Page 50 of Boss Level

Her reaction was more than submissive. She almost sounded terrified.

I didn’t like this at all, and the way Judith tugged at a loose strand of hair said she didn’t either.

“I just remembered this is a bad night for this.” Dale’s tone was tightly controlled, but the way his eyes flashed said anger lay under the mask. He grabbed the attention of a nearby waiter. “Tell the kitchen to wrap our order to go.” He handed him a credit card. “And run my payment. We’re not staying.”

“Claire is welcome to keep us company. We can drop her off later,” Judith said.

Claire shook her head “No. I’ll go home with my husband.”

I didn’t like this at all. The awkward silence that settled in was bad. When the waiter returned with the check and our food, the way Dale grabbed Claire’s arm and yanked her to her feet was worse.

“I’m sure Claire can stand on her own.” Tension coiled through me. I had no idea what I was going to do, but it would be something.

“It’s okay. We’re okay.” Claire sounded anything but.

Judith covered my hand with hers. To stop me or encourage me, I wasn’t sure. “Are you sure you don’t want us to drop you off later, Claire?” she asked.

“I’m positive. Stop asking.” The tightness in Claire’s voice wasn’t reassuring.

Dale wrapped an arm around her waist, and forcefully steered her from the restaurant.

Judith grabbed my arm when I took a step after them.

“Being an asshole isn’t illegal.” Judith sounded as angry as I felt.

I sank back into my chair with reluctance. “We can’t just…”

“What? We can’t just grab Claire and shove her in your car. She all but told you to back off, and he’s a top-of-the-food-chain religious leader. What are we going to do that won’t make the situation worse for her?”

Something. Anything. Sitting here and ignoring the problem wasn’t right.

“You can tell Roger tomorrow to stop pursuing this contract,” Judith said.

Sure. And I would. But that didn’t make letting this encounter go feel any more right.

18

judith

Dominic dropped me off at home, and I squelched the tiny voice that was disappointed he hadn’t invited me back to their place. I was getting too comfortable with the fake parts of this relationship, and backing off was a good idea.

Besides, coming home early, by myself, meant time to get some work done before bed. Dive deep—again—into how to keep Elliot. Focus on getting some ideas down for the future of the company.

Worry about Claire’s situation. Think about how AcesPlayed would function if we lost Elliot. Miss Xander and Dominic even though I was seeing them on an almost daily basis.

The loop of thoughts kept me from doing anything but hesitating when I sat down at my laptop. This wasn’t me or how I worked. What was wrong with me?

When my phone rang, I was grateful for the interruption. When I saw Claire’s name on the screen, my brain snagged, sputtered, and stalled.

“Hello?” I answered. At least I could pick up a phone without second-guessing myself.

“Judith? Hi. It’s Claire.”

My heart sank at the bald panic in her voice. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry to call you, but no one else… Can you come get me?”

I’d ask for details likewhyandwhat happenedwhen I had her safe in my car. “Where are you? Home? Are you all right?”

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