Page 156 of Theirs to Possess: The Marriage Claim
“Brennan.”
“Give me a minute.”
Isn’t that the way it always is? Brennan tries to reassure me and handles details while being completely vague.
He enters the home office and shuts the door behind him.
Of course he does.
My life is crashing down around me in slow motion while my men file the horrible events away business as usual.
And why wouldn’t they? This is their life.
The one I unwillingly entered.
I drop my small handbag on the bar and open the wine refrigerator and pull out a bottle of chardonnay. I pick up the opener. Then I wonder if that’s the smartest thing. A glass might help settle my nerves, but maybe I need my wits about me.
Right now, I have no doubt Brennan’s calling Dorian. Frankly I’m surprised he waited this long.
I’m sure Dorian is nearby. After all, his business is headquartered in this building, ten floors below us.
My legs feel wooden as I cross to the windows. Even though it’s impossible, I can still feel the reporter’s breath on my cheek. Hear his voice, mockingly triumphant as if he alone knows a secret. And there was the way he said her name.
Lena Ludwig.
Though I’d never heard it before, it still made me reel, as if I’d been punched. Because somehow she matters, and she’s connected with my men. And therefore, me.
I press my palms to the cold glass and watch the trafficsnake along the road below, a thousand lives moving forward while mine is at a standstill.
Behind me, the office door closes.
“Well?” I turn to face Brennan.
“He’s being taken care of.”
I frown. “Who is?” Then it hits me. “You mean the reporter?”Oh God.What does that even mean?
Brennan doesn’t flinch. “The footage won’t air.”
I stare at him. “Did you?—”
“I said it’s handled.”
His even tone does something terrible to my chest.
I wrap my arms around myself, but there’s no armor that is strong enough to protect me in this world.
It’s only now that the adrenaline spike has receded that I realize that Brennan had been there. Even though I said I didn’t want or need a bodyguard. He’d followed me, staying out of sight, letting me have an illusion of safety. “You knew something would happen.”
He shrugs lightly. “It’s always a risk.”
God. My knees suddenly feel weak.
I thought I’d known what I was getting myself into when I married Dorian. But I’d had no idea.
“So who was she?” I meet his eyes. “And what does she have to do with Dorian?”
Brennan looks away.
