Chapter Eighteen
Kyla waited until he’d left to grab a bag and throw some things into it. She made sure she had the money she saved and then walked out without a backward look because she knew it would break something inside of her if she did. Her only thought was to get somewhere safe where she could break down.
She leaned over the top railing and heard voices coming from Duncan’s office, so she snuck down the stairs and out the back door.
“Oh, God,” she said as she stood on the street and looked both ways. A feeling of being utterly lost swept over her. She knew it was because she’d given all her power to Duncan, and now she felt like she’d have to rebuild herself. But she promised herself that this time would be the last. She would never put herself through this again.
When she heard a car pull up beside her, she’d already walked for a long while with no destination in mind. At first, fear made her shift her bag and get ready to run until she saw who it was. She was totally confused.
“Ronin? What are you doing here?”
“Get in the car, Kyla.”
“Why?”
He sighed. “Honey, get in. Your daddy is having a breakdown because he couldn’t find you.”
“He’s not my daddy.”
“If you don’t get in the car on your own, I’ll put you there.”
“I don’t remember you being so mean,” she told him and then got mad at the smirk on his face.
“Now, honey.”
When she didn’t move, he put the car in park, so she ran. Within a few yards, she was lifted off her feet and into Ronin’s arms.
“No.”
“You’re not running away again.”
“I didn’t run in the first place, and you’re not the boss of me,” she yelled.
He snorted and loaded her into the driver’s seat and then moved her over into the passenger one so she wouldn’t have a chance to try to run again.
Ronin drove until he could pull off the road, parked the car, and then turned to her. “Where did you think you were going to go?”
She ignored the question because she frankly didn’t have an answer. “Why are you here?” she asked.
“I work here now.”
“Where?”
“I work for Duncan.”
The more they talked, the more confused she became. “What? Seriously? How long have you been here?”
“A little over a week.”
“Why didn’t he tell me? Why didn’t you try to talk to me?”
“I have been trying to talk to you. I have a theory why he won’t let me, but I think you should hear it from him.”
“No, please don’t take me back.”
Ronin studied her for a moment. “Duncan is going crazy.”
“He’ll be fine. He wanted me to leave. Maybe he just didn’t think it would happen so fast.”