Page 80 of Ricochet

“You’re a number. There has to be a certain number of good girls for every headache, and these headaches don’t recall how they were saved.”

“You’re not saving anyone.”

“On the contrary, I’m saving hundreds and hundreds.”

“You’re a hypocrite!”

Gloria sniffed, raising her nose to stare down at the phone as though she could smell the girl on the other end. Then it occurred to her: of the few times she’d clashed with an ungrateful girl, one that hadn’t learned her new place during the weeks of transport and hunger, it’d never happenedwithout her trusted staff present. Never on the phone. Herphone, her direct line. “How did you get this number?”

“Maybe you don’t know everything.”

“Hm.” Gloria’s nonchalant dismissal hid her concern as she made a mental list of those with this phone number.

“I know what you’ve done, and when I can prove it, the universe will too.”

“Ha,” she snickered. “That’ll go over as well as the eveningnew announcing fairy tale princesses are also ax murderers. Your credibility is nonexistent, and mine is…” She smiled, thinking of the politicians and benefactors, fundraisers and publicists she could blink and have fall over themselves. “Well, mine is unblemished.”

“If I can figure it out, everyone can.”

Gloria’s senses tingled. Who was on the other end of the line? “Is that so?”

There wasn’tmuch to figure out if the woman had been one of her girls. Astor shipping swept away villages of young women who had no better options and shipped them to auction or sale, exactly as they did with any other wholesale merchandise.

“And who are you?” she pressed.

“The woman standing outside your building, talking to you on a burner phone. I’ve tracked you down. Found your sources. I was one ofyour buyers, but now I’m ready.”

She grabbed the base of the phone and eased to the window, trying to peer down to the sidewalk—impossible. “Ready for what?”

“To decimate the monster.”

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Gloria stayed at her desk chair long after she’d hung up rather than press against the window and see to the sidewalk.Was that threat figurative? Or immediate?

Her heart calmed eventually as she shakilysecured her ruby earring back in place then found her cell phone, calling her head of personal security, Richard Delano.

He reported to her desk quickly, and Gloria concisely shared what had happened, sounding far more dramatic than she intended. “What do you think?”

His thinking process was the same as it had been years ago, before they’d found each other, when he was simply security and shewas only diversifying her portfolios. But Richard knew what to do and when to do it. It was one of the reasons she trusted him with her empire.

He crossed his arms the way he did when he was certain of a solution. “I know a guy or two.”

“What?” Of all the things he could have said, that was not it. “No!”

“I don’t have the resources to track down a nameless woman who knows too much.”

“You’remy security!”

“What do you want me to do, Gloria?”

“If you can’t handle the threat, give it to the FBI and let them run around—” No, that wouldn’t work, and the minor annoyance ticking on his forehead said he’d already thought this through. The FBI handled her threats but when someone knew too much. “Then what would you tell an outsider?”

He shrugged off her concerns. “The issue is twofold.”

“Twofold, how?” She wasn’t thinking clearly.

“How was someone able to get a hold of you?”

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