Page 45 of Sawyer

“We knew,” Bryn says, holding up a hand. “Can we address that later?”

“Why the fuck not now?” I toss my hands up before letting them slap on my thighs.

“You’re missing the bigger picture.” My boss clears his throat. “Sawyer, this is a real threat, and it’s one that I can’t just call the deltas up on.”

“May I speak?” Sin asks, though we all damn well know he’s going to say whatever is on his mind. “First of all, I was there that night. How dare you not call me?” he accuses Bryn and Rumor, who just stand as still as statues. “Second” —he turns to my boss— “you need us.”

“The significance of Sawyer walking in here with one of the top heirs is not lost on me,” my boss says to Sin before turning to me. “I’m sorry, Sawyer, but I need to suspend you with pay.”

I open my mouth, only for a small squeak to come out of it. A burning sensation begins in my stomach, making it cramp and churn. My heart hurts, and tears threaten to build behind my eyes. Instead, I clench my ass cheeks tight and hope like hell my lipstick stays strong.

“Why?” It’s all I get out, and I’m not sure the guys expect my boss to say what he does.

“Sawyer, look… You are the only gamma I have in here, and you’ve brought so much to this department. I gave you a promotion when you went after the former monarch and exposed him. Not even that was as much of a threat to your life as this is. Someone is stalking you, and how am I supposed to know if it has something to do with the other dead gammas?”

“He’s right.” Bryn places his hands on my shoulders, and though I’m mad at him, his comfort eases me. I shouldn’t need anyone. I’ve worked so damn hard not to need anyone, yet my entire body relaxes with one touch from an alpha. “Sawyer, we can’t be sure that this individual isn’t the same one taking and killing gammas. We should act as though it is.”

“So I lose everything I’ve ever worked for because of someone else.” I choke up, and damn it, a tear slips down my face.

Only one. That’s all they get.

“You are the most public gamma there is.” My boss tries to comfort me, but all it does is make it worse. “Even more than the gamma union. Sawyer, I’m not saying this is forever. I don’t want you in any danger, and when this all blows over, you will always have a job here.”

“I already have three bodyguards.” As the words leave my lips, I realize that this is not an argument I will win. “Fine.” I stand, shaking Bryn’s hands off my shoulders.

“Sawyer, I know that look. Let it go. Stay safe, please.” My boss stands, his eyes pleading with me. “Take that vacation you always talked about.”

“That was a pipe dream vacation I wanted to take with my sister, who is an omega living at the castle for the next few years.” I can feel my heart breaking, and I just need to get away. “If you will all excuse me. I have a lunch meeting.”

My boss drops yet another bomb. “Sawyer, I’m sorry, but Freddy won’t be working with you.” I won’t even have my cameraman. “I need you to leave the premises. Don’t make me call security.”

I bristle. “You’d do that? You’d call security” —I snap my fingers— “just like that?”

“To keep you safe, yes!” he shouts at me.

“We will keep her safe.” Rumor steps forward. “She’s under our protection now.”

“Good luck,” my boss says. “I guarantee you will lose sight of her. She will turn your lives inside out, and she will do it with ruthless abandon.”

“I, for one, look forward to it,” Sin purrs.

“Can I use the ladies’ room?” I question, already planning my escape plan.

“Of course,” my boss says. “Keep your phone on you. Let me know if things escalate.”

My smile is thin and brittle. Paid leave. What he forgets is that I’ve been following the mysterious Oak Mountains for years. It’s been my little side project. I interview those who brave the treacherous Oak Mountain range, listening to their stories, and scan the missing persons’ reports.

The dead gammas are the most significant case of the year. It could help me understand what is happening deep in those mountains.

I turn around, ready to leave, but my boss chooses that moment to get the last word in. “Sawyer, stop chasing ghosts. Sometimes, a story is just that—a story.”

In one breath, he tells me that everything I’ve been researching and working toward is pointless, yet all I hear is how worthless I am.

Plastering on a smile and false bravado, I step into the newsroom and ignore the eyes on me. This time, my nemesis Brittany winks and smiles at me as though she knows precisely what happened. As a beta, she doesn’t have to worry about being stronger than others, and even she is stronger than me in so many ways.

She isn’t going to just let it go either. She heads me off at the elevators. Her smug smile stretches over her crooked teeth, and her dull green eyes peer at me in amusement. She’s shorter than most betas, at just over five-three, and dresses as though she never moved away from punk rock. Ripped T-shirts and jeans are all she ever wears, but it works for her.

She’s also a master of manipulation.

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