29. Sabrina

Fuck. My brain scrambled, churning thoughts together so fast I lost hold of them as soon as they entered my mind. I had to get out of here. My throat worked, and I somehow managed to stand. “I have to go.”

“It’s fine.” Dad waved for me to sit back down. “They won’t be here long.”

Nausea bubbled and rushed up, burning the back of my throat. “No, Dad. I have to go.” A deep, thrumming ache started between my eyes. Don’t puke. Please. I palmed my stomach.

Dad’s eyebrows arched at the motion and something swift and savage raced over his face. He swiveled to face the intercom, then planted his hands on the desk and pressed the button. “Just a minute.”

The whoosh of breath left me lightheaded. Black spots swirled in my vision and I tried to blink them away. Go. Go. Go. My mind hooked on the single word and my heart began to beat in time with the panic.

Dad’s calm exterior belied the way his jaw tensed when he looked at me. “What else do you know about Chase, and why did you ask about the theft?”

My throat convulsed with the necessary answers, but none of them made it past the press of my lips. A keening sound rose in my ears, and my legs shook when I made my way across the room with every intention of grabbing Keith and bolting. Which way? I couldn’t go back out through the main area. Chase was out there. My heartbeat fluttered erratically, sweat slicking my palms and sliding between my shoulder blades. I’d fucked up. Like big time. How was I supposed to know they’d scheduled a meeting today? It wasn’t on any of their calendars.

Dad cut me off, the roughness of his palm scraping across my inner elbow when he grabbed my arm. “Sabrina. Do you know something?”

“Keith, come on. It’s time to go.” I darted around Dad and wrapped my hand around the door handle.

The main door behind me creaked, and the shuffle-slide of shoes on carpet raised the hairs on the back of my neck. My head bowed until my forehead rested on the door. I forced air into my lungs and turned to face the consequences of my actions.

Chase, Russell, and Garrett strolled in like they owned the place. They owned the air in my lungs, and every beat of my heart. They owned me, and all I could do now was pray they’d take the time to listen.

Chase noticed me first. His easy stride faltered, then stopped as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets. Russell stopped next, his gaze finding mine and widening a fraction before he widened his stance and moved to stand beside Chase. Garrett took in the room with a predatory glare that staggered into surprise when he spotted me.

The men I loved most all together in the same room, realization crashing into them at the same time.

“Sabrina?” Chase whispered my name into the tense silence, the sound of my name shattering me as I tasted the betrayal he felt. Suspicion crawled over his face, tightening his eyes and creating twin lines between his eyes that I wished I could smooth away. “What are you doing here?”

Okay, simplest answer first. “Visiting my dad.” I motioned weakly at Dad, my arms leaden and uncoordinated. The air thickened throughout the room until I thought I’d choke on it. No one moved for several indeterminable minutes.

Garrett’s hands tightened into fists, the look in his eyes driving a spike through my heart.

Despite the discomfort anchoring my feet to the beige carpet, I took a step toward them and faced Dad. “I’ve been working at Grady International for the last two months.”

“What the hell?” Dad burst into motion, moving to stand between me and Chase.

“That’s it, then?” Accusation tore from Chase and landed another blow to my fragile heart. “You’ve been spying on my company this whole time? Did you put her up to this?” Chase grabbed Dad’s shoulder and spun him around.

“Get your fucking hands off me.” Dad swatted Chase away, fury flushing his cheeks a cherry red. “I don’t know what the hell any of you are talking about.”

“I’m talking about your daughter showing up for a job interview and taking a position as our executive assistant.” Chase bit out the words, his head lifting. The temperature in the room dropped when he looked at me. “You’re Sabrina Adams.”

I shook my head. “Sabrina Roberts. Dad never gave me his last name.” My voice shook, and I steadied myself with a hand on the window beside me. I’d wanted his last name. All these years of feeling ostracized from him and everything that I’d ever wanted in a family had pushed me to try and prove myself to him. Heat seared my palm from the sun-warmed metal frame. I welcomed, relished, the scorching pain as it grounded me to the repercussions of my actions.

Russell’s weight shifted enough to draw my attention to him, but he looked past me like I didn’t even exist. “How long have you known about the theft at Grady?”

Dad’s mouth popped open. “What?”

“Come off it, Leon.” Garrett prowled closer, his stride as languid as the big cats we’d watched together at the zoo. “Everyone here knows now, don’t they? Bet it went out in this morning’s memo. Grady International tech giant falls thanks to one woman.” He looked at me and a cold shudder skated down my spine. “All that bullshit about other companies experiencing theft.” He shook his head. “I should have realized it then. You’re good.” The wagging stopped and his body tensed. “Now that everyone knows, you can tell us the truth.” He closed the distance to confront Dad. “Who did you buy the tech from? That was ours. And you damn well know it.”

“Everyone needs to shut the fuck up and let me sort this out.” Dad held up his hands and took a step back. “Start at the beginning, Chase.”

“The hell I will. Tell me why you’d send your daughter to our company. What kind of trust is that supposed to build between us?”

“Like you tell me everything,” Dad shot back. “Since I’m just now finding out that you lost tech too. When were you going to tell me?” One look at the trio of pinched faces, and he scoffed. “That’s what I thought.”

“This isn’t solving anything.” Russell attempted to be the voice of reason, but the others shot him down with scorching looks and raised voices that rang in my ears.

What should I do? How did I explain? “I went to Grady to see if you were the ones stealing from Dad, and once I got there and realized you were missing tech too, I wanted to help find who’d done it.” No one heard me. Maybe that was for the best. Admitting I’d thought Chase a thief wasn’t the best use of my time.

Russell pulled Garrett back when Garrett lunged toward Dad and poked him in the chest while spewing curse words faster than my brain processed.

“Easy.” Red crept up Russell’s neck. The voice of reason failed to calm the situation, and even his temper frayed.

“We’ve been friends for years. When did you stop trusting me?” Dad shot the question at Chase.

Chase threw both hands up in the air. “When you bought stolen tech instead of creating your own. You kept telling us everything was fine here. You said you’d had your best year ever. Was any of that true?”

“No.” The straight line of Dad’s back slumped. He palmed his cheek and staggered back to his chair, flopping into it and stretching out his hands to either side. “What do you want from me? I haven’t had a decent app in years.”

“Honesty.” Garrett harrumphed and eyed me. “Seems a lack of it runs in the family.”

“Leave Sabrina out of this. She’s not your concern.” Dad swatted the air toward me with a dismissive motion.

Right. I was no one’s concern. No one cared what happened to me. I was the expendable family member. No matter what I did to try and make things better, I always ruined them.

Even this. I ruined the best thing in my life. Just like always.

“Why would you go to work for them?” Dad spun his chair around and stood again.

I’d said so already, but like always, no one listened. I risked a glance at Chase. Surely Dad’s question proved to him that I wasn’t a spy sent to ruin him. I licked my dry lips and dug my nails into the windowsill. “I wanted to help.” The simple truth landed in the room with the same effect as a nuke.

Chaos reigned as Chase and Garrett gave me equal looks of derision. “Help with what? With taking us down?” Chase asked.

“You’re an asshole,” I shot back. My body finally stopped reacting to the stress and let me take control. I crossed the room to stand in front of him. “If you’d told Dad from the beginning that the tech was yours, none of this would have happened. I wouldn’t have had a reason to come to Grady for a job.”

“Why didn’t you ask me?” The solemnity of Dad’s question anchored my heart to the floor.

I met his eyes even though I wanted nothing more than to convince Chase and the others of my innocence and goodness. “I did. I asked you for a job and you said I wasn’t qualified.”

“You almost have an MBA.” Russell spoke up from behind Chase. “Or is that a lie as well?”

The question staggered me. He didn’t even believe me about school. I swallowed my disappointment, along with all the other emotions, clearing them from my face and my voice as I responded with a blandness I didn’t know I was capable of. “It’s true.” I took my time turning away from him. “I wanted to prove myself to you. And to Bailey. I wanted you to see me as a valuable asset to the family instead of the screwup who ruins everything.” A derisive laugh burned on its way out. “Guess I proved your point instead.”

The paleness in Dad’s cheeks worried me, but he flushed quickly enough to push aside the concern. “So you went to Grady, my best friend and rival’s company, to prove a point?”

That was all he heard from my little speech?

“Yeah, Dad. I did it all out of spite. Sure. Whatever.” This was why I’d known better than to try. “It’s not like I needed a job and Chase offered me one that actually meant something to me.” I willed them to see my feelings in my face, my eyes, my words. “Being at Grady International was the best thing that’s ever happened to me, aside from Keith. I loved every minute there.” I loved them. Words failed me as everything inside me screamed that I would never get them back after this.

Chase’s jaw worked side to side, his expression growing darker with every passing second. “What else did you lie about?” His head tilted toward me, eyes narrowing. His nostrils flared, his tone turning dangerous. “Did you tell him about us?”