Page 440 of Savage Bosses

Bryceson frowned, finding the question strange. "I'm just here until my girlfriend calms down and lets me back into our condo?" he lied.

"Oh," the clerk said, laughing. "Uh, are you visiting her, or do you live here?"

"Visiting," Bryce replied.

"Good. Uh, the lobby closes in ten minutes. You should probably head up to see if she lets you in. If not, you'll have to leave the building. Sorry, sir."

"I didn't know the lobby had a time limit."

"W-we're having the, uh, floors cleaned tonight. So, we need the lobby clear for the maintenance staff."

"Ohhhh,” Bryce nodded. “My bad. I'll go up now. Thanks for letting me know."

“You’re welcome. Again, I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

“No problem. You’re just doing your job.”

Bryce stood and headed to the elevators. He took the elevator to the twelfth floor. Tati's floor. He strode down the hall, stopping at her door.1206. He stood in front of her door, staring at it, wondering if she was asleep. It was late, but she was probably still up, watching a scary movie or a crime show.

In the past, he'd be right there beside her, watching it along with her. And at night, when they went to sleep, he held her close because she'd swear the shadows on the wall were creatures from the in-between places.

Then he'd tell her he wouldn't let those creatures have her because she belonged to him, and only he could have her. Bryce smiled, stretching his hand out to place his palm against her door.

Why? Why did he still feel this way about her? He was supposed to be making her suffer. Yet, he could only nitpick her cooking or complain about her clothes. And none of the shit he said about either of those things was true.

He was acting like a fucking kid, picking on the girl he liked when he should be teaching her lying ass a lesson. Why was he holding back? Over the years, he'd thought of over a hundred ways to get his revenge on her for leaving him.

So far, he hadn't done one thing on his list. If he wasn't careful, instead of hurting her, he'd find himself loving her again. Instead of making her crave him, he’d end up craving her again.

Bryce lowered his hand from the door and took a step back just as the elevator dinged. He looked left. Someone was coming. He turned right and jogged a few paces to the end of the hall and stood behind the wall near a vending machine and ice machine.

The sound of footsteps and muffled voices reached his ears. Bryce looked around the corner and saw two men now standing in front of Tati's door. One went to his knees in front of the door and began fiddling with her doorknob.

Bryce looked up at the camera at the end of the hall. The red light that should be flashing was off. Anger soared through Bryce's veins.The front desk clerk!This was why he'd wanted Bryceson out of the lobby.

It was so he could let these two in so they could break into Tati's apartment. The lobby guy hadn't looked older than twenty-three. And he'd been so nervous that he'd been sweating. They must've paid him off.

“Almost got it,” the man on his knees said.

Shit. He had to act now, but he couldn’t have Tati opening her door if she heard a commotion. Bryce pulled his phone out of his pocket and stepped into the hall.

"I heard we had robbers in the building," he called out, getting the men's attention. "The woman who lives there isn't even home. Tonight is card night at the Andersons. She's in a different condo, playing spades. But, I've got you two on camera to show to the police."

"Fuck," the one kneeling said as he stood up. "Get that camera."

Bryce turned and ran to the staircase, pushing the double doors open and then sliding his phone into his pocket. He stood at the top of the staircase, waiting. When the doors burst open, the first guy skidded to a halt upon seeing Bryce standing there.

But it was too late. Bryce grabbed him and slung him down the stairs, then faced forward in time to square up with the second guy who came rushing in. The second guy looked past Bryce to where his friend was lying at the bottom of the stairs.

"Big mistake, pal," the second intruder snarled, lunging at Bryce with a vicious right hook.

"If you say so," Bryce spat, sidestepping the blow and retaliating with a swift punch of his own. The satisfying crunch of bone against bone echoed through the hallway as the man stumbled back, clutching his jaw.

"Son of a–" the second intruder began, only to be silenced by an uppercut from Bryce that sent him crashing into the wall, not allowing him to get the wordbitchout.

Lora Cattaneo was nobody’s bitch. The first intruder, recovering from his fall, rushed at Bryceson again, this time aiming a low sweep at his legs. Anticipating the move, Bryce leapt over the sweeping leg and landed a powerful elbow strike to the man's temple. The intruder crumpled to the floor, dazed and moaning in pain.

"Pathetic," Bryce muttered, his gaze flicking to the second man, who was slowly rising from the ground. "Is this really the best you can do?"

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