Page 25 of Theirs to Corrupt
Link’s gaze burns into me as I wrap my hands around the beverage, glad to have something to occupy my shaking hands.
Between us, the silence stretches and grows, thick with unspoken tension.
When Link finally speaks, his voice is tight with barely contained frustration. “There are things you need to know before making any rash decisions, Tessa.”
“Then why don’t you damn well enlighten me?”And let me get on with my life.
Pax leans his hips against the counter, studying me above his drink, his shockingly jade-green eyes intense. “While you were sleeping, your phone rang.”
“That’s not possible,” I insist. “I turned it off.”
“Clearly not,” Link fires back.
I sigh. Sometimes one of the buttons on the side of the secondhand device doesn’t function the way it should, but I’m not about to admit that to them.
“It was Natalie,” Pax continues, his voice not as harsh as Link’s. “I answered.”
Who the hell do these men think they are?“You had no right?—”
Link interrupts me. “She called because the lock on your apartment door was broken.”
The mug slips from my grasp, clattering against the island. Coffee splashes across the marble surface and drips onto the floor. “Oh my God.”
Pax grabs a wad of paper towels and cleans up my mess. “I told her not to enter, but to get back in her car and drive somewhere public. A coffee shop, where there are a lot of people.”
I dig in my purse for my phone.
Sure enough, it shows an incoming call from Natalie several hours ago.
“I met her there.” Pax pours a second cup of coffee for me. “Then we went back to your apartment. After I made sure it was clear, I told her to come inside.”
Not trusting myself to be steady with my mug, I leave the drink untouched.
“Your place was ransacked.”
My world tilts again, and I grip the edge of the island to steady myself.
What if Natalie had been home?The full weight of what happened crashes over me.
Link’s jaw is tight as he regards me. “She’s okay.”
Has he read my mind?
“We put her up at a hotel,” Pax goes. “Under a false name. My associates handled notifying the authorities and dealing with your apartment management.”
My head is pounding. I need the coffee to help clear the fog.
“Before we left, I had her pack some belongings and some for you.”
So they didn’t go through my things.All my assumptions…
“Everything that’s been done has been to keep you safe and comfortable,” Link says. “Everything.”
Pax’s words finally penetrate my haze, and I’m filled with gratitude for what he did. “Thank you for taking care of Natalie.” My voice is hoarse with emotion. “I mean that.”
“And what about you?” Link demands.
Overwhelmed, I force out a breath and attempt to gather my fractured thoughts. “I appreciate what both of you have done.” More quietly, I add, “But I need the freedom to make my own choices.”