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Cassie shrugged. “We could ambush him and break his legs or something. Tell him we’ll come for his arms next if he doesn’t drop it.”
“The guy was huge,” I said. “I’m pretty sure even the three of us couldn’t take him–even if that wasn’t an insane idea,” I added when I saw Cassie opening her mouth to object.
She deflated. “All I’m saying is if he wants to play dirty, what’s so bad about playing dirty back?”
“Christian will think of something. It’s not like the guy is threatening to kill him, anyway. He’s threatening to get Christian kicked out of the company. I know this job is important to him, but I’m sure he’s good financially.”
“If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll realize he won the lottery by getting you,” Paisley said. “And he’ll find a way to fix all of this while keeping you happy.”
I smiled, feeling suddenly emotional. Cassie and Paisley both wrapped me in their arms and Paisley rubbed my back. “You’re going to be fine, girl. Seriously. That man of yours is a scary bastard. I feel sorry for this Adrian guy if he is trying to cross Mr. Stone.”
“Totally,” Cassie said. “And if you can get me either of his brother’s numbers, I’ll be your best friend for life.”
“Cass!” Paisley said, pulling out of the hug to swat at her again. “One of his brothers is in jail and the other one left the company because he chose his affair over his career.”
Cassie shrugged. “Jail isn’t a deal-breaker. He’ll probably come out of there with some awesome tattoos.”
I sighed. “Thank you, guys. Mostly,” I added, giving Cassie a sharp look.
It felt amazing to get all that off my chest. Keeping the truth from Cassie and Paisley had been a huge weight on me–maybe more than I’d realized. But I wasn’t out of the water yet. I’d been the worst best friend in the world to Kate, who I’d kept in the dark for almost a month now because I was too much of a coward to face what happened in New York.
I nearly dropped my coffee when the three of us opened the door and stepped out of the break room. Christian was standing there, imposingly as hell.
He had on a deep blue suit and a scarlet tie. He stood like a statue while every one of my co-workers looked like they were frantically pretending to work. Every head was bent, and every pair of hands was flying across the keyboard. I saw the newest intern walking back and forth, hands held up high and eyes wide like she didn’t know what to pretend to be doing. Finally, she pulled out her phone and clearly took a fake call, nodding her head furiously as she rushed out of view.
“Hi,” I breathed.
Christian shocked me by smiling. “I haven’t seen you two since Lola was sick. Were my people able to fix your mold problem, Cassie?”
Paisley looked like a deer in the headlights. Cassie seemed like she was trying to figure out if she could outrun Christian and sprint for the elevator.
“Yes,” Cassie choked out. “You remembered that?”
“I personally called to make sure they did a good job. Yes. And your car, Paisley?”
She nodded wordlessly, eyes still wide.
“Good. Is there anything else I can do for you two?”
I tilted my head at him. Was he trying to impress me by spoiling my friends? “I’m sure they both could use a raise. They’re the hardest workers I know.” Okay. That wasn’t strictly true. Cassie spent half her time looking up pseudo-science about workouts and quack diets. Paisley was always texting potential dates or watching videos on woodcarving–she had no interest in doing it herself, but said the videos were “so satisfying.”
“Done,” Christian said simply.
“Really?” Cassie asked.
“Yes. Really.” He stepped closer, speaking in a low voice only we could hear. “I assume Lola was just in there telling you everything, right?”
Cassie and Paisley’s heads jerked toward me. I gave a slight nod, and then looked back to Christian and bobbed their heads.
“Then you’ll understand. If you’re friends of Lola, you’ll be taken care of. Anything you need, just contact me directly. Understood?”
They nodded again. Christian apparently stripped my friends of their ability to make sounds or even grunt. All they seemed capable of was rapid head movements.
“I came down here to tell you we’re going on a trip. We can fly out after work today and we’ll be back before Max starts school.”
“You mean you came down here to ask me if I’d like to go on a trip with you?”
I sensed Cassie and Paisley going stiff beside me.
Christian held my gaze with a flicker of warning in his eyes, but his expression softened. “Yes. Would you like to go on a trip with me? Max will come as well.”
