“He took my picture,” she murmured, her eyes fixed on the glass.
“You didn’t know?” he asked.
“I told him I didn’t want my picture taken,” she said, sounding very worried for some reason.
“April,” he said softly.
But she had stepped away from his chair and was pacing, looking extremely upset.
Fury exploded in his chest for the second time that day, and he launched himself out of his chair and over to the elevator.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
But her voice sounded like it was coming from very far away, behind the pounding of his heart in his ears.
“Stay here,” he managed to growl before the doors closed and the elevator began to drop.
He made it across the lobby and was pounding on Astyr Gingerooox-Toxfylt’s door before it occurred to him that she might open it herself.
“Gracious, Captain Rivvor,” she quavered, peering at him through the crack and then opening it when she saw it was him. “Is everything all right?”
“Where’s your nephew?” he demanded.
“You’re so pale, I almost didn’t recognize you,” she murmured.
“Toxfylt, get out here,” he shouted.
To his intense relief, the jackass arrived to stand behind his aunt.
“She told you she didn’t want her picture taken,” Khall hissed. “Take it down now.”
“It’s just a candid shot,” Toxfylt said, like that made any damned difference.
“She told you no photos of her and you took one anyway, and you had the nerve to post it publicly,” Khall growled. “You’re a thief and a liar. If I ever hear you’ve pulled something like this again, a lawsuit is the least scary thing that’s going to happen to you.”
“Are you threatening me, Rivvor?” the little weasel asked in a nasty way.
“Why?” Khall asked. “Are you planning to illegally obtain and profit from someone else’s image again?”
“I didn’t profit from it,” Toxfelt whined. “It’s just a social media post.”
“How many views does it have?” Khall asked. “What does your profile say again? That you get most of your business from people who find your feed? I think the courts would agree you’ve taken advantage.”
“I’ll take it down, Rivvor,” he said, lifting his hands as if in surrender.
“Immediately,” Khall said. “And don’t let me hear that you’ve pulled a stunt like that ever again.”
He turned on his heel, intending to march away, and nearly tripped over April.
He looked at her in surprise for a second as Astyr’s door slammed shut behind him.
“He’s taking it down,” he told April.
He didn’t exactly expect a thank you. That wasn’t why he’d done it.
But her eyes were like fiery coals, and she was staring at him like she wanted to kill him.