Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Keir
T he elevator doors pop open, and Briar’s dark hair bounces as she peeks around, like she’s searching for something. I stay flat against the wall, expecting to see Easton guide her out, but the little omega bolts toward the front exit of the building.
East is nowhere to be found.
Fuck.
Shoving myself off the wall, I use my height advantage to catch up in only four long strides. Her entire body jolts as her head tilts to look up at me.
“Are you seriously running? I told you we would protect you,” I say, stepping out in front of her.
Her gaze darts around.
“You need to call a good lawyer for Easton. The police are probably on the way,” she whispers.
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, swiping a hand over my face.
Unless East snapped, and Jameson is actually dead, she’s wrong. Even then, Easton is calculating enough to ensure he wouldn’t act unless there were no witnesses around. Or at least none that he couldn’t leverage to remember his version of events.
Those two might have a complicated history, but Jameson knows the rules of the game. He would have to be exceptionally stupid to bring the cops into personal business, especially with all the dirt Easton keeps on employees for exactly this reason.
Blackmail is no fun when you’re the one with sins being held over your head, but I’ve been there. It’s how Easton forced me into the airtight contract that keeps me tied to him.
The fucking psychopath.
We will need to make sure Calder clears all the security feeds, though. That’s the one thing that could come back to bite us in the ass.
“Come on,” I say, pretending to survey the doors, like I’m expecting the cops to swarm this place at any minute. “Calder is in the truck. We need to get out of here.” I tug the duffel bag off her arm and throw it over my shoulder.
“I called a rideshare.” She shakes her head, trying to grab the bag back.
“Do you know how easily they’ll track you through that?” I ask, wrapping my hand around hers.
Fucking hell.
Am I really preying on her fear right now to make her more compliant?
I’m just as much of an opportunistic dick as Easton. Actually, I’m probably worse, considering I have a conscience.
“Let me get you out of here safely. Then, if you want to cut and run, I won’t stop you,” I lie.
Briar’s eyes widen, and her chest rises and falls in rapid pants. She hesitates for so long that I’m afraid I’ll have to toss her over my shoulder to get her out of here. That would make a scene, and someone might take notice, so I tug her hand, pulling her toward the resident parking exit.
She doesn’t fight me.
A sick, twisted part of me lights up.
Kidnapping Briar was easier than I expected. It’s disturbing to realize how well I fit in with my coworkers.
I might like to pretend I’m morally superior to them, but when it comes down to it, I’m just as fucked up.
Calder’s head whips up when I tug open the rear passenger door. He’s behind the wheel of my truck, but his goal was to watch the back exit in case Briar managed to slip past me and Easton.
Briar moves like she’s going to climb in, but my hands land on her hips. I lift her until her feet hit the step bar, and she twists, sliding into the truck.
Following her in, I put the duffel bag on the floorboard and close the door behind me.
Calder glances over his shoulder. “What happened?”
“You’ll need to wipe the feeds, but that’s all I know.” I frown, shrugging.
Briar hasn’t deemed it time to share any additional information. She huffs, tossing herself back against the seat. “Easton broke Jameson’s arm. Oh, and he fired him.”
“Gotcha,” Calder says, hitting the button to bump up the heat. “Nothing too serious then.”
I scoot closer to the middle, wishing she hadn’t moved all the way to the other side of the vehicle. “Are you okay?”
A strangled sound vibrates out of her lips, and she looks out the window. “I’m in one piece, so I’m obviously great—perfect, actually. I mean, I left both of my suitcases behind. Stole Jameson’s duffel bag. Found out he was cheating on me. I’m totally fine.”
I stretch over and give her a comforting squeeze on the thigh.
“Okay, great,” Calder says, like the clueless fucker he is. “It’s better to find out now than later on. Can you imagine if you bonded that dickhead?”
The growly scoff that Briar releases indicates she is not, in fact, fine. “And neither of you thought to warn me what a piece of shit my boyfriend was?”
“We were working on that.” I hedge my words. “He seemed different with you. We didn’t want to ruin a good thing if he was genuinely trying to change.”
Calder catches my gaze in the rearview mirror and rolls his eyes. Yeah, that was a blatant lie, but I don’t want to add salt to an already festering wound.
The bed of the truck bounces slightly, and I look out my window right as Easton passes. I’m guessing he grabbed Briar’s remaining bags. He yanks open the passenger door and holds his tie in place as he climbs in. The vehicle jostles with his weight, and he tugs his door closed.
“My house,” Easton growls, nodding at Calder to get us moving. His head swivels until he’s looking at Briar. “This is a very serious question—has Jameson put his hands on you before today?”
A low growl rattles out of my chest.
Now I wish Easton had killed him.
Jameson better pray I never lay eyes on him again. It wouldn’t take much for me to let the alpha rage slip in. I’d slit his throat and not lose a wink of sleep over it.
“Briar?” Easton prods.
Her head finally shakes. “No. Can you drop me off at the train station before you head home? A bus station would work if it’s closer.”
Easton scoffs as Calder drives out of the parking garage for Jameson’s building. “There are several important conversations we need to have. You’ll be staying with us at my house tonight.”
Briar’s jaw falls.
I wonder how long it’ll take for her to realize she’s just been kidnapped?