My body streaked hot and then cold. “What would you have done if they weren’t just the screaming Jesus people, but were the sickos who carry around bottles of acid? What would you have done if they had a gun? Would you have just left him out there alone?”
He lowered his hands to his sides and fidgeted. “JP, I—”
“You are done being a brat to him.”
His mouth fell open. “Excuse me?”
“He fucked up. He pissed you off—reasonably. He owes you an apology, but you’ve had your pound of flesh. You’ve gotten yours back. You will not be firing him, because he’s doneeverythingI’ve ever asked him to do, and he’s always early. He’s the perfect employee, and let’s be realistic, based on his performance, he would have been a great hire for this office under different circumstances. You’re no fucking angel. If you don’t go out there and give him his job back… I’ll quit.” I straightened up to my full height, and a frisson of fear raced through me, but I meant it. I’d been behind a lot of what we’d done to Max in the beginning, because it was fairly innocuous, but I’d be damned if Vane thought it was okay to put a man in danger, especially someone who should be a vital part of his team. “I thought you were better than this.”
He let out a huff and stared around the room. The vulnerability I’d seen around the edges of how he acted in the past was there in the downturn of his mouth and the hurt in his eyes as he glanced back at me. “I didn’t think about it being dangerous.”
“No, you didn’t, because you don’tlikehim.”
Vane glared. “And you do?”
“I work very closely with him. I don’t want him hurt.”
Vane laughed and it wasn’t a nice sound. “JP, let’sbe realisticwith each other,” he said, flinging my own words back at me.
I dropped my chin and glared at him.
“You fucked him, didn’t you?”
Pointing at his suit coat carelessly discarded on the floor near his desk, his tie a blue fabric snake beside it, I asked, “Were you planning to fuck Jaxson in here?”
“That’s none of your business.” He jutted his jaw and stuffed his hands into his pockets.
I shrugged a shoulder at him. “Exactly. It’s none of your business.”
“Holy shit. I thought maybe you did… really?” He snorted in amusement. “What happened? He’s the enemy!”
“Hewasthe enemy. He hasn’t done anything since he started working here except what he’s told, and he’s been damned grateful for the opportunity.”
“Yeah, was he grateful for your dick, too?” Vane went so far as to stick his tongue against his cheek and mime a blow job.
There was a light knock on the door that had him striding past me to unlock it and jerk it open. Jaxson stood there with his fists against the doorjamb. “So… Max left a while ago. I’m kind of glad because I doubt he would have liked hearing you talk about him. At top volume.” He forced a smile.
“Et tu, Jaxson? You’re on that little shit’s side now? You, of all people?”
“Well, I still think he’s an asshole, but… he was scared. And I would have been, too. He also hasn’t been that bad lately.” Jaxson gave Vane an assessing look that had me thinking better of him than I did of my boss at the moment.
“I’m tired of having an office full of children,” I announced. “You are going to apologize to Maxwell and rehire him, he’s going to apologize to both of you, and then we’re going to start fresh here. He’s given you good ideas and good work.”
Vane looked like he’d eaten a sour bug. “Are you even older than me?”
“Age and mentality aren’t the same thing,” I snarled.
Jaxson snickered, then abruptly stopped and held up his hands when we both turned to glare at him.
“He ran off. How can I do that? Can’t apologize to someone who isn’t here.” Vane stuck his tongue out, exactly like the boy I’d accused him of being. I wanted to rip my hair out of my head or put him in a corner.
“I’m going to go get him,” I mumbled, some of my energy seeping away.
“We have things to do.”
“Then you should have thought about that before your grand performance.”
“How the fuck did this become my fault?” Vane bellyached. “Especially when you—”
