Page 2 of Trust No One

Mel needed her sister’s big brain, too. She needed Zoe’s help figuring how to get Dev out of her life.

So Mel made a reservation on a flight to Seattle and forwarded it to Zoe, sent Dev a text telling him she’d be out of town for a few days, then slid her computer into her briefcase, locked up her office and packed a suitcase.

An hour later, with trepidation, determination and heartache twisting together painfully in her chest, she headed for the Helena airport.

* * *

When Mel walked into the lobby of Zoe’s building, she spotted her sister, pacing the area. Love for her sister swirled through her, along with relief and an ugly worm of anger at Dev. Zoe would have some ideas. Some suggestions. When she saw Mel, Zoe rushed to her and wrapped her in a hug.

“Annie!” She shook her head. “Sorry, I should call you Mel. I know that’s what people call you now. But it’s hard to remember, when you’ve always been Annie to me.” She gripped her sister’s shoulders and studied her for an uncomfortably long moment, her smile fading away. “What’s wrong?” she finally murmured.

Mel gave a tiny shake of her head. “Not down here,” she said quietly.

Zoe slung her arm over her sister’s shoulder and steered her toward the elevators.

“Spence is on a job right now,” she said as they walked through the lobby. “But he’ll be back in a couple of hours. His partner Nico is taking the night shift.” She touched her head to Mel’s. “You have me all to yourself for a while.”

Mel frowned. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

Zoe rolled her eyes. “I’m the boss. I can work from home when my sister’s flying in from Montana.” She used a key to open the door to her private elevator and took Mel’s suitcase as they stepped inside. Zoe punched the button for the penthouse and then leaned against the back of the car.

“What’s going on, Annie?” she asked quietly. “I’m thrilled to see you, but I know something must be wrong. Coming on the spur of the moment? In the middle of the week? That’s not my bad-ass sister, mistress of her universe.”

Mel slumped against the railing around the perimeter of the elevator car. Sighed. “Yeah, something’s going on and I need advice. I know what I have to do, but I need your help figuring out how to do it.”

The twinkle disappeared from Zoe’s eyes and she stepped across to Mel and wrapped her in a hug. “You’ve helped me out plenty of times,” she said. “I’m happy to return the favor. What do you need?”

“Advice, mostly,” Mel admitted. “I’ve been a complete idiot and need to figure out how to fix the mess I’ve made.”

The elevator door slid open and Zoe grabbed Mel’s suitcase and stepped into her apartment. “Let’s dump your stuff in the guest room, then I’ll pour you a glass of wine and you can tell me what’s going on.”

Ten minutes later, sitting in Zoe’s kitchen, Mel spun the glass of red wine and stared into the deep red depths. “It’s about the business,” she began.

“Is everything okay?” Zoe asked.

“The business is doing really well,” Mel said, meeting her sister’s gaze. “It’s the people in charge that are the problem.”

Zoe leaned back in her chair and picked up her can of Spindrift sparkling water. “You’re in charge,” she said slowly. “And your partner Dev. So what’s the problem?”

Mel took a drink of wine and set her glass on the table. “Dev’s the problem,” she began. “You know we… dated when we were both in Afghanistan. We broke up before we returned to the states, then I found the compound and got the idea for Blackhawk Security. I needed a partner, both to help with the money end and because I knew I had good computer and investigative skills, but less experience in operations. That’s why I asked Dev to partner with me.”

Zoe leaned back in her chair and studied Mel with knowing eyes. “That wasn’t the only reason, was it, Mel?”

“No.” Mel slapped her hands on the table. “I think, down deep, I thought that working together would bring him back to me.” She shuddered out a breath. “I’m an idiot and that’s my problem. I haven’t moved on from Dev, but he’s moved miles beyond me. And I had a come-to-Jesus moment this morning when I heard him on the phone with a woman.”

Her fingers tightened on the stem of the wine glass. “I should never have asked him to be my partner. Yeah, we work well together. Yeah, our skills are complementary. But seeing him every day, listening to him flirt with women over the phone, is too hard. I need to do something. Need to separate myself from Dev.”

“Can you buy him out?” Zoe asked, leaning closer to her sister.

“That was the first thing I thought of,” Mel admitted. “But the company has really grown. We’re adding new agents all the time, but we still have more requests for bodyguards than we can fill.” She leaned against the back of the chair and sighed. “I ran the numbers this morning, and there’s no way I can pay Dev his share of the business. I don’t have that kind of money. I’d probably have it in a year or two, but I don’t want to wait that long. So I need some ideas of what else I can do.”

She reached for Zoe’s hand. Squeezed it. “You run a very successful business,” Mel said. “You were smart to start it on your own. Now you don’t have these kinds of messy issues to deal with. I was hoping you’d have some advice for me. How do I get rid of Dev without bankrupting Blackhawk Security?”

Zoe twined their fingers together and pursed her lips. “You could pay him his salary and his share of the profits from ongoing work and tell him to get lost.”

Mel shook her head. “That wouldn’t work. Contractually, I owe him half the value of Blackhawk Security if we break up the partnership. Even if I had that kind of money, it would put a crimp in hiring new agents, and we really need to expand. I don’t like turning down work. Gives the company a bad reputation.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Zoe said. She drummed her fingers on the table. “Have you thought about getting a loan from a bank to pay Dev off?”

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