Chapter 105

The lights on the thirty-ninth floor of Cromwell & Partners were still on long after most of Manhattan had gone to sleep.

Alex Cromwell stood by the glass wall of his office, tie loosened, sleeves rolled up, city lights reflecting faintly against the dark circles beneath his eyes. The skyline that usually energized him now felt distant, like a painting he’d seen too many times. Files lay open on his desk, three separate matters, three different crises each one demanding precision, dominance, control.

Exactly what he needed.

Work had become the only thing that quieted his mind.

He turned back to his desk, flipping through another document, when the soft click of heels echoed from the hallway. He didn’t look up immediately. Most people knew better than to interrupt him at this hour.

“Alex?”

That voice; calm, familiar, cut through the fog.

He finally looked up.

Eileen stood just inside the doorway, coat draped over her arm, her sleek hair still perfectly in place despite the late hour. S