Page 113 of His Wall

I knew what to do with it now.

Julian's hand found my thigh under the table.

Soleil leaned forward across the cheese plate.

"Tell me about the new case."

"You know I cannot share details."

"Tell me the shape. I love the shapes."

I told her the shape. Pharmaceutical chain. Shell companies layered through three states. Patterns I was untangling from a desk for the first time in three years and had forgotten how much I liked. Soleil listened.

Across the table, Thea was asking Julian about the firm.

"Smaller. Leaner. Still rebuilding." His thumb moved on my thigh. "We finished the personnel audit last month. Ten people had to go. Two of them were Conrad's. The other eight had been compromised in ways they did not even know."

"And the SEC?"

"They wrote the consent decree. Penalties were real. The voluntary disclosure made the difference. We are clean on the books for the first time in twelve years."

He said it without the grin.

Declan stood up. He had a champagne flute in his hand and one fork tap on the side of it, and the whole table went quiet. Thea was looking at him with a small smile. She already knew what he was about to say.

"Alright. Two minutes. I promise."

"He is lying," Julian said into my ear.

I almost laughed.

"Invitations are going out next week."

The table erupted.

Soleil clapped. Lena clapped because Soleil was clapping. Nolan said "finally" into his glass.

Julian put his free hand on his chest in mock outrage and said, "I am the best man, or I am burning this building down."

Declan said, "Obviously, Jules."

Thea kissed him on the cheek, and Lena kicked her high chair against the leg of the table.

I sat with Julian's hand still on my thigh, and I watched it.

Declan with his hand on the back of Thea's chair. Soleil reaching up to fix the fold of Nolan's collar. Lena dropping a piece of bread on the floor. Julian beside me, laughing at something Nolan had just said, his sandy hair pushed back from his face.

These were people who knew my name.

Not one of them had met Claire Kent.

They had all met Leah Calder.

They had kept her.

He drove us home.

The night was warm through the open windows. The avenue was quiet. He was driving with one hand on the wheel and the other on my thigh, and he was quiet.