“Before noon.”

“Maybe he can help me move then.”

“Move?” Sam questioned.

“In with Eliza. You haven’t forgotten have you?” Gwen’s gaze shifted around the table.

“Oh, Gwen…I don’t know. Things are kinda crazy right now.” Eliza had revealed enough about her past and the current concerns for her safety to Gwen earlier. Surprise and pity were the woman’s first reaction, but she obviously wasn’t worried about her own security enough to shy away.

Gwen waved her hand in the air. “Oh, posh. I’m not frightened of anyone following you from your past. Besides, having more people around you and not less would be in order.”

Movement at Eliza’s feet caught her attention as Zod sat up licking his jowls. A quick glance to Carter’s guilty face confirmed her suspicion that he was still attempting to feed the dog at the table.

“I don’t have security like Blake and Sam do, Gwen. It’s not as safe.”

“But it’s safe enough for you? If you don’t want me there please say—”

“I didn’t say that,” Eliza interrupted.

“Then it’s settled. Neil can help me move my things in tomorrow. If there are safety measures to be taken, I’m confident Neil can help. Don’t you agree, Blake?”

Blake’s eyes traveled around the table before he spoke.

“In light of the circumstances, and with your approval, Eliza, I’d like to have the Tarzana house wired with safety measures and monitoring.”

She started to argue, but Gwen cut her off.

“Brilliant idea.”

“That sounds expensive,” Eliza finally said.

“But necessary.” Carter folded his arms over his chest.

“I don’t know if I want my privacy invaded with cameras.”

“Small price to pay for protection.”

Eliza nodded toward the dog that was sitting up and staring at Carter. “That’s what he’s for.”

“What about when the two of you aren’t home? Wouldn’t you like to know if you had any visitors around while you were gone?”

Carter had her there.

“I can’t afford it.”

At least two people huffed at the table. Just because all of Eliza’s friends were loaded, didn’t mean she was. Sure, Alliance had managed to put money in her pocket and some in her savings, but dripping in cash, she wasn’t.

“Technically,” Sam started. “The Tarzana home is mine so I wouldn’t expect you to pay to have a monitoring system placed.”

Eliza passed a glare to her friend.

“I love you, Eliza. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Some of the building resentment faded with Sam’s words. “You’re not playing fair.”

Sam winked at her husband. “I’m playing to win.”

“Brat.”

“Glad we have that out of the way.” Carter pushed away from the table and glanced down at the pile of forgotten scraps sitting inches from Zod’s nose. “What is wrong with this dog?”

Eliza giggled.

“Seriously. What dog lets perfectly good food lie by its nose without taking a nibble?”

“Police dogs only eat special food from one source. If they were tempted by steak, then the bad guys would learn to keep a T-Bone with them whenever they committed a crime.” Eliza scooped up the food and placed it on her plate. She patted Zod on the head and praised him.

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope.”

Carter scratched his sandy blond hair and wrinkled his brow. “I couldn’t get my dog to chase a ball growing up.”

“I doubt Zod knows how to play ball.” In fact, if she remembered right, police dogs didn’t even play with other animals. Which was kind of sad when she thought about it. This dog was a working machine.

She hoped she wouldn’t need him for long.

****

Eliza watched Carter check his text messages, his email alerts, and his voice mail. As each hour past his eyes languished between hardly open to forcibly awake. If he had a passing thought about their intimate moments, he didn’t let on. Sure, Eliza could read the concern in his words, his tone, but he didn’t say anything that wouldn’t be considered polite.

While visiting in Sam and Blake’s family room after dinner, Carter’s eyes gave up the battle of staying open and his chin dipped onto his chest. Zod sat at his feet with his nose tucked into his paws.

“Poor thing,” Gwen whispered, nodding toward where Carter slept.

Carter’s chest rose and fell in slow degrees. Eliza felt a warm pull inside her heart. “He’s running too much.”

Sam patted Blake’s knee as she stood. “I’ll have a room readied for him to stay over.”

Blake shook his head and glanced Eliza’s way. “I don’t think he’ll stay.”

“Why ever not?”

“He told me he’s going to follow Eliza home.”

Sam sat back down. “That’s a good idea.”

“I can make it home on my own.”

“That’s not the point. He’s worried. We all are.”

Eliza started to argue when Carter’s hand slid from the back of the couch and to his lap, waking him. He blinked a few times and noticed everyone watching him. “I fell asleep, didn’t I?” Embarrassment colored his cheeks.

“We were about to place bets on when you’d start to drool,” Blake teased.

Carter ran a hand through his hair, giving it the perfect amount of messy. Eliza easily pictured him as a child with drowsy eyes and thick pajamas. She was certain he was just as irresistible then as he was now.

“You should spend the night here,” Eliza suggested.

“You both should,” Samantha said.

“Thanks for the offer, but I have that meeting with Mr. Sedgwick early tomorrow.”

“The retired real estate broker?”

“Yeah. He’s been threatening his children and grand children that he is going to leave all his property to his next girlfriend if they don’t start getting along.” When Eliza first started working alongside Samantha, she thought that arranging temporary relationships would be among the young or middle-aged. Sedgwick reached his seventy-sixth birthday in the winter, and he vowed to be married by spring. His spoiled, deadbeat children squabbled about everything, and Sedgwick was in need of a strong woman to knock some sense into his kid’s heads.