My boss invited me to the most dangerous gala in New York because he wanted me to embarrass myself.

Within ten minutes, Larkin’s security team cleared Dominic Vance and his men out through the service elevators like trash.

The gala tried to return to normal, but the energy in the ballroom had permanently shifted. No one was looking at the mob bosses anymore. Everyone was looking at Penelope Woods—the secretary who had undone an armed takeover with three sentences about tax fraud.

Larkin didn't let go of my wrist for the rest of the evening.

At midnight, he led me away from the ballroom toward the private executive elevators at the back of the Continental Hotel. He pressed the button for the penthouse suite.

"Mr. Steves," I said as the brass elevator doors slid shut, enclosing us in a private glass compartment overlooking the glittering lights of Manhattan. "The event is still ongoing downstairs."

"The event is over for us," Larkin replied, turning to face me. He leaned his shoulder against the glass wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "I think you and I have a few things to discuss."

The quiet hum of the elevator filling the silence felt heavy and charged.

"About my spreadsheets?" I asked, putting my corporate armor back on.

"About why my chief financial analyst has been masquerading as a meek, frightened temp for three years," he countered, his blue eyes locking onto mine like steel traps. "You knew about Dominic's Cayman accounts. You knew about Viktor's dock delays. You know more about my network than my own board of directors."

I stepped closer to him, refusing to backed into a corner. "I told you three years ago when you hired me—I like to be prepared."

"Prepared?" Larkin let out a low, dark laugh. "Penelope, you wore gray sack dresses and hid behind thick glasses. You let Thomas throw cold coffee on your desk last month without saying a word."

My eyes darkened at the memory. "If people think you're weak, they don't look at what you're holding in your hands. I was hiding from the world because I had debts to pay and no desire to get caught in your family's crossfire."

"And tonight?" Larkin asked softly, reaching out. His long, calloused fingers gently touched the gunmetal chain resting against my bare shoulder. "Why break your cover tonight?"

"Because Thomas thought he could use me as a punchline," I said, my voice cold and lethal. "And because I was tired of hiding."

The elevator chimed, and the doors opened into a massive, luxurious penthouse apartment. A roaring fireplace cast long, golden shadows across white marble floors and dark velvet furniture.

Larkin stepped out, pouring two glasses of scotch from a crystal decanter on a side table. He handed one to me.

"Thomas is an idiot," Larkin said flatly. "He was jealous because I trusted your figures more than his advice. He wanted to humiliate you to prove that I surrounded myself with weak people."

"And now?" I asked, taking the heavy glass from his fingers. "What do you think?"

Larkin walked closer until he was standing so near I could feel the heat radiating from his body. He looked down at my face, his eyes dropping to my red lips before rising back to my eyes.

"I think you are the most dangerous thing in this city," he whispered. "And I think I’ve been a blind fool for three years."

Before I could answer, my phone buzzed inside my small clutch purse.

I pulled it out. It was an encrypted notification from the main server at the forty-second floor office.

ALERT: Unauthorized data transfer in progress. File: Steves_Syndicate_Master_Ledger. Location: Internal Terminal 4.

My eyes went wide. Terminal 4 was Thomas's private office.