I shouldn't have been surprised to find my bed empty the next morning.

The last thing I remembered was Vincent covering us both with a blanket while we were on the couch. I must have fallen asleep. I was a little put off by the fact that he wasn't there when I woke up, however, the sting was lessened by the note left on the nightstand.

Late night call, princess. I put you to bed and the men needed me. So much for my night off. Stay safe, Arkin will be with you tomorrow. For my sanity, don't lose him. I'll call you.

– Vincent

It made me smile at the very least.

Compared to the night before, my morning was relatively mundane. That was until my doorbell rang around noon. Dexter began growling at the door, and I had to calm him down before I cracked it open just enough to see out into the hall. Vincent's words from the night before came rushing back as soon as I saw the man in the uniform. I rested my forehead against the door for a moment before I opened it.

The man was older, probably around mid to late fifties. He gave me a warm smile as soon as the door was fully open. "Ms. Gracen?" he questioned, extending his hand.

"Juliette," I corrected. "And you are?"

"Fred. Just here to install some security for you as requested by Mr. Monroe."

My eyes rolled of their own accord. Mr. Monroe was never going to hear the end of this. With a deep sigh, I swung the door open and allowed him to come in. We made small talk for a while, but before long I ventured off to my bedroom. Dexter eyed the man before trotting after me. No sooner had I fallen into the covers before my phone began to buzz. I stared at Vincent's name for a moment before I decided to answer. I almost didn't, but after the previous day I knew that wouldn't end well.

"Hello?"

"Arkin said the man for the security installation finally showed up."

"Good morning to you too, Vinnie. I'm doing great. Just have a random stranger installing a whole lot of junk around my front door. So glad you asked."

His deep chuckle sounded down the line and caused my heart to take a stutter step before returning to normal speed. "Good morning, princess."

"Stop calling me that."

"Never."

"Is that all you wanted? To confirm that he was here?"

"No. I also wanted to apologize for dipping out this morning. I know I keep you in the dark about what all we do, but it's for your own good. I handled it."

"I would honestly rather not know," I confessed.

"That's what I figured. When do you work tonight?"

"I have to be there at six."

"I'll be there at five."

"I can walk –"

"Juliette."

I blew out a breath. "Why so early?"

"I have some stuff to do on that side of town and I'll already be over there."

"Alright." No sense arguing with him. If I knew anything, it was that. We hung up shortly after.

It didn't take Fred much longer to finish up with the installment either. He, thankfully, took the time to show me how to truly use the system instead of just letting me try to figure it out with the manual. It was easier than I thought it would be, but I still thought it was unnecessary. I would probably never use it, but if it made Vincent feel better, then I would let it stay.

For now.

Needing to get out of the house for a little bit before getting ready for work, I hooked Dexter up to his leash and headed out. The air was truly starting to turn as we headed into fall. I took a deep breath, welcoming the change. The weather in my city tended to not really know what it wanted to do, so there was no telling if the cooler temperatures would stick around, but I was going to enjoy them while I could. Dexter seemed to be in the same frame of mind as he all but drug me out of the house. A small giggle bubbled from my mouth as we moved along the familiar path to the park. The city was oddly quiet, but I relished it. There was something about the stillness and the familiarity of my surroundings that made me feel at ease.

When we got to the park, I took Dexter up to the dog run so I could let him off his leash. The minute he was unclipped, he bolted. We were the only two there, and he took the time to run the whole perimeter. Ever my protector. Shaking my head, I made my way to one of the benches and sat down. The dog run was in one of the more secluded areas of the park, filled with old, overreaching trees. I took in a deep breath and slowly released it. The fresh air had most definitely been needed. I was trying to not examine what had happened the night before too close.

I lost the battle quicker than I thought.

My thighs clenched together as I remembered Vincent's hands roaming over my body. I was disarmed with how easy and right it had felt to be with him in that moment. Until I let my brain take over and get the best of me. But there were things to consider with Vincent. Things that made the idea of an actual relationship with him next to impossible. The most obvious being the fact that he ran the gang. I would be in a constant state of worry about him – about all of them. There would always be secrets between us because I didn't want to know the extent of what they did. How could anything be built on that?

Did I even want a relationship?

The last one I had been in hadn't been the best. And it wasn't like I had anything to base what a healthy relationship should look like off of. My parents had been separated from the time I was two years old. Then they both died before either of them could find something better than what they had together. Devyn was no help, with her serial dating rivaling my own when she made me try.

My head shook of its own accord. I was reading too much into it. Vincent and I were attracted to each other, and sure we cared about each other, but that didn't mean anything. So we had one fun night – that I had cut a little short. Stupid, now that I was looking back on it. Maybe once we got it out of our systems, we could move on from this dance we were doing.

Who was I kidding? There was no way I was ever going to forget about Vincent.

Dexter's loud growls silenced my line of thinking. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as my eyes swept my surroundings. Before I could go into full defensive mode, I spotted what had Dexter so worked up. A familiar form was standing in front of the gate into the dog run, an overexcited husky prancing around his legs.

Jack.

A smile split my face as I stood and waved. Recognition flashed in his tawny eyes, and then they swiveled back to inspect the hulking mass of Rottweiler that was standing between us. "Easy, Dex," I cooed as I came up beside him. Jack stepped through the gate with his dog as Dexter's growls subsided. The husky pulled him towards us, tail wagging a mile a minute. Once Dexter focused on the other dog, his hackles lowered, and his nub began to shake.

"Hey, Juliette," Jack greeted as he unclipped his dogs' leash. It took about twenty seconds for the two dogs to run off, already best friends.

"Hey. I didn't know you had a dog."

"Not exactly something that comes up in training sessions," he replied, an easy laugh falling from his lips. It was different seeing him like this. I was used to his wife-beater and basketball shorts from the gym. Now, he was wearing a blood red flannel unbuttoned over a white t-shirt. His dark wash jeans hugged him in all the right places, and he had his usually mussed brown hair hidden beneath a gray beanie. I liked the look on him.

"That's true," I admitted, a smile breaking across my face. "Boy or girl?" I asked, nodding towards where the dogs were chasing each other.

"Girl. Her name is Arya and she's a brat."

"Aren't they all?"

He laughed as we made our way over to the bench I had originally been seated on. "What has you out here?" he asked, raising a brow at me.

"Dexter just needed to stretch his legs, and I needed the air."

His eyes drifted over my face for a moment. "You've been pushing yourself pretty hard lately. But you seem different today. Anything you want to share?"

"Nope," I said, trying to ignore the fact that I could feel my cheeks warming in the cool air.

"Keep your secrets then." A wry smile twisted his lip as he folded his hands behind his head and leaned back on the bench. "When are you planning to come in next?"

"Tomorrow if that's okay."

"Fine by me. I'm booked up in the morning, so it'll have to be an afternoon session. I know we don't do those very often, so is that going to work for you?"

"Sure thing," I said, but I wasn't nearly as certain as I sounded. I knew, that somewhere in the background someone was keeping an eye out for me. Ditching Arkin was easy when I did it in the morning. Typically, I could wait until he dozed off or dip out before he got there. Leaving in the middle of the day might prove a little more difficult. No matter what, I wasn't about to miss out on a training session with Jack. It was my one release from the mayhem that Vincent wreaked on my mind.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. Speak of the devil, I thought as I glanced down at my phone. The text message from Vincent was short, just reminding me that he would be there at five. Which was only thirty minutes away.

"Shit," I said out loud as I stood up. "Dexter!"

"What's wrong?" Jack asked.

"I lost track of time. I've got to get home and ready for work."

"Are you still walking back and forth from the bar?"

"No," I said offhandedly. "A friend gives me a ride now."

"Oh." There was something in his voice that made me turn towards him after I had clipped Dexter's leash on. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he was worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. He looked up, and when our eyes met he let a smile slip onto his face, erasing the odd look as if it had never been there. "That's good then. Just stay safe, Juliette. Okay?"

"Between your training and my mace I should be just fine," I teased. "I'll see you tomorrow!" He waved as I turned towards the gate. Dexter growled low in his throat when he looked at Jack. I didn't think anything of it as I towed him with me. I was barely going to have time to get ready.

Thankfully, having a stand-in bodyguard was about to pay off. As I hit the sidewalk, the black SUV slowed to a stop and Arkin rolled the window down. "Need a ride?" he asked.

"For once, absolutely," I replied. I opened the back door and got Dexter loaded up before I hopped into the passenger seat. I glanced back at Jack as we pulled away, but he was already watching as Arya ran the length of the dog run.

"I could have given you a ride here, you know," Arkin stated, pulling my attention back into the car.

"I know. But I wanted to walk. I needed to clear my head."

"Everything okay?"

There was a tinge of real worry in his voice, and it made me smile. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Just have a lot going on right now."

"I'll bet," he replied, his voice low.

My eyebrows raised. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Who was that with you at the park?" he asked instead of answering me. His tone was light enough, but something about it seemed off. Especially for Arkin. Of the guys that I had met, he was the most easy-going. He never really questioned what I did. But, for some reason, this had peaked his interest.

"He's a friend of mine," I hedged. I had fought so hard to keep my training with Jack away from the guys. This was my one thing I had that they hadn't encroached on just yet.

"Is that who you go to see whenever you disappear?"

"Sometimes." He hummed in response, keeping his eyes on the road. "Why?"

"No reason."

"You're lying."

"Well, it's just . . ." he trailed off, biting the inside of his cheek.

"Arkin."

"Is he your boyfriend?" he blurted. Suddenly, it all made sense.

"No." I laughed. "It's not like that."

We pulled up to my apartment, relieving me of having to have any more of that conversation with him. I thanked him for the ride home, unloaded Dexter, and all but dashed into my apartment. I could understand where he was coming from. Arkin was more than likely just searching for information to feed to Vincent. The guys still weren't thrilled about the times that I vanished, but I had inevitably been able to convince them that they needed to give me just this one thing. How would that change now that it would circulate that it was a man I was spending time with? Something told me that the men weren't oblivious to what was starting with Vincent and me. Why else would he spare one of his men to consistently stay with me?

Now the question was just how long would it take until Vincent found out about Jack?

I groaned out loud as I began to get ready for work. It was a bridge I would just have to cross once we came to it. I was able to throw myself together in the nick of time. As I was pulling my shoes on, three quick raps sounded on my door.

"It's unlocked!" I hollered, running into my room to grab my purse. Vincent was standing in the living room with his arms crossed when I reemerged. The look he gave me could have burnt a hole through steel. "What?" I asked.

"I just had a security system installed, and you didn't even try to use it. Did you?" he asked. His voice was deep, shrouded in a darkness that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"Oh," I rolled my eyes all the same. "I'll get better. I just knew you were coming."

His eyes narrowed, but he didn't comment on it any further as he gestured towards the door. "Let's go. Just make sure to engage it on our way out."

"Sir, yes, sir," I muttered, brushing past him to the system panel. While he was saying goodbye to Dexter, I engaged the system exactly how Fred had showed me. Vincent and I breezed out the door. He was quiet as we made our way to the SUV. As always, he helped to hoist me into the passenger seat before rounding the car to get in. As the engine cranked over, I bit my lip. What was up with him?

I decided not to question the issue, and just prayed it didn't have anything to do with me. Sometimes Vincent was so mercurial that it grated on my nerves. Part of me wanted to bring up the night before, but a bigger part of me didn't want to hear what he had to say about it. For all I knew, he completely regretted it and that was why he was being so withdrawn.

Right, a little voice in the back of my head scoffed. That's why he went out of his way to come get you and pay for a security system.

Fair enough.

"Are you hungry?"

I startled when Vincent finally spoke. A smile curved the edges of his mouth as I regained my composure. "No, I'm fine."

"When did you eat last?"

"I haven't."

"Juliette," he said, rolling his eyes at me. Without waiting for another word from me, he pulled into the next fast-food restaurant he saw. "What do you want?"

"Vincent –"

"You need to eat. It's a weekend, you're not going to have time to grab anything at work."

I hated that he was right. So, I reluctantly gave him my order. We did the coin toss to see who would pay again. I lost. Again. He had the same smug ass grin on his face as he put the coin away. Something was up, but once I smelled the food I completely forgot about the coin. Vincent pulled into a parking spot and handed me my meal. The same haunting piano melody was drifting through the car, and I let it wash over me. We fell into a companionable silence as we listened to the music. It didn't take long before we were on the road again.

When we pulled into the parking lot of Tuxedo, I bit my lip. I had been entertaining the idea of asking Vincent to let Arkin have a break the following day. However, I didn't know how to do it without raising suspicion. The car rolled to a stop, and I still didn't move. Vincent turned to me and raised a brow.

I let out an exasperated breath that blew my bangs out of my face. "I have a favor."

"Okay."

"It's not really for me. But I think you should give Arkin the day off tomorrow. At least from watching over me." Vincent's stare was completely blank. My lips pursed. "It's got to be boring as hell just sitting outside my apartment all day. And I'm off tomorrow. I'm not going to be doing anything."

"What's so important tomorrow that you don't want Arkin to see?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You can't lie to me, princess," he said, that ghost of a smile threatening to pull at his mouth.

"I'm not."

"Watching for signs of deception is part of my job description, and you have a tell," he told me, leaning across the center console to invade my space. "Now, what are you trying to hide?"

"I'm not hiding anything," I snapped, nostrils flaring. "I just don't need the guys reporting my every move back to you anymore."

"We've discussed this," he stated, voice flat as the muscle in his jaw twitched. "We both know you're not going to the cops." I winced. "They're there to protect you."

"I don't need protecting."

His eyes rolled. "You consistently walk alone when I'm not around. Not to mention what lead to us meeting in the first place. It puts my mind at ease to know that you're safe."

"You're impossible," I said, my cheeks heating. He had said that so casually. I never expected him to be that open with how he felt about me.

"As are you. I'll see you at the end of your shift." His eyes scanned the lot, and then he leaned forward and pressed a tender kiss to my forehead.

When I got out of the SUV I glanced around the parking lot as well. It was desolate save for Vincent and myself. As he waved and pulled away, I couldn't help but think that he had been making sure we were alone before he kissed me. But why?

__________________________________________________________

I love them. They're honestly two of my favorite characters I've ever created. It's fine.

Y'all know the drill!

Comment!!

Vote!!

Possibly Become a Fan?