ONE
DEENA
The momentI walked into his glass-walled office, I could tell Callum Frost was a Grade-A control freak. He filled out his crisp white shirt and perfectly tailored pants in a way that signaled hours in the gym and access to a private chef. His movements were restrained and efficient. His hair was dark and slightly tousled, curling at the ends but not long enough to be untidy. No, his hair was deliberate too. Nothing about him was out of place, even when the space around him crackled like the air before a bolt of lightning. Minions scurried. Ducked their heads. The intensity of his energy prickled against my skin from all the way across the room, and I still had to get closer.
His left hand was on a laptop keyboard, its screen displaying a video call, his right hand held a phone to his ear, and his gaze locked on an unfortunate soul standing next to him with tears in her eyes.
“Where the hell is that new travel coordinator?” His voice cracked across the room, deep and commanding. That would be me. Despite myself, a tingle of apprehension went through me.
“She’s on her way,” the woman answered, voice wavering. “I’ve emailed a potential replacement in case she doesn’t show, and?—”
“You what?” Danger shimmered in the air as those two words left his mouth.
“Mr. Frost,” Miranda said, “I know you want to proofread all my emails, but if you just give me a bit of leeway, I’d be able to get more done.”
“More leeway, Miranda? I’d give you more leeway if you proved you could use it appropriately. I had to reorganize my calendar this morning after you approved meetings without checking with me first.”
I narrowed my eyes. An insane micromanager. That figured. Nothing I hadn’t dealt with before. That was good to know up front, so I could tamp down the frustration that would inevitably bubble up.
Miranda stared at him, jaw clenched. “I was trying to show initiative.”
His eyes were hard as ice as they stared at poor Miranda. I willed myself to step forward, but my body wouldn’t comply.
That was the thing about growing up in a repressive household where I was trained from a young age to do as I was told and aspire to nothing more than being someone’s wife: Actually stepping into my power and going toe-to-toe with men like Callum Frost was excruciating. But I still did it when I had to.
Thankfully, I’d only been hired to fix this current emergency. I would never need to see him again after today, and I would be paid generously for my time. I was good at what I did, and I didn’t come cheap.
“Initiative,” Frost replied, rolling the word around his mouth. Callum Frost lived up to his name, his gaze so cold I swore hisbreath solidified as he spoke. “Did your initiative extend to fixing this, or do you simply like wasting my time?”
“I can’t take this anymore,” Miranda said. She lost the battle against her tears. “I quit.”
“Fine,” Frost replied, unemotional. He shifted his gaze to the computer screen while Miranda pushed past me. The rest of the minions continued to make themselves look industrious while Frost barked, “We’re going to get you out of Bangkok before the day is out, Jack.”
“If I don’t make it to Mexico City by close of business tomorrow, we’re going to lose the deal,” the man on the screen warned. “We need this. Diaz won’t speak with anyone but me.”
“I’m working on it.” Callum ran a hand through his thick, dark hair, grabbing the phone he’d set down on the desk while he was firing poor Miranda. “Still on hold,” he snarled, tossing the phone so it spun toward the edge of the desk. “Will no one get me a number that works? How hard is it to get a man onto a flight?”
That sounded like my cue. I took one step forward, and it was like I’d crossed some invisible barrier. Frost’s eyes snapped up to stare at me, and it took all the mettle beaten into me over years of struggle to keep my spine straight and my gaze steady.
“Who the hell are you?”
I’d had just about enough of his bark, and I wasn’t afraid of his bite. I crossed the distance between us, grabbed the still-spinning phone, and ended the call.
“What are you doing.” It was less a question and more of a command for obedience. A demand that I explain myself. He straightened, towering over me. His fury was a physical thing, pressing against every inch of me, making me fight to hold my ground. “Security!”
I ducked around him; he might have been the man in charge of this venture capital firm, but he wasn’t in charge of me. I hadn’t built my business bowing to men like him. In fact, the whole reason I’d been able to build this business was because I stood on my own and I didn’t let anyone intimidate me.
That was what made me who I was.
“Mr. Reed,” I said to the man on the screen, “you’re on a flight to LAX via Singapore that leaves in forty minutes. You’ll have to clear customs in LA, so a priority escort will be waiting for you to get off the plane. From there, you’ve got just over an hour to get on a flight to Mexico City. I’ve chartered a plane for you. Your driver has just confirmed he’ll be waiting for you to take you to Mr. Diaz’s residence straight from AICM. Luis is very good. He’ll get you to the Diaz residence in time to complete the deal. You should be getting the full itinerary through to your email just about?—”
Ding!
Jack Reed glanced away from the screen and down to his lap, then lifted his phone. “Got it,” he said.
I straightened and turned to the man-shaped thunderstorm to my left. Smiling without any humor, I finished my sentence: “—now.”
Frost stared at me, his irises the eerie, pale blue of dense snow. “Name.” His voice was low and demanded an answer.
