“He cornered us in the parking lot. I tried not to give it away, but he ripped the hat and sunglasses right off Max.”
“It’s not your fault, Lola. None of this is. What did he say to you? It’s very important that you tell me everything.”
I did my best to remember the conversation and repeated it back to Christian, including the part where Adrian made a pass at me.
Christian was clutching his desk with white knuckled intensity by the time I finished. “The fucking snake.”
“So why is he a problem? Is he someone important?”
“He’s on Stone Financial’s board of directors. He has enough influence to put heavy pressure on me already, but with dirt like this he thinks he can blackmail me. His father is… not a good man. Adrian wants me to do some sort of favor for him–an illegal favor, no doubt.”
“What did you say?” I asked. My pulse thumped in my ears. I felt so shitty for all of this. If I’d just done a better job of making sure we weren’t discovered, or maybe never even taken Max out, none of this would be happening to Christian.
“I told him to go fuck himself. He said I have a month before he rats.”
“Why would he give you so much time?”
“Because his father must really need the favor. He’s likely hoping he can find more ways to pressure me in the meantime. But I had another idea…”
“Okay…”
Christian watched me with intensity, clearly uncertain about what he was going to say. “If you took Max, quit your job here, and made it appear that you were in a relationship with someone else…”
All I could do was watch him with my mouth slowly falling open. “I don’t even know where to start,” I said.
He nodded. “I know. And I don’t blame you at all if you aren’t willing to help me. I know I’ve been a complete asshole towards you.”
“Not completely,” I admitted.
“But you deserve better.”
“Yes, I do,” I agreed.
Christian smirked a little, but the humor quickly faded. “If you were willing to do all of this for me, I could keep paying you. But it would have to appear you quit here on your own.”
“I’m not quitting, and I’m not about to pretend to date someone. Self-respect aside, how do you think the person I was pretending to care about would feel when the truth came out?”
“But you’ll take Max?”
I made a frustrated noise and got up. “I don’t know what I’ll do. I just started feeling like my life here might be worth something and now you’re asking me to throw it all away?”
“I understand,” Christian said softly.
I was afraid if I stayed in the room, I’d cave and give him what he wanted. Instead, I rushed out and headed for the parking lot as quickly as I could. Once I was in my car, I let my forehead thump down on the wheel.
Was I a complete pushover for even considering this?
I mean, it wasn’t like I enjoyed my job per se. I was mostly a glorified secretary who delegated tasks to a floor full of assistants every day. I did enjoy spending time with Max, which I’d get to do plenty more of if she came to stay with me. But I didn’t want to leave my co-workers behind, and I didn’t particularly feel like being a glorified babysitter. And the last request? The idea of pretending to date someone just to throw people off our trail made me feel sick to my stomach.
I lifted my head, shaking it firmly. I just needed to sleep on it, and I’d realize how crazy I’d be to help him out of this mess. That was all I needed–a little sleep.
29
CHRISTIAN
For the first time in months, I felt like I needed to talk to my brothers. Unfortunately, I couldn’t just call up Lance any time I wanted. I had to call the prison, find out the visiting hours, and make an appointment. I had to wait three days to talk to him, but I was able to call Hector and get an answer within the first ring.
“Christian,” Hector said.
“Hey, I’m sorry it has been so long.”
“Can’t say I blame you. I really fucked things up, didn’t I?”
I grinned. “Yeah, but that’s nothing new.”
We both chuckled, and within a few words it felt like we were almost back to where we’d always been. I’d been a fucking idiot to think I could punish my brother by not calling him all this time. I was only punishing myself.
“Look, I need some advice,” I said. I spent the next few minutes explaining everything I thought was relevant, from my office affair to Adrian’s threat and Trisha’s back-and-forth view on whether I was fit to stay in my position.
“Damn,” Hector said. “You’re not going to like my advice. You sure you want to hear it?”