“Excellent. I hope we’ll become friends, Allison—if I may.”

“Of course,” Allison said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have someone waiting for a ride. It’s been nice meeting you.”

Turning, she headed for the door and down the hall toward the front office. Was Garrett going ahead with the Edgeway partnership on his own? Why else would their lawyer be here? And what were they doing to get around Burke? This was a frightening development—a dangerous development. But she couldn’t tell Burke while his health was at risk. Somehow, she would have to handle this on her own.

In the front office, Monica, the receptionist, was on the phone, chatting in an animated way that suggested the call wasn’t business related. As Allison passed the desk, the person on the other end of the call must’ve said something funny, because Monica chuckled, then broke into a distinctive, high-pitched giggle that matched Allison’s memory of Garrett’s late-night phone call.

Allison stifled a groan. This was like a scene from a badly written movie.

Eyes straight ahead, she strode out the front door and fled to her car. Her hand shook as she thrust the key into the ignition.

She had never been one to believe in coincidences. The switched key, the presence of the Edgeway lawyer, the new receptionist who was sleeping with Garrett—somehow they all had to be connected. It made sense that Monica was working for Edgeway, and that she was being paid to watch Garrett and find her way into his bed. But what about Garrett? Was he a naïve puppet, being manipulated by the Mob, or was he pulling some of the strings?

Her instincts told her to run from this situation before she found herself trapped in a web of lies and deceit. But that would mean leaving Burke unprotected at his most vulnerable time. Right now, whether he liked it or not, she was the only help he had. She needed to be here for him.

Heaven save her, what had she gotten herself into?

* * *

Early the next morning, Allison and Brianna left home for the day-long drive to Evanston. Barely awake, Brianna curled up in the back seat with a pillow and a blanket, closed her eyes, and went back to sleep. Not that Allison minded. Conversing with her stepdaughter still wasn’t easy. She much preferred the peace and quiet of solitary driving, which calmed her nerves and gave her time to think.

Last night, torn by doubts and fears, Allison had felt the need to read another of Kate’s letters. Burke’s first wife had faced the loss of her baby with so much strength. Allison needed to borrow from that strength. She’d come to depend on Kate’s words to help her face what she was facing now.