Having a bodyguard took a lot of getting used to. Since when was she important enough to have one in the first place? Gage, yes, since he was the son of a future Great Lord. Her? Not so much. Or was the extra protection more for Gus, than her? Either way, who was she to complain? She felt safe with Xio, and was coming to really like his company in general.

Not like he looked like much of a bodyguard. He was shorter and thinner in frame. His declaration that he could kill a man with his pinky, however, had been so confident she knew he wasn't lying.

"And that's why I don't eat brownies anymore," Xio finished. "So I'm going to be honest with you, this is probably the last walk we'll be able to take at the park for a while."

"What? No! I love being outside." Martie frowned, hating the idea of being trapped indoors. She thrived on sunshine and fresh air.

Xio gave her a sympathetic smile. "Totally understand, but with Sir Garrison's campaign announcement, it's going to make things all kinds of crazy for Gage. There are going to be press all over you because you work for him. They'll want his life story."

"I don't have his life story," she said.

"I know, but they're good at tricking you into telling things anyway." Xio waved his hands around. He liked to talk with his hands, she noticed. There was always so much enthusiasm in everything he did. "When it comes to dealing with the press, I'm an expert. I gotta do it all the time with my clients. Basically, you say nothing. You act like they're not there. If they get really aggressive, all you have to say is: no comment."

"No comment," she repeated.

"Yeah! See, easy? Even if it seems like a harmless question, just say nothing. They're going to ask you all kinds of stupid things, and then when you're comfortable, they'll trick you into saying something else." He tapped his forehead. "Sneaky, but stick to my plan, and you'll be just fine. Just be ready for them to say some mean things to you too."

She gasped. "Why would they be mean to me? I didn't do anything to anyone!"

"They're going to think you're dating and they might go digging for stuff about your past," he said.

Slowly, her stomach started to turn into a knot. "Why?"

"A story is a story." He shrugged. "Is there anything bad in your past we need to look out for? Like this ex of yours who's stalking you?"

"He's not an ex," she whispered. That meant she and Frank dated once. "Finding anything about him will be hard to do. I doubt anyone would connect the dots between me and him either." A fact that gave her a small bit of comfort. No reporter would be outing her true purpose for working at Gage's place. Every note she sent to Frank made her want to puke—she'd almost come clean a number of times already—unable to hold the guilt any longer.

Xio gazed down at the ground. "You're right. I should say the guy who attacked you. Which, you still need to tell me what he looks like so I can make sure he's not around." He gave her a pointed look.

"I don't remember much," she said quickly. "He'd gotten me drunk and the whole night was a blur. When I woke up the next morning, he wasn't around."

"Yet he still scares you."

She still regretted going to the kitchen for the knife. How stupid was that? "He's in my head still. Sometimes he says things like how he's going to find me again and..." She bit back tears, hating all of the lying so much. "His eyes are blue. Not the pretty blue of the sky, but the kind that makes you feel cold."

"Icy? Grayish?" Xio asked.

Reluctantly, Martie nodded. "His hair was short and well-trimmed. He's Terran, and he's taller than I am. That's all I know."

"No name? I mean, has he ever told you his name when he's messing with your head?"

Did she dare? The thought of outing Frank as her harasser was so tempting. Xio was a skilled fighter. It was his job to survive an attack, and to protect her too. Then there was Gage and Finn, both of whom she was sure would also do whatever it took to keep her safe too. An image of the Terran prisoner slain in the Stone Garden flashed into her memory. A shiver went down her spine, and she shook her head.

"He's never told me his name. He just likes to mess around, and he says he knows where I am a lot. Like I told Gage, I was overreacting. All of this isn't necessary."

"You're scared, so it is necessary." Xio's voice took on an unusually serious tone. She sighed, and he seemed to get the hint: new topic. He pulled out his phone. "I'm going to text you a list of cool places we can go that are outside still, because I'm totally with you: being inside sucks. Especially with fall coming. It'll get colder."

Martie immediately felt lighter. "I would love that."

"Do you love zoos?"

"Yes! I haven't gone for a long time." She'd been barely a teenager, and gone with her family. They'd liked to go on outings together regularly.

Xio's expression softened into one of sympathy, so he must have sensed her homesickness. "Good, because I know three of them in the city alone."

"Can we leave the city?" she asked quietly. "Would that make Gage mad?"

"We'll drag him along. I bet in a week or two, he'll be ready for a change of scenery for a day. The paparazzi don't usually follow him out of town." Xio kept scrolling through his phone. "If you remember more details about Attacker Guy, or if he bugs you in your head again, you tell me, okay? I mean it, no judgment if there's anything important you think I should know."

She wanted to believe him—so badly. If she told him the truth, though, then she'd be fired on the spot—possibly put in jail. Both were minor consequences compared to what Frank might do to them. Protecting them was so much more important. Once Frank got his way, she knew there'd be a lot of bloodshed. Why add more?

Xio distracted her out of her thoughts. "Oh look, it's Finn!"

Sure enough, a little further down the park pathway was Finn. He seemed a bit more stressed than usual, which was saying a lot because she always thought he seemed overwhelmed. What she found especially interesting was how he acted like he enjoyed it.

When their gazes met, he smiled and waved in her direction. He jogged to close the distance between them.

"Thanks for covering for me again," Xio said, winking.

Finn flushed slightly. "For a change, I'm happy to be out of the office."

"That bad, huh?"

"I'll tell you later." Finn gazed over at Martie briefly. "See you later, Xio."

Martie waved. "Have a good night." With a quick salute, Xio ran off. She sighed. "I forgot about his doctor appointment."

"Why is he seeing a doctor?" Finn asked, his eyes going wide.

"He and his wife are trying to have a baby." Surely Finn knew that already. They were best friends, right?

Finn's gaze lingered on where Xio had disappeared from. "Do they think she is pregnant, or are they having problems?"

"From what I understood, they're seeing a specialist." And that was as much of it as Martie did understand, because Xio talked fast and used a lot of complex terminology she definitely hadn't heard before.

A soft "hmm" escaped Finn's lips and then he was quiet for a long time. "I'm sure I'll hear about it after he has more information. He usually doesn't tell me things until he has that, otherwise I ask too many questions."

"I have that problem too, asking too many questions." Though she knew it was for completely different reasons.

"I remember, and you should remember I don't see it as a problem," he said. His hands fidgeted at his side for a moment before he put a hand on top of hers as she pushed Gus' stroller. "Want me to take over?"

She stepped aside, not wanting to relinquish her hold on the stroller, or have him let go of her hand. There was something endearing about his desire to help that she couldn't refuse. Whether she cared to admit it or not, the break was nice as well. Gus was getting bigger every day, and more wiggly.

For a few seconds, they were both quiet. Finn continually gazed at her, then ahead, then up at the sky, only to land back on her. "This is going to be a deep question, but have you ever thought you knew exactly what you wanted in life, only to learn maybe you didn't want it after all?"

"Yes." She didn't hesitate to answer.

"Do you know if there's a way to tell if you're changing your mind because you're scared and want to run away, or if you're changing because it's what you're supposed to do?" His voice was so quiet.

She tilted her head to the side. "Like following your destiny?"

"I suppose, though I wasn't going to assign it such a deep, spiritual meaning." He paused. "At work we've been preparing for the campaign for Great Lord. Elections are at the end of the year, so our campaign will go for around four months. Naturally, there's a lot of work to do in a short period of time. It's how these things are always done before the election. Campaign season is short, but candidates are usually preparing for a long time in each party. My boss was more or less shoved into this position by all of his peers."

Martie swallowed, loving and hating that he was being so free with information. He trusted her deeply, and it touched her heart even if she was the wrong person to trust. She nodded, unable to speak.

The frown Finn wore was so pained. "There's a new guy, Frank. He's a natural. Listens well, communicates even better, and has a way of doing both that makes you feel like he actually cares. I realized if I'm going to have a career in politics, I need to have more charisma and not be all brains. I'm not sure how to change."

At the mention of Frank, Martie tensed up. When did he go to work in Finn's office? It had to be a coincidence. "Don't be like Frank."

"Huh? Why? Do you know something?"

"You're Finn," she said quickly. "You need to be Finn. Don't be anyone else. I like you as you."

A small smile formed on Finn's lips. It was absolutely adorable. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. "Are you cold? Do you want a coat? I have one in my car."

"I'm fine," she said, not cold in the slightest.

"You're shivering."

"I am?" She hadn't even noticed. Quick, change the subject. "What made you want to be in politics in the first place?"

"My dad," he said softly. "He's the mayor of the city. It's not something I like to talk about because he's not exactly a great guy, but we share a mutual interest in trying to do the right thing to make life better for others." He laughed. "Even if Dad's views aren't always the same as mine. I know he's got good intentions, at least. We don't talk much anymore. He's too busy for me. Ever since he and mom split up, it's been hard to have a conversation that doesn't end in a fight."

"I'm sorry."

He waved a hand in front of his face. "It's getting better. Hard to forgive. He hurt her—bad. He uh...had an affair with an Oceina woman a few years before I was born. It didn't come out until I was around twelve or so. She was betrayed and I felt the same thing through proxy."

"I would too," Martie admitted. "When love breaks up, it hurts my heart so much."

"It's good you still believe in love. I feel like a lot of young Terran don't anymore."

Now it was her turn for her eyes to go wide. "Really?"

"The number of rogues in the country are growing. Statistics show that about eighty-percent of rogue factions don't believe in mating for emotions but for numbers. Almost like they want to commit genocide of the humans." He spouted out all of his facts so quickly, she almost couldn't keep up. "Rogues are increasingly becoming younger and younger. That's why it's so important we reach the youth and remind them they have a voice in our government. If they don't like all of the traditions, we can work together to change them. Nothing is set in stone. Our nation is built on the voices of many, not just one."

All of his words were so beautiful. "How can I help?"

He laughed. "Tell your friends to vote too!"

She laughed a little and put her hand on his again. "I'll do more."

"I...okay," he said, clearly not understanding what she meant.

Martie gave his hand a squeeze, a new sense of determination filling her. She'd finally figured out how to take Frank down without him realizing it'd be her doing so.