Page 8 of Fierce-Hyde

“Let him go and work it out on his own. He doesn’t need you and Uncle Garrett shoving women in his face. When he’s ready to start again, he will.”

“Are you going to tell me what happened to him and his ex?” he asked. “I’m not asking as his boss, I’m asking as the father of his best friend.”

Ryder looked at him. “I wish you didn’t put the guilt on me like that. Shana died a year ago. He didn’t handle it well. That’s all you need to know.”

Which he wished his son had told him months ago when Hyde applied for the job!

“Why didn’t you tell me that when it happened?” he asked.

“Because I didn’t know then,” Ryder said. “We’d lost touch for periods and then would reconnect. When he texted me he’d lost his job and was moving home, I called to find out what was going on and got the story then. It’s up to him if he wants to share it further. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got work to do.”

Normally he wouldn’t let his son dismiss him like that, but in this situation, he was proud of the loyalty he’d just witnessed.

3

LOSE HER COOL

Two weeks later Tori was speed walking into the building with half a dozen things on her mind that she needed to get done before her afternoon meeting with staff.

When an idea popped into her head to talk about, she pulled her phone out to make a note before she forgot it on the way up the stairs.

“Tori.”

She turned to see who called her name hoping the interruption didn’t put her any further behind.

The last person she expected to see was the rude jerk who’d insulted her over a month ago in the bar.

She’d gone to get a drink with Raina the day after the lunch two weeks ago and then again alone after work last week.

Bryon had told her the guy hadn’t been back in and she felt she could just breathe and frequent her favorite spot for some peace again.

Which didn’t explain why the guy was in her office building...and knew her name!

She put her phone in her pocket and waited for him to come closer to her.

“How do you know my name?” This was making her nervous, but she had to remind herself that she was safe in the Fierce building. There was security everywhere and she had an in with being best friends with one of the owner’s “family members.”

“I asked,” he said.

“Asked who?” she asked.

“Listen,” he said. “I just wanted to?—”

His phone went off and he pulled it out of his pocket mid-sentence. She didn’t know what he was going to say to her but then was too busy looking at his phone and ignoring her.

He stopped her, for God’s sake!

She crossed her arms. “Are you a doctor?”

“What?” he asked, lifting his head to look at her. He was frowning, but it still didn’t take away from the clear blue eyes on his handsome face. What a waste on someone with no manners.

“I asked if you were a doctor.”

“No,” he said and went back to his phone quickly before putting it away.

“Is it an emergency?”

“Huh?” he asked.

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