Chapter 5

If I worked for Victor, I could establish myself on my own merits. I'd earn a steady income, rebuild my financial security, and buy myself time to investigate the betrayal that had destroyed my former business.

It was a practical decision.

Nothing more.

At least, that was what I intended to tell myself.

“All right,” I said at last. “I'm willing to consider the position.”

Victor's gaze sharpened with interest.

“Consider?”

“I'd still like to know the responsibilities, working hours, and salary before I agree. I may be desperate for a job, Mr. Haulette, but I'm not going to sign my life away without reading the terms.”

For a moment, he simply stared at me.

Then he laughed.

Not the polite, restrained chuckle I'd heard earlier, but a genuine laugh that made his entire face change.

“Interesting,” he murmured.

I frowned. “What's interesting?”

“You.”

I blinked.

“Excuse me?”

“Most people become nervous when they discover who I am.” He tilted his head slightly. “You're negotiating your salary.”

“Should I be doing something else? Fainting?”

His lips curved into a slow smile.

“Please don't. I'd have to explain to the entire cafe why a woman fainted in front of me.”

I tried not to laugh.

Failed.

And for one brief moment, the weight pressing against my chest seemed a little lighter.

Then Victor reached for his phone.

“I'll have my assistant send you the job description and arrange a formal interview. If everything goes well, you can start as soon as the necessary paperwork is completed.”

I nodded, relieved that he was at least willing to make the arrangement official.

“Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity.”

“Don't thank me yet, Sevra.”

His gaze met mine again.

“Working for me isn't always easy.”

There was something in the way he said it that made the back of my neck prickle.

Not a threat.

Not quite a warning.

Something in between.

I forced a small smile.

“I think I can handle a demanding boss.”

Victor held my gaze for a moment longer than necessary.

“I'm beginning to think so, too.”

***

When we finally parted ways, I slipped his business card into my bag and returned my attention to my laptop.

I had come to the cafe expecting nothing more than a cup of coffee and another disappointing afternoon.

Instead, I'd walked away with a potential job at one of New York's most powerful corporations.

It was a remarkable stroke of luck.

Or a terrible mistake.

I hadn't decided which.

What I did know was that I couldn't afford to waste this opportunity.

I needed money. I needed stability. And most importantly, I needed access to the kind of information that might help me discover who had betrayed me.

For now, I would be Sevra Monace, an ordinary woman trying to find her footing in New York.

I would do my job, earn my salary, and keep my past buried where it belonged.

No one at Haulette Corporation needed to know about my former business.

No one needed to know about Afghanistan.

And absolutely no one needed to know that I was hunting for the person who had taken everything from me.

Especially not my potential new boss.

Victor Haulette already knew my name.

That was enough.

For now.

Because I had no idea that accepting his offer would draw me into a world far more dangerous than the one I'd escaped.

And I certainly had no idea that Victor Haulette had his own reasons for wanting me close.

Reasons that had nothing to do with my qualifications.

Reasons I would discover far too late.