DLD.

Chapter Six.

Ace was a lot calmer than predicted after I recalled what I saw at the insufferable dinner with my husband and the rich dimwits. Strangely enough, actualization and fulfillment are what I was gathering from him while I described the Mayers and detective sighting, it was almost as if Ace saw this news coming from a mile away. It was really hard to read him in this moment, and that was one of the main things I disliked about our arrangement. When it came to his brother Alaric I knew him inside and out, and what I didn't know it wasn't difficult to decipher. Ace on the other hand was an entirely different breed, as he embodied mysteriousness and secrecy to the highest degree.

"Thanks for telling me." Ace finally said. "You're sure they didn't see you, right?"

"I'm positive." I exhaled. "What do you plan to do about it?"

"Still ironing out the details." Ace murmured. "Don't worry about it. The less you know the better."

Folding my lips in, I quietly exercised all the patience I had left. It wasn't much after the whole ordeal with Alaric and the Fishers, because by the end of the dinner I honestly thought I was losing my fucking mind. On the drive home, I asked Alaric to drop me off at 'Melanin Mania', claiming that I needed to review some work-related things that couldn't wait. My husband had absolutely no problem with doing so, for his night was successful and I'm sure he wanted nothing more than to have me out of his hair. Ace agreed to meet me here so we could discuss my 911 text, and now here he is testing my restraint even more than it's already been tried.

"I'm not shutting you out, I'm keeping you safe." Ace explained after seeing the disturbed look on my face. "You know I always tell you what you need to know. And you don't need to know this."

"I don't need to know this." I repeated, folding my arms and rocking gently in my office chair. "Ace, this may be hard for you to believe but the things you do have an impact. And it's not only because we partially work together. I genuinely care about what happens to you."

Ace smirked. "Yeah, that's cute and all but I'm still keeping you at arms length when it comes to the heavier shit. Dana, I get it. You wanna look out for me and I respect that. I appreciate that even. But I have to look out for you too, and this is my way of doing that. Stop prying, don't do anymore digging. Let this go. I'll handle it."

Defeatedly, I rested back in my office chair. Poking at this Mayers situation was a dead end, Ace made it quite clear that he wasn't giving me any insight about what he intended to do. He seemed contented as he shifted his body in one of my office's guest chairs, so I figured whatever he was concocting needed to be no worry of mine.

"You look gorgeous by the way." Ace noted. "Should have mentioned that when I walked in. I'm sure all eyes were on you tonight."

I chuckled sarcastically. "If only that was the case. Alaric barely looked my direction, and the other dining couple were too busy stroking each other's egos to notice anyone else."

Ace released a rich, warm and sincere laugh at my misery, and the sound of his entertained reaction brought a smile out of me. For the next half hour or so we spent time talking about everything under the sun, it was truly a reviving turn after the unpleasant night I had with my husband and company. Being able to just sit here with Ace and speak freely about damn near everything was extremely therapeutic and worthwhile, and to have the same energy and interest reciprocated by him was all the more appreciated and gratifying. Man, if only Alaric possessed an inch of his brother's attentiveness, I would gladly accept it. However, after tonight my husband proved to me what really mattered to him, and if I didn't get the memo back then, I certainly caught onto it now.

"Damn D, it's after midnight." Ace said, grinning slightly. "Let me take you home. If my brother asks any questions, I'll tell him I was in the area or something."