"It's not much..." Sam muttered, flipping through the pages of notes she had printed out. "According to the data that Liam pulled, she's not involved with any criminal dealings; in fact, her record is squeaky clean. Well, besides, you know..."

"Being born into a Vampire criminal family?" Katie scoffed, her eyes trailing across the notes spewed across her desk.

"Yeah, that, " Sam replied with a snort, "Sadly, it's not something she could control...."

A shadow slipped over Katie's desk, blocking the harsh light of the office florescents. The two women quickly blinked up at the disturbance.

"Digging deeper into the Darvens, are you?" Liam interupted, leaning over the walls of Katie's cubicle to look down at the notes shared between the two. "You aren't planning on threatening the one angel of that family for information, are you?"

"If I did, I don't see why you would find an issue with it," Katie replied with an amused smile, "Can't find me in too much danger with her, can you?"

"Maybe I only bring it up because I am more worried for her than for you, Katie," Liam replied with a large smile, pushing the bridge of his glasses back onto his nose from where they were sliding down his face. " I worry that one conversation with you might make her change her ways."

"Oh? That dislikeable am I? " Katie mused, leaning closer with a wrinkled brow, "And what might bring you to my desk then, Mr—"

"Okay!" Sam grunted, rolling her eyes. "Break it up, or take it to the storage closet, will ya?"

Her comment caused Katie's face to flush as she ducked down to organize the notes on her desk, sending a knowing look to Liam as she did so.

As their eyes met, Liam let out a small laugh. and shook his head.

"Listen, Grace might not be much of a threat," Liam continued, trying to make his face more serious, despite the lingering mischievous look in his eyes," but I also ran a background check on her boyfriend—"

Reaching over the wall, he carefully laid some papers on her desk, and Katie froze at the man's picture that looked back at her.

It was the man from the gala. Connor's bodyguard,

Ibris Sunhari.

"He's a hired bodyguard for the Darven family, but before his time with them, he was linked to a few other powerful vampire families. There was never any concrete evidence to convict him of any crimes he might have committed when associated with them, but he was a repeated suspect...." Liam's eyes grew softened as they glanced up from the paper and met Katie's.

"He is either an innocent man, or a criminal who knows how to clean up his tracks well..." He swallowed, his neck bobbing as his gaze held hers. "I just don't want you to get in the middle of anything, again, Katie..."

Katie felt a pang of guilt in her chest. Liam had repeatedly begged her to hand this case over to other investigators after the accident, and she felt a bit guilty that, despite the risk to her safety, she just couldn't let it go.

Marked or not Marked.

 Not when they still roamed free, despite the lives lost to the family's greed as they grew their own empire.

"We will be fine, Liam," Katie reassured him, laying a gentle hand on his. "As you said, she is the angel of the family, one we have yet to question. We can't leave any stone unturned."

Liam let out a sigh, his gaze searching hers before he ran a hand through his hair.

"I understand. Just... let me know when it happens, and when it's all over...I don't want to be worried all day—"

"Of course," Katie said with a smile. "I'll call you as soon as I am done, and we can grab dinner, okay?"

With a weak smile, Liam nodded, his eyes holding hers, "Thank you, Katie. I don't want to seem too controlling, but I just—"

Sam coughed, drawing the two's attention to the curious onlookers' gazes from around the precinct.

"I understand," Katie replied,  leaning in to whisper in his ear as she laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "If I had watched you almost die at the hands of these people, and then continue to hunt after them, I would be a bit overprotective as well."

Rubbing her thumb over the fabric on his shoulder in a slow circle, she pulled back and met his eyes.

"But I have to do this, and you aren't going to be able to stop me."

Liam let out a long sigh, leaning back from her desk to pull the glasses from his nose, running fingers over his tired eyes.

"I understand," he finally muttered, putting his glasses back on and blinking at her with defeat in his gaze. "See you for dinner?"

Katie smiled, wishing she could kiss him right there at her desk in gratitude for his trust in her, but knew it would be better to hold off on her affection for later.

"I promise I won't be late."