My lips curled at the confection-filled bitchiness of her tone.

Lena Montgomery was the kind of woman who would smile her brightly painted lips, bat her lush long lashes, and distract men and women with her combination of class, curves, and deceptions. And then she’d take what she wanted. Hell, sometimes they willingly handed it to her.

In the world of wolves, we’d found one another.

“I thought it was,” I replied. “You know how I like to be considered nice.”

“No need to worry. I won’t tell a soul.”

“Your secrets are safe with me, too.”

She hummed. “Maybe your cell phone isn’t working.”

“No, Lena, it’s working. I’ve been busy.” My thoughts returned to Julia, who I’d left under the blankets wearing nothing but my shirt.

“I should have said I was too busy to help when you called.”

She was right to point out that she hadn’t.

Lena continued, “I’ve spoken to Jeremy. He said you were able to secure the stock.”

I leaned back against my chair, turning away from my desk and the large computer screens and toward the tall windows. The tempered glass lessened the sun’s reflection on the white paradise. Some people would detest the frozen scene before me. I didn’t. I appreciated the isolation brought on by Mother Nature. “That is correct. Thank you, Ms. Montgomery. Your help was priceless.”

“Oh, come on, you know nothing is priceless.”

“Everything has a price.”

“And everyone,” she added. “I’ve been racking my brain since you called the other night, trying to figure out your endgame. Now that you have the stock, tell me what you have planned. I know you hate Marlin Butler as much as I do, but damn, you just paid too much for a company that’s bound to end up as a footnote on a pharmaceutical giant’s portfolio. I’ve done some follow-up and with Marlin’s son’s—Skylar’s—fiancée taking off before their wedding, the value of Wade has begun to tank. Is watching Butler falter not good enough for you?”

“Lena, you know me better than that. Having Butler fail isn’t enough. It never will be enough. Was it enough for you when you fucked Logan?”

Logan was Marlin’s brother.

For the record, I intended for the verb to have multiple meanings.

Lena’s story was complicated. Her parents died tragically in an accident that netted her and her sister a handsome payout. She ended up in a relationship with a divorced attorney who offered to help turn their settlement into more. He did make it more, just not for her or her sister.

At that point, the two of us had yet to meet.