26. Kian

26

KIAN

" Y es," I snap the second I accept Jamie's call.

"It's Lorelei, sir. She's?—"

"Where?" I bark, not needing to hear any more. If he thinks it's important enough to call me—which he never does—then I don't need an explanation. I just need to get there.

"Outside. Turn right."

"Coming."

Without another word to our head of security that I was having a discussion with, I turn and race from the room which is, thankfully, on the ground floor of Callahan Enterprises.

I'm halfway through reception when I see her.

When I see him.

Anger burns through me, and it only gets worse when I see his hand on her.

Shoving more than a couple of our employees out of the way, I race the short distance down the sidewalk with fury like I haven't felt in a long fucking time, bubbling just under the surface.

I see red when she tries to get out of his hold but is unable to.

Asshole has no fucking right to lay a finger on her.

My fist is curled and my muscles are pulled tight, ready for the hit I know is coming long before I reach them.

He doesn't see me approaching—he's too focused on trying to make her listen to him—so my punch comes as a massive shock.

Thankfully, he releases her arm before he crashes into the window behind him.

"Fuck," he barks, covering half of his face with his hand like a fucking pussy.

"Get up," I demand as I loom over him.

My breathing is erratic, and my fist fucking hurts, but it won't stop me from doing it again.

Motherfucker deserves it for what he's done to her.

Yeah, after their exchange on Friday night, I made sure to get all the details from King.

The jerk is fucking scum.

"Dude, what the fuck?" he seethes.

"The fuck? The fuck is that you're man-handling a woman who doesn't want anything to fucking do with you. If you're man enough to lay a hand on her, then you're man enough to stand up to me."

"Leave it," Lorelei snaps, but I'm not having any of it.

There's movement and noise behind me, the thought of this whole thing being filmed and put online should stop me.

But it doesn't.

Instead, I step forward, ready to drag the asshole to his feet if he doesn't get on them willingly.

"Get. The. Fuck. Up."

"Kian, please. Just leave it. He isn't worth it."

"You can fucking say that again."

Thankfully, the jerk pushes to his feet and holds my stare.

I'm about to throw another punch when I'm suddenly hauled backward.

"Get the fuck out of here," a deep voice barks from behind me.I've no idea if he's talking to me or the crowd that's predictably gathered.

"I don't need your fucking help," I seethe, trying to shake both sets of hands off me.

"You're throwing punches out the front of the office, little brother. I think you very much need our help right now."

Jamie ushers Matt away, and the fucker runs like the little pussy that he really is while King continues to get rid of our audience.

"Kieran, take Lorelei to the car and see she gets home safely."

I spin around just in time to watch my little brother throw his arm around Lorelei.

The anger, that had barely lessened, surges forward once again.

"No," I bark, reaching out to throw his arm from around her. "Don't you fucking touch her."

Silence rings out so loud between the four of us it's deafening.

"I'm taking her home."

"No, you're not. You and I need to talk."

"Talk?" I balk. "I've got nothing to talk to you about right now."

"How about the media shitstorm that's going to come from videos of you going viral punching an innocent man outside our offices?" Kingston sneers.

He's pissed. I acted before thinking about the consequences. But so fucking what? If it were Tate in Lorelei's position just now, he'd have done the exact same thing.

"You'll figure it out," I mutter as I grab Lorelei's hand, tugging her away from Kieran.

To my surprise, she doesn't let go as we close in on the car.

I clutch her hand tight, wondering what might have happened if Jamie hadn't been here.

Would he have hurt her worse?

"Get in," I bark, the red haze beginning to dissipate, allowing reality to trickle in.

"I don't think so," Lorelei spits, finally attempting to tug her hand from mine.

As if her touch burns, I drop her hand. But I'm not letting her get away. I will see her safely to her door, even if it kills me.

"Kian?" King demands from behind me.

"Get in the fucking car, Lorelei. I won't ask you again."

She looks between me and my brothers, who are standing behind me.

She wants to argue, I can see the fire burning deep in her eyes, but for a reason I may never know, instead of continuing to battle with me, she nods once and then concedes and steps into the car.

"Good girl," I muse, following her inside.

"Don't," she warns. "Just…don't."

I follow her orders as Jamie closes the door, blocking us off from outside, plunging us into silence and our own little world.

My hand throbs from where I hit that motherfucker, but I don't let it be known. Something tells me that Lorelei would delight in knowing I was in pain.

The engine comes to life, and the moment I can, I lean forward and put the privacy screen up.

Sitting back, I turn to look at Lorelei. Her back is ramrod straight. She's got her purse and laptop bag on her lap, her arms clutching them as if they're a lifeline.

Her brows are pinched together, leaving a deep crease between them that I desperately want to reach out and smooth away. Her lips are thin, and I can't help but wonder if she's biting down on them to stop herself from saying anything.

"What did he want?" I ask after long, agonizing minutes.

It takes her a moment to register that I've said anything, but I know the second she does because her expression hardens even more.

"That is none of your business. What were you even thinking?" she demands without bothering to turn to look at me.

"He was touching you," I seethe quietly, my fists tightening on my lap, sending a shooting pain up my right arm.

It might hurt now, but fuck did it feel good.

I can't remember the last time I hit someone that wasn't one of my brothers. That fucker deserved it, though.

She shakes her head, unable to accept my words.

"I'm your assistant, Kian. Not your problem."

"That's bullshit and you know it," I snap. "It doesn't matter if you're my assistant or the part-time cleaner, I will not have any of my staff treated like that."

A humorless laugh falls from her lips.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Nothing. It's nothing. I'm…"

"You're what?" I ask when she trails off.

"Nothing. Literally nothing."

My brows pinch.

A heavy sigh passes her lips and her shoulders lower as if she's got the weight of the world on them.

Before I manage to find a response, she finally turns to look at me.

The sight of tears glistening in her eyes ensures that any words I might have had shrivel up and die.

I hate it. I hate that someone like him has the power to do this to her.

Asshole deserves so much more for the pain he's caused her.

"Just…" The car stops and my heart lurches, knowing without looking that Jamie has just pulled to a stop outside her building. She's going to get out and walk away, and there is fuck all I can do about it. "Just forget it. He's not worth risking an assault charge."

"He's not, no, but—" Before I get a chance to say any more, Jamie has opened her door and she's climbing out.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Kian. Have a good night," she shoots over her shoulder.

I'm out before Jamie has a chance to close the door, chasing her toward her building.

"Lorelei, wait."

She spins around on her heels and glares at me with a look that would make a lesser man's balls shrivel up into their body.

"No. You do not get to pretend to be the better man here. Not when you have spent all afternoon with Model Barbie bent over your desk instead of doing any work."

Model Barbie?

Shock renders me useless long enough for her to flee inside.

I take a step forward to follow, but before I can take another, Jamie's hesitant voice carries through the air.

"Sir. M-maybe you should give her some space?"

All the air rushes from my lungs, and I hang my head.

He's right. I know he is.

But…but fuck.

I really want to follow her. I want to make sure she's okay.

I want to make sure she doesn't fucking call him.

"Yeah. Yeah," I say, pulling myself back together and returning to the car.

Lorelei's a big girl. She can take care of herself.

I shouldn't be surprised to find two men waiting for me when I step into my apartment a little over thirty minutes later. But I am.

"Fuck's sake," I mutter as I throw my suit jacket onto the kitchen counter and toe my shoes off, leaving them abandoned in the middle of the room.

"Lovely to see you too, big brother," Kieran mocks.

"Is that really a good idea?" Kingston barks like the overbearing asshole he is when I reach into the cupboard and pull out a bottle of Macallan.

"It's been a long day," I say absently as I reach for a glass and pour myself a measure.

I don't bother offering either of them a drink, and they don't request one either.

Instead, they continue to silently stare at me.

Waiting.

They're waiting for an explanation.

Well…they're going to be waiting a long time because I don't even know where to start.

I swallow my whiskey in three big mouthfuls before slamming my glass down on the counter hard enough for it to shatter. Thankfully, it doesn't, and I take off through my apartment announcing, "I need a shower."

Something tells me that my absence won't be enough to get rid of them, but at least I can put off the two-man firing squad a little longer.

Just as expected, when I return to the kitchen, the two smug assholes are in the exact same place; only this time, they've got food from my favorite restaurant.

"Hungry?" King asks with a smirk.

"Fuck off," I grunt as I lower my ass to one of the stools and pull the lids from the containers.

The scent of rosemary and garlic chicken floods my senses and my mouth waters.

Okay, maybe they aren't so bad…

"So…first, you bring her to my game, and then you're fighting random men in the street for her. Your new assistant must really be something, huh?" Kieran starts, not bothering to beat around the bush.

"Do we have to?" I mutter around a mouthful of dauphinoise potato. This food is too good to be ruined by them and their curiosity.

"If I've got to deal with the press because you can't keep a cool head, then yes, we're doing this."

With a sigh, I reluctantly tell them about watching her brother's game on Friday night and then making her return the favor.

But my explanation doesn't pacify them. If anything, it makes them more curious.

"Have you fucked her?" Kieran asks.

I swear, King leans in closer to give himself a better chance of hearing the answer.

Not fucking necessary.

"No. I have not fucked her. Nor am I planning to."

"Liar," King coughs like a child, making me roll my eyes.

He might be the oldest, and arguably the most sensible out of the three of us, but every now and then he proves that there's still an element of that little boy lingering inside him.

"I am not," I protest, although I'm barely able to believe my own words, so I'm not surprised when they stare at me in disbelief.

"She's just…she's having issues with her ex. She's been the best assistant I've had so far, and I wanted to help."

"By making a spectacle of yourself and the company? Didn't want to wait until the world wasn't watching?"

"Saw an opportunity," I mutter before shoveling a huge piece of chicken into my mouth to give me an excuse to keep quiet for a few more minutes.

"You're a fucking idiot," King happily points out. "But you did the right thing. That prick needed to be taught a lesson."