Page 20 of The Billionaire's Knight

But Jase wasn’t the man Sybil was talking about. She was talking about someone who only had eyes for Julia.

“You know I’m the one who sent Brayden after you.”

“Who’s Brayden?” Gwen asked.

“She doesn’t even remember him. That’s how insignificant some of us are.” Sybil’s right hand dropped into her pocket. She lowered the gun, so it was pointed dead center on Julia’s chest. “Brayden followed you into Hayes Industries. Accused Jase of stealing his idea.”

Julia’s hand flew up and cupped the side of her face. “He hit me.”

“He should have killed you,” Sybil screamed. “You die. He goes to prison. Win-win. Instead, I had to pay a visit to Brayden. Persuade him the world would be much better without him.”

“He’s dead?” Julia gasped.

“Please. You didn’t even know his name. Don’t act as if he matters,” Sybil snapped.

“Why?” Julia demanded. “Whose attention was worth murder?”

“Suicide,” Sybil corrected.

“Noah,” Gwen answered as everything clicked. “You’re in love with Noah.”

Julia looked confused then shook her head. “Noah’s not in love with me. He’s like another brother. We’ve known each other since we were children.”

“You’re so blind,” Sybil screamed.

Julia shook her head. “I can’t help it if he doesn’t notice you, but it’s not my fault. Noah’s my friend. Nothing more.”

“You think I didn’t see you? That I didn’t notice the way you touched his arm. The way you’re always by him. Laughing. Acting so innocent when I knew the dirty thoughts you harbored. This is all your fault. All of it!”

“What’s Julia’s fault?” Gwen asked. She’d managed to creep just a little closer but was still too far away to charge Sybil without the worry the woman might get a shot off at Julia.

“Everything. Brayden’s death. Miles’ death.”

“Who’s Miles?” Gwen interrupted.

“Miles Kane?” Julia asked with a shake of her head even as Sybil nodded. “He’s a new employee. He hasn’t even been there that long. How is he dead?”

“You were using him for what? You already had access to everything,” Gwen mused aloud.

“I knew someone would notice I was snooping around and switching information eventually. I couldn’t let it lead back to me. Miles was nice and easy to manipulate. So trusting and eager. He’d do anything for me. Even let me use his laptop when I’d left mine at the office.”

“So you killed him?” Julia snapped.

“You killed him,” Sybil corrected. “He was a means to an end. Nothing more.”

“What end?” Gwen asked. “Getting Noah to notice you?”

“How does killing two people do that?” Julia demanded, sounding so much like Jase. “In what world does that win you a man like Noah?”

“In a world where you die!” Sybil screamed.

“What’s going on here?” Claire stepped into the hall. If Gwen remembered the layout of the house correctly, Claire must have been in the kitchen. She did her best to wave Claire to a stop. If things went FUBAR, the less people in the direct vicinity the better. But Claire either didn’t understand or chose to ignore the warning. She kept coming, and Sybil pulled something else out of her right pocket.

“Claire, don’t—”

The rest of Gwen’s sentence was lost as she cried out when 50,000 volts went through her. Her body jerked, muscles contracting then going limp. She hit the floor hard and swore she heard a gunshot as she fell. Her mind screamed taser, but her limbs were uncoordinated, refusing to heed her call to action.

A part of her registered Sybil kept her hand on the trigger, not letting up on the agony coursing through Gwen’s body. The irony hit her hard. She could take down men twice her size in hand-to-hand combat. She was fit, strong, and capable. But she couldn’t fight a taser, leaving her and the people she was supposed to protect at the mercy of a woman who didn’t look like she had any.

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