Page 132 of Smoke and Glitter

"Handled."

"Saturday floor?"

"Handled."

I sit back.

Bex watches me for a second, then folds her hands over the laptop. "Sam, I've been running this room with you for years. You don't need to teach me how Vibes works because you're leaving for three days."

There is absolutely nothing unreasonable about that statement.

I still don't enjoy hearing it.

My eyes move around the office while I mentally reach for something she might not know. Every ordinary thing I could explain to her is something she's already handled at some point while I was somewhere else convincing myself I was still the person in charge. Then I remember the safe. I pull the legal pad toward me and write the combination at the top of the page.

Bex's expression changes when I slide it across the desk.

She looks at the numbers, then at me. "You've never given me this."

"No."

"You've trusted me with this entire building, but not the safe?"

Put that way, it sounds particularly stupid.

"I should've given it to you before."

She goes quiet.

I don't explain. There isn't anything useful to add.

Bex tears the sheet from the pad, folds it once and tucks it into the pocket inside her jacket. "Anything else?"

"If something happens, handle it."

Her eyebrows lift slightly.

"If you actually need me, call. Otherwise I'm not checking the numbers."

Bex laughs and closes the laptop. "Go to London, Sam. Your club will still be here when you get back."

I look through the open office door.

"Yeah," I say. "It will."

Bex picks up the laptop and heads for the door. When she reaches me, she bumps the edge of it lightly against my arm.

"Try not to call."

"I said I wasn't going to."

"I heard you. I'm looking forward to finding out whether you heard you."

She leaves before I can answer.

I stay in the office another minute.

Then I leave the safe combination in her pocket where it belongs.