“It means if they don’t get what they want, they’re coming for us. And because they need you, you’ll be the last to go.”
I couldn’t even process his words—I had to get out of there. He was crazy. All I could see were his patchy beard, still-dirty glasses and rumpled shirt. I pushed through the door, away from him, out into the sanity of the hallway. Part of me wanted to beg, plead, ask what he meant. What did the people he was working for want?
But I already knew the answer. They wanted my patch.
And the only way they were going to get it was over my dead body.
Chapter 16
“Oh fuck,” I said, as we pulled into Paragon’s parking lot.
There was a custom-built hybrid Porsche 918 Spyder parked near the front.
Timmy shot me a concerned look. “You want me to come with you?”
I sat in the back of the car, dread washing over me. “That’s okay. I got it.”
“Good luck,” Timmy called as I got out of the car.
I scowled at him. He was talking too much lately.
Gabe climbed out of his car as I headed toward him, a look of absolute fury on his face.
“Hey,” I called, trying to keep my voice light. “I was going to go in and grab some—”
“Just get in the car, Lauren.” His voice was even, but I saw the muscle in his jaw twitch.
I nodded. I didn’t even wait for him to open the winglike door—I figured it out for myself and quickly jumped in before he could get to me. Then, I took a deep breath. I’d gone behind his back, and I could see that he was furious.
But I’d had reasons for what I’d done. By the time he slid behind the wheel, I’d prepared to fight him. “Listen—” I started.
“Stop.” He gripped the steering wheel so hard, his knuckles were white. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m—”
Gabe still wouldn’t look at me. “Did he hurt you? Did he lay a hand on you?”
“No, I’m fine. I just wanted to—”
He finally turned to me, and the look on his face was enough to finally shut me up. He looked hollowed out, as if someone had punched him in the gut.
It took me a second to realize that it had been me.
He ran his gaze over me, probably looking for signs of distress, evidence that Clive had harmed me.
“How do you think I felt? Getting a call from my team, saying that they saw you in the same building as Clive Warren? That you ran out into a waiting car?” He let out a bark of bitter laughter. “I showed you those pictures because I wanted you to know that you’re in danger. Real danger. You said you were going to stay at the office. You said you were going to be smart and stay safe. And then I have to hear—from my hired help—that you fucking lied to me?”
I just sat there, reeling, all the fight seeping out of me. I opened my mouth and closed it, every excuse I had dying on my lips.
“He could have killed you, Lauren. Or raped you.”
“I had security with me,” I mumbled.
He looked as if he wanted to say something nasty, but he punched the steering wheel instead, making me jump.
I took a deep breath. “There’s a reason for what I did. I did it to try to find out what was going on. I even wore a wire. I was hoping I could get something useful out of him!”
Gabe looked at me incredulously. “I was hoping you’d keep yourself safe, like you promised me you would!” He started the car and threw it into drive. “Jesus, Lauren. You are the most stubborn fucking person I’ve ever met.”