Page 67 of Office Affairs

“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.” I put both hands on his chest and pushed. “You’re asking me to move in. Just like that?”

“Move in. Marry us.” He angled a look at Russell and Garrett who nodded their agreement. “Whatever you want. We want to be there for you. In any way. Every way, if you’ll have us.”

Well. Damn. I wanted to say they were moving too fast, but our whole relationship was built on feelings and trust that defied all logic and societal expectations. Why should I try and conform now? “One major life change at a time. First, we deal with tonight. Okay?” I could not make more decisions right now.

“Okay.” Chase dangled the keys. “Are we ready to go?”

An hour later, we pulled into the circular drive and climbed out of Chase’s SUV. Keith’s constant chatter faded into a desperate kind of silence. I reached for his hand. “You don’t have to go to dinner. You can play upstairs if you want.” I refused to subject Keith to more arguing, but Miranda couldn’t keep him any longer.

“I’ll go with him.” Garrett pulled a baseball bat, glove, and ball from the back. “Come get me if you need me.”

By which he meant come get him if a fight started. “We’ll be okay. I appreciate the backup though.”

Side by side, we marched up the wide steps. I raised my fist to knock, but Russell stopped me with a hiked eyebrow. Grinning, I twisted the knob and stepped inside. “Wow. It’s unlocked.”

Chase stilled on the threshold. “You’ve been locked out of your own house?”

“Yep.” I popped my lips together. “For two years now.”

“What?” Dad bellowed from the next room, his steps slapping the floor in his hurry. He stepped into the hallway with Bailey at his heels. “You’ve been locked out?”

“No. Honey, she’s mistaken.” Bailey’s baleful glare did nothing to intimidate me.

Chase and Russell stood at my back, letting me take the lead and fight for myself but ready to back me up if I needed it. I loved them for giving me the chance to finish this. “Mistaken. Right. Was I mistaken when you kicked me out of the apartment and ruined half of Keith’s clothes? Was I mistaken when your sons broke my things and tried to slash my tires last year?” I crossed my arms and managed to keep my voice at an even keel. “Was I mistaken when you cut me off without a word of warning?” I tipped my head to the side and met her stare for stare. “I’m actually okay with that last one, because I made it on my own without you.”

“Right.” Bailey snorted and jerked her head. “I see exactly how you made it. More like you slept your way into a new house and a cushy job.”

“Enough,” Russell shouted loud enough to blow the roof off.

The entire room turned silent as a tomb.

He took a single step forward. “You can say anything you want about us, but you will never speak that way about Sabrina. Am I understood?” Rage rolled off him in waves of heat that almost burned my skin.

I let him fume and enjoyed the way Bailey’s jaw locked, her disdain evident in every line on her face.

“While we’re here.” I cleared my throat. “Chase and Russell would like to talk to Markus.”

“No.” Bailey’s head shook so hard her blonde hair slapped her cheeks.

“Markus,” Dad barked the name like a curse, and my half brother shuffled into view.

He paled when he saw us and scrambled backward. “Dad, I … I …”

“Did you steal tech from Chase’s company?” Dad gripped Markus’s arm, holding him hostage.

Greasy, dirty-blond hair flopped over Markus’s forehead. He twitched in Dad’s hold, his head swiveling back and forth. I’d almost feel bad for the kid under different circumstances.

“Did you?” Dad shook him, not hard enough to hurt but it forced a gasp from Bailey who tried to pull Markus away from Dad. “Fuck off, Bailey. The boy’s going to answer, one way or another. And it had better be the truth.”

Bailey continued to talk, her voice lost in Markus’s mutterings.

“Speak up, boy.” Dad marched them all closer, with Markus’s eyes growing wider with every step.

“Yes. I did it.” He dug in his heels. “It was easy too.” The sneer appeared, and his pride took over. “Dad gave me a job in IT, and once I figured out how to bypass his system, I needed a new challenge. I heard him talking about how you had the best security on the market. I figured if I could break that, I could get into anything.”

“How long did it take?” Curiosity tinged Chase’s voice. He kept his arms crossed, and I was likely the only one who noticed his fingers biting into his skin.

“A while. I had to get into your building. All my other attempts failed until I set up the system in the storage room.”

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