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“Oh, not a damn thing.” He’s clearly trying and failing not to laugh. “I just never imagined I’d see the day Alessandro Alarie needed art supplies with this much urgency.”

“They’re not for me.”

“No shit,” he says knowingly. “They’re for Charlotte, the woman who has captured your cold, beating heart.”

I don’t bother denying it. There’s no point in pretending otherwise.

“If you’d like to remain employed, you’ll ask her what else she needs and have everything delivered to the house before the end of the day. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.” I can practically hear the damn grin on his face as I end the call.

I park and step out of my car, scanning the area as I adjust my jacket. I check my watch, then stride to the metal door nearby and press my palm to the grey scanner. When the green light flashes, I lower my hand and step inside as the door swings open.

My team is illuminated by rows of state-of-the-art monitors I’ve paid seven figures for, ensuring they have the best technology at their disposal. Ethan, Kai, and Amelia sit hunched over their computers as camera streams, encrypted codes, and classified intelligence reports fill their screens.

These three are damn good at what they do, and they know it too.

“Hey, boss.” Ethan leans back in his chair, hands laced behind his head, boots propped on his desk.

“How’s everything going with the documents I requested?” Without breaking stride, I grab the wastebasket beside the printer and stop at Ethan’s workstation. One sweep of my forearm sends empty energy drink cans, candy wrappers, and crumpled receipts tumbling into it.

I’ll never understand how he functions in this disaster of a workspace.

“Got them right here.” Kai pushes back from his desk, a thick manila folder tucked beneath his arm. He crosses the room and places it in my hand. “Everything just like you asked for.”

“Where does she plan on going?” Amelia asks, her attention never leaving the six monitors spread across her workstation.

I drag my fingers through my hair. “Not sure yet.”

Kai slips his hands into his pockets, rocking back on his heels. “She should try Ibiza.” A grin spreads across his face. “That place is always a good time.”

My eyes slowly lift from the folder, my grip tightening around it.

His smile falters as he steps back, putting up his hands in surrender. “Or not…”

Ethan chuckles, spinning a pen between his fingers. “Well, wherever she ends up, we’ll still be keeping an eye on her.”

I shake my head once.

Ethan arches a brow, the pen freezing in his grip. “Seriously?”

I sigh. “Seriously.”

A beat of silence settles over the room.

As much as it’s going to kill me to let her go out on her own, knowing what hides in the shadows, I can’t become another prison for her. Not after everything she’s been through. Not when the only thing she wants out of life is freedom.

But I can at least give her the right tools she’ll need to thrive and stay safe on her own.

“How much longer on the key?” I make my way to the industrial 3D printer, watching the nozzle move methodically across the print bed, slowly building the custom key layer by painstaking layer.

“Well…” Kai tilts his head to the side, his dark hair falling over his eyes. “We’re having some problems.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “What kind of problems?”

“Your locks are all very meticulous,” Amelia answers, approaching my side. “The key has to interface with multiple proprietary mechanisms. Every time we solve one, another decides it wants to be difficult.”

I rub my jaw, studying the half-finished print. “How much longer?”