I sent him a look and turned back to the boys. “All right, kids, let’s get this straight. You two do not go out on the street and get in the faces of bad guys. Anyone else you hear talking about it, you tell them I said the same to them. Do you hear me?” I said in my word-is-law voice.

“We hear you,” Curtis said.

“No need. You workin’ with Crowe and that Mace guy in on it too…” Martin replied, trailing off, awe still in his voice.

“Streets’ll be clean in no time,” Curtis added, like we were superheroes.

I looked back at Vance and he was still smiling.

I rolled my eyes.

Headlights came from behind me and I turned and saw a black Ford Explorer heading down the alley. It stopped close to us and Stark swung out of the driver’s side. A huge blond guy that looked like a relative of the big man at Fortnum’s got out the passenger side. They walked up to us, both of them were grinning.

Martin and Curtis’s mouths had dropped open again.

“God dammit,” I hissed under my breath.

Just what I needed, Super Dude Stark and Paul Bunyon sweeping up the trash. The kids were going to talk about this until Christmas.

Mace re-emerged from the shadows just as the huge blond said, “Jesus, Law, you ever take a night off?”

“The Law never takes a break,” Curtis offered.

I looked skyward. As I was doing so Vance approached me and curled an arm around my neck, pulling me into the side of his body. Martin and Curtis had trained their gazes on us and, again, their mouths dropped open but now their eyes were bugged nearly clear out of their heads.

“Knew you were his woman,” Martin finally said.

I’d had enough. “You two know Hazel?” I asked.

More awestruck looks.

“Your Camaro?” Curtis breathed.

“Yeah. She’s parked on the street, lock yourselves in until I get there. Tonight, you’re sleeping at King’s.”

“We get to ride in Hazel?” Martin asked.

“Move!” I snapped.

They both ran.

I turned toward Vance, which only succeeded in my curling into his body. I pulled back at the neck but his arm didn’t go anywhere so I gave up.

He was grinning down at me.

“Take your arm away,” I said.

He didn’t, instead he leaned in and kissed my forehead. This was such a strange thing to do in the current situation, and I was so shocked by it, I blinked at him.

“What was that for?” I asked.

“I’m just relieved that when you told me you knew what you were doin’, you actually knew what you were doin’.”

It wasn’t a well-lit alley but I was pretty sure he was looking at me with new respect. I felt a rush of warmth, starting at my belly and going outwards. I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything.

The big blond guy and Mace were pushing Clarence and Jermaine toward the Explorer.

“Where are they taking them?” I asked.

“Don’t know. We still got Shard in the holding room. You’re challenging our capacity,” Vance replied.

“You… you… what do you mean you still have Shard? What’s a holding room?”

Vance was watching them load up Clarence and Jermaine. His eyes came down to me and his arm loosened, sliding from around my shoulders. I pulled back but he kept me close with his fingers curled around my neck.

“I didn’t like the way Shard was lookin’ at you last night. We took him to the holding room in the offices to talk to him, convince him he didn’t want retribution. He’s being difficult.”

“Oh my God,” I breathed. That did not sound good.

“Don’t worry, he won’t touch you,” Vance said and I figured either they would talk him out of it or Vance would stop him. One way or the other, he wouldn’t touch me. Something about the thought of that made that rush of warmth intensify.

“So what about Clarence and Jermaine?” I asked.

“They aren’t low level. We’ll need to talk to their people. Lee’s already taken his side in this, whatever happens, you won’t feel it.”

My head jerked in surprise and I stared at him in the shadows. “What do you mean, Lee’s taken a side?”

“I mean he’s made it known where he stands,” Vance replied.

“And where does he stand?” I asked.

“By you.”

My breath caught and it was my turn for my mouth to drop open. “You’re joking.”

“Nope. Not a popular opinion. Hank and Chavez both want you shut down. They think you’re gonna get hurt and vigilantism isn’t a big hit with them. You aren’t real popular with Darius either. Still, Lee decides somethin’ that’s it,” Crowe said.

“Where do you stand?” I asked.

“Got your back when you’re on the street. The rest of the time I’ll be tryin’ to talk you out of it.”

I put my hands to my hips. “I thought you just said I knew what I was doing?” I asked.

“He gave you a classic opening and you took advantage of it. He thought you were a joke. You kept your cool and did well but word’ll get around. Somehow, with your shit, it gets around faster than most. People will begin to take you more seriously. Maybe take you as a challenge and look for you. You won’t get the same opening again.”

“I’ll be ready for it,” I said. “That’s not my only move.”

Vance’s shit-eating grin made an appearance. “So, what you’re sayin’ is, you wanted to lose this morning when we were wrestling in bed?” Vance asked.

I opened my mouth to speak (or probably yell) when Luke materialized at our side.

He was smiling huge, no half-mouthed grin this time and I knew he heard what Vance said. Vance dropped his hand from my neck.

“Hate to break up this lover’s chat but we gotta take these boys in. You gonna speak for Law or you want me to do it?” he asked.

“Speak for me?” I asked.

“I’ll do it,” Vance said, ignoring me.

“Speak for me?” I repeated.

“You givin’ her your protection?” Luke asked, ignoring me too.

“Speak for me?” I said again then I hesitated, my eyes narrowed and I went on. “Protection?”

“Yeah,” Vance answered Luke’s protection question.

“Um… protection?” I asked.

Mace arrived at us. “Tell them she’s got mine too,” he said.