“Get in the car,” he says finally. His voice is low, with a tinge of exhaustion.
“I’m not done?—”
“If you want to fight, we can fight in the car. But not here.” He steps over to the car and opens the passenger door for me.
I grunt in anger as I step over to the car and slide inside.
The ride is silent for the first few blocks. I stare out the window, the city sliding past in a hazy blur of buildings andpeople and daylight. My heart is still racing from the shooting, but anger at Sasha wins out over the fear.
“You shouldn’t have fired her,” I say. “Angie didn’t do anything wrong.”
“She most certainly did. She’s been in a relationship with the man with whom I’ve been negotiating a merger. And she didn’t disclose it. Angela’s not some intern—she has a major role in AngelCorp. Dishonesty from someone like her, especiallythis kindof dishonesty… I won’t tolerate it.”
“Well, she could very well be the reason I’m alive.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
“Yeah.” I puff up my chest at this a little. “When the shooting started, I was sitting there like an idiot. She grabbed me, pulled me to the ground, positioned herself in front of me.”
Sasha says nothing at first, considering my words. “I’m not throwing her out on her ass,” he says. “She’ll be given a very generous severance package and a full benefits package. A good deal, considering what she’s done.”
“You might’ve just blown this whole merger.”
“If so, that was my decision to make.”
“Maybe it was. But I’m the one who just spent two months of my life busting my ass for this merger, just so you can throw it all away because your ego is bruised over Angie not disclosing a relationship.”
He cocks an eyebrow. “My ego?”
“Yes. You threw a hissy fit, and I hope you realize what it might’ve cost you.”
He opens his mouth to speak, then closes it. I don’t know whether I just got him dead to rights, or if he isn’t in the mood to fight. Maybe a little of both.
After a little time, he speaks. “Maybe you’re right, maybe you’re not. But it’s done. And we’re getting you checked out at the hospital.”
I turn toward him, ready to fight, ready to tell him he doesn’t get to order me around. But I see the look in his eyes. It’s not arrogance, anger, or annoyance.
It’s worry.
For me and the baby.
The car keeps moving. I don’t say another word.
CHAPTER 19
GABBY
The ER is as cold as a damn freezer. Everything’s too bright, too clean. I’m sitting in a paper gown that doesn’t even cover my knees, still buzzing from adrenaline.
Thepop-pop-popof gunfire, the squeal of tires, the wail of sirens closing in, all still ring in my ears.
Sasha stands across from me in the exam room, like a statue in a suit. Arms crossed, expression unreadable. The nurses in the room keep glancing at him, then at each other, as if they’re trying to assess whether or not he’s someone they need to worry about.
I’m wondering the same. My head won’t stop spinning. I keep thinking about Angie, the way she looked at me when Johan pulled her away. I want to scream, cry, sleep—anything but sit here trying to pretend I’m fine.
One of the nurses checks my vitals, jots a few notes down on her pad, then leaves with the other.
Sasha and I are alone. And I’m still pissed.
