Page 421 of Good Boys Don’t Bite

“I know.”

“Then?”

“Don’t go.”

“Why?”

Elliot’s expression tightened. Ronan softened. There. Fear. Again.

“Because I can’t be there.”

The words came quietly. Ronan’s chest hurt.

“If something happens to you, I can’t do anything.”

That sentence had layers Elliot probably didn’t intend. No mask. No violence. No rescue. No physically reaching Ronan. Just locked doors. Ronan leaned forward.

“Maybe that’s good.”

Elliot’s eyes flashed.

“Excuse me?”

“You can’t fix everything.”

“That isn’t—”

“You said it yourself.”

Elliot stopped. Ronan continued.

“You don’t know how to sit with fear without turning it into a plan.”

“I’m getting better.”

“You’ve been incarcerated for eighteen hours.”

“Growth is fast.”

Ronan laughed. Then sobered.

“I’ll have Vance.”

“She got fooled by Saint repeatedly.”

“Police.”

“Same department.”

“Caleb.”

“You don’t know him.”

“Neither do you.”

“Exactly.”

Ronan shook his head.