Page 19 of Whatever It Takes

“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?”

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