Page 55 of His Wall

I took her hand.

"Come on. They're cutting the cake."

We went back to the party.

TEN

LEAH

Julian found me. His face changed when he saw me. The look I had been keeping in a small box at the back of my chest. It made me forget I was holding a badge and a fake name.

He crossed the room. He took my hand.

"Sorry about that. Old business acquaintance. Nothing to worry about."

The words went into me like a small cold knife.

I had built the guest list. Every name. Every plus-one. Every vendor. Conrad Weiss had not been on it. Security had required name verification at the door. Someone had walked him in. Three partners had seen him. Declan had wanted security. Nolan had wanted him gone. Julian had volunteered to walk him out alone, no witnesses, and had come back shaking.

I squeezed his hand. I made my mouth move.

"You sure you're okay, Julian?"

"I'm perfect."

I let him pull me back to the party. I let him keep his hand at my waist. I let him press his lips to my temple while Soleil told a story about Lena trying to eat a candle, and I laughed at the right place. I leaned into him at the right place, and I filed every touch and every lie and every smooth deflection in the part of my brain that built cases.

He offered to take me home three times.

I said no three times. The third time, I said, "I'll see you Monday, Julian."

He kissed my forehead at the curb. I got in the cab.

The door closed.

I did not let my face change until the cab was on Madison.

I came in at 7:50 a.m. on Monday.

I spent Sunday running and not sleeping. By Monday morning I had a new operational frame. The closer approach was what had got me into trouble. The terrace was a mistake. From now on, I would have to run him from professional distance. I would not freeze him out — I had learned the freeze did not work — but I would dial the warmth three notches down. I would do it well enough that he could not put a finger on what had changed.

I crossed the floor to my desk. His door was open. He was at his desk in a white shirt with the sleeves rolled and the top button undone, sandy hair already pushed back from his face.

I made coffee. I carried it in.

"Good morning, Julian."

"Good morning, Claire."

I set the coffee on the coaster. I let go of the cup at one second instead of two. I ran his schedule.

"Halverson at 10:00 a.m. Klein update at 11:30 a.m. Partners at 2:00 p.m. Block at 4:00 p.m. London call at 6:00 p.m."

"Got it."

"I'll be at my desk."

I turned. I walked out. He watched me go.