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“Want to meet me at Olivia’s bar after work tonight?” Darci asked.

“I’m not sure how Peter will feel about that.”

“I thought you two weren’t dating.”

She frowned. “I’m not, but he’s an overprotective ass.”

Darci hummed as if she didn’t quite believe her. “Well, bring him too. I liked him well enough at Gage’s house.”

Carrie thought about it. How would Darci and Peter get along? She knew nothing of Peter’s politics, and Darci was vocal about hers. It could get tense. Or it could be fun to see Peter in a more casual setting with some of her friends.

“I’ll ask him. Our relationship is… interesting. I’m not sure how to define it yet, so this might get weird.”

Darci chuckled. “Weird doesn’t have to mean bad. Text me if you can make it. I’ll tell Liv to expect us.”

When she ended the call with Darci, she sent Peter another text.

We’re going out with Darci tonight. Meet us here.

She attached a map link to the text then sent one to Darci telling her to pick her up at seven-thirty just because it would annoy Peter.

13

PATRICK stared at the text and shook his head. A night out with Carrie and Darci sounded exhausting. But he was also interested in seeing Carrie in a more relaxed environment. He knew the last few days had been stressful on her. But first he had to dispel her of the notion that she was letting anyone but him pick her up, so he dialed her cell and waited for it to ring.

When it went to voicemail after two rings, he looked up the number for the UNN building and asked to be put through to her line.

“Carrie Davenport…”

He cut her off before she could finish her greeting. “If you even think about leaving that building without me I swear I’ll handcuff a bodyguard to you from now on.”

“Oh stop. It’s a bar three blocks away. Darci and I will be fine, and we know the bar owner.”

They needed to talk about Darci before the three of them spent time together, but he was frustrated with Carrie’s stubbornness at the moment.

“I mean it, Carrie. I don’t want you going anywhere without protection.”

“No. You don’t want me going anywhere withoutyou.There’s a difference.”

He wanted to argue, but he wasn’t sure she was wrong. That didn’t mean he was giving in, though. “It doesn’t fucking matter. I better find you at work when I get there. End of discussion. We have things to talk about before we go out.”

“Bite me.”

The line went dead, and he had to inhale deeply and count to ten until his irritation subsided.

Since he suspected he couldn’t talk sense into Carrie, he did the next best thing and called in a favor with Gage.

“Do me a favor and go to the address that I just texted you. Carrie is going there after work with Darci. Be there by seven, a little sooner if you can swing it. I don’t know what time she’s going to leave work. Last time she did this she had Edith get her at seven. She thinks she’s not in danger anymore, but I want eyes on her just in case.”

Gage laughed. “Whoa. Slow down. You’ve got it bad, man. Of course I’ll be there, but I have to be back home by nine. I’ve got a play date.”

Tension left Peter’s shoulders. She would only be unsupervised outside of her office for a few minutes.

“I owe you one. I’ll be there by eight-fifteen.”

The day dragged by and he had to force himself not to call in the night team early. When he finished the last of his paperwork, he raced to his SUV and punched the address of the bar into the GPS.

When he walked into the bar at ten minutes after eight, he was immediately drawn to Carrie who sat with her back to the door and had her head on Darci’s shoulder. Gage sat on the bench across from her with his arm around a woman he had seen before, but he didn’t know her name.

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