Page 127 of His Good Girl

“I won’t.”

“Try not to murder anyone important.”

“I’ll delegate.”

“Benjamin?”

“He prefers psychological warfare.”

“That tracks.”

For a second, she looked like she might say something else. Maybe something that would have made leaving harder. Then she only nodded and stepped out.

Benjamin was at his desk.

He looked up as Avery passed, his expression immaculate and unreadable. “Good evening, Ms. Hale.”

“Good evening, Benjamin.”

“Safe ride home.”

Her gaze flicked to him with mild surprise. “Thank you.”

She walked toward the elevators, and I watched her go for approximately one second too long.

Benjamin waited until the elevator doors closed.

Then he said, without looking at me, “You know, many executives prefer scandals that do not arrive with their own workstation.”

I closed my office door behind me but did not retreat inside. “Good evening to you too.”

“It was, briefly. Then I had to reschedule your car, placate Marcus, soothe Tom, threaten PR, and observe whatever this is.”

“This?”

He looked up. “Do not make me definethis. I am undercaffeinated and spiritually tired.”

I leaned against the doorframe. The floor was mostly empty now, the after-hours hush settling over glass walls and darkening monitors. Far across operations, Dana was still in her office, visible through the glass, jacket off, shoes kicked under her desk, red pen in hand. She looked like a woman who would survive the collapse of civilization and correct the grammar of the announcement.

Benjamin followed my gaze. “She knows.”

“I assumed.”

“She has eyes.”

“She told Avery that yesterday.”

“She has also told me, twice, that if you make her complicit in nonsense she will resign and become a judge out of spite.”

“She’d be a terrible judge.”

“She would be magnificent. Everyone would be guilty by lunch and executed by dinner.”

I pushed off the doorframe. “Say whatever you’ve been rehearsing.”

Benjamin set his tablet down with unnatural care, which was how I knew this was not going to be one of his ornamental lectures. The ornamental ones came with footwork, props, sometimes tasty muffins. This one came with a particular kind of stillness that made me uneasy.

“You know how big of a scandal this would be if it went public.”