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She shook her head again. “I’ll think about it.”

TWIRLING her pen between her thumb and forefinger, Alex rocked in her o ce chair as she mulled over Charlotte’s

interest. The biggest question mark was how far she could trust her.

As it stood now, Charlotte didn’t know enough to bury her. The select guest rooms upstairs could easily be emptied of any trace of sex. They’d been designed that way. The feds could pull apart her books with a fine-tooth comb and not find anything definitive. She wasn’t the only wellness resort with premium prices. Opulence, by definition, came at an exorbitant price.

If Charlotte repeated what Alex told her in confidence, it would be easy enough to discredit her as a liar. A jilted lover could hardly be trusted.

The thought turned her stomach. It wouldn’t bring her any joy to turn on Charlotte, but if she was forced to protect Stephanie and the others, she would do whatever it took.

They all trusted her to keep them safe and she would do so at any cost.

Every new

person she brought into the fold was a risk, which was the reason she was so slow to take on new clients.

It was also the reason she’d ended up so isolated in her romantic life.

How could she ever build a lasting relationship without disclosing that there was a chance the cops could knock down their door and take everything away? Being with her required full disclosure so a partner could decide for themselves whether to step into this life willingly. Weren’t she and Charlotte getting close to that crossroad anyway?

Plus, if Charlotte really wanted to be in this with her, to be her partner, it fulfilled what Alex wanted most. Someone

to share everything with. It all felt just within her grasp. But fear made it hard to take the plunge.

“Come in,” she responded to the knock at her door.

“You alright?” Stephanie asked as she glided into the room. Her jet-black hair was pulled into an updo that matched the severity of her blue and white dress. “I had to knock twice. I thought maybe you had the accountant in here,” she joked.

Alex knew it wasn’t a joke. Stephanie wasn’t thrilled about her mixing business and pleasure. She could only guess how she’d feel about mixing her into the pleasure business.

“I was thinking about something,” Alex announced.

“I can tell. Should I be nervous?” Stephanie smirked, taking the seat across from Alex’s desk and setting her tablet on the empty chair next to her.

Just from Alex’s tone, Stephanie guessed she was deviating from their meeting agenda. She really did know her so well. Had she already guessed what was on her mind?

Probably .

“Charlotte wants to join the business.”

Stephanie’s face remained unmoving. “And if you’re talking to me about it, that means you’re going to do it.”

“I haven’t decided,” she replied, unsure how true that was.

“Was it your idea or hers?” Stephanie crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back into her chair.

“Hers,” she admitted, knowing why Stephanie asked the question. An indirect jab was more e ective than no comment.

“Harvey isn’t going to live forever.” Alex was compelled to explain, an unusual sensation. “We don’t have anyone lined up to step in, and it’s not like we can just pull someone o the street. She already knows what we do here and she’s damn good at her job.”

“It seems like you’ve already made up your mind,”

Stephanie decided, her shoulders relaxing as if giving in to a current sweeping her out to sea.

“I haven’t,” she replied defensively, but maybe she had.

Stephanie released a long, slow exhale. “You know it’s not just my ass on the line with you. I hope you’re right about trusting her.”