“Your safety was the most important thing.”
“Who was gonna save me from you, Case?” she asks looking down at the floor in shame.
I swallow thickly not knowing what to say.
“Were you just going to see how far you could take it?” she asks. “Just fire me after you were finished with my brother?”
“You always have a job here.” I would never fire her. And at this point, I don’t wanna push her away. I wanna walk to her and wrap my arms around her. Inhale her scent and tell her that she has meant more to me than anyone else before her. But I don’t. She deserves better. Brecken was right; my life doesn’t allow a relationship. Not the kind she deserves. But I hate the heartache visible in her eyes.
“I hate to be the dick here,” Blane says with a growl. “But can we talk about what you two have been doing later?” he snaps looking over at me. “We have a bigger problem than you two ....” He pauses and Taylor throws Blane a look of hatred and I’m thankful I’m not the only guy she hates in this room at the moment. “You and Case,” he whispers to himself.
“What about me and Case?” she snaps at him.
He turns to face me. “They knew about you and Taylor together.”
I shake my head. “There was no way for them to know. When we went to Rox’s, I never revealed her name.”
“They mentioned you being at Rox’s with me but not her.” He frowns. “They also said Rox ratted you out to the police, but when they went to check the surveillance, it had magically vanished.”
“Fuck!” I say softly. “Did they mention Brecken?” I ask, and he shakes his head.
“Is there a way they could have made you?” Brecken asks me.
I shake my head. “No. And it’s obvious Rox hasn’t figured out who I am either or he wouldn’t have ratted me out to the police.” I shrug. “He thinks I’m just some thug drug dealer he can use as leverage.”
I glance over at Taylor and see the tears are still falling down her gorgeous face. She no longer stares at me with hatred but pure heartbreak. I go to open my mouth to tell her I’m sorry again when the door opens.
“I got here as soon as I could,” Miller announces as he enters in a rush.
“I called him,” Brecken informs me. “We all need to be aware of the situation.”
“I agree.” I look over at Blane. “Can you fill Miller in? I need to talk with Taylor.” Alone. Without three other men staring while listening to me beg for forgiveness.
He nods and I take a step toward her. She looks up at me with puffy red eyes and I reach out to her …
A loud bang cuts off whatever I was about to say. The floor-to-ceiling glass behind me shatters. I leap forward, wrapping my arms around her, and push her to the floor. Her scream barely penetrates my ears. All I hear is the ringing sound. Once we hit the floor, she tries to scramble out from underneath me. But I grab a better hold on her and throw my body on top of hers, “Stop fighting,” I demand. Another round of bangs ring out, and her body shakes underneath me. She cries out as I close my eyes and try to cover all of her small body with mine. I squeeze her to the point it has to be painful for her, but I refuse to let go as I continue to hear the sounds of gunshots.
All of a sudden, the shots subside, and I see Brecken jump to his feet and run out of the office door. Miller is right behind him; I look around and see my office has been destroyed. It looks like a war zone. Holes all in my walls. Feathers flying from the holes in my furniture. Papers, wood, and dust litter the floor. My desk is completely turned over.
Taylor’s sobs get my attention. I lean up and look down at her. She’s on her stomach so I flip her over and my heart squeezes when I see blood running down the side of her head. I grab a hold of her face, and she hisses in a breath. “Are you okay?” I demand, dread gripping my spine. “Were you shot?” I demand as I move her head side to side. Did I not get to her in time?
Tears roll down the side of her face, and she sucks in breath after breath. Her chest has to hurt from the force I used when I took her to the ground. A closer examination tells me it’s just a cut on her head.
“Blane?” I yell out when I don’t see him in front of me.
“I’m fine.”
I look over my shoulder, and he’s standing up, a little wobbly but doesn’t seem to be hurt.
Running my eyes over her chest, abdomen, and legs, I let out a sigh when I see no more blood. Then I place my hands on her. She gasps when I come to her stomach. And whimpers in pain when I touch her head. “You need to go to the hospital,” I say, reaching for my phone, but it’s not in my pocket. I get up from her and start to look around. I search the floor as more bangs sound out. Blane falls to the floor again, but I know it’s just Brecken and Miller doing what they’ve been trained to do. “Where is it?” I growl.
“Blane,” I snap, and he removes his hands from covering the top of his head. He looks up at me. “Get in my top desk drawer. I have a gun in there,” I inform him.
“Case?” I look up to see Miller standing in the doorframe. “Three dead. Brecken ran after the fourth one.”
I nod my head. “Did you call Jones …?”
“They’re already on their way,” he assures me.
