Page 44 of A Man of Power

“I don’t believe you,” I whisper as I step forward, letting the towel drop to the floor.

He backs away and holds up a hand. “I mean it, Alexis. You can stay on in my office until you find a new job, but this”—he motions between us—“has to end, now. I’ll call a car for you. Harriet knows I’m here now. I won’t be in the office today, but you can head back over there.”

“What?” My response is half gasp and half sob. I feel myself begin shaking with a mixture of anger, shock, and sadness all rolled up into one.

I see his hand twitch, but his arm doesn’t move. He gives me one last pained look, and with that, he leaves me standing naked in his bathroom. My mouth gaping open. Tears streaming down my face. They aren’t from embarrassment, maybe they should be. They are from pure hurt.

“Fuck you,” I mutter as I pick up my clothes and dress. I walk down the stairs. He’s nowhere to be found but a car is waiting in the driveway. He doesn’t even come out to see me. Well, fuck him. I’ll finish this myself and then I’ll resign. This city is full of jobs. And I will find another one, one where he isn’t involved.

Chapter19

Sebastian

I knowshe’s left when the beep from the front door motion sensor sounds. I’m such a fucking pussy. I didn’t even have the balls to see her out, but I know there was no way I’d be able to let her go, and I have to let her go.

She’s not safe with me. And yesterday, I learned why.

Conner is perched at his island like he always is. Aiden is next to him, the clickity-clack of his keyboard is the only sound in the room.

I don’t say a word as I walk into the room and go straight for the alcohol.

“Rough day at the office, dear?” Conner says with a chuckle.

When I don’t answer, he stands up and approaches me. “What the fuck is up?” he asks, this time his voice is all business.

I turn to him and take a long sip of whiskey. “A favor was called in.”

Aiden’s head pops up from behind his computer screen and both of them stare at me with a mixture of sympathy, anger, and resignment.

“For what?” Aiden asks, closing his laptop.

I run a hand over the day-old scruff growing on my chin. “I was flat-out told to stand down on any research related to Confervo. I was to accept their money. And I was to get rid of anyone that may have learned anything that isn’t under the vow.”

“Get rid, get rid?” Aiden asks, raising an eyebrow.

“It wasn’t defined, so I’m going to tell Alexis to resign once she has new employment.”

“What the fuck?” Conner barks.

“Shit!” Aiden says as he stands and walks over to pour himself a drink.

I down the rest of the whiskey and pour myself another. “I fucking hate this.”

“We all knew what we were signing on to when we did this,” Conner points out and I want to punch him. He steps back as though sensing my displeasure.

“We need to figure out what’s going on. I’m going to get to the bottom of this and burn it all down,” I state.

Conner’s and Aiden’s eyes both widen. No one had ever brought down the brotherhood or even contemplated it. We are kingmakers. We run this city.

“We know that Confervo is bringing in a drug it makes in Geneva. We think it is a new-gen of a drug they made ten years ago. We know girls are being found on the trails with traces of this drug. But how are they getting it here? We need to find the source. And then we need to blow this whole thing open,” I declare.

“Are you prepared for the fallout?” Conner asks.

I take a deep breath. I might kill everything we had created, yet, for the first time in my life, I am prepared to bring down the kingdom if it means saving the people in it.

“Yes.”

Aiden brings his glass out toward mine and then Conner does the same. We clink glasses.

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