Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 135382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
“He has my phone,” she said a little forlornly. “I just managed to pay off that phone and it had minutes still on it.”
“Bastard.” Sadie seemed good at knowing how to support her friend. Unlike Tucker.
“He told me he was going to kill you and that boyfriend of yours if he didn’t get what he wanted.” Brody felt the lift moving beneath his feet.
“Boyfriend?” Steph asked, her face clouded with obvious confusion.
Had she hit her head during the fight?
“He’s extremely concerned about your boyfriend. Has the whole team working on the issue.” Tucker couldn’t seem to get off the subject. They were going to have a long talk about what it meant to back a partner up. “You know, the one named Nathan. We don’t have a last name. Could you supply us with one? It would be very helpful.”
Her eyes went wide and for a moment he thought she might pass out again.
“Oh, that’s not her boyfriend,” Sadie began. “How can you not…”
Steph shook her head, cutting Sadie off. “He is no one you should concern yourself with.”
Her voice had gone cold. Her body had stiffened and he knew they were going to fight it out over the new guy. Was she in love with him? It seemed like yesterday that she’d been all over him and now she’d given her heart to another guy?
“And yet I’m going to concern myself with him,” he replied just as coldly.
“Let me down right now, Brody. Or I swear you’ll walk into that office with me screaming my head off.”
He wanted to argue with her, but he knew that look. She was sweet ninety-nine percent of the time, but when she got truly mad, it was a sight to behold. He eased her down. “Look, I know you have reason to be angry with me, but we’re going to talk, you and I. And whatever boyfriend you’ve dragged along with you is definitely my concern.”
She shook her head. “You don’t even remember his name.”
“Of course I do. It’s Nate.” He wasn’t sure how to handle her. The anger pouring off her seemed a bit much. Was she truly so angry that he hadn’t returned her phone calls? He had a lot of making up to do. He tamped down his own irritation. He needed to be calm with her. He was the one who had transgressed. She was in the right.
“He definitely knows the man is named Nate because he’s had everyone at the London office looking into him,” Tucker replied. “Again, a last name would be helpful.”
Steph looked back at him. “His last name is Fuck Off.”
“An odd name,” Tucker mused. “Does he know that his name is also a curse? Does this get him into trouble? We have to choose last names soon and I think FuckOff would do well for several of my brothers. It would be fitting for them.”
“Ignore him,” Brody said. “Steph, I know I’ve been stubborn, but I had my reasons. I’d like to explain them to you. Why don’t we sit somewhere and talk for a bit?”
The doors opened. Steph strode out, moving toward the office. “Why don’t you head straight back to London? I don’t need you and neither does Nate.”
Sadie turned to him as well, her face flushed and eyes flashing. “You should be happy I don’t have the rest of those coffees because I might be tempted to use them on you, sir. You are a jerk.”
He stood and watched the women stomp down the hallway toward the big glass doors that led to the lobby of McKay-Taggart.
“I’m glad I didn’t make headway with the redhead,” Tucker said with a nod. “She seems very violent. I’m looking for more of a nonviolent female.”
“Good luck.” He followed the women out into the hall. “You won’t find many of those here.”
Steph strode through the door that led into the lobby and he realized if he didn’t catch up to her, she might lock herself in an office with that boy toy of hers and refuse to come out.
He walked in, stalking her like a predator. She would find out that she couldn’t lose him. Yes, he was tired and cranky, but they were going to have that conversation and she would see that he meant to do things right this time. They’d lost a year, but he could summon up a bit of charm. He would make her see that he was ready to try with her. He could soften her heart. He knew he could.
“Steph, we need to go to the conference room. We have to get everything you can remember down on paper. I need to know every single thing he said to you, everything you can recall about what he looked like,” he called out.
She turned down a hall that most certainly did not go to the conference room.