Chapter 16 Into the Dark
Briar's POV
I met Chloe's furious gaze head-on, not bothering to hide the cold satisfaction in my expression as I zipped up my overnight bag. "Yes, I scratched his face. Would you like to know why?"
Her hands clenched into fists at her sides and I could see her wolf pushing close to the surface, turning her eyes a brighter shade of amber. "You have no right to touch him. He's my fiancé, not yours."
I set my bag down on the bed and turned to face her fully, letting my own exhaustion and rage bleed into my voice. "A week ago your perfect fiancé broke into my apartment in the middle of the night and locked me in silver handcuffs until dawn. These bandages on my hands are from the burns that went all the way to the bone. So yes, I scratched his face, and if he ever touches me again I'll do worse."
The color drained from Chloe's face and for a long moment she just stared at me, her mouth opening and closing without sound. "That's not possible. Julian wouldn't do something like that."
I held up my bandaged hands. "Ask yourself what kind of man uses silver restraints on someone who can't fight back. Ask yourself what else he might be capable of."
I grabbed my bag and walked toward the door, forcing her to move aside. I stopped right beside her. "Underneath that perfect Alpha heir exterior and that handsome face, do you actually know who Julian Sterling is? Think very carefully about whether you want to tie yourself to him for the rest of your life."
Chloe grabbed my wrist. "Stop trying to manipulate me with your lies."
I yanked my arm free and walked away without looking back, leaving her standing alone in the doorway.
By the time I made it back to Vance Botanicals the next morning, my desk was buried under a mountain of paperwork that had accumulated during my week in the hospital. I spent the entire day sorting through contracts and correspondence, and it wasn't until late afternoon that I noticed something wrong.
Three of our mid-sized clients had sent cancellation notices, all of them using nearly identical language about reconsidering their supplier relationships.
I stared at the emails on my screen and felt cold certainty settle in my gut. This was Julian's work, his way of reminding me that he could destroy everything I was trying to build with just a few phone calls.
I called Lily into my office and tried to keep the frustration out of my voice. "I need you to start looking for rental listings. Somewhere in a decent neighborhood, preferably with existing roommates or good security."
Lily pulled out her tablet and started making notes. I gave her a number that was higher than I wanted to spend but still realistic, and she nodded and promised to send me options by the end of the week. I thanked her and went back to salvaging what I could from the mess Julian had made, trying not to think about how finding a suitable roommate was probably impossible.
My phone buzzed with a message and I almost ignored it, but something made me check the screen. It was from Ash. [Hey, are you still looking for a place to rent? I might have a lead for you.]
I sat up straighter in my chair and typed back quickly, asking for details. A few seconds later another message came through with a screenshot of a rental listing, and when I saw the monthly price I actually laughed out loud because it was less than half of what comparable places normally cost. I forwarded it to a real estate agent anyway and asked if she could arrange a viewing for the next day.
Around nine in the evening I finally called it quits and was getting ready to leave when my laptop pinged with a new email. The sender was Apex Bio-Solutions and when I opened it I found a detailed product sample request along with a comprehensive feedback form.
I forwarded the purchasing requirements to our sales manager with a note to prioritize the order, then exported the research suggestions into a document and sent it to Eric Thorne with instructions to add it to Monday's product feedback review.
I was locking up my office when my phone rang, Rowan's name flashing on the screen. I answered and heard her voice come through tight with satisfaction. "Found that piece of shit. Abandoned dock area, warehouse three. Get over here."
I didn't ask questions, just grabbed an aluminum mop handle from the janitor's closet in the stairwell and headed for my car. The drive to the waterfront took twenty minutes and I spent the entire time gripping the steering wheel hard.
Warehouse three was exactly as run-down as I'd expected, with broken windows and graffiti covering every available surface. Rowan was waiting outside the side entrance, her arms crossed and her expression grim. She jerked her head toward the door and I followed her inside.
Chad was handcuffed to an exposed pipe with silver restraints, a dirty rag shoved in his mouth to muffle his sounds. His eyes went wide with fear when he saw me walking toward him with the mop handle in my hands, and he started thrashing against the pipe hard enough to make the metal groan.
I tested the weight of the aluminum rod in my grip and then swung it hard into his right forearm, feeling the impact jar up through my shoulders as bone cracked under the force. Chad's scream was muffled by the gag but I could see the agony written across his face.
"That was the hand you used to grab my skirt, wasn't it?" I asked conversationally, adjusting my grip on the mop handle.
I hit him again, this time on the shoulder, and watched him crumple against the pipe with tears streaming down his face. "If I ever see you harassing another woman, if I even hear about you making inappropriate comments or putting your hands where they don't belong, I will find you again. And next time I won't stop at just breaking your arm. Do we understand each other?"
Chad nodded frantically, his whole body shaking with pain and terror, and I dropped the mop handle on the concrete floor with a metallic clang that echoed through the empty warehouse.
We ended up at Neon Nights. We claimed a corner table and ordered drinks, and I was scrolling through messages on my phone when the real estate agent responded to say that the landlord had a last-minute conflict and could only do the viewing tomorrow with her present instead of him.
I sent back a confirmation and was putting my phone away when Rowan suddenly nudged my arm and jerked her chin toward the VIP section across from us. "Check out the guy in the corner booth."
I glanced up and felt my breath catch in my throat. Lucian was leaning back in one of the VIP booths, the blue and purple laser lights cutting across his face and turning his features into something almost otherworldly. He looked completely at ease in a way that suggested he owned the place.
He kicked the leg of the table in front of him where someone was passed out face-down, and when the guy jerked awake I recognized Kai. Lucian grabbed a bottle from the ice bucket and poured himself a drink without saying a word to his companion.
Then he reached up and undid the top three buttons of his shirt, letting the collar fall open to expose his collarbones and the hollow of his throat. He tilted his head back against the booth with the glass in his hand, and there was something about the way he held himself that screamed calculated recklessness.
Rowan leaned closer to me and spoke directly into my ear. "That guy across from us. He's got that whole dark and dangerous thing going on, the kind that makes you think he's trouble but you want to find out exactly how much trouble anyway. Very effective."