He watched the situation from behind the Dominant with a dispassionate gaze, taking everything in and filing it away. So he'd netted himself a real hero, had he? Just wonderful. Why was it he seemed to attract the principled and righteous ones, not the dumb and gullible ones? Then again, if he played his cards right . . .

Laurent reached out to touch the man's arm, the one supposedly protecting him, "Please, you needn't burden yourself with me. I'll go quietly. I wouldn't want you to go to any trouble . . ."