Reluctantly, I open the message from Eros just to see what it says.
Hi, little shark.
I stare at the screen for a solid five minutes, paralyzed by indecision. Ultimately, my phone makes the choice for me.
When I see Abella’s name flash across the screen, it surprises me. She doesn’t usually call me this time of day.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Hey. I’m glad I caught you. I thought you’d still be at school.”
“Classes were canceled today.”
“Oh. How come?”
“I was hoping I could talk to you about it later, in person.”
“That will actually work out perfectly. I know it’s short notice, but I wanted to see if you’re available for book club tonight.”
“Sure,” I agree, a little caught off guard by the request.
In our friend group, book club is code for an Aegis meeting, which usually means someone is in trouble.
Mariella created the network for women in need after she realized she wanted to do more to help her patients. She recruited our friend group first, and over the years, the network expanded to include volunteers all over the world. It’s a complex operation that helps women disappear and start fresh, far away from their current lives. But for the last year, we’ve had to outsource the bulk of the work after the Vitale men uncovered what we were doing.
Angelo hasn’t minced words—he thinks the network is too dangerous for his wife and sister to be involved in. It’s been a point of contention, and I wasn’t sure it would ever get resolved. But something must be happening if Abella is calling a meeting.
“Can you come to my office in an hour?” she asks. “We can talk privately after.”
“I’ll be there,” I assure her.
We say goodbye and disconnect the call.
Anticipating it will just be the girls, I change into a super-soft lounge set I designed last year. Beppe loves to burrow inside these hoodies and lie against my chest, and I could use the comfort after today.
An hour later, Julian escorts me inside Abella’s office building in the Seattle CBD. Her business suite is on an upper floor, and because Angelo is absolutely obsessed with his wife, he bought the entire building. Now their offices are side by side.
In a normal world, some people might call that unhinged. But in ours? It’s soul mate behavior.
The elevator arrives after a long ascent, and Abella’s suite is already empty, so I make my way to the conference room. Julian follows, but instead of waiting in the hallway where the other guards are parked, he enters the room behind me.
“Umm, the guards usually wait out there,” I tell him.
“Not until I clear the space.”
“Okay,” I draw out the word, noticing he seems more rigid than usual.
Val smirks at him, watching with an amused expression as he checks the room for invisible threats. When none turn up, he exits to the hall and shuts the door behind him.
“Who’s the new beefcake?” Chantel leans back in her office chair, snapping a piece of red licorice between her teeth.
“His name is Julian.”
“What happened to your other guard?” Mariella asks.
“No idea. Julian replaced him without an explanation.”
“We’re just waiting on Lucia and Serafina.” Abella pats the space beside her. “Come sit next to me.”
