Page 141 of Brutal Collateral

“My name isMrs. Quinlan.” I think since I never actually saw the marriage license I was forced to sign.

“Mrs. Quinlan, of course.” Bourne clears his throat. “The reason I want to call your husband is for him to send down Zeke or Ace to collect you. Can I please—”

“No. Unlock this door right now. The building entrance is right there. Iamarmed, you know.” I don’t lift my skirt to show him the knife I keep there. “I can take care of myself. Just drive around, and I’ll call you when I’m ready to go home.”

Or to Atlas’ apartment to pick up a few guns and more knives if I find out my husband is cheating on me.

Bourne purses his lips and unlocks my door. Then he gets out, too, leaving the Lexus in the street amongst honking cars and screaming drivers trapped behind him. With his hand on the small of my back, he brings me inside the building.

Passing through the lobby, my heels click on the marble-tiled floors and echo off the high ceilings. Bourne whispers Griffin’s name to a security guard and with just one look at me, I’m immediately brought to a private elevator that is programmed to go straight to Griffin’s floor.

“Here you go, Ma’am,” the security guard says when the door opens.

You go from being a princess at your wedding to being called ma’am. That part sucks about marriage.

I send Bourne away to park the car. Cursing under his breath, he hurries out of the lobby.

Alone in the elevator, I feel like I can breathe from this tiny bit of freedom. I feel like my old self when I lived under a different name. Being Hadleigh gave me liberties I took for granted.

The elevator rockets upward and opens to an enclosed lobby with a vault for a door.

Great.

I press a button next to it. “Hello?”

“Name?” a voice says through the intercom.

“It’s Mrs. Quinlan. I’d like to see my husband.”

“Hi, Shea! Trace isn’t here right now,” the woman says syrupy sweet.

“This isn’t Shea.” I look for a camera and wave. “This isAvaQuinlan.Griffin’swife.”

“Oh,” the woman does a one-eighty and responds bitterly. “He’s busy.”

“Excuse me?” I knock on the door with one hand trying to call Griffin with the other but there’s no signal.

“What part of he’s busy didn’t click?” Her attitude floors me.

“Interrupt him. I’mhis wife,” I demand, but bite my lip, concerned he might be in an important meeting and my interruption will have consequences.

“Sorry,” she says with a snide tone, and the intercom goes silent.

Stunned, I stand there for a minute, and curse that I still don’t have a signal to call Griffin.

The elevator opens up, and I spin around, reaching for my knife. I exhale in relief, seeing Kai Powers.

“Ava?” he freely calls me by first name.

“Hi. I’m here to see Griffin, but his assistant told me he’s too busy and then cut me off.”

“What?”He takes out a white card and waves it in front of a reader.

The door pushes open and he steers me inside. It’s yet another enclosed waiting room. Talk about security. We walk through a reception area, and I follow Kai, passing other offices. A man comes out of one and asks Kai for help with something urgent. The lawyer stops and tells me that Griffin’s office is at the end of the hall.

“Thank you.” I proceed that way.

But when a sign for the ladies’ room catches my eye down a corridor in between, I make a detour.

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