Page 99 of Choosing Stella

“We’re locking down Volkov’s office and devices now. What he said about trafficking is going to the appropriate units tonight.”

Stella nodded.

Dempsey looked between us once more.

“We’ll be in touch.”

He left.

The Halloween party had ended somewhere between the first gunshot and the police sirens.

Smoke still drifted from abandoned drinks on nearby tables. A severed-finger cookie lay broken on the carpet.

Stella followed my gaze.

“Still want one?”

I looked at her.

She smiled.

I almost laughed.

“No.”

“That’s disappointing.”

“I’m taking you home.”

Her eyebrows rose.

“The safe house?”

I looked at the ballroom, the police, the shattered glass, and the place where Volkov had nearly taken her away from me.

“For tonight.”

“That sounded like there was another answer.”

“There is.”

Stella waited.

I took her hand.

“I don’t want the safe house to be the only place we know how to be together.”

Her fingers closed around mine.

“Good.”

“I wanted to pull you out the second that security report came in.”

“I know.”

“I wanted to put you behind a locked door and keep you there until somebody else solved this.”

“I know that too.”