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Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she turned back to the tank, watching the fish with an intensity that felt forced.

I flexed my fingers, that small kernel of anger peppering my words with heat. “You disappeared. No explanation, no warning. Just… gone. And now, years later, you think you can waltz back into my life like nothing happened.”

“I didn’t waltz,” she muttered, but there was no humor in her tone.

I ignored her quip. “Do you know how that feels? Do you even care?”

She flinched, her fingers tightening on the sleeve of her jacket.

Her lips parted and I tensed. I waited for her to finallysaysomething – finally explain – but all she did was shake her head,exhaling her words with a sigh. “I do care, Leah. More than you know.”

“Thenwhy?” The question slipped out before I could stop it, sharp tone cleaving through the quiet space. “Why did you leave? Why didn’t you tell me what was going on?”

Maxine hesitated, her knuckles whitening.

“I – couldn’t,” she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Why not?” I edged closer, one step in front of the other, until we were practically nose-to-nose.

“Because it wasn’t safe.” Her voice trembled slightly on that last word and something awful twisted in my gut.

“Safe?” I echoed, frowning. “You were my best friend, Maxine. If I’d known you were in some kind of trouble I would’ve – ”

“Would’vewhat?” she interrupted, her voice rising, pinging off the glass tank and reeling around the room. “Risked your own neck? Your grandfather’s? Gotten involved in something you couldn’t havepossiblyunderstood?”

Her words hit me like a slap, and I stepped back, stunned.

“You – you never let me in.” I stuttered the words out after a beat, my voice shaking now. “Not really. You always came to my place, always had some excuse for why I couldn’t come over. And I was toostupidto realize it wasn’t just ‘bad timing’. You didn’t trust me. Hell, you were ashamed of me.”

Maxine opened her mouth, then closed it again. “It wasn’t like that,” she said weakly.

“Then what was it like?” I demanded, lifting my chin, daring her to meet my gaze.

She didn’t answer. Her eyes darted to mine, then away again. “I can’t explain it.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

She didn’t respond, and the silence stretched between us. I stepped back, shaking my head. “You know what? Forget it.”

“Leah–”

“No,” I spat, cutting her off. “I don’t know why I thought this would be different. You’re still keeping secrets, Maxine. And I’m still paying the price.”

Her face crumpled, and for a moment, I almost felt guilty. Almost.

“I’m trying.” Her voice cracked, and the vulnerability in that note made my chest ache. But that kernel of anger was a roaring fire now, years of pent-up emotions going up in smoke.

“Try harder.”

I turned away, focused on the fish tank, but my mind was churning, seething. Wondering how the fuck were we supposed to bridge this yawning chasm between us.

5

Maxine

High Stakes headquarters was a hive of activity, but it was a chaos I was comfortable in, strutting the labyrinthine hallways in a brand new Armani coat, shipped fresh from Italy. I was quite proud of my co-ord fit, freshly-steamed blazer and mini suit skirt all pastel pink and perfectly lovely.

I flitted about the upper levels like a butterfly, a stack of papers tucked under one arm while my fingers sifted through the file in the other. I was halfway to Jordan’s office – and preparing to put her on blast forrefusingto stick to the new filing system I’d so carefully come up with – when I realized I’d forgotten one key ingredient to my day – coffee.