Fighting every instinct that begged me to pull her aside and talk to her in a way I knew I couldn’t when there were other people around, I forced my stare back to the dignitary and all the other people in the room.
When I found Briggs’ murderous glare directed at us from where he and Thatch were guarding the main interior door, that curse finally slipped free.
“Gray—”
“What are you talking about?” I asked under my breath.
“Don’t do that,” she seethed, her voice easily carrying across the room. “Don’t pretend.”
“Monroe,” I hissed in a hushed plea for her to lower her voice, but couldn’t help but respond to her claim. “I’m not pretending. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Anger and betrayal wove through the devastating emotion already in her eyes as she stared me down. Her chest rose and fell faster and harder before she abruptly faced forward, every one of those shields locking into place when she muttered, “Forget it.”
My lips automatically parted to beg her to talk to me—to explain—before I could force them shut because we were on a detail. We were supposed to be guarding someone with our lives.
And yet, I was seconds from dragging her away from the positions we needed to maintain because she wastalking to me.
It didn’t matter that she was mad. It didn’t matter that I didn’t know what she was talkingabout. This was the closest she’d been to herself in three months, and I needed her back.
But just as my hand twitched in her direction, Rush suddenly appeared inside the room, relieving Briggs so he could head this way.
Another curse tumbled from my lips.
“Monroe—” My eyes widened when she started away from me. “Mallory.”
I watched as she faltered before striding purposefully toward Briggs, meeting his anger head on. Then, after listening to whatever he muttered, she quickly stole through the room and out the door.
As soon as Briggs made it to my side, taking her place, he ground out, “When I told you to break through her exterior, I didn’t meanduring a detail.”
I didn’t bother telling him I hadn’t been, because I was sure that’s what tonight was—a result of me goading Mallory this morning at the office.
“Don’t fire her,” left me on a plea instead.
Briggs drew in a slow, steadying breath—never a good thing with him—before mumbling, “After tonight? She’s pushing for it.”
I gave a subtle dip of my head, knowing he’d see it even though he wasn’t focused on me.
“This shell of a Monroe that’s been around these past months isn’t someone I would’ve ever hired,” he continued, voice low enough that I could barely make out the words. “Already told you it’s messing with my team. But what just happened? That messes with my company.”
“I’m aware.”
Minutes passed before he muttered, “She was yelling at you after treating you like a stranger for months.” His next thoughtspractically hung in the air between us, but he still said, “Try telling me again whatever’s going on with her isn’t because of you.”
A muscle in my jaw flexed at the implication in his words, but I forced myself to focus on my job as I took another sweep of the room and the people within it.
“If you’re asking if we hooked up, the answer’sno,” I began, matching his tone. “If you’re asking if either of us tried something with the other, the answer’s stillno.”
“You’re avoiding the real answer,” he said in a way that heavily implied he still thought I’d done something, and it stung more than I could explain. “Tell me what happened, or this is your last detail too.”
I bit back another curse and rubbed at the bridge of my nose before forcing my hand down. It was better than rubbing at my aching chest in front of him or anyone else.
With a defeated shrug, I found myself whispering the words I’d kept locked inside for three months. “We apparently eloped in Aruba, and now she can hardly look at me.”
I waited for the shock or questions. Instead, Briggs slowly glanced my way, doubt, disappointment, and frustration etched in his features, before facing ahead again. “After all this time, I expected our friendship and this job to mean more to you.”
“Briggs—”
“We’re moving,” he mumbled as our charge made a nearly imperceptible hand movement at his side. A sign to let us know he was ready to leave.
