Page 102 of The Pack Next Door
“Really…” I’m pretty sure Seb was thinking very evil thoughts right then, but instead of explaining, he hoisted the boxes back up. “Well, I’ll be sure to let her know.”
I smiled and unwrapped the next piece.
The sun had gone down by the time we were finished. Far cooler night air breezed in, sweeping away that stifling atmosphere in the shed. With a wipe of my brow, I retrieved the tally and then shook my head at the number of damaged items.
“Shit…” I glanced at my brothers. “I’m not sure if I want to take this to Briar.”
“So I will.” Mads plucked the paper from my fingers and then headed towards the door of our mate’s office. “And then I’ll take her?—”
“Nope.” Emma and Seb had already gone home, so I didn’t have an audience as I stepped in front of him. “You can head back to the hotel and cool your heels. I’m going to break the news to Briar.”
“Fine by me.” His grin made clear what a mistake I’d made. “You can upset her and then I’ll pick up the pieces tomorrow.”
With a whistle, he walked over to Gideon. As they gathered their stuff and headed for the car, I stopped in front of the office door. Telling people bad news was not my forte. Mads would’ve given it to Briar straight and then dried her tears afterwards. Gideon would… I dunno what the hell he’d do. Probably swear to hunt down the delivery driver and bring her his skull.
So that just left me.
I knocked on the door, hearing her distracted reply to come in, right before I turned the doorknob.
“You’ve got the list?” I wanted Briar to keep on looking at me like that. A small smile curving lips that’d left an imprint on my skin I could still feel, her eyes bright.Suck it the fuck up, I told myself and came inside.
“And the news isn’t good,” I said.
Yep, there went that smile. A line formed between her brows and I wanted to smooth it away as she bent over the paper.
“This is…? All of…?”
I intended to be respectful and keep my distance, but when her voice broke, I was around the desk, my arm around her shoulders.
“This looks bad,” I said.
She stared at me, incredulous.
“Because it is.”
“If it helps, I think you’ve got a strong case to go beyond an insurance claim. This is pure negligence.”
“It doesn’t.”
Her eyes bore into mine and this close, I saw it all. Pain, shock, disbelief and anger, all emotions I was not well prepared to deal with.Think of a joke, I thought furiously.Cheer her up. Make her feel better!
But that wasn’t going to work.
No banter was going to have her looking past the colossal fuck up that this was. I watched her hands rise and then fall helplessly, right before mine moved. Turning me towards her, holding her close, it was even sweeter than when she was in heat. The way she softened into me was a choice, not hormones.
“This fucking sucks.” That was the wolf as much as me growling. “Just say the word and I’ll greet the CEO of the freight company in fur and make clear what a mistake he’s made.”
A little snort gave me hope. She pulled back, blinking furiously, then dashing tears away.
“Probably shouldn’t compound the issue with menacing someone.” Her lips turned down. “I think.” A big sigh and she was flopping back in her chair. “I need to keep working, see if I can find a way forward. Like I knew this was an issue, but it's different when you see it in black and white, y’know? I need to contact Tom and then start emailing customers. No.” Briar shook her head definitely. “Call them and let them know what’s going on.”
“Which needs to happen tomorrow.”
“Jace—”
“It’s late, Briar. If you’re gonna piss people off, don’t do it over dinner. Speaking of which…”
“No. No.” She tried to fend me off, but I wasn’t having it. If I was tired from a long day at work, she had to be exhausted. “I can’t, Jace.”
