Thirty minutes later, the five of us headed out, piling in Kelsey’s SUV, with the two bodyguards in the front, Ryan behind the wheel.
Music filled the space between us, with Alessia and I laughing at Kelsey whose face burned when a Rhodium song came on the radio before she quickly changed the station; she was always shy about hearing herself sing. I was going to switch the station back to the Rhodium song when I caught sight of Edge Records as we drove by and something occurred to me.
Shit.
I looked at Ryan. “We need to make a stop before we go to the mall.”
His gaze sharpened. “Where?”
“Edge Records. There’s a contract amendment in my old computer that could help Nathan with Sutter. It outlines a clause in his agreement about distribution rights that Sutter keeps trying to use against him. If I send it to Nathan, it could save him the rest of his morning.”
Ryan’s jaw tightened. “He didn’t ask for it.”
“Doesn’t mean he doesn’t need it.”
“Elise.”
“It’ll take two minutes. I’ll be in and out.”
A long silence stretched between us before he exhaled sharply and made a sharp turn towards the building. “Fine. But I’m going up with you.”
I shook my head. “That’s not necessary.”
Ryan’s jaw worked, his hands tightening on the steering wheel like he was seconds away from locking me inside the SUV. “My orders were clear.”
“It's okay. It's a Saturday, it's practically deserted today.” I defended myself.
His silence stretched. The muscle in Ryan's cheek ticked once, twice. Finally, with obvious reluctance, he nodded. “Text me the second you’re done.”
“I will,” I promised, reaching for the door the second we got there before he could change his mind.
The lobby of Edge Records felt different on a Saturday. The security desk was manned by only one guard, his chair tipped back, eyes glued to his phone. Usually, there were three of them, badges checked twice, visitors signed in, cameras scanned like hawks. Today? Barely a glance when I scanned my card.
I pressed the elevator button and shifted my bag higher on my shoulder. The softdingfilled the empty space, but it was the squeak of a wheel that made me look up.
A janitor pushed a cart past me, the mop handle jutting out at an angle, the bucket of water sloshing with each step. His cap was pulled so low I couldn’t see his eyes, only the strong set of his jaw and the rough shadow of stubble along his cheek. He didn’t meet my gaze, didn’t nod, didn’t even acknowledge me.
Something about it snagged on my instincts. The way his shoulders carried too much tension for a man doing routine work. The way he angled his face away like he didn’t want me to get a good look. My pulse skipped once, but the elevator doors slid open, pulling me out of it. I brushed it off, telling myself I was being paranoid. It was the weekend, after all. Fewer people, fewer distractions.
Still, I exhaled with quiet relief once the doors closed behind me.
When the elevator deposited me on the executive floor, the silence was sharper than I remembered. I walked the familiar hallway toward my old desk, heels clicking softly against the polished floor. It felt strange to be here as Nathan’s girlfriend and not his assistant.
My desk looked both familiar and foreign. A plant in a pale pink ceramic pot sat near the phone. The pens were neatly organized in a holder I didn’t recognize. Even the chair had been pushed in at a perfectly straight angle, something I never once managed during my time here.
A smile tugged at my lips despite myself. His new assistant had clearly made herself comfortable.
And I liked her. She wasn’t twenty-four and starry-eyed or secretly attracted to her boss. She was older, grounded, and spoke about her husband like he hung the moon. She was good for Nathan. And, selfishly, she was good for me.
Dropping into the chair, I booted up the computer and leaned back as the system whirred to life. The familiar desktop greeted me, files exactly where I’d left them. Buried somewhere in here was the project Nathan needed. It was the only copy tucked into a folder from my last months here. Something only I could dig out.
I logged in, pulled up the document, and sent it to Nathan before shutting the computer down.
Quick and easy.
As I stepped into the elevator, I pulled out my phone again.
Elise:
