His widening grin reveals crooked, tobacco-stained teeth. “You think you can order me around? Sweetheart, you might sign the checks, but we both know whose name is on the deed. And we both know you can’t call the cops either.”
“My father?—”
“Doesn’t give a shit about you. He might even congratulate me…especially if I take the edge off your sharp tongue.”
I want to argue, but I can’t. Declan might get pissed if he perceives an assault on me as a slight on him. However, he might also react exactly the way Shout laid out.
I start again. “My brothers?—”
“Are too up your father’s ass to challenge him. Besides, it’s not like they’re breaking down your door to hang out with you.”
While I no longer expect anything from my father, I still cling to hope for my brothers, so the truth in that last comment stabs me in the chest. But now isn’t the time to fret over estranged siblings.
The walls press in, and a band tightens around my chest.
Declan’s thick, cold shadow stretches between us.
Shout’s still talking, but my brain no longer registers his words. My mind tunnels to survival. I calculate distance, angles, exits.
The window.
A paperweight.
My pepper spray, if I can cross the room fast enough.
Claustrophobia crunches down on me. The air is too warm, too heavy. Breathing becomes a monumental effort.
Shout’s hand clamps on my wrist.
I shove him back, nearly tripping over my desk chair as I stumble.
He snarls before reaching for me again. “Come here, you frigid bitch.”
I aim for his throat, but he twists at the last second, deflecting the worst of my punch. In response, I scramble away. “Don’t touch me.”
“You fucking cunt. You’ll pay for that.”
My body tenses, every muscle screaming to fight, to run. This bastard isn’t going to?—
“Am I late?”
Kellin’s voice bullets through the room.
Shout recoils, his shoulders jerking. A scowl darkens his face.
Sweet relief floods me. I could kiss Kellin right now.
He strolls into the office, a large leather satchel slung over his shoulder. His expression is mild, that ever-present charm in his smile, but his eyes are flat as a reptile’s.
Murderous, even.
The air shifts in an instant. Charged particles skate over my skin, raising the hair on my arms.
My heart hammers against my ribs.
I shudder to imagine the outcome if Kellin hadn’t arrived when he did.
He stalks toward Shout like an avenging angel, his calm demeanor warring with the ire blazing in his eyes. Each stride is precise. Predatory. “Didn’t realize we had company.”
