Page 69 of Seduced By the Werewolves

Maybe it means sacrificing the regular paycheck and the healthcare, but I refuse to get caught up in this nightmare Mr. Bosley’s created for himself. No fucking job is worth this. It’s too bad it had to get to this point before I woke up, but there’s no one to blame but Mr. Bosley for taking advantage of me.

“Fine,” I say at last, turning to face him. “Then fire me. I’m done being your punching bag.”

My boss blanches. “Ms. Dockett?—”

I jab a finger into his face, and he leans away from it, eyes wide.

“Shut up!” The words come out sharper and louder than I expected from myself. “I’m fucking tired of you. Of this job. You’ve treated me like shit since the day I started.”

I feel like a volcano about to erupt. Or maybe I’m already erupting, and all my pent-up hurt and rage is too much to hold inside now.

“I’m not going to take it anymore. Go turn yourself in, and maybe the cops can protect you from whatever hell you’ve pulled down on top of us.”

“Your name is all over the documents,” Mr. Bosley says, but he sounds pathetic, even to me.

“I don’t care,” I hiss back. “I’ll tell them you made me do it. In fact, I should have reported you already.”

He narrows his eyes. “You have no proof.”

I’m done arguing with him. I turn around and head for the office door when my phone buzzes in my hand.

It’s Leon’s reply.

Come to the den right away. We’ll meet you there

I exhale a breath of relief, then head to the door.

“Wait!” Mr. Bosley takes a few steps to follow me, his expression pleading. “Come on, Ms. Dockett. Please. I can’t go to the police. They’ll throw me in jail. And if I don’t, Beatrice will find me no matter where?—”

“I’m done with this,” I tell him firmly. “You can deal with the consequences of your own actions, on your own. At least you’ll be safe in jail.”

Saying these words, a powerful sense of relief floods through me. No more speeding to the coffee shop, hoping I don’t get into a wreck. No more walking on eggshells, praying I don’t upset Mr. Bosley. No more of him breathing down my neck and watching my every move like a hawk, waiting for the moment to strike and bring me down a peg.

Mr. Bosley stands there, mouth hanging open, as I stride out of the office and slam the door closed.

If the office is bugged, then Beatrice most likely knows where I’m headed. And surely if she’s as competent as I think she is, she already knows about the brothers, too. I hope I’m not leading all five of us straight into a trap by finding refuge with them.

I’ll always protect you. I have to believe Eli when he said it. I have no other choice.

I drive as fast as is safe out of town, down the long country road that will take me to the brothers’ place. I can only hope that whatever is coming for me, they can handle it. We can handle it, together.

When I arrive, the Lupine Landscaping truck is parked beside their spare car. I pull in next to it, and when I do, Leon, Quinn, Eli and Jace are already waiting. They surround me as I get out of my car.

“Fuck, Tiff,” Leon says, dragging me into a firm hug. “What has that asshole done?”

I bury my face in his firm chest. “I don’t know, but whoever he pissed off... I doubt they’re going to just let me off the hook, not with how much I’ve seen.” All the invoices, all the orders, have passed over my desk.

Someone pats my hair. When I look up, I find Quinn smiling at me confidently. “Don’t worry. They won’t get past us.”

I want to believe him. I have to believe him.

We walk to the den, all four of them clustered around me like a battalion. As I close my eyes and breathe through all my fear, all my worry and anxiety, Eli takes my hand in his and squeezes it.

“Thank you for trusting us,” he says quietly. “If there’s any night that something like this should happen, well, I’m glad it’s tonight.”

I blink at him. “Why? This could be really bad, Eli.”

He just grins, then tilts his head up to the sky and points. “See that?”

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