Page 46 of Emeric

If Jordan hadn’t been in the middle of a negotiation for a very large deal, he would have handled it. Since I practically groveled with how sorry I was for allowing it to happen, Jordan told me to deal with it.

Sheldon sped in on his motorcycle just as I got the guy in position. He stayed with me until it was done.

“What do you think he’s going to do to you?” Sheldon asked.

“I fucked up.”

“You’re human. Unless you have eyes in the back of your head, which you don’t, there was no way you could have reacted fast enough to stop that guy from touching Vail, considering you didn’t even know he was there. We set ourselves to incredibly high standards that we can’t meet. If we don’t succeed, we beat ourselves up. I’m as guilty of it as you are.”

I cocked my head, trying to figure out why he was talking like that.

“Arden.” That was all he needed to say. Sheldon was in therapy for many reasons. I was glad Arden helped him.

“Vail could have been hurt.” I didn’t think I’d let myself off the hook for this one. I felt awful. Vail had called twice since the incident, but I was too busy letting blood rain down on me to answer it.

“You could have gone to a different café to pick up coffee, avoiding the whole thing. Yet you didn’t. Just like Vail wasn’t hurt. There’s no point in doing that to yourself. It doesn’t change what happened.”

I stripped off my blood-soaked clothes, dropping them to the ground. Sheldon handed me a jug of water to rinse off. The cleaners would take care of my clothes when they arrived, making it seem like this had never happened.

Standing naked before him, I poured the cold water over my skin, letting it take what it could from me. Sheldon and I had seen each other bare more times than I could count. When we were covered in blood, we had to clean as much as we could before heading back to the building for a hot shower, complete with a very comprehensive scrubbing to make sure we got it all off.

I was cold and still pissed when I was done. With a towel wrapped around my waist, I took the clothes Sheldon offered and got dressed. There was no need for this kind of bullshit. Criminals out there doing this stuff, not a clue who they’re fucking with. I’d love to lay this asshole’s body out in the street as a sign to not fuck with Jordan or anyone in his life, but that would only bring more heat on my boss. It wouldn’t even need to have a single shred of evidence on the body; the police would still aim for Jordan first.

“Feel better?” Sheldon asked after I slipped on a pair of shoes.

“No. I loved those boots, and now they’re garbage. They were worn the perfect amount to where they felt more like slippers than boots.”

“Want me to wear a new pair for you to do the breaking in?”

“My feet are bigger than yours.”

“I’m not sure this is the time to discuss how big your cock is or isn’t.”

I barely resisted rolling my eyes at him. The only reason I didn’t was because I was still angry.

He started walking toward the door. “Let’s go. You’re no fun when you’re like this.”

I did the best I could to keep the Navigator clean of evidence by using a tarp to transport the asshole here. It was currently inside the warehouse with the body. We got lucky tonight that the alcove we were in didn’t have any cameras nearby. Lawson, Jordan’s tech person, made sure of it. I didn’t know what we’d do without him.

Inside the SUV, I started it. With the windows down, the warm night air came in, heating my skin that was still cold from the bottled shower I had to take. I couldn’t wait to get back so I could have hot water.

The drive to the building was over quickly, Sheldon in front of me being an asshole while he rode his bike, weaving in and out, flipping me off, sticking his tongue out. It was his way of trying to make me feel better, except it wasn’t working. All it did was make me worry he’d get into an accident on our way home. I’d yell at him if I thought it would do any good.

Vail stood waiting for us near the elevator when we pulled into the garage. Jordan was right beside him, a menacing presence. The three guards nearby had nothing on the kind of power Jordan had.

I left the Navigator at the curb so it could be cleaned. Just because I was good at what I did didn’t mean I was perfect. We had to make certain no blood or DNA remained inside or outside the vehicle, just in case someone with a badge came knocking.

As soon as I was within reaching distance, Vail came over to me. “It wasn’t your fault. I know you’re beating yourself up, but don’t.”

I could feel Jordan’s eyes on me like a searing burn. “Easier said than done.”

Vail turned to Jordan. “Tell him.”

My boss crossed his arms in response.

“If you don’t, you won’t like what I do.”

“Are you threatening me?” Jordan growled.