Page 63 of A Very Titan Christmas
“No one said you were,” Jax offered carefully.
“This whole summit has been one giant secret.”
“Not just from you,” Cash explained.
“Bryce and Roman are acting like something’s wrong, and you two are talking about gag orders and some kind of boss. What? Like a mafia boss?” Her mind raced with possible answers.
“No,” Cash said, something almost like relief crossing his face. “Boss Man. Our boss. Jared Westin. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“You said gag orders. And my name.”
Bryce’s voice came from behind her. “Rachel.”
She turned. “What’s going on?”
Worry darkened his eyes. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Why don’t you come out here and—”
“What is this stupid summit about? And why are all of you whispering like there’s a problem?”
“Any problem is being handled, and you don’t need to worry.”
“It’s not being taken care of by the four of you. You’re sitting around gossiping.”
None of the men looked pleased at her description.
“You’re safe,” Bryce said in a placating way that only irritated her. “That’s what you need to know.”
Rachel tried to parse his words. “Safe? As in, I’m in some danger?”
No one spoke. And that silence said more than an answer could.
“What the hell is happening?”
His jaw flexed. “The information about what parties are involved in this security summit was supposed to be classified. There was a leak.”
She shook her head. “You know what’s really annoying?”
No one took the bait.
Rachel crossed her arms over her chest. “Why would my father host some top-secret classified summit in my hometown before the holidaysand not tell me? No one said anything about this until well after I arrived.”
They remained as silent as they’d been when she asked if she was a target. Her dad had secrets. Her mother was obsessed with having grandchildren. What was happening to them? Her eyes narrowed at Bryce. “How long have I been a target?”
“I didn’t say you were. In this kind of situation, everyone is always a potential target. We have nothing specific.”
She chewed the inside of her mouth and thought about how she had needed Bryce to fool her mother, but she hadn’t thought about how Titan Group might have used the fake relationship to their advantage. Had they been playing her as much as she was playing Eloise? Rachel’s time alone with Bryce said absolutely not, but studying how the men awkwardly withheld information, she couldn’t discount the concern completely. “Fine.”
“Fine?” Bryce repeated.
“Yeah. Fine.” She turned and scooted past him. She’d reread her text from Kimberly later when the churning in her stomach settled.
“There’s one thing I know,” Cash muttered under his breath when he thought she couldn’t hear him. “When a woman says fine like that, you, my friend, are fucked.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Bryce hustled upthe back hallway that led to the main part of the toy store. He needed to talk to Rachel but had little he could share. He saw her fly by the nutcrackers flanking the door.
“Sugar Plum’s on the move,” Winters said into their earpieces.
