Page 118 of Power

He could be bluffing.

“The board is circling for blood,” Marcus explained. “If anything else comes up that spooks them off, the acquisition will be canceled, and everyone in this company will be out of a job.”

Oh. So, that was what he was doing. Trying to warn me that it wasn’t just Jace who would suffer the consequences if I spoke out against Marcus; everyone at this company would suffer.

“And you expect me to believe all of that? Do you pinkie promise it’s true?” I held up my little finger, sarcasm dripping from every word.

“It is true. Whether you want to believe it or not is irrelevant.”

“You don’t care about Jace or the employees. You only care about yourself.”

He cocked his head, as if waiting for me to put the pieces together. It took me a second, and I had to say, I wouldn’t have guessed it if he hadn’t come in here playing the part of evil villain, but Marcus was an executive. Jace was in hot water. Marcus was here, looking like he’d won, and that must mean …

“They want you to take over.” I prayed he’d deny it. Or at least give me a flash of something on his face that told me it wasn’t true, but with sickening awareness, I realized it must be true. “So, you’re here to beg me for my silence? For Jace’s sake, right?” I added sarcastically.

“No.” He took a step closer and sneered at me, letting ten seconds pass. “I’m here to make it look like I did.”

My eyes darted between his, my mouth falling open as the pieces clicked into place.

“You did this,” I realized, searching his face for any flicker of guilt. “You got him in trouble because you want to take himdown.”

Marcus’s jaw clenched, but he remained silent, his eyes never leaving mine.

“You’ve been resentful of him, haven’t you?” I continued. “Being second-in-command.” I circled him slowly, the way he’d circled me countless times before. “You’ve probably watched him make decisions and thought you could do better.”

A muscle twitched in his cheek, telling me I’d struck a nerve.

I leaned in, close enough to catch the scent of his expensive cologne. “Jealousy is a dangerous emotion, Marcus.”

He exhaled sharply through his nose, hands curling into fists at his sides.

“But this?” I gestured between me and upstairs, in the direction of Jace’s office. “This opportunity fell in your lap unexpectedly.” My lips curved into a bitter smile. “Taking him down, seeing him replaced—that was the goal. But they offeredyouthe role, didn’t they?”

Marcus’s facade finally cracked, his eyes widening just enough for me to know I’d hit the mark.

“Which you didn’t expect,” I continued. “Typically, when a board asks a CEO to step down, they bring in their own, but they’re offering you to become the CEO of Lockwood Holdings.”

I stepped closer, riding the wave of newfound power. “So, now all your dirty little secrets are going to be a gigantic problem if they come out, aren’t they?”

“Stop talking,” Marcus hissed.

I crossed my arms, unmoved by his command.

“Because the NEW CEO of Lockwood Holdings? He can’t be entangled in a sexual harassment scandal now.” I paused for effect, watching his face drain of color. “Let alone an assault charge.”

Marcus barked out a laugh. “They’ll never believe you.”

“Maybe not,” I conceded with a shrug. My fingers traced the edge of my phone in my pocket, drawing comfort from its presence. “But if they’re willing to fire Jace over a possible relationshipwith an employee, what will they do when they discover a written police report detailing your assault?”

His mouth twisted into a sneer. “They’ll think you were trying to get back at me for taking Jace’s job.”

I couldn’t help the triumphant smile that spread across my face. “Well, there’s just one little problem with that, isn’t there?”

“And what’s that?” he growled, taking a menacing step forward.

I stood my ground, chin lifted. “I filed the police report this morning. It’s time-stamped,” I said, the words landing between us like a grenade. “Sounds like you just found out about replacing Jace, so how is it that I would’ve woken up this morning with, what, psychic capabilities?” I spread my hands wide. “And decided to try to take you down as a preemptive strike?”

I shook my head slowly, watching realization dawn in his eyes. The air in the room chilled a thousand degrees with that look on his face. His jaw clenched, his eyes darkening to something primitive and dangerous.