Lila

By lunchtime she was beginning to wonder if any of them would make it through this day. As expected, the media had taken the disappearance of Becky Hanson and run with it. They didn't yet know that she was dead—and Lila still held out hope that Dane's one theory, that his father might be feeding them false information to shake them up—was right. But in truth, she doubted it. Becky had been under a lot of pressure since Dane's press conference. No doubt that pressure came from the sides the press didn't know about, too.

​​

During staff meeting that morning, as Chris briefed the staff on what they could say publicly—that Becky had disappeared, that they would speak to Police and offer anything that was needed, that Dane would give a statement today—Dane had exploded.

"I'm not giving a statement, I'm sending a statement out. A written statement!"

Chris had frowned. "Yes, we know."

"That's not what you said. Don't create expectations."

"Chill, Dane. I just used the wrong word."

"Well, we can't afford any wrong steps now, do you understand?" Dane had turned then, to include all the staff who stared back at him, wide-eyed and unbreathing. "We had nothing to do with Becky's disappearance, but the future of this entire company may rest on us proving that. You do not speak to the press. If you are asked to speak to Police, you let us know so we can send a lawyer with you! You do not gossip with your friends, or comment on social media. You do nothing until this is resolved, do you understand me?"

A murmur of agreement rose in the room, but Lila was frowning. He couldn't expect to intimidate people into loyalty. That was just asking for someone to stab him in the back if they got frustrated or tired of his anger.

"And we'll be very grateful that you've put such effort in when we come through this together," she added. Dane glared at her, but she turned to look around the room too. "Each of you is crucial to the success of this business, and to the united front we need to show the media. You carry the Daniels Security name with you wherever you go. And you've carried it so well. I've never worked for a business that had a better team. I'm impressed. And I'm glad to be a part of it. Thank you for being willing to stick together through this. If we do—if we keep talking only to each other and not to the press—we will come through this and the truth will come out. And your jobs will be secure. And we will be grateful that you walked through this with us."

Chris nodded, though Dane only grimaced at the papers in front of him. The staff murmured again, but Chris cleared his throat and they moved on.

Except, Dane was a ticking time bomb, set to go off at any minute. She watched him lose his shit four times in as many hours. She watched him roar down the phone at a Team Leader who questioned the need for the secondary team on their Tier Two client. She watched him toss a box of papers off the conference table when they watched an afternoon news report about Becky's disappearance, and his name was mentioned three times.

She ached to go to him. To soothe him. But she couldn't. And the warning looks he gave her whenever he found her staring, cut her to the bone.

He wouldn't let her help him. He would only let her help the business.

By four in the afternoon, and his fourth tantrum—this time with the lawyers—she'd had enough. If he wanted her to act normal, well, she was going to. And he could go to hell if he didn't like it.

Dane stood over the table near his desk where three of the legal team sat. Chris and Lila stood off to the side. Chris was calling in updates from the teams and checking with staff to see if anyone had been contacted by Law Enforcement. Lila was pulling together all the reports and adjusting Dane's statement that he was to make at five o'clock, so that it would be in time for the evening news.

But when he started yelling again, she slapped the papers down on the chest at the side of the office and stormed across the floor to Dane, who was roaring at the men. "…team of absolute piss-noodles. How did this happen? How did we get here?"

"You're bullying your own people and it needs to stop!" she snapped.

Dane's mouth snapped closed, but he turned on her like an adder about to strike. "What did you say?"

"You heard me. We all know you're under pressure, and no one wants to see that. But you have to stop venting your anger on the very people who are trying to help you. We cannot present a united front to the world—we cannot have everyone comfortable in your innocence—if you look like you're going to punch anyone who says otherwise!"

"I would never lay a hand on a staff member and you know it!"

"Sure. But does the press? Do Becky Hanson's lawyers? It isn't us you need to convince, Dane. It's them. And right now, you're just undermining yourself. Stop! Take a break! Let us handle some of this for you. Go breathe, or work out, or whatever it is you do to unwind and don't come back until you can speak to people rather than jumping down their throats!"

He quivered with rage, but he'd stopped yelling. The lawyers watched the two of them, eyes cutting back and forth like they were at a tennis match. Dane stared at her and she could see the war inside him—the anger and frustration pounding to get out. But he was smart. He knew she was right. That if he kept acting like this, it would ultimately hurt them. He was battling. Then he blinked, and she thought maybe, just maybe, his measured side was going to win.

Then Chris stepped forward and put his hand on Lila's shoulder. "She's right, Dane. You know she is—"

Lila's heart sank as Dane's eyes fixed on that spot where Chris's hand rested on her shoulder. She shifted, trying to make it look natural. She reached for the papers she'd put down before interrupting him. But the damage was done.

Dane turned on his brother.

.

.

*** Thank you so much for reading! If you're enjoying this book, please vote DAILY. If we reach the top 10 of Power rankings (about 45-50 votes per day), I'll mass-release 5 extra chapters! ***