And Cormac didn’t have to feel like he was being pitied.

“You said to call if anything suspicious was going on at the club. My brother told me that some guy was creeping around.”

“Well, there’s a whole crew of people working there on and off,” I reminded him.

“That’s what I said. But he was being a pain in the ass about it, so I came over. Yeah, the crew isn’t here today. And the guy went around the back and disappeared.”

“There’s an alley—”

“Not an idiot, Saff,” he cut me off. “I had my brother wait on the other end. He never came out that way. He just straight up disappeared. Which means—”

“He got inside,” I said, exhaling hard through my nose.

I wanted to go home and get out of my business clothes. Then I wanted to drown my complicated feelings in a pint of chocolate ice cream.

But no.

Now I had to go… shoo some unhoused guy or criminal out of my club.

Well, actually, maybe that was exactly what I needed.

Not to wallow.

To get distracted.

To lean into the woman I was, not the woman I liked getting to be around Soren.

“Alright. I’ll be there in fifteen. Don’t go in and don’t confront him if he comes out. But you can follow at a distance if you want to keep me updated.”

“Got it,” Cormac said, hanging up.

I picked up my pace as I reached up to tie my hair, then reached to check for my card knife in my wallet, since I didn’t have time to stop home for a better weapon.

When I closed in on the club, Cormac moved to meet me.

“I can hang out front in case he comes running out. And my brother will block the alley,” he said, nodding his chin toward it.

I glanced over. “He’s all of twelve.”

“He’s tough,” Cormac said, puffing up a bit.

I was sure he was, just like his big brother.

But, fuck, they were kids. They shouldn’t have to be tough.

“Here,” I said, pushing a hundred toward him. “A bonus to… get lost,” I said, making my tone dramatic, so he thought some crazy super-secret family business might be going down, so he didn’t try to stick around to play the hero. “Go blow it on junk food or toys or some shit,” I added.

Cormac gave me a nod, then walked down the alley toward his brother, slinging an arm over the little one’s shoulders as they walked off.

I hated that I could see them in five, ten years’ time running their own crew, running the streets. But that was what lives like theirs did. Hardened you. Made you morally flexible.

I would know.