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“Hey, Justine. It’s me,” I said once she picked up.

“I’m so glad you called. I don’t know what you did, Alex, but Charlie hasn’t called or texted in the past twenty-four hours,” she said immediately, just as I’d known she would.

“I told you I’d take care of it, and I did.”

“Can I ask? What did you do?”

“We got him to sign off on a gag order, or else face an extortion charge. It was a piece of cake. Don’t worry about it. The contract is air-tight, and the secret is safe.”

“I know you’re only doing this for me. I’m so sorry,” she said regretfully. “I didn’t want to have to involve you. You don’t know how much it means to me.”

I leaned back in my chair and sighed.

“Yeah, well…if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have to worry about the media. Besides, I don’t want a media fiasco any more than you do. Have you talked with Suzanne?”

“Yes. She knows the gist of what’s going on. I had hoped we could meet for lunch today, but she was tied up at work. We planned a spa day for later in the week. I’ll fill her in more then.”

“Glad to hear. How is the planning going for the Stone’s Hope fundraiser?”

“Oh, that’s another thing I’ve been worried about! Charlie knows about the amount of work that goes into this event. It would be just like him to ruin it,” she said, voice full of scorn. “He gets off on causing a scene. I could just see him running his mouth the day of.”

“So, what’s the status on the dinner?” I asked again, reeling her back in from her rant.

“Oh, sorry. Yes. Actually, things are going smoothly. The tickets are almost all sold. We have some big donors stepping up with large ticket items for the silent auction. Florist is all set, and the menu has been decided. I only need to meet with the band and discuss their fee.”

“If you think they’re good, pay them whatever they want. That will be my donation from Stone Enterprise.”

“We’ll see. I have yet to actually hear them play myself. If I don’t like how they sound, I’m going with the band used at last year’s Chamber of Commerce Ball. I already have them lined up anyway, but I thought I’d check out someone different than the usual. Once I decide who I’m going with, we can discuss who is paying.”

I was happy to hear she had everything under control. I was right to appoint her as Head of Relations and Fundraising for the Stoneworks Foundation. Justine was better when she had a focus—a cause she could throw herself into. Stone’s Hope was a perfect fit for her.

“It sounds like you have a good handle on things. I have to run now, Justine. But let me know about the band either way.”

“Will do. And Alex…thanks again for Charlie.”

“I got your back. Always,” I said earnestly. Justine was like a fragile bird with a broken wing. It was my duty to be strong for her, to get her through whatever shit was thrown at her. I had to break the endless cycle that was her life—that was our lives. “I’ll talk to you later, Justine.”

I ended the call and eyed the clock. It was a good day—a productive one—but the time had gotten away from me, and I still had a few stops to make before seeing Krystina tonight.

Satisfied I was leaving everything in good order until tomorrow, I dialed Hale.

“Calling it quits for the day, boss?” he asked upon answering.

“You got it. Bring the car around. Krystina is coming by tonight, and I have a few errands to make before I send you to get her.”

The silence on the other end of the line at the mention of Krystina ticked me off. I hung up rather than waiting to hear what Hale might have said.

I could admit a woman at my place two nights in a row was a rarity for me. But Hale didn’t know how bored I had become as of late. I was tired of the predictable woman. They were mundane. Simple to figure out and easily influenced. Krystina was everything but those things.

I locked the desk drawers, then turned to power off the computer. Before I hit the shutdown key, I reread the emails between Krystina and myself from earlier in the day.

My Angel.

Krystina had understandably been embarrassed, but there was no need for her to try to push me away.

Again.

I wouldn’t allow it to happen anymore. It was time to break through her defense mechanisms and tame the firecracker she was. However, the path ahead was going to get rough, for I knew Krystina wouldn’t go down without a fight.