Daniel stood, straightening his jacket. "Please," he said, "update me if there's anything else I need to add to my portfolio. I need this."
"I got you, bro," Lucas said with a touch of brotherhood that came from years of shared secrets, shared vices, and debts neither of them could speak about openly anymore.
Daniel gripped Lucas's hand. Lucas's grip was firm. Daniel nodded once, jaw tight, masking the turmoil in his chest. And then he turned and walked out.
*****
"What do you mean she left the apartment?" Alex stood by his desk, shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows, tension rippling beneath his crisp white cuffs.
Fred had grown used to the quiet storms that brewed under his boss's composed exterior. "I got a call from security," he explained carefully. "She packed up and left with her friend, Brian."
