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“Good,” he grunted. Brooke doubted he had much of a vocabulary. “I prefer quiet exits.”
“There is no way I’m going anywhere with this asshole.” Brooke dug her heels against the hardwoods, but it only made it easier for the man to slide her toward the door.
“Come on, the bosses are waiting.” In a single lunge, the man swung her on to his shoulder and dangled her as if she weighed the same as a bag of sugar. “It’s going to be a long ride if you keep this up, sweetheart.”
She kicked harder, her feet ramming into his chest. She beat her fists into his back. Nothing fazed him. He was like a steel wall. Nothing moved him.
“Niall! Don’t do this!” She jerked her head forward to grab his attention. “Niall! Don’t let this happen.”
“It’s already done, cuz.”
She spat in his direction. “Where am I going?”
He scratched the back of his head. “Out of the city. That’s all I know. Enjoy your vacation.”
“Niall!”
The last thing she saw as she descended into the McIntosh family basement was the smirk on her cousin’s face. The image burned into her memory. She would never forget this moment. She’d never forgive him. And one day, he’d know the mistake he had made.
Three
Tyler
It had been a month. A long fucking cold month trapped up in the mountains. Ok, it wasn’t a trap, but some days it felt like it. He knew he could leave anytime he wanted, but that wasn’t the point of seclusion. It wasn’t the agreement. And he wasn’t the kind of man to break his word, no matter the circumstances.
There were demons chasing them back in Denver. He and Lee agreed the only way to escape the scandals and the corporate entanglements was to separate themselves from StarCon Global for an extended period of time. But thirty days in and Tyler didn’t know how much longer he could take it. He had agreed to three full months, and one had already driven him crazy. How did Lee stay so calm all the time?
His best friend seemed to fucking love it. He had a beard that grew in overnight. The man was jacked. He had cut more firewood than they could possibly burn in the cabin’s ten fireplaces.
He had learned how to ice fish in the pond. He hiked and hunted. And at one point Tyler thought he was sharpening knives to whittle long pieces of wood. He was a genuine mountain man in every way.
And that’s why Tyler did what he did. The woods didn’t appeal to him like they did to Lee. He needed more excitement. He needed something to preoccupy him and keep his mind off of the shit at StarCon.
It made sense. He finally agreed to let Niall McIntosh settle his debt.
He looked out the window in from his study. Lee was in the yard, stacking wood next to the fire pit. Tyler grabbed his heavy coat and stomped out into the snow.
“What’s this?” he pointed to the stones.
“Rebuilt the pit,” Lee explained.
Tyler nodded. “Hey, I need to talk to you about something.”
“Why don’t you chop and talk?” Lee handed him an ax.
“Do we really need more wood?”
Lee grunted.
Tyler swung the ax instead of arguing. The wood split evenly. It felt good, watching it splinter and slice so easily. His muscles were tense and tight. He needed this kind of exercise. He raised the ax over his head and spilt the next piece. He grinned.
“Not bad.” Lee examined his work. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
“I know we’re not supposed to have interviews, but we have one on the way,” he explained.
Lee looked up from arranging the stones in a circle. “What the fuck, man?”
“The house is big enough for an army. You won’t even know she’s here.”
