Natalie freezes.
I see the unnatural terror in her eyes when she looks at Robert towering over her, his fingers digging into her skin. “You did this, didn’t you?! You told him to get rid of m?—”
I’m by her side in a heartbeat, grabbing the man’s wrist and forcing him to release Natalie’s hand, furious. Shoving the terrifiedwoman behind me, I grab Robert by his shirt and slam him face down into my desk. His cry of pain doesn’t register on me as I lift my fist.
“No!”
Natalie grabs my arm, her voice shaking. “Stop it!”
I turn to look at her, my blood pounding in my ears. I can’t shake off the image of the raw fear in those blue eyes. Even now, she looks terrified.
Is it of me? Is she scared of me?
“He put his hands on you,” I snarl.
“I-I’m fine.” Her voice trembles. “You can’t hurt him. You can’t!”
She’s not let go of me yet, and slowly, I take a step back, releasing the fool.
“Go get Clarice,” I order her, reining my emotions in. As she walks away, I wait for the door to close before grabbing Robert by the back of his shirt and throwing him to the ground, my voice low and threatening. “You’re lucky she stopped me in time. But I’m not done with you yet.”
As he gets to his feet, eyeing me cautiously, I say coolly, “You will never find another job in this industry again. I’ll make sure of it. You should’ve walked out of this office when I gave you the chance. But you chose to put your hands on Natalie of all people. That’s going to cost you everything.”
“That’s a threat! You’re threatening me!” Robert splutters, waving his finger at me.
The door to my office is thrown open, and Clarice marches in. Her sharp eyes assess the situation within seconds before she says calmly, “Security is on their way. Do I need to call the police, Mr. Wilder?”
“No need. Have security escort this man to his office and watch him remove all his personal items. I want you to check everything he takes with him. He is not allowed to enter thisbuilding again. As of now, Mr. Dean’s contract with this firm is terminated.”
“I’ll sue you, you bastard!” Robert wipes the blood from the cut on his forehead. “I’m going to sue you and that bitch!”
“I’m sure you’ll try.”
Robert’s eyes nearly bulge out of his head, and he grabs something from my desk, rushing towards Natalie who is standing beside Clarice. “You did this. Braxton warned me about you!”
He has a letter opener in his hand, and he plunges it towards Natalie.
Clarice cries out in alarm. “Miss Thorne!”
I move faster than I ever have before, throwing myself in front of the red-haired woman. My right hand is outstretched, and I feel a hard, digging pain in the center of it. The sounds of footsteps in the hallway outside barely register on me as I use my left fist to punch Robert in the face. He staggers back, dropping the bloodied letter opener on the ground.
“Ethan!” In the distance I hear my brother’s alarmed voice but all I can focus on is the woman standing behind me.
When I look up, Jake bursts through the door. He leaps on Robert, restraining him, as two security guards enter moments later.
“Are you alright?” I demand, turning to face Natalie, my eyes running over her, heart pounding. But when she looks at me there is stark concern, mixed with thick fear, in those pretty blue eyes.
“Me? Your hand, Ethan!” Natalie reaches out to grab my wrist, turning my palm over. I stare at the dark red seeping from the center of the puncture wound. So that’s what that burning sensation was.
“We need to take you to a hospital!” The panic in her voice grounds me. Her hand is wrapped around my wrist in a death grip.
“It’s just a flesh wound,” I try to reassure her. “Clarice, call the police.”
My assistant nods curtly, before focusing her attention on the guards. “Take him downstairs.”
My brother leaps to my side as she hurries after the guards. “Hospital, Ethan. This isn’t superficial.”
“It’s fine.” I grimace at him, ignoring the stinging pain. “There’s a first aid kit in the cupboard over there. Go fetch it.”
