Page 1

one

“Athena’s running late.”

Monti wrinkled her nose, though she pushed the perturbed feeling down. She shouldn’t allow that to come up. She was here as a favor to her sister, and to get a little extra cash for her bills, but that was it. And if she was delayed five or even fifteen minutes, then she would live.

Hell, everyone would live.

“That’s okay.” Monti folded her hands behind her as she followed her big sister through the halls of the house. She hadn’t been in a clinical setting for therapy or massage in over a year, but Fallon had begged her to come and help out her boss.

Apparently the woman was desperate for sleep.

From Fallon’s descriptions, Monti hadn’t realized how much of a prison this house was. It was gorgeous, for sure, but the energy was what threw Monti. It wasn’t warm or friendly. The curtains were all drawn in, the lights were dimmed, and all of the doors were shut. People moved from one place to another as they worked, which she remembered Fallon mentioning once.

Athena had an office in the city for her legal clients, but because those were rare and a lot of her other work was done from home, she worked from home most days. She remembered this if she dug down for the information Fallon had fed her through the years. Monti rolled her shoulders as she followed half a step behind her sister. She still couldn’t figure out why she’d agreed to this job. She really didn’t need it, and she didn’t want to mess anything up between Fallon and her boss.

“I really appreciate you giving this a shot. I know I strong-armed you into it, but Athena’s tried everything.” Fallon seemed tense in a way Monti hadn’t seen her in a long time. Not since—well, she didn’t want to think about that.

“What do you mean everything?” The more information Monti had going in, the better she might be able to help. She hadn’t stopped being a therapist because of her lack of confidence. No, it was something else entirely.

Fallon stopped short in the hall, locking her brown eyes on Monti’s. “I mean everything. She’s been to all the doctors, all the naturopaths. She’s tried CBD—that was a disaster. Not doing that again.”

Monti’s face pinched. It was the newest fad, that was for sure, but depending on the person, it wasn’t a good fit. Still, Monti didn’t have the reason that Athena wasn’t sleeping. Starting with the problem was usually the easiest way to find the solution. Although getting sleep was a good place to start.

“Like I said on the phone, I thought with all your training…”

“Yeah. Makes sense.” Monti shoved her hands in her pockets. “But I haven’t done this in years. You’re lucky my licenses are even up-to-date.”

Fallon dropped her gaze to Monti’s hands, pointed, and shook her head. “You can’t do that when you're with her.”

A line formed in the center of her brow, but Monti pulled her hands from her pockets and stretched her fingers out like someone had slapped the tops with a ruler. “All right.”

“I’ll tell her you’re here, and hopefully she won’t be long.” Fallon led the way into a small library.

The walls were lined with shelves full of books floor to ceiling. It was honestly Monti’s dream. She could lose herself in here for hours if she had the time and permission to do so. With the door shut, she walked the line of shelves and glanced over them. The selection was a wide variety, from classics like Tolstoy, to law texts, to religious ones, and even modern self-help. But there were shelves lined with fiction books, ranging in all genres.

It looked like Monti’s eReader had vomited all the books into this one room. Smiling, Monti picked one of her favorites and ran her finger along the spine. She didn’t dare pull it off the shelf without permission, so she left it sitting right where she found it—just caressing it a little.

“I’m sorry for the delay.” The woman’s voice was a shock through the room. Loud and firm. Precise.

Monti jumped before she turned around to face the door. She looked so small. Not because she was a tiny woman but because she just didn’t take up much space. Monti could only assume this was Athena, the great lawyer, and Fallon’s boss. Who else would be in the room? But she hadn’t exactly introduced herself either.

“I’m Monti Schroeder.”

Athena nodded at her but didn’t move forward to take Monti’s outstretched hand. Nerves swirled in Monti’s stomach. She briefly leaned into them, acknowledging their presence, and then moved away to release them. When she looked back into Athena’s blue eyes, they were still just as cold. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck, bangs cut at an angle down each side of her face. Her makeup was pristine.

“Your sister said you’re good.”

“I am.” Monti wasn’t sure how to respond to the non-question. She could talk about her credentials all day if needed, all the studying she’d done over the years, but that wasn’t what would give Athena permission to trust her. “Ms. Pruitt, forgive me, but if you don’t want me here, I can leave.”

Athena pressed her lips together tightly, to the point they almost disappeared. “You’re not my first choice.”

“So I heard.” Monti gave her a small smile, hoping the humor in her tone would break the ice a bit. Instead, she was greeted with a blank stare. “Why don’t we start with why you think I’m here.”

Athena winced, her fingers at her sides clenching tightly before loosening. Did she even know she was doing that? Athena was pale, as if she hadn’t stepped into the sun in months. “I haven’t slept in weeks.”

“Well, I doubt that.” Monti bit her tongue. She needed to excuse the judgment and remove it from the conversation. But she wasn’t wrong. It was impossible for Athena to go weeks without sleep and still be alive.

“I can’t sleep well. It’s affecting my work.” Athena cut her a sharp look.