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            Marlene just managed to get the door open before she dropped her bundles.  The four large bags cascaded out of her arms before she could reach the sofa.  A puff of air flipped the curl hanging over her forehead.  She loved shopping, but getting the stuff home was sometimes a challenge.  First she had to switch elevators at the forty-first floor, which meant finding her pass card and getting it into a slot.  As if that wasn’t a big enough pain, she had to fumble with the cipher lock to get into her own apartment.  With all this security, you’d think someone wanted to kill them.

            As her breathing quieted, she heard voices from another room.  Adrian was home early.  Her breath caught in her throat, and her jaw set harshly.  Did he have one of his women here?  She did not think she could stand for it anymore.  In the last few days she had more than fulfilled her obligations as a wife, and his carnal desires had grown steadily more extreme.  She would not tolerate another woman.  Not now.

            Straightening her spine, she marched across the carpet headed into the study.  At the doorway she stopped, listening for the voices inside.  She did not hear a woman’s voice, but that of a man.  It was the one she had heard her husband call Paul.

            “No sir, just the fact that they escaped makes them a threat,” he was saying.  “I’m afraid we’re putting ourselves in a position to underestimate these people.”

            “What’s to underestimate?”  Seagrave asked in the haughty voice he so often used toward his employees.  “The woman’s a flake and the man’s probably terrified of tangling with Monk again.  I’ll bet they’re still running.  You’re just being paranoid.”

            “I disagree,” Paul insisted.  “Besides, you pay me to be paranoid.  I’m trying to protect your safety.  Just let me lay on a little extra security.  I’d like a few more guards at the entrances and patrolling the floors.”

            Marlene held her anger, but she felt she had seen enough.  She strode into the room, her eyes on Paul.

            “Adrian.  What’s he doing here?”

            “Business,” Seagrave said without looking at her.

            “He’s one of those violent men you hire,” she said in an accusing, whining tone.  “I can tell just looking at him.  You think I don’t know what you do?  I do, you know.  And I imagine there are lots of people out there who would wish us ill because of it.  But you promised me you’d never have those people in our home.”

            When Seagrave turned toward her, all the frustration he had felt in the last few days showed in his eyes and she realized suddenly that she had crossed some invisible line.  With unexpected strength Seagrave gripped her right arm and forced her down to her knees.  His nails bit into her skin as his eyes burned into hers.  Looking up at him, her lower lip began to quiver and she was close to tears.

            “You listen to me, bitch.  You don’t care how I do business when it’s buying you all those clothes, and all that jewelry, and trips to everywhere on earth.  All you need to do is mind your damn business and be there when I want you.”

            Seagrave’s voice had slowly risen to a squeaky falsetto.  As the last sentence ended he drew his left hand back across his shoulder, preparing to swing his knuckles backhand across her face.  Marlene gasped and stared into his face, too scared to even turn away.

            “Sir!”  Paul’s voice froze Seagrave’s swing.

            “What is it?”  Seagrave spun his head to see Paul’s face.  The tall man’s ice blue eyes never wavered, his gaze both cold and hard.

            “The men?”

            “Yes, yes.”  Seagrave released his wife’s arm and she backed away across the floor.  “Get all you want, put them everywhere if that’ll make you happy.  Now get out of here.”

            Paul took one last long look at Marlene, as if expecting her to say something, then stepped silently out the door.