Pulling back, she gripped my hand. “Don’t forget some things, not the important things. You don’t have to hide anymore, Jordan.”
I held her hand back. “Thank you.” I meant it.
A wave of emotions rose up in my throat, choking me, but she moved aside. Wanker was next, then Jake, and finally, Tara, who seemed tentative while hugging me. Her body relaxed when I hugged her back.
Before she stepped to the side, she said, “I know Jake told you, but I wanted to tell you myself. Susan and I aren’t friends anymore. I just wanted you to know.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
Susan hadn’t gone away like I hoped. Even though everyone got over the fact that I’d been right under the paper’s nose, Susan hadn’t. She was trying to dig up any dirt she could on me, despite that everyone knew my worst secret—Edmund. That wasn’t good enough for her.
I was worried about how far she would go, and I told Kian, too, after receiving an ominous email from an unknown address the other night.
It said, You’ll pay.
Kian’s private detective found the computer it was sent from—one of the paper’s computers, and the most obvious person who sent it was Susan.
Kian reassured me Susan would be taken care of. When my eyebrows arched up at those words, he gave me a small grin before placing a tender kiss on my forehead. He added, his lips a caress before he pulled away, “Not in that way, but she will be handled. She can’t hurt you. I won’t let her.”
I hadn’t asked, and I hadn’t heard from Susan again, but one never knew with her.
“I’ll admit…” Snark stepped in front of me, bringing me back to the present. Folding me in his arms, he held me for a second before letting go. “I wasn’t a fan of your boyfriend, but he’s grown on me.”
I glanced over my shoulder. Kian had migrated to the back corner. He saw me looking for him and gave me a reassuring nod. Paul stepped toward him, and Kian’s attention was pulled toward my old boss.
Watching them now for a moment, I wasn’t surprised Kian removed himself to the back. That was how he operated. He was always at my side, but if I was okay, he’d return to the shadows. Not that he really was in the shadows with how he looked—his dark features, his black hair, the high cheekbones, his lean physique, and the pure deadly aura that clung to him. He was powerful. People were drawn to him. He liked to step back when it was possible, but he was never really hidden.
Looking around the room, even now, everyone kept glancing at him. They watched him like he was a beautiful but dangerous predator. Catching a slight look that Tara sent him, a wave of possession and pride rolled over me.
He was mine. And I was his.
Snark mused into my ear, distracting me, “He owns this place.”
“What?”
“Oh, yeah. You didn’t know?” Snark shook his head, a good-natured grin on his face. “Why am I not surprised by that fact either? He bought it right before he was released. I don’t think he knows that I know, but I followed the paper trail back to him. You might want to talk to him about it.”#p#分页标题#e#
“I will.” Feeling that Snark was going to step aside and someone else was next in line, I gripped his arm. “Thank you for coming to my birthday party.”
A small breath left him. His eyes washed over me, a different look appearing in them. He murmured, almost too quietly for me to hear, “You’ve become like a daughter to me. I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
We were both starting to tear up, so he moved aside.
After that, the party became a blur. Some of my old coworkers were there. Some of the paper’s staff that Erica got along with were there, too. It wasn’t too big of a party, but Erica told me later that phones weren’t allowed inside. Each person got snuck in with security, and they were searched. If anyone refused to be searched, they were asked to leave. It was that simple. Follow the rules and join the party, or don’t and leave.
A cake was brought out and they made Henry sing. His voice was good and it surprised everyone, but then the drinks really started flowing and everyone forgot about my nemesis. A second bartender, Kami, slipped behind the bar to help Bruce, and I got some satisfaction from seeing Henry being put through the wringer. He was sweating within an hour.
He brought over a single drink on his tray and held it out to me. “Made just for you, from Bruce.”
“Thank you.” I took it. “Tell Bruce thanks, too.”
Henry nodded, tucking the tray under his arm. He started to leave but turned back. “I had no idea who you were.”