me up even after all that sleep. Has she been suffering from insomnia since the… My hands flex around the frying pan handle. I should have killed the slime. Ripped him limb from limb for what he did to her.

Now’s not the time to think about him or even ask about the dark circles around Dahlia’s eyes. But when I finish, Dahlia has some explaining to do. I slice the egg in half with the edge of the spatula and slide the smaller half onto Dahlia’s plate. The yogurt and berry parfait I made finishes the meal off nicely.

“That looks delicious.” Dahlia reaches for the plate and freezes. “Why aren’t you making yourself a plate?”

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