“So,” she says, stepping around a cluster of seaweed, “have you decided what you’re going to do about The Sanctuary?”
“I’m keeping it.”
She stops walking.“Really?”
“It’ll take a hit this year.Run at a loss.But I still believe there’s value in what it was meant to provide—a place for people to connect, to escape, to be themselves without judgment or risk of exposure.”I pick up a smooth stone and skip it across the water.Three bounces.
“And your original plan?Using it to understand your customers better?”
“That remains.”The words come easier now that I’ve said them aloud.“Observing fashion trends and gaining consumer insights.I’ll dedicate a couple of years to rebuilding it properly.Then I’ll take what I’ve learned and build something new.”
“Like what?”
“Men’s fashion, maybe.Or something completely different.The luxury market is evolving—people want authenticity now, not just status symbols.I want to learn about fashion sustainability.It’s an evolving trend with promise.It could be the future.”I glance at her, noting the way she’s listening with unflinching attention.“What about you?What are your plans?”
“For now, I’m staying with KOAN.”She kicks at the sand, sending up a small spray.“The fact that someone sees us as enough of a threat to come after us proves there’s a need for what we do.”
“Do you know the Moores?”I ask, remembering Elena’s final warning.
“Caroline Moore founded KOAN.Her husband, Dorian, isn’t involved, at least not to my knowledge.”She pauses, considering.“I don’t know her well, but Sydney does.You haven’t met Syd yet, but you will.She’s one of my colleagues.She left the CIA for the same reason I did—lost faith in the leadership.For now, I’m confident I’m working for good people, and in my field, that matters.”
Good people.It’s such a simple phrase, but coming from Brie, it carries weight.She’s spent her career reading people, understanding motivations, identifying threats.If she trusts Caroline Moore, that means something.
“Will you stay in Manhattan?”
“For now.Noah relocated to DC temporarily to coordinate protective detail for Alicia—as a precaution.I’ll remain in New York, but I could be pulled if needed.”She stops to examine a shell, then straightens, meeting my eyes.“For now, I’ll be working with Quinn and Sydney researching ties to the network.As you know, Eddie caved—he’s in witness protection with his family–but I’m coordinating a meeting to question him further.With him feeling safer, he might be more open about the information he sold.”
“Looking for more prosecutions?”
“Not necessarily.Information is valuable.”
I nod.“That’s my father’s point of view too.”
We walk in comfortable silence for a few minutes, the rhythmic crash of waves filling the space between us.There’s something I want to share with her, something that’s been nagging at me.
“I had a tarot reading last week in Paris,” I say, immediately feeling foolish for bringing it up.I stopped in on a brief break while overseeing the renovation and handling personnel issues, just needing to clear my head.
Brie turns to me with raised eyebrows.“You believe in that?”
“Not believe, exactly.It’s more...entertainment.But Celeste, this woman I found, she’s been remarkably accurate over the years.There’s something about the patterns, the psychology of it.”I run my hand through my hair, a habit that’s become more pronounced since meeting Brie again.“I’d love to take you to Paris sometime; let you experience a reading with her.”
“What kind of reading would you expect if we went together?”
I stop walking and turn to face her fully.The wind whips her hair across her face, and she pushes it back with one hand, looking at me with an expression I can’t quite read.
“She’d probably say something about a union being in our future,” I say, my voice dropping to something more serious.
Brie’s lips curve in a small smile.“Would she now?”
“I believe that’s exactly what she’ll say.”I step closer, close enough to see the dark rim around her stunning blue irises.
The words carry on the wind, mixing with the salt air and the distant cry of gulls.This isn’t a business setting or the controlled environment of a fashion show.This is real—raw and honest and terrifying in the way that only genuine vulnerability can be.
Brie studies my face for a long moment, and I can practically see her processing—analyzing risks, outcomes, and probabilities.Then her posture loosens by a breath, and the woman I fell for on holiday returns.
“That’s quite a reading,” she says softly.
“I’m a businessman.The reading might be financially secured.I’m not one to leave long-term strategy at risk.”
