Page 53 of Ruin Me
I lowered the veil over my emotions, showing Hal who I was for the first time. His eyes widened and he fled toward the door.
Too late.
As rage fueled me, my fists pummeled his face. I didn’t hear his screams, only his disparaging remarks about Madison. I didn’t see his face as blood spurted from his mouth and nose, only the slimy, patronizing grin as he denigrated my woman’s accomplishments.
I hit him, blow after blow feeding my fury until Madison’s voice penetrated the fog and three pairs of hands dragged me away from Hal.
Madison’s concerned face swam into view, clearing the haze. He cupped my face as her stare delved into my eyes.
“I’m good now,” I said.
She sighed in relief. “Okay, now tell me what the hell this is.” She pointed toward Hal.
His secretary assisted him into an upright seated position. His left eye was swelling fast, almost completely shut, his nose bent at an awkward angle, and blood made it difficult to see if there was more extensive damage.
I curled my fists again, wanting to ensure he hadn’t gotten off lightly. If not for the gentle pair of hands raising my bloody handto Madison’s face, I would have charged over to Hal and finished what I’d started.
“Kent?”
“Something I’ll handle.” I kissed the tip of her nose then approached Hal. “I’ll understand if you want to hand in your resignation. If not, don’t think you can use this incident to threaten me. Use it to remember to mind your tongue. Got me?”
Hal glowered at me through his good eye for two seconds before begrudgingly nodding.
“And if you’re in touch with those traitorous board members, make them aware that no one can take what’s mine while I have breath in my body.” I turned to Madison and held my hand out to her.
Without hesitation, she placed her palm on mine. Her immediate acceptance despite the blood still dripping from my knuckles was more proof, not that I needed any, that I needed her by my side.
As I left the conference room, more faces came into focus. Omar, Mal, Deke, and a few office workers. Given what I’d done to Hal, I’d have to engage Quarren’s firm to keep everything under wraps.
As soon as we entered my office, Madison fled to the bathroom. She returned with a small first-aid kit and a roll of paper towels in hand. I stared out of my glass walls to observe my employees as they pretended not to avidly watch us. With a disgusted tsk, I stood to my desk and frosted over the glass for my privacy.
Madison followed and laid bandages, antiseptic wipes, saline solution, gauze, and the roll of paper towels beside me before taking my right hand in hers. With her focus on my bloody hand, she asked. “Are you going to tell me what made you go fight club on your lawyer’s ass?”
“He made a suggestion I didn’t like.”
She raised her face and quirked her brow. There was no judgment in her eyes, just a need to understand.
“He thinks having you around is bad for business. Even implied I might face a coup over you being here. Nothing I’d ever entertain.” I smiled at her, trying to reassure her, but the corners of her mouth fell and sadness entered her brown eyes, distorting them with an unwelcome shadow.
She bowed her head over my fist and flushed the blood from my hand with saline, exposing several cuts I wasn’t aware I had. “Maybe you should,” she said to my hand.
I stilled. “Maybe I should what?”
Madison shrugged, still without looking me in the face. “Consider not having me around.”
“Try telling me that shit to my face.”
She glared at me, a sheen glimmering over her eyes until a tear spilled onto her cheek. “If someone or a group of people are actively working to take your business from you, don’t let me be the reason they succeed.”
“That memory of yours is doing that shit again,” I growled about to rise and show her why this conversation was a nonstarter.
“I’m not suggesting we break up. We can go back to keeping our relationship a secret. Instead of working in the office, I’ll work upstairs.” She cupped my cheek and pressed her forehead against mine. “Pretending will buy you time to find out who’s working against you.”
“And how does it help you on your quest to exonerate me?” I inhaled her scent, allowing it to settle in my lungs and calm the adrenaline running through my blood at the mere possibility of ending our relationship. “Didn’t you say the man working with Carol might be on my payroll?”
“Yes, but I have a plan that doesn’t require me to be in the office.”
I arched my brow, needing more than a vague plan to ease my sense of loss at the thought of not looking up from my computer to see her head bent over hers.