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I stop walking. “What do you mean you can’t?”

“Because he’s dead.”

“What?”

“We found his body near the docks about an hour ago. Single gunshot wound to the head.”

I stare out the floor-to-ceiling windows of the building, watching traffic crawl through downtown Chicago. Someone reached him before we did.

I step into the elevator after my men have swept it. “They’re tying up loose ends. Keep digging. I don’t care how much it costs or whose toes you step on. Find out who ordered the hit.”

“We’re already working every lead, boss.”

“Good. Keep me updated.”

I end the call and slide into the back of my car. “The office,” I tell my driver.

The moment I step off the elevator onto my private floor, my secretary rises from her desk.

“Welcome back, sir.”

I nod.

A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. “Your wife is waiting in your office.”

I stop mid-step.

“How long has she been in there?”

Her smile grows. “She arrived not too long ago. She said not to call you. She insisted it was a surprise.”

I feel the corner of my own mouth threaten to lift. A surprise, from my wife.

I quicken my pace towards my office. The moment I push open the door, I find Aurora standing beside the seating area, a woven picnic basket resting on the coffee table in front of her.

The moment she sees me, her entire face lights up with a smile.

She walks toward me, stopping just close enough for me to catch the faint scent of her perfume. For a second, I simply stare at her, caught off guard by her presence. Something in my chest gives.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

Instead of answering, she tilts her chin up. I understand the silent request. Leaning down, I press a brief kiss to her lips.

“I missed breakfast with you this morning,” she says. “I took breakfast upstairs hoping we could eat together, but by the time I got back, you’d already left.”

“So,” she continues, lifting the basket slightly, “I brought lunch instead.”

I study her for a moment. “How do you know I missed breakfast? I could’ve eaten before coming here. I could’ve had lunch planned already.”

That's a lie. I haven't had anything to eat all day, and definitely didn't have any lunch plans.

She folds her arms and gives me a look that is far too amused.

“You know,” she says, “that’s actually something we need to work on.”

I raise an eyebrow. “We do?”

“Yes.” She says it so matter-of-factly that I almost laugh.