My shoulders rolled, wishing I could melt into the concrete and disappear.

He flashed his credentials I knew stated him as ex-marine and in the employ of myself and my father. David Santos, my driver, bodyguard, sometimes personal assistant.

Shit.

He threw me a quick glance then focused his intense black gaze on the lead officer. His barrel chest, large arms, and black suit that matched his ebony skin soaked up the night. “I’m here for Ms. Charlston. She’s done nothing wrong.”

The police officer standing beside me argued, “She’s been caught trespassing—”

“Wait.” The lead agent stepped forward, shining light onto my bodyguard’s identification. He then beamed the flashlight at my face. “What did you say her name was?”

“Charlston. Noelle Charlston.” David ground his teeth. “Ring any bells?”

I was grateful he was here, but I didn’t want him to fight the battles I’d lost.

“David, it’s fine—”

“Be quiet, Ms. Charlston. Let me handle this.” He stood taller, his gloved hands clenching. “From Belle Elle?”

The lead officer stiffened. “Wait, Joe’s daughter?”

“The one and the same.”

The officer paused.

A second later, he ordered, “Release her.”

Instantly, the handcuffs were unlocked, and I was pushed forward. I shot to the side of the man who’d saved me, kissed me, and given me the best birthday night out I could’ve asked for. “What about him?”

An officer laughed. “Oh, he’s coming with us.”

“But you—you can’t. He saved me. He did a good thing. Don’t punish him for jumping a fence and enjoying a park.”

The officer smirked. “Oh, we’re not arresting him because of that.”

I couldn’t look away from Nameless’ face. My lips ached to kiss him again. His eyes roamed over me, full of the same tender affection and almost awestruck attraction from before. I had to be near him until I figured out what this meant. What this was between us.

They can’t take him away.

“Then why?” I demanded, living in daydreams of taking him home, giving him the guestroom to shower and rest, cooking him blueberry pancakes, and introducing him to Dad in the morning. “He hasn’t done anything.”

The officer’s laughed as if all in on a joke I hadn’t heard. “He’s done plenty.”

“He has multiple outstanding warrants. Tonight is our lucky night.” Jerking Nameless to his side, the lead officer added, “He’s going away for a long time.”

Nameless merely hung his head, his jaw working with a violent edge.

“You can’t do that.”

The cop’s face drew with annoyance. “I think you’ll find we can, Ms. Charlston. Now, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll go home with your guard here and forget all about this one.”

He shook Nameless. “Say goodbye because I doubt you’ll be seeing him again.”

I moved forward—to do what I didn’t know. To kiss him, run away with him—somehow fix this, so it didn’t end this way.

He smiled sadly. “Do what he says, Elle. Go home.”

“I can’t go. Not without you.”

“You know the way now. You don’t need a guide to walk you.”

I shook my head. “That isn’t what I meant, and you know it.”

He chuckled. “You said it yourself. It was too crazy to be true.”

I ached to grab his hand, to hug him, but with so many pairs of judging eyes on us, I froze. That would be one of my biggest regrets in life. That I didn’t reach out when he needed me the most. “Please...tell me your name. I’ll get a lawyer. We’ll fight these stupid claims.”

“All right, time’s up.” An officer marched forward, grabbing Nameless around the elbow and dragging him away.

Tears sprang to my eyes. Uncertainty and fear spiraled at the thought of never seeing him again. “Please! What’s your name?”

Nameless stumbled from another shove, his gaze never leaving mine. He looked sad and pissed and lost and resigned. So many emotions all at once. “It was fun while it lasted.”

“Tell me!”

But he merely gave me a harsh smile, trying to mask the grief on his face. “I really enjoyed kissing you, Elle.”

And then the officer turned him away and marched him into the darkness.

Chapter Ten

THE DRIVE HOME was one of the hardest things I’d ever lived through.

David didn’t say a word; he merely drove with iron concentration and astute silence. He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t ask for a report from the police. He just escorted me from the park as if I’d come out of Belle Elle like a normal evening after work.

He didn’t comment about how I’d been caught with a man. He didn’t speak at all apart from to tell me to be careful climbing into the backseat of the Range Rover Sport.

Pulling up to the brownstone where I lived, he cut the engine and jumped out. A moment later, he pulled open the door for me and nodded in the darkness. “Have a good night, Ms. Charlston.”

“Thank you, David. You too.”

I didn’t ask if he’d keep this to himself. My father would know. I wouldn’t be able to keep my night-time wanderings a secret. But at least neither of them would know about the alley and how I’d met Nameless.