I looked at the blue ink on the white paper.

It was more money than I would earn in three lifetimes as an assistant.

But I knew how Julian worked.

Once he had the drive, my value to him would drop to zero.

“The drive is not here,” I said.

Julian’s eyes narrowed slightly, the skin at the corners of his eyelids tightening.

“I chose this house because it is isolated, Julian, not because I am stupid,” I said.

“Where is it?” he asked.

“In a safe deposit box three hundred miles from here,” I lied.

He stared at me for a long moment, trying to read my face.

I kept my expression flat, the way I used to when Arthur demanded to know why his legal expenses had doubled in a single quarter.

“I can wait,” Julian said. “We can drive there together in the morning.”

“The roads will be flooded by dawn,” I said.

I walked to the window and looked out into the darkness.

The sea was invisible, but I could hear the waves crashing against the rocky shore below the cliff.