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Maybe I can actually talk my way out of this.

“I already told John it’s on track to close,” he says, his voice shaking slightly. “He didn’t need to send anyone.”

“It’s been weeks,” I say, loosening the tiniest bit. “He’s getting impatient.”

Panic enters the guy’s eyes. “It’s a corporate acquisition. It takes time.”

I shrug, my heart rate finally slowing to the point that I can hear my thoughts over it. “Still. He felt he needed to check in.”

Taking a chance, I sling my backpack over my shoulder and take a step toward the couple, making it obvious I intend to leave now. “Anything else you’d like me to pass on while I’m here? Or should I stick with your tried and true it’s coming soon, I promise answer?”

He takes a step away from me, stammering, “N-No, I swear it’s coming. T-tell him I’ll have the m-money for him. With interest. I swear to God.”

I’m so close to my escape. I push between them as I say, “Sure thing, man. I’ll tell him.”

I’m almost to the door when the assistant pipes up for the first time.

“Wait a minute, why do you look familiar?”

Everything in me freezes. I look toward the door, barely six feet away from me, and debate if I can just make a run for it.

But just as quickly, the boyfriend’s head snaps toward her. “What?”

Before I can decide fuck it and run, he grabs my arm with a bruising grip and uses it to shove me against the wall. “Why does she look familiar?” he demands.

The assistant moves in front of me, my heart once again beating loud enough to drown out my thoughts. Her face scrunches as she studies me.

“I think… hmm. I think she might be—” Suddenly, her eyes narrow. “Wait a minute. You’re that temp from a few weeks ago! What are you doing here?”

Fuck.

Panic floods the boyfriend’s face again, this time for a whole other reason. “You work for the company? What are you doing here?” Then, impossibly, his eyes go even wider as they snap to me. “Wait. How do you know about my debt?!”

I’m so fucked. I can’t think my way out of this.

“W-Wait,” I stammer. “Just w-wait a second, we can talk about⁠—”

Just then, a knock sounds at the door. And everyone’s attention snaps toward it.

“Is that Tom?” the boyfriend asks.

“Why would he be knocking?” the assistant snaps.

Based on the assumption that it’s not the VP at the center of all this, I open my mouth to yell out.

But before I can, the cold steel of a gun presses to my chin.

THIRTY-SIX

LUCAS

It took Alexander twenty-five minutes to get us out of the city and to the address scribbled in Charli’s notes.

“What is this case she’s working on?” he asks, the Marine in him taking over. “I thought it was just contract stuff.”

My hand taps on the edge of my seat, wishing we were there already and that I knew what the fuck we were about to walk into. “It is,” I answer. “Or it was supposed to be. She’s investigating the buyer’s company to see if they’re hiding anything that would make this a bad sale.”

“And we have no idea why she’s at this address? Or what the owner might be hiding?”