Page 86 of Dark Love

I shrug. “Yet it happened.”

“There wasn’t a power outage.”

That wouldn’t matter. My security system has backup power. If the power grid went down, there wouldn’t be even a flicker on the video or my club. We’ve tested it dozens of times to ensure everything runs smoothly. “No.”

“Were you hacked?”

“No.” Will he let this go?

“I can check for you. Stealth hackers barely leave a trace.”

But deleting it yourself does. “I don’t allow outsiders in my system.”

Max stands up. “You’re lying, and I don’t know why.”

I don’t react. His poker face is almost as good as mine.

“Fine. But if you find the footage, let me know. The family would appreciate it.”

Like I need The Vincenti Family’s appreciation. They come to me for help, not the other way around. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Max makes it to the door before I ask. “Why did you want the security tapes?”

“No reason.”

Fair enough. Keep your secrets and I’ll keep mine.

I Have Friends

Dahlia

“Dahlia, why aren’t you out with friends tonight?”

I lean back in the chair and wrap my fingers around the cup of tea in my hands, letting the warmth sink in. The heat in this house works well, but it feels wasteful to keep it super warm in here just for me. “Because I’m meeting them online in a few minutes.”

“Those aren’t real friends. You never see them.”

For once, they actually do count according to my mother. “I’m meeting them in two weeks.”

“For your little nerd convention.”

I laugh. My mom was the one who suggested I go to this convention in the first place.

“Are you even going to speak to a single man all weekend?”

Possibly. Probably. Maybe. “Definitely.”

“A man that’s single and not trying to sell you something?”

Less likely. “Out of professional courtesy, most of them won’t.”

“Dahlia Prudence Fleur, you need to get out of your house. I bet you’ve already got your pajamas on and a book sitting on the table next to you.”

It’s a good book. “Guilty as charged.”

“You drive me out of my mind. Why did you even move to Urbium if you aren’t even going to try to meet new people?”

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve met more new people than I need to for a good long while. Not that I want to tell Mom about any of them. But I have to give her something or I’ll never hear the end of it. The question is who do I tell her about? Someone who can handle a full-on overprotective mother attack without blinking…MAX. “I’ve made friends.”

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