Page 62 of Evidence of a Folktale

“Oh okay, so you aren’t dating?” Taron asked. “That’s good to know.”

“Oh no. We are very much dating,” she clarified. It was silly, but she enjoyed teasingboththe actress and her boyfriend. It felt so normal, so trivial and ridiculous, and Taron’s cluelessness and Eamon’s mock annoyance brightened the unending death and destruction clouding her path. “But he’s also my best friend. He makes me laugh if you can believe that. It’s why we work. We started as friends.”

“He makes you laugh? But he’s so… well, that’s nice,” Taron said, trying to hide her disappointment. “So, are you two serious?”

Eamon leaned forward, staring Bel down as he waited for her answer.

“He keeps asking me to move in with him, so I guess so.” She winked at him, and he rolled his eyes.

“But you have yourownplace?” Taron looked genuinely confused. “A rich man that looks like that wants you to live with him, yet you still live alone. Girl, you have more willpower than I do.”

“I’ll move in with him eventually,” Bel said. “But I like keeping him on his toes.”

“Is that why he’sreallyhere?” Taron glanced between the couple as she saw their relationship in a fresh light. “Because you keep him on his toes so much that he’s nervous about The Wolf coming after you?”

“That can’t be public knowledge,” Bel said. “We want The Wolf to target me, but if he suspects I’m being protected, he won’t make a move. But yes. I watch your back, and Eamon guards mine.”

“My god, that’s disgusting,” Taron laughed. “That’s too romantic this early in the morning. Girl, you won the jackpot.”

“I like to think so,” Bel said, loving that eavesdropping on them brightened Eamon’s black eyes so beautifully that his predator disappeared for a fleeting moment. Life had certainly not been a lottery winning lately, but in her choice of partner, she’d won. She’d found someone who put her first, who actively communicated rather than bulldozing her emotions to get his way, and who trusted her enough to be vulnerable about the worst parts of his nature. As much as she wanted to smack him for his reaction at the hospital, it was a valid concern. One he thankfully cast aside long enough to listen to her, and now, here he stood guarding her back instead of inflicting irreparable damage on their relationship. Insteadof leaving her unprotected before the wolves. Yes, she’d hit the jackpot.

“And on a work note,” Bel said, “this is good. Girl talk will help solidify that I’m not a threat or a bodyguard. That I’m just another… what did you call them? Mon-hoe.”

“My fans made that up,” Taron laughed. “I hated it at first, but Idecided to embraceit.”

“Pick your battles.”

“Exactly,” Taron said. “Okay. Hopefully, girl talk works… even though I don’treallywant it to. I don’t want The Wolf coming after us like he did Gwen and Ellery.”

“Thanks for today,”Taron said as Bel dropped her off at the Bajka Bed-and-Breakfast. They’d spent the entire day filming at the courthouse, and what started as an act had turned into Bel genuinely helping the actress. Miss Monroe had her celebrity flaws, but she was a spongewhen it came tolearning. She absorbed every tip Bel offered, and by the end of the shoot, they looked almost identical standing side by side.

“You’re welcome. It was fun.”

“It was,” Taron said.

“I’ll stay until you get inside, and a squad car will be stationed in the parking lot all night,” Bel said. “Don’t leave the inn. If you need to go somewhere, ask an officer to escort you. And I mean it. Don’t even walk outside to smoke or make a call or cool down.”

“I don’t smoke.”

“Great. You have no excuse to leave then.”

“I vow to lock myself in my room.” Taron crossed her heart in a promise.

“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you.” The actress fled the car and raced through the cold to the front door. The moment she locked herself inside the inn, an expensive truck rolled up beside Bel’s SUV, the direction facing the opposite way so the drivers could speak.

“Did you notice anything?” Bel asked.

“Other than Beau Draven staring at your legs in ways that begged me to gouge out his eyes?” Eamon asked. “No.”

Bel cursed. “We’ll find something. We have to… right?”

“I hope so. Even though I’m there, I still hate using you as bait.” He reached across the divide, and she took his hand.

“I’ll be fine. I can fight.” She winked at him. “But seriously, thanks for being there. I love having you around on cases. I feel invincible.”

“Well, you aren’t, so don’t get cocky,” Eamon laughed. “But I agree. I like being with you, and not just to keep you safe. I love watching you work. I never loved any of my jobs. Well… I enjoyed the first one, but that’s because I was bornfor bloodshed. Everything else has been about making money, but you live and breathe your job. Seeing you help the cast today reminded me why I can never ask you to stop being a cop, even if it puts you in danger. You were brilliant to watch.”

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