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For a second, I think he’s going to tell me to watch my mouth. He’s got the look for it. Tight jaw. Cold eyes. Temper pulled up on a leash.

He’d say it to Drew.

He doesn’t say it to me.

His gaze flicks over my face, then my hands, and whatever he sees there makes him think better of it. He exhales and lets it go.

“Look, I’ve got a whole security team here, but they’re fucking useless. I’m betting you walked right past them, didn’t you?”

I don’t answer. No point telling him I didn’t walk past a single soul. His cameras are garbage, his exits are wide open, and slipping in was embarrassingly easy.

Dean sees enough on my face anyway.

“Exactly.” Dean stands. “Security Director. You’d lead the whole department. Hiring, training, investigations, full overhaul. Plug the holes, fix the protocols, and make sure no one else gets into my office and puts their fucking boots on my desk.”

“No.”

“No?”

“I don’t play nice with others.”

“You don’t have to play nice,” Dean says. “You just have to make them competent.”

I head for the door, but his next words stop me.

“Stable hours. Half a million total package. Benefits. Legitimate payroll. Health insurance. Retirement. A paper trail.” Dean’s voice stays casual, but I hear the calculation underneath. “You could buy a place one day without explaining why you’ve got duffels full of cash.”

That gives me pause.

I could buy a place. Not another rented dump. Not somewhere temporary. A real home for Theo.

The thought sits there longer than I like.

Dean keeps his tone light. “How long do you think you can keep running with Ray before it catches up to you?”

I turn back slightly. “Probably not a good idea to poach Ray’s guys.”

Dean smiles without warmth. “Who’s he going to send after me? You?”

Fair point.

Still, Ray doesn’t like losing people he thinks belong to him. And whether I like it or not, I’ve been his for a long time.

“Think about the job,” Dean says.

I don’t answer.

I just turn and walk out.

30

CARMEN

Ipull into the driveway after class and can’t help smiling when I see Finn’s car parked along the street.

The moment I turn off the engine, he steps out, tall and handsome in his navy suit, looking far too much like the version of his father I first fell in love with. Same dark hair. Same blue eyes. Same height and posture.

But that’s where the similarities end.