Brutal Heir (Billionaire Heirs #2)

Chapter 27

Sage

In the past, I’ve only admired the de Marco home from afar. Now, pulling up in front of the house, I can see all the detail put into the structure. It’s a breathtaking experience.

The two-story mansion stretches out like a pair of magnificent wings. A large wrought-iron gate matches the grates at each window. Each one masked in an intricate design. I wouldn’t have thought the grate to be more than decorative if I hadn’t seen something similar in town.

Ezequiel parks his truck in front of the gate, and I follow suit. He looks at me, as if expecting to see an awestruck expression. Well, he would have gotten one, but it turns out he’s much more interesting than the house.

“Hey again.” I meet him in front of his truck.

“Let’s get this done.” He heads toward the wrought-iron gate then pauses. “Follow me,” he says, changing direction. “It’s easier if we go this way.” He leads me around the house. Even though we’re on an even, well-maintained sidewalk, it isn’t long before I decide I should have driven here.

We go in a side gate then walk past a massive grill area with its own bar then a pool that looks so inviting, I almost want to dive in. Finally, we reach the back of the house.

Ezequiel knocks at the French doors. I catch a glimpse of Addler sitting at the table. Elena is standing between his legs, her arms wrapped around his neck while he caresses her backside. I look away quickly, realizing I’ve stumbled upon an intimate moment.

Ezequiel pushes the door open, and follow him in. Miss I don’t know him, I’m just a local is cozied up with Addler de Marco, playing handsies. I can’t wait until I get her alone on Monday.

Ezequiel clears his throat then gives Elena a quick nod before turning to Addler. Maybe I misunderstood, but I didn’t think things were that formal between them.

“You said it was okay to come by,” Ezequiel says.

“You’re good,” Addler replies.

Elena gives him a sharp look. I wonder what’s going on between them, or her and Ezequiel. It couldn’t have something to do with the comment I made the other day, could it? I search my memory, knowing I made a disparaging remark about him, but I can’t remember what I said.

“Hello again, Mr. de Marco.” I give him a quick nod. “I just needed to check on Elena and make sure she’s okay.” I turn to her, as if I can’t actually see she’s physically okay.

“I’m fine,” she replies, sounding uncomfortable. Is it because we showed up when we did, or something else?

“It’s just that your car has been parked at the office for a couple of days,” I add, more than anything to let her know why I’m here. “The guys reviewed the logs to see if you’d left and didn’t find anything.”

“I’m sorry, Sage. I hadn’t…” She stops, her lips parted as if she doesn’t know what to say. “Hadn’t expected…to be here this long,” she finally finishes.

I know exactly how that can go. I refuse to look at Ezequiel in the meantime.

“That’s fine.” I smile, though I’m more anxious for Monday to get here with every word that’s said. “It’s just that I called Bill.” I shrug, feeling stupid for doing that now that I know what’s going on. “He said for me to call Ezequiel, and he was going to call you. He got concerned when you didn’t answer…”

She winces, and I can sense her discomfort. “I don’t have my cell.”

“Well as you can see, Sage, Elena’s safe,” Addler points out.

My cell phone rings, and the ringtone tells me it’s Bill. “And there he is.” I hit the button to answer. “Hey, Bill.”

“Any luck?” he asks, sounding frazzled. “She isn’t answering.”

“I found her,” I reply, hoping to set him at ease. “She’s safe…”

“Let me talk to her.”

I glance at Elena. “Sure, one sec.” I hand her my cell. “He wants to talk to you.”

Her expression is dismal, as if she’s expecting to be chewed out for hanging with the one guy she should avoid.

“Hi, Bill,” she says, her voice neutral.

“Thank God you’re okay.” The volume is high enough that I can hear the relief in his voice. “Sage was worried that you’d been carried off by an animal or someone lurking around.”

“Well, kind of.” She glances at Addler.

That’s enough to let me put the pieces together. Addler and Ezequiel are the two people who don’t have to log in. Even if she had gone past the gate, they wouldn’t have had to stop.

Bill chuckles. “There was no sign of a scuffle and, if it was an illegal alien, he would’ve taken your car, too. But she says it’s been sitting there for a couple of days…”

A blush runs across her cheeks. She glances at Addler and clears her throat. “I, um… We-we’re working on clearing up the invoices, like you said—”

“I know, girl,” he says. “I talked to Addler on Friday, when you ran late. He told me y’all were getting together.”

Her expression changes. “You did?”

“I told him we were running behind because of all the changes happening when I was running around with Isabella. He agreed you were the best one to help get the coding straightened out so we could close the books right.”

“Really…” She turns to Addler, her expression dark.

“Yup, we had a good long talk. I told him about the expense report running behind. And how you’d gotten after me about the receipts and getting it submitted on time.”

She clears her throat, “I—” She tries to cut in, but he keeps going.

“So you don’t have to worry. I’ve got everything scanned in. And most of it is logged into the report. I just didn’t get to finish, with having to run home.”

All the color leaves her face then floods back with a vengeance. Maybe that’s not the right word to use, with the way she’s looking at Addler now. I can feel the tension in the air; something is about to go down.

“You told him this?” she asks, sounding like she’s doing her best to keep her temper in check. While I’ve never seen her truly angry, I have a feeling that when she is, it’s best to stay out of her way.

“Yes. I told him I’ll be in early tomorrow so I can finish the report and submit it before the bigwigs come in from Houston.”

Meanwhile, Addler appears oblivious to the tension in the room. I’m not sure if I’m missing something or if he simply doesn’t grasp the gravity of the situation.

“I see.” Elena’s voice remains measured as she responds, then she turns away from Addler.

My mind races. Can Addler really be that clueless?

“Then we’ll get him switched over to the big office. I’ll move in next door to you to make things easier on us. He belongs over there anyway, now that he’s the owner.”

That explains the boxes in his office. It’s a bit of a relief, really, knowing he wasn’t fired. I sneak a peek at Ezequiel, knowing things have changed a lot in the past couple of days.

“Okay. I’ll see you then,” she says quietly then ends the call and hands the phone back to me.

I force a smile, trying my best to keep the situation from unraveling even more.

“I need a ride to my car, Sage,” Elena says quietly.

And I fail. My shoulders droop as I shift my weight uncomfortably, looking from her to Addler then back.

“I…” From everything I’ve heard, Addler’s a nice guy…though he was a bit of jerk when I first met him. Now I’m wondering if everything I’ve heard has been wrong. “Okay, of course.”

She shuts her laptop and shoves it into her backpack. Scooping it up, she keeps her chin held high despite the turmoil she must feel inside. Then she walks past us, out the French doors.

Addler’s just watching her leave. I want to tell him to go after her, to convince her to stay. But it’s not my place to interfere. Ultimately, the reality is that it’s his decision to make.

Ezequiel takes a deep breath, as if he doesn’t know what to do. Then he nods, indicating for me to follow Elena. Well, it’s not as if I’d let her take off on her own.

With a heavy heart, I follow her out, ready to provide whatever support she needs.

I follow Elena as she strides past the beautiful pool without a glance. Her pace is quick and purposeful, her backpack bouncing against her back with every step. It’s clear that she’s not happy with how things have turned out.

I catch up and fall into step beside her. We walk for a few moments, the only sound the soft click of our shoes on the pavement.

Finally, I can’t help but ask, “You okay?”

She glances at me, her expression guarded. “I’m fine,” she says, her tone clipped.

I nod, not wanting to push her. We continue walking, the silence stretching between us.