Michelle's eyes grew wide. Her mouth opened, and she stared at me like that for a moment until her mouth stretched and curved into a grin. "Does the CEO know?"I shook my head, a little surprised that she simply acknowledged that I was working undercover. "No one knows... and it is crucial that it stays this way." I studied her as my heart thundered.She finally nodded. "I won't tell anyone," she promised, raising two fingers. "I swear, I will keep your secret safe."I exhaled, relaxing my stiff shoulders and back. I took a huge risk telling her, but, at least, I no longer had to lie to one person I worked with."So, what's the plan?" She smirked, leaning forward on the table. "Have you gathered any evidence?"I took a deep breath. I had already told her the most sensitive part. There was no sense in hiding the rest of the facts. "My friend is an FBI agent. Julienne contacted him before she died. She said that Hart Global is involved in illegal activity. She was going to get the proof

Aiden's bed was huge and sinfully comfortable. I was glad it was Saturday. Otherwise, I wasn't sure if I would have been able to crawl out on time to get to work. I had yet to see the entire apartment, but the fluttering butterflies in my stomach had already given their judgment—they had given this place a ten out of ten. This bed, the space, the view, and Aiden next to me—it all felt surreal. If this was a dream, I didn't want to wake up anytime soon.My forehead and one cheek were pressed against Aiden's chest. His arms were wrapped around me, and one of his legs was between mine, dangerously close to my poor lady bits. My breasts stroked his abdomen with every breath I took. Luckily, my exhausted body could easily ignore that fact throughout the night… The problem appeared now, as my system regenerated and announced its readiness to play. The awareness kicked off as I slightly shifted and felt Aiden's delicious rigidness rubbing against my belly. My nipples hardened in an instant,

I finished the bottle of wine, but the alcohol had zero effect on my system. I was obnoxiously sober—sober and dreadfully nervous. Why did I need to prove my alibi?! I felt that the man who raped me was tormenting me even after his death!When Emily returned to our apartment, I debated whether or not the second bottle of wine would help me regain composure. Once I briefly told her about the call from my father, she made the decision for me, and I had my wine glass full before I fully acknowledged what she was doing. After a moment, we were both sitting on my bed with our backs against the wall and glasses of wine in hand."That Captain Lockwood must be a total nutjob if he suspects you," she grunted in between sipping her wine.I sighed. "I didn't think he liked me even before I accused his son of being a rapist. And I don't think he truly believes that I murdered his son. Perhaps he's only trying—" I cut myself off and cursed. Then I gave Emily a wry smile. "I don't even know what he

As expected, I got a call from the Philadelphia police on Monday morning. I remembered the one who called me; he used to work with my brother. It seemed like he got promoted and was now a detective. I didn't know Malik Riaz too well, but he seemed to be one of the good guys. If he was a part of this investigation, perhaps my questioning wasn't going to be that bad…Chandler insisted on taking his car. I didn't argue, especially since I wasn't sure if my old buddy would carry us safely to Philly and back without stopping somewhere in the middle of the road. I packed myself into my lawyer's black BMW, and we set off on the road to Philadelphia."Don't worry too much," Chandler said as we were about to stop at the police station. "Mr. Hart prepared everything we need to make your alibi solid. You are going to be questioned as a witness. You'll be able to walk out of there whenever you feel like it."I nodded and stretched my lips into a faint smile. I understood my situation, and I trust

Hands trembling, I reached for the switch and turned off the lamp by my bedside. The sun had just begun to set, but wrapped in a thick layer of clouds, it didn't give off too much light. It worked to my advantage… or so I hoped. Certainly, the completely logical part of me told me to stay calm and consider all—more likable—possibilities.The car might have had nothing to do with me. Maybe whoever drove that car lived nearby and only parked in front of my building. Maybe whoever drove that car was visiting someone who lived nearby. Maybe whoever drove that car lost their way and was now looking at the map, wondering how to get out of here.I half-hid myself behind the curtain, then squinted my eyes, concentrating my stare on the van. I couldn't get a good sight of the windshield—possibly the only untinted window of the van—but my angle still allowed me to notice some movement inside. I froze. Someone must have been inside. I scratched out all the safe and logical arguments. Whoever was