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As if on cue, the door to my office opened and Lola came storming in. It opened towards Adrian, shielding him from her view completely.
Lola’s cheeks were flushed red. Her hair was wild and wavy. She had on a pair of leggings and a t-shirt, and she looked absolutely incredible. It took everything in me not to rush past the desk to hug her and tell her I was a fucking idiot. It had only been a few days since I left her and Max in Manhattan, but I desperately wanted to go wrap my arms around her and take her mouth in mine, even if it was just one last time.
But I clenched my jaw and reminded myself what was at stake. If I didn’t get her out of this office, and fast, I was putting her in danger. Worse, if I gave any hint to Adrian that he was right about me still having feelings for her, he’d know he could use her against me.
“What the fuck do you want?” I said, trying to sound bored. Something inside me felt like it was ripping to talk to her like this, but I knew I needed to do it. I had to get her out of this room, no matter the cost.
Lola was about to say something, and her mouth snapped shut. “What?” she asked.
“I don’t have time for this, Lola. If it’s about your next paycheck, take it up with HR.”
She stammered and my fucking heart felt like it was shredding when I saw tears welling in her eyes. “Christian. I just wanted to–”
“Go,” I snapped. “Get the fuck out of my office. I’m in the middle of something.”
Before she could reply, Chase burst through the door and took up a position just behind Lola.
“What the hell is this?” I asked. The last asshole on the planet I wanted to see right now was him. “Both of you. Out!”
Lola turned to look at Chase. “What are you–”
Chase lunged forward and wrapped an arm around Lola’s neck. He clumsily produced a pistol from somewhere and pointed it toward her head.
My insides turned to ice. I stood slowly, pointing toward him as every nerve in my body screamed for me to run and kill the fucker with a gun to Lola’s head. “If you so much as dare, I’ll tear you apart. I goddamn swear it.”
“If you hadn’t been such a colossal prick,” Chase said. “I would’ve told him ‘no’ when he offered me money to do this. This is on you. Stay right there. I’m going to take her upstairs. And if you’re thinking somebody will notice she’s missing, they won’t. She just flew in with the kid a few hours ago and didn’t tell anybody she was coming here. It’ll be days before they think to look here. Plenty long for you to do what Luco wants. So I’m going to wait up there with her and the gun until you get it done.”
Chase backed away, briefly waving the gun toward me until he was out of sight. Once they were gone, the door creaked closed and Adrian strolled out, hands still in his pockets. “So, you were saying you need time, correct? How about we sit down together while Chase spends quality time with your girl upstairs. Let’s figure out how long this is really going to take.”
I glared at him, blood boiling. “If he hurts her, I swear I’ll make sure you pay.”
“You’re in no position to make threats, Christian. You’re all on your own here, and the odds are heavily stacked against you. It’s time you just do what you’re told so we can all move on.”
I looked toward the doorway where Lola had been. If things ended and those were my last words to her, I’d never forgive myself. I wanted to protect her so badly I’d do anything, but what if all I’d done was break her in the process?
I was such a fucking idiot.
The Feds would be storming the building by now, but that might not be soon enough. I needed to get up there. The only thing standing between me and the elevator was a puffed up prick in a red suit. If he had a gun, it wasn’t in his hand.
My lip twitched as I stared at him from across my desk. If I moved fast enough…
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LOLA
My heart hammered and my neck ached. It felt like I was taking in air through a crumpled straw with a few holes in it. Chase had me in a chokehold the whole way up to the top floor, and all I could think was how he was heading straight for where I knew Max had just gone. She rode to the tower with me and said she had some things on the top floor she wanted to get before we went back to my place.
