Page 26 of Whatever It Takes

No.

I do.

I feel betrayed.

He couldn’t even keep my secret for a full day. Hell, he probably ran to Calder the minute he saw that I left the building.

The embarrassment comes next.

It washes over me in a wave.

If they know who I am, that means they know what happened in New York.

I’m sure they’ve learned all about the massacre. And more than that, they know I’m the pathetic woman who was promised to a monster to secure a deal for her family.

My head shakes.

There’s no reason I shouldn’t just lay it all on the line. If they already know the basics, it won’t take much for them to get to the bottom line.

“How much do you know about me?” I ask, looking at Easton. He’s the most likely to give me a straight answer.

“Your family is dead, except for your brother Titus,” Easton says in the matter-of-fact tone he always uses when discussing a case. “I’m sure there are a few extended family members out there somewhere too. The government fucked you over by not honoring the agreement they tried to force you into.” He shrugs. “How am I doing so far?”

I cross my arms over my chest, leaning back in my chair. “You got most of it.”

“If you didn’t come in for a job interview, does that mean you came in seeking our services?” Easton asks, shoving his plate back.

I nod.

“You could save every dime of your paycheck for the next three years and still not be able to afford us.” A dangerous smile crosses his face, making a shiver run down my spine. “However, I’m willing to make a deal.”

“Christ,” Keir mutters.

“What kind of deal?” My chest rises and falls in rapid pants.

Is he going to offer to let me keep my job to pay for them handling my brother? If so, I can deal with his shitty attitude during work hours.

“You continue to be my assistant. You will reside here with me. That way, when I need you, you’ll be available. In exchange, I will keep you safe.”

I almost snort. “I don’t need to live here to be your assistant.”

“If I just wanted an assistant, I wouldn’t have hired Steffanie, now, would I?” Easton counters.

Calder drops his fork as Keir lets out some weirdwhooshingsound.

I hear the words, but it takes several replays of them in my mind for me to finally understand their meaning.

“What the fuck does that mean?” I hiss, leaning forward so far, my hair almost falls onto the plate Keir prepared for me.

“You weren’t seeing what the rest of us did, so I hired someone to expedite the process.” Easton’s forehead wrinkles. “Would you have preferred I do nothing and allow you to end up bonded to an alpha who doesn’t understand how to keep his dick in his pants?”

“Just for the record, I didn’t know about that, and I’m going to see myself out of this conversation.” Calder swipes his plate from the table, pushes back his chair, and exits the room while I’m still contemplating if it’s possible for the top of my head to physically pop off.

My line of sight moves to Keir. “Did you know about this?” The look he shoots my way tells me all I need to know. “And no one thought to…I don’t know,warn me before I moved in with him?”

Oh, shit. I’m starting to sound hysterical.

“I told you this earlier, but I thought he was different with you. It seemed like he was genuinely growing up.” Keir’s head shakes. His face betrays his remorse, but I don’t know what to think. “By the time I realized he’s just a good actor, you were already living together.”

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