Fuck, she knew where to shove a knife in. Jake watched Adam’s face go a polite blank. It was the same look he’d had when his father had thrown him out. “Serena, I’m willing to admit I might have been hasty, but you have to agree it’s compelling evidence.”
“I don’t have to agree with you. I have to go and get my things and leave.”
“I’m not going to let you do that.” Now that he was thinking a little more clearly, he had a few questions. He got the e-mails. He could even buy that Lara had paid someone to trash Serena’s car. But the snake? Really?
Adam’s cell rang. He pulled it out and answered it, his voice going to a quiet, professional tone.
“Let me go.” Serena stared a hole through him.
He couldn’t. He was panicking a little now. She couldn’t lie to save her life and the whole “I’m a whore” speech had been one long lie. What if she was telling the truth? What if she had no idea? He’d just fucked everything up, and if he let her go, he might never see her again. Might? Hell, if he took his damn eyes off of her, she would be gone, and he couldn’t let that happen. “No. Not until we figure this out.”
“There is nothing to figure out.”
But there was a whole lot Jake needed to figure out. He needed to know just how deeply screwed he was and how hard he would have to work to get out of the hole he’d dug. “There is and you know it. Serena, you are still under our protection.”
“No, I am not. You’re fired.”
“You’re not the client.”
A bitter little smile crossed Serena’s face. “No, Lara is. But guess what, Jake? She’s fired, too. If you’re going to keep me here, you’re going to have to do it against my will.”
He felt his whole body go on alert. She wanted a fight? He could handle a fight. “That can be arranged.”
He’d wanted to tie her up since the moment he’d seen her.
“Jake, we need to take her downtown.” Adam stood with the keys to the SUV in his hand. “That was Ian. He’s got Lara in his office. He wants to talk to all of us.”
Fuck, he’d dug a hole with Adam, too. Adam had wanted to wake her up and ask her about it. Jake had been the one to work him into a froth over the situation. And now he’d gotten Ian involved. Jake had called Ian after he’d listened to the message on Serena’s voice mail.
What the fuck was he going to do if Ian put a stop to the op?
“Go and get dressed, Serena. And I swear to god, I will hunt you down if you leave this house. The alarm is on, so if you try to hustle out a window, I’ll be on your backside before you can get to the gate, and I won’t give a shit if you call the police later.”
Her smile was a nasty little thing. “No problem, Jake. The cops think I’m a publicity-seeking whore, too. I think you’re safe. Let me go change. I have a few things to say to my ex-agent.”
He stepped out of the way, satisfied she wouldn’t run.
Not now, at least.
She disappeared down the hall, and Adam stepped up.
“She didn’t know about it.”
“I know.” Jake wasn’t sure how the fuck he was going to get out of this. He’d been brutal, his past informing his present in a way that almost ensured he had no future.
“She’s never going to forgive us.” Adam turned away. “I’ll go get the car ready.”
He walked out like a man who had already given up. Serena was a woman scorned.
But none of that could compete with a man on a mission. He wasn’t going to give up. Yes, he’d fucked everything up, but Serena was too important. He had a fucking future, and it was with her. He wasn’t going to allow his past to hold him back one second longer. He stared down the hallway, something opening up inside him. For so long he’d been closed off, maybe for most of his fucking life, but Serena had brought in the goddamn sunshine, and now he craved it.
He’d screwed up, but he wasn’t going back to the dark. He would have the life he wanted, and it was only possible with her.
He waited, a lion on the prowl. No matter what, he would have his prey.
Chapter Fifteen
Serena felt hollowed out, like someone had decided it would be a good idea to take an ice cream scooper to her insides. Or like one of those Russian nesting dolls. Yes. That was better imagery. She was like the largest of the dolls, a hollow thing who was only good harboring the smaller dolls which contained all of the great things about her. Someone had opened her up and broken her insides, and now she was a useless, futile thing.
Yes. That was good imagery. She could use that.
The floors ticked by, and she realized this was the rest of her life. Living inside her head. Deciding how best to put emotions to paper because that was going to be the only way she ever felt anything again.