James POV
Patricia was already in the conference room when I arrived.
I stopped in the doorway for a second. Coat still on. Hands folded on the table like she’d arranged herself, then thought better of it and done it again.
She looked up.
I'd known this woman for four years. I'd trusted her with everything that moved through this company. Calendars, communications, the kind of access you only give when you’ve stopped thinking about it.
I walked in and sat down.
"You should have a lawyer," I said.
"I know."
"Patricia…"
"I didn't want one." Her voice didn't shift. "I wanted to do this without one."
I looked at her.
Marcus was near the door. Dwight to my left. The room was exactly the same as it always was and somehow completely different in “I didn’t want one.” Her voice didn’t sh
