Rush (Breathless #1)(96)

It took every bit of strength she had not to gag and vomit there on the street.

“You sick bastard!” she hissed.

There was no need to ask him how he’d gotten the pictures. They’d been taken in the hotel room in Paris. The idea that someone had these photos, that they looked at them, horrified her.

“Now here’s the deal, Mia,” Charles said. His grasp on her arm tightened as if he knew just how badly she wanted to get away. “You’re going to get me the information I want or I go public with these photos. How do you think your brother will like seeing pictures of his baby sister all over the Internet? You’ll be famous but not in a way either of you will like.”

Cold settled into her bones. So deep that her entire body was a block of ice. She stared numbly back at Charles as devastation crashed over her.

The ass**le would do it too. She saw the resolve and desperation in his eyes.

“You son of a bitch!” she said hoarsely. “You did that to me! And you’re going to threaten me with pictures of you assaulting me?”

“Think about it,” he said grimly. “I’ll expect your call before this weekend. If you fail to deliver, I’ll ensure everyone in the world sees these photos.”

He released her arm and strode away, disappearing into the sea of umbrellas and pedestrians hurrying to get out of the rain.

She stood there a long moment, still in shock over the illicit photos he’d produced. Rain pelted her face, soaking into her clothing, but she was numb to the cold. Numb to everything else but the fact that she was in an untenable position.

If she betrayed Gabe, she’d lose him forever. He’d cut her from his life without thought or regret. If she didn’t betray him, those photos would be released. Jace would see them. The world would see them. Not only would Jace’s friendship with Gabe end, but it could also very well mean the end of their business relationship. And Gabe’s reputation would once again suffer under accusations that he’d abused another woman. Once might be played off, but twice? Where there was smoke, there was fire in the public’s eye.

She gathered the soggy bags to her chest and stumbled toward the entrance to the office building. Panic made her clumsy. Her heart was beating painfully, so fast that she couldn’t process thought.

She rode up the elevator, dread increasing with every breath. What was she supposed to do?

Yes, she had access to the bids. It would be a simple matter to pass along the information to Charles. It would do her no good, though, because even if he came in substantially lower than his competitors, Gabe would never use him. And then, even though she’d done as Charles had demanded, he’d be angry and would likely retaliate by publishing those pictures anyway.

What was she supposed to do?

When she got to Gabe’s office, he was off the phone. As soon as she walked in his door, he was on his feet, his expression concerned.

“Mia, what the hell? You’re soaked! Did you not bring an umbrella?”

He hurried over to her, cursing when he took in her saturated clothing. He took the bags from her hands and discarded them without a look.

“Are you all right? What’s going on? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“J-just c-cold,” she stammered out. “I got caught in the rain. It’s not a big deal, Gabe. Really.”

“You’re freezing,” he muttered. “Come on, I’ll take you home and get you into dry clothing. You’re going to make yourself ill.”

She shook her head, stepping back, her resistance so adamant that he looked taken aback.

“You have a meeting that you can’t miss,” she said. “There’s no need for you to go with me.”

“Fuck the meeting,” he said bluntly. “You’re more important.”

She shook her head again. “Have the driver bring me home. I’ll go take a hot shower and get into dry clothing. I promise. I can be back in an hour and a half.”

This time it was he who shook his head. “No. I don’t want you coming back in. Go on home and get warm. Wait for me there. I’ll be home as soon as my meeting is done.”

She nodded, cold seizing her more firmly in its grasp. Now when she was out of the rain and in the warmth of his office, she began to shiver uncontrollably. She had to keep it together or he’d know that something had gone terribly wrong.

She smiled brightly and gestured toward the bags. “The food is still good. You need to eat, Gabe. You haven’t eaten all day.”

He touched her cheek, feathering his hand over her face before leaning in to kiss her cold lips. “Don’t worry about me. Take your meal home and take it easy for the rest of the day. I’ll be home to take care of you in a little while.”

His words made her heart squeeze, but they weren’t enough to take away her terror or the enormity of the decision she faced. She needed time to think.

Already the beginnings of a headache plagued her. The dull throb at her temples coupled with the bone-deep cold was beginning to unravel her.

He went to his desk and retrieved his coat and then wrapped it around her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms.

“Come on,” he said grimly. “I’ll walk you down and get you into the car. Call me if you need anything at all, okay?”

Her smile was wan. Forced. “I’ll be fine, Gabe.”