Page 557 of Dark Love

“Marlie Wonderosh. Why?”

Because that was the first smart thing Marlie did today.

In order to keep my promise to Dahlia and keep her safe, I need to do one thing before we race up those stairs. “Dahlia, Imogene, I need you both to promise me something. This promise could mean life or death to a lot more people than Marlie.”

“What’s going on? What are you talking about?”

“Vex and Payne already knew about Marlie,” Imogene answers for me. “Whatever we need to promise, count me in.”

“You knew. How could you know?” Dahlia twists her head to stare into my eyes. “How could you know?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

She takes a deep breath. And one more. “What do you need me to promise?”

“When you step out of my club today and until Payne or I tell you otherwise, Marlie Wonderosh is a crackpot, mentally unstable person who’s probably a drug addict.”

“What? How can you say that? Take that back.”

“No. I can’t. And you need to promise me that you’ll say that until you believe it and others believe it when you say it. Because otherwise, people will die.”

“Dahlia, you need to believe him,” Imogene leans forward in Payne’s arms.

“Of course, I believe Vex. My brain just can’t process what he’s saying.”

I can’t tell her how much I wish I didn’t have to say that. But I wait for her to give me her word, wasting precious seconds that we need to save Marlie.

“I promise. Whatever happens in the future, Marlie was just a weird phone call I got from a mentally unstable person. That’s what Adonis thinks, anyway.”

Adonis is a fool. Her words are enough.

I pop up and head to the door.

“Where are we going?” Dahlia wraps her arms around my neck as I take off at a jog.

“To find your friend.”

“But you’re going upstairs, not downstairs.”

“I know, Dahl.” Payne follows close behind me with Imogene in his arms.

“How can you move this fast?”

“Practice.” Lots and lots of practice. Running up or down stairs fast enough can mean the difference between life and death. Payne used to complain that we train harder than firemen.

And he was right.

Hopefully, we’re in time today to save Marlie.

I’ve walked through Shock’s door more times today than I have in the last six months.

Shock and Dyce turn around as we walk in.

“What are they doing here?” Dyce looks ready to go to war with me.

And even though I desperately want to punch something, now isn’t the time. “Dahlia got a phone call at work today. I need you to trace the call. Marlie Wonderosh called her.”

“What?” Dyce’s voice is almost a whisper.

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