The Rule Book (Rule Breakers #1)(71)

Just as I neared the edge of the park, I thought I saw Bruce being walked by someone, but they turned a corner before I got a good glimpse. Really, I was feeling paranoid from the whole situation. I half expected someone to come out wielding a machine gun and threatening to send me to sleep with the fishes. Maybe Brogan was right—Netflix was rotting my brain.

At home, I sunk into the couch and turned on the TV. Zoey had left a note on the counter saying she was out with a coworker and she’d be home late.

I frowned, thinking of all that money I just gave up. But what good would it do if I felt guilty for the rest of my life? It wouldn’t be worth it. Nothing was worth hurting Brogan.





Chapter Twenty-Four


Lainey Taylor Rule of Life #57

Have Clorox wipes handy for when the shit hits the fan.

I should have known the second I stepped into the building that something was wrong. Jackson was at his desk, actual beads of sweat dripping down his face.

Coworkers caught my eye on their way to their cubicles and grimaced. Each one shook their head, their expressions pained.

I’d had this reoccurring dream when I was younger that I’d come to school and the entire student body would suddenly hate me, whispering to friends right in front of me, calling me names, keying my car. Reality was so much worse.

“What the hell did you do, Lainey?” Jackson shrieked.

“What?”

Before he could elaborate, Brogan’s voice boomed over the intercom on my desk. “Lainey, get in here now.”

My heart lodged in my throat.

Jackson shook his head in disgust. “Might as well start packing up your shit.”

“What?” Seriously, this had to be a nightmare, and I was going to wake up in a cold sweat any minute.

“Really? You’re going to play dumb? Even I didn’t think you were that stupid.”

What the hell was he talking about? And what had I done since I left the office last night that could possibly elicit such a reaction from all my coworkers?

Everything was happening at whirlwind pace. Without realizing it, my legs had propelled me into Brogan’s office, and I stopped in my tracks as soon as he turned around.

He looked at me as if I were—nothing. Like I was less than nothing. The corners of his lips curled into a sneer—what I’d assumed I looked liked when I met with his father last night.

He turned his computer monitor around to face me, and I gasped as one of the pictures his father had shown me yesterday was plastered across the screen. To make matters worse, they were posted from the client’s account—my client’s account. “Did you do this?” His soft tone had an edge that could pierce through steel.

“No,” I matched his whisper, a full body shiver striking through my body. I couldn’t do it, no matter how much I could gain. “I’d never do this to you.”

He let out a heavy sigh, and momentarily I thought he would accept my word and we could discuss a game plan for damage control. “I stared at this all morning, wondering how someone I care about more than anything could do this to a company that means everything to me.”

“I wouldn’t.” My lip quivered, and my knees felt like they would give out at any second. I braced myself against the back of the chair and tried to meet his gaze, but he refused to even look in my direction. To see him so disappointed, so hurt…it was a million tiny paper cuts to my heart.

“I want to believe you. I really do.” His expression was a swirl of emotion, and I could tell he was at war with himself over this.

“But…” There was always a but. I’d seen it in every show where someone gets screwed over.

“It’s from your account. I don’t know what to trust anymore.” He scrubbed his hands through his hair and leveled a distant gaze at me. “I have to follow my code of conduct that I wrote, Lainey.” His lips mashed together, and he looked absolutely pained when he said, “It’s the rules. I have to fire you. Ever since I started breaking them, it’s been a distraction. Now this happened and…” He trailed off.

He didn’t believe me. He thought I could do something this monstrous, cause him this much pain.

A cold, dark mixture of emotion swirled inside me—a blend of fish hooks ripping open my organs, a pair of Italian loafers smashing the remains, and a dash of salt to really amplify the pain.

I didn’t know whether I wanted to add a few dents to his desk with my foot or ugly cry in my car with Bad Day blaring.

This man who I’d given my heart to was taking away the one thing that meant the most to me. His trust.

The spear of betrayal morphed into hot anger at how screwed up this whole situation was. He had to fire me? What the hell was that bull crap response?

Hell. No.

Screw him and the holier than thou shit he spouted. Screw the progress we’d made in the past few weeks, learning to open up to each other. Obviously it was all complete crap just to get in my pants. If he really trusted me, my ass wouldn’t be on the chopping block. We’d be working to combat this as a team.

That was it. I’d never be able to compete with his company. His stupid rules would always win over feelings and relationships. I should have known. He’d been clear about it from the beginning, but did I listen? Of course not.

“Fuck your rules.” I threw my hands in the air. “How about you find the person who did this? The person who posted it on my account.”