Page 491 of Dark Love

“Then you don’t. You support the people you care about. You don’t mold them into…” Imogene starts to shake as her eyes fill with fear and tears.

Payne rushes over and takes her into his arms.

That’s my cue to leave.

Why won’t people give me the answers I want to hear?

***

It took all of two minutes to find a hole in their security. Two minutes. The only comforting part of this setup is that the place is swarming with police. Though dirty cops exist…

If she’s going to keep this job, I need to find a way to make Dahlia safer. A way that I can watch over her. Piggybacking on the video cameras seems like the easiest choice. But how long can we get away with doing that?

There’s no way a bodyguard will go unnoticed. I’ve already gotten the eye from several cops, and one or two are building up the nerve to approach me. It’s not like I’m trying to stay under the radar, leaning against a light post and watching the door.

Dahlia should be down in just a few minutes.

This was the safest location for her to choose of all the 911 call centers scattered around Urbium. She sacrificed commute time for safety.

Smart woman.

“Funny seeing you around here.” Cormac walks over.

“You never know where I’ll turn up.”

Cormac chuckles. “That’s my new nephew. The one that married Maddie.” Cormac glances at a boy in a cop’s uniform.

When did they start letting kids become cops? “He can’t be more than eighteen.”

“That’s the innocence still lurking around him. Atlas is twenty-five.”

“Innocence and cops don’t vibe well together.” I give him a knowing look.

Cormac nods. “He’ll grow out of it soon enough. Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

And Cormac knows. “It’s a good thing to have family around to keep you safe. The world is a very dangerous place.” Back off and keep your family safe.

“Cops take care of their own, just like family.”

Don’t tell me you’re going to try to poke your nose in. This is too big.

Dahlia steps out surrounded by the two women that were with her in my club, ending the conversation.

“You found yourself a woman.” The shock in Cormac’s voice is irritating.

“She found me.”

“A woman ran to you instead of away from you. This woman I need to meet.”

The two ladies with Dahlia stare at me as they giggle to each other.

“Even her friends don’t believe it.”

Punching Cormac on the steps of a police station would land me in jail with my fingerprints and mug shots on record, which is something I don’t want.

Dahlia gives me a wiggly finger wave and her friend’s giggles draw the attention of every cop in the place.

Well, that’s one way to make an introduction.

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