“Does Sloane have something to do with that?”
I hid a smile. “Yes, she does.”
“Good,” he said. “I speak for all of Codex when I say thank god.”
“Thank god, what?”
Sloane walked up, smile on her face. She was so much more open around people now. Her sultry edges were still there yet softened for those she trusted. And she was trusting a lot more.
“Thank god we met,” I explained, looping an arm around her shoulders.
“Ah,” she said. “Makes sense. I am truly magnificent.”
I kissed the top of her head.
She turned toward Henry and touched his elbow. “I gave half of my payment to Louisa to re-fund the scholarship program Bernard used to run. With a new name, of course.” She handed him a slip of paper. “It’s now called the Dr. Henry Finch Fellowship.”
Henry took it, read it. Looked back at her like he couldn’t quite believe it. “Sloane, you… you absolutely did not have to do this.”
“I wanted to. I was more than happy to.” She shifted on her feet. “Henry, until I was seventeen years old, I was raised by two parents who were con artists. They forced me to do it too.” She didn’t look to me for courage—she didn’t need to. “My parents earned their living by taking advantage of people. Corrupting their trust, manipulating them. The reason why people like my parents, people like Bernard, are so successful at it is because humans want to trust. To connect. To love.” She touched his arm. “I wanted you to know that none of this was your fault. And I’m so happy to see that your ability to love and trust and connect wasn’t stolen from you by Bernard. That gives me hope.”
Henry hugged her. I could see her face, and the look she was giving me was pure excitement.
“Thank you,” he said. “And I hope you come work for Codex. Actually, one year ago Abe approached me here, gave me his business card. Told me I’d make one hell of a private detective.”
“Is that so?” she said.
“It is,” he said. “He changed my life forever. But you already know that about Abe.” Henry nodded behind him. “I’m going to take one more walk around. Meet you at the front?”
The minute Henry left us, I knew what I needed to do. “You are magnificent, truly.”
Sloane was giving me that captivating smile while her hair blew softly in the breeze. I felt in my jacket pocket for a business card, the memories of doing this for Henry were so strong and emotional. I hadn’t anticipated how much one man could change in twelve months.
Her smile turned sly. She held a business card that said Codex between two fingers. “Do you think I’d make one hell of a private detective or what?”
I kissed her—hot, hungry, urgent. “If Henry and Delilah work together, and Sam and Freya work together, there’s not one fucking reason why I can’t work with my gorgeous, charming, sticky-fingered girlfriend.”
She tapped the card against her chin. “So, to be clear, you’re offering me a job?” She examined it closely, then studied me. “And I’m your… girlfriend?”
“Yes, god, yes, I’m offering you a job,” I said. “And also please be my girlfriend.”
“This morning, what we talked about, being with each other after all of this,” she said. “You meant it.”
It wasn’t a question. It never had been.
“I meant it,” I said. “I will break the speed limit driving to see you in New York. Do not doubt it. We can split the time between each city. I will figure out how to make it work if you don’t want to move to Philadelphia. Or even if you do want to move but don’t want to work with me and my taco-obsessed team of detectives. Anything for you. I will do anything—”
This time it was Sloane who kissed me, a kiss full of possibility, of fate. A kiss full of our future.
“I meant what I said too,” she whispered. “My house isn’t a home. You would make my life feel like home. We’ve only known each other a week, I know this is chaos, but I refuse to sidestep my feelings for you, Abe. I like you. More than I’ve ever liked anyone.” Her hand found a spot directly over my heart, palm pressed down. “Trust is hard for me. I promise not to give up. I’m still here.”
I interlaced our fingers over my heart. “And I’m not going anywhere.”
Her teasing smile reappeared. “And we’re two workaholics who have promised each other to have more spontaneous fun. We can’t do that if I’m living two hours away from you, now can we?”
“How many cooking classes do you want to take? I’ll sign up for every damn one on the flight home.”
Her laughter was unfiltered joy. “Not cooking. I’d like to see you on a dance floor, Abraham. Tango lessons.”
“I’m a man of many secret talents, as you know,” I said, kissing right below her ear.
Sloane held up the business card again. “My business is important to me, Abe. I built it on my own but I… I liked working with a team.”
“Perhaps you could consider a merger?” I asked.
She hummed beneath her breath. “Less my boss, more my business partner.”
“Equal footing,” I said. “I like that even better.”
Her eyes searched mine. “So do I, actually. My only suggestion being Freya told me you had a strict PDA policy for the office. And I’ve never known you to keep your hands to yourself, Mr. Royal.”
I didn’t even try and hide my happiness. “I’ll begin revising our personnel policies immediately.”
51
Sloane
Three months later
Philadelphia, PA
I was wearing a pink crown and a sash that said Birthday Girl—although it wasn’t even close to my birthday. But, according to Freya, we needed a formal coronation—her words—celebrating my official start as a private detective working at Codex.
All six of us were sitting around in Abe’s office. I was perched on the end of his desk; he was giving me too lascivious of a look for the workplace, even if he’d just revised his personnel policies.
Freya, Sam, Delilah, and Henry were all clapping for me.
“Thank you, thank you,” I said, standing and taking a bow. It had been three months since we’d all left London, and while I was still in the process of moving my life from Brooklyn to Philadelphia, Abe had already invited me to live with him in his fancy condo near City Hall.
I’d said yes, of course, both of us dedicated to making our house a real home.
Working with Louisa had been my last official case as Argento Enterprises. I was now merging my old cases and former clients with Codex’s and settling into a new routine as the sixth member and Abe’s business partner. Equal footing, as promised. Those five years working on my own had been vital to my own self-discovery, but it was time now to be part of a team.
In the intervening moments, I spent every second I could with Abe or with Codex. They were friends—we were friends. Delilah and Freya had permanently adopted me into their girl gang, and I’d never, ever, ever, been happier. Our taco Tuesdays had become legendary, and most Friday nights Delilah and Freya dragged me to their favorite bars and restaurants in the city—for drinking or dancing or talking the night away.