“No limit.”
My eyes grew wide. “If I were a different wife, I might splurge on some purses.” Burns chuckled. “For now, I just need clothes. Thanks for setting me up, Burns.”
“Enjoy, ma’am.” With a parting nod, he left the room, closing the door behind him.
After completing my clothing order, I pulled out my phone and texted Alexis.
Bianca: Michael set me up with a laptop. Can I video call you?
Alexis: Sure. I’m on my laptop now. I’ll email you a link.
I clicked on the link and opened up the chat. Alexis flashed a smile and gave a cheeky wave.
“Hi, from prison!”
“It doesn’t look so bad,” I said, noticing the white walls behind her. “Maybe a little bare.”
“It’s torture,” she moaned, resting her chin on her fist, “but I’m making progress.”
“With what?”
“I’m monitoring the ports along the East Coast looking for patterns. Dad’s shipments aren’t going to have anywhere to dock, and his contacts in Europe will cancel them once theyrealize he’s dead...unless,” she lifted a finger, “John and Simon figure out other ports that are receptive. I’m monitoring for suspicious activity.”
“Jesus, Alexis,” I breathed, closing my eyes in frustration. “Your monitoring is what got us into this mess. Can’t you justNetflix and chillfor a few weeks? I don’t want you anywhere near this situation.”
“Um, hi, 2015 called and would like its catch phrase back,” she teased, rolling her eyes. “Netflix and chillis so lame, Mom. And besides, you and Dad paid a lot of money for me to go to MIT and learn my tech skills. Shouldn’t I actually use them?”
“Not if it’s going to get you killed!”
“Okay, okay,” she said, sighing. “I can’t with the dramatics. I’m already dealing with the bodyguard from hell with the personality of a rock. I’m an expert in encryption, Mom. No one’s going to know it’s me.”
Sympathy welled at the unfairness of her situation. Although I found it extremely dangerous for her to meddle in the shipment data, I also understood how jarring the past few weeks had been. Now, she was stuck in a situation where she had no control, and using her skills was one way to assert some level of normalcy.
“Please be careful. Is Nick being kind to you?”
“He’s fine,” she muttered. “Possibly the most boring man on the planet, but fine.” Straightening in her chair, her smile deepened. “How was last night with Michael?”
“We will absolutely not be discussing that. The marriage is consummated, which is most important for us to put the plan in motion.”
“Well, you’re glowing, so I’ll assume the best.”
“I absolutely am not.”
“You are.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “It looks nice on you, Mom. You never glowed around Dad. Whydidn’t you marry Michael when he first proposed? I’m dying to know the story.”
“One day, sweetheart. For now, I’m worried about you. Do you need me to order you some clothes or anything? Michael gave me a credit card. I could order them here and have someone drive them to you.”
“Nick went out and got us some clothes,” she said. “You know I’m good with yoga pants and comfy stuff, especially in my prison.”
“Please stop calling it that,” I said, frowning. “It breaks my heart.”
“Okay.” Glancing over her shoulder, she huffed. “I’ve got to go. I’m going to make us some lunch.”
“Be nice. He’s going out of his way to protect you, and I’m sure he’s not happy about the situation either. I get the impression he’d rather be by Michael’s side.”
“I said I’m making lunch!” she said, exasperated. “That’s nice, right?”
I arched a sardonic brow.
