Darkly (Follow Me 4)

per trail. Nothing gets lost in the shuffle—or erased—on my watch. I learned that lesson the hard way long ago.

I leaf through the messages.

“There was one problem, though,” Claire says.

I raise my eyebrows and meet her gaze. “What’s that?”

“Cindy down at Reception got a call from Addison Ames.”

I frown. I guess I should have seen that coming. Why didn’t she just delete my comment and move on? “What happened?”

“Apparently she demanded to leave you a voice message. Cindy was a little shaken.”

Shaken? Anyone working for me can’t be easily shaken. I make sure of it. Which means Addie was being extra bitchy.

“I’ll take care of it,” I say. “Thanks, Claire.”

I close the door to my office, sit down at my desk, and call down to Reception.

“Yes, Mr. Black,” a receptionist answers, slightly out of breath.

“Cindy?”

“Yes, this is Cindy. What can I do for you, Mr. Black?”

“I understand you intercepted a call from Addison Ames.”

“I did. She demanded to speak to you. I explained you were in a meeting, but—”

“It’s okay, Cindy. I know how she can be. I assume the call was recorded.”

“Of course. All our calls are.”

“Find me the relevant call. I want to hear it.”

“I assure you I was very professional,” Cindy says, her voice cracking slightly.

“I’m sure you were. Don’t worry about this. You’re not at fault, Cindy. Just get me the recording.”

“Right away.”

A few minutes later, the recording lands in my inbox.

“Black, Inc.”

“Good afternoon. This is Skye Manning from Addison Ames’s office. I’m calling for Braden Black.”

I can’t help noticing that Skye Manning has a seductively hypnotic voice.

“Mr. Black is in a meeting. I’ll have to take a message.”

“Addison Ames. The number is—”

“Tell them to connect you to his voicemail.”

Addie’s voice, as clear as if she were on the phone instead of her secretary or assistant.

A throat clears. “Actually, I’d like to leave a voicemail, please.” The hypnotic voice once more.