Chapter 12 She's Her Own Person
Lucian's POV
Julian staggered to his feet, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes blazed with rage as he lunged forward. I sidestepped easily and caught his arm, using his own momentum to spin him around and slam him face-first against the side of his Mercedes. My forearm came up and pressed hard against his throat, pinning him in place.
"Since you like choking people so much, why don't you see how it feels?" I leaned in closer and increased the pressure just enough to make him struggle for breath.
Julian's voice came out in a ragged hiss. "I'm warning you—don't touch what belongs to me!"
I shoved harder against his windpipe. "She's not anyone's property. She's her own person."
I caught movement in my peripheral vision and saw Briar's head lift where she was still sitting on the ground, her eyes wide and shocked as she stared at me.
Behind me, I heard rapid footsteps and then Ash's voice calling out urgently. "Briar! Can you stand? Come on, we need to get you out of here!"
I kept my attention locked on Julian while Ash helped Briar to her feet and half-carried her toward the black sedan that had pulled up to the curb. Ash pulled open the back door and practically shoved Briar inside, then leaned forward to the driver. "Go! Now! Don't wait for my brother!"
The engine roared and the car peeled away from the curb with a screech of tires.
I held Julian against the car for another few seconds, then released him abruptly and stepped back. He turned around slowly, straightening his shirt collar and glaring at me with undisguised hatred.
"You think saving her once makes you some kind of hero?" Julian's lip curled into a cold smile. "You think she'll be grateful?"
I turned to walk away but Julian's voice followed me. "The moment you leave, I'll have my people track her down."
I stopped walking. For a long moment I just stood there with my back to him, then I turned around and walked straight back to his car. I yanked open the passenger door and slid into the seat, leaning back casually against the leather headrest. "Then I guess I'm not leaving yet."
Julian stared at me through the open door with an expression of complete disbelief. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Getting comfortable." I gestured toward the driver's seat. "Are you getting in or are we just going to sit here all night?"
Julian's jaw clenched hard but after a moment he walked around and got in, slamming the door hard enough to make the whole car shake. He jabbed his finger at the driver. "Drive."
Rain had started falling and now it drummed steadily against the roof and windshield, turning the city lights into blurred streaks. We sat in silence while Julian gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles had gone white.
"You're wasting your time," Julian said finally without looking at me. "She signed the contract. Everything I do is within my rights."
"Your rights." I let out a short, humorless laugh. "Is that what you call it when you choke someone until they can't breathe?"
"She belongs to Shadowmoor Pack now. That makes her my responsibility to manage however I see fit."
The rain was coming down harder now and the driver had to slow down as visibility dropped. I checked my watch. Ten minutes had passed since Briar's car had left. That should be enough time for her to get somewhere safe.
I reached for the door handle. "Let me out here."
"We're in the middle of nowhere."
"I'll manage." I pushed the door open and stepped out into the pouring rain. Before I closed the door, I leaned back in and met Julian's eyes. "The tighter you hold on to her, the faster she'll slip through your fingers."
I slammed the door and walked away without looking back.
---
Briar's POV
The bathwater had gone lukewarm but I stayed submerged up to my shoulders anyway, staring at the ceiling and trying not to think about Julian's hands around my throat. My phone buzzed on the edge of the tub and I grabbed it reflexively, then immediately regretted answering when I saw Marcus's name on the screen.
"How many orders did you get today?" His voice was sharp and impatient.
I closed my eyes and sank deeper into the water. "Just the Miller contract."
There was a pause and then I heard Diane's voice in the background, low and venomous.
A petty impulse made me add, "Owen was the one who secured it, actually. He's turning out to be quite an asset."
Diane's voice got louder. "I told you Owen has potential. You need to give him more responsibility."
Marcus cleared his throat. "That's good. But we need to talk about the Sterling situation. You need to go apologize to Julian and smooth things over." His tone shifted into something manipulative. "And if an apology isn't enough, then use whatever other methods you need to use. Make him happy."
My brain short-circuited for a second. "Are you seriously telling me to—"
"I'm telling you to do your job and fix the mess you created! This is your responsibility!"
Fury ignited inside me. "Then go grovel to him yourself. You're desperate enough to get back in his bed—so stop whining to me and go earn your way back in."
I hung up before he could respond and threw my phone across the bathroom where it clattered against the tile wall. I forced myself to stand up and step out of the tub, grabbing a towel as I walked into the bedroom.
The business card Lucian had given me was still on my nightstand. I picked it up and studied his name printed in neat black letters. Kai had mentioned they were looking for a new herbal tea supplier. That was an opportunity I couldn't afford to pass up.
I found my phone and typed in Lucian's contact information from the card, then sent a friend request with a professional message: [Briar Vance - Regarding herbal tea collaboration opportunity.]
I set the phone down and went to get dressed. My phone buzzed almost immediately and I grabbed it expecting to see Lucian's acceptance, but instead the notification showed a different name: [Ash Kincaid has sent you a friend request.]
I accepted and a message popped up immediately.
[Hi Briar! It's Ash! My brother doesn't want to add you, so if you need anything just talk to me instead, haha [mischievous emoji]
I couldn't help smiling as I typed back. [Your brother is pretty cold, huh?]
[He's ALWAYS like this! Super emotionally constipated! He literally went out of his way to protect you today and then came home acting like nothing happened!]
A strange warmth spread through my chest. [So he's the classic "actions speak louder than words" type?]
We went back and forth for several minutes, trading increasingly ridiculous observations about Lucian's apparent inability to express normal human emotions. I was actually laughing when I sent my last message: [Does your brother even know how to smile or is his face just permanently stuck like that?]
The typing indicator appeared for a second and then disappeared. Then nothing.
My phone buzzed with a new friend request and my heart did a strange little flip when I saw the name: [Lucian Kincaid.]
I accepted immediately and a message appeared.
[Sorry about the confusion earlier.]
I stared at the screen for a moment, then decided to just be direct. [Mr. Kincaid, when would you be available to discuss Vance Botanicals potentially supplying herbal tea to Apex?]
The typing indicator appeared and disappeared several times. Finally a response came through.
[I don't have authority to make those decisions. You'd need to get approval from Kai.]
I read the message three times, feeling something cold and heavy settle in my stomach. After everything that had happened today, he was going to hide behind corporate bureaucracy?
I typed out a final message with more force than was probably necessary. [Got it. Thanks for clarifying.]
Then I threw my phone onto the nightstand hard enough that it bounced and nearly fell off the other side.