Page 87 of Savage Suit

Guilt was a rotten emotion. By the time I summoned my driver, there were only forty-five minutes until the press conference. Alessia hadn’t wanted to attend, so once my driver dropped off Nathaniel and me, he brought her home.

Beginning the press conference with me already present was one thing. Walking in while it happened would’ve stolen Ryan’s moment to shine. I’d had my driver drop us off in the parking garage and entered the building via that route, where members of building security met us and ushered us to their office. Ryan’s nervousness surprised me. Unable to see her struggling over words, I texted Megan to cut Ryan’s time and answer questions until I arrived to take over.

But Ryan, dedicated and determined, regrouped, and found the courage to start over. She’d been knowledgeable and succinct, demonstrating her quick thinking to Ingrid Warrington’s questions. Until the reporter revealed a fact I’d wondered if Ryan knew.

The shocking way she’d blurted the revelation took me a moment to register. Just as they had, a camera panned to Ryan. She hadn’t known the truth behind her mother’s murder and her father’s death. No one had ever shown the suicide note mentioned in the incident report to her. Ingrid Warrington had exposed a dark family secret on live television.

“Where’s Ryan?”

No one answered. Fury roared through me. I’d never wanted to destroy a woman as much as I suddenly craved to annihilate Ingrid Warrington.

“Ryan is where she’s supposed to be,” Nicholas answered coldly. “Downstairs at the fucking press conference.”

“Fuck you, Nick.” I glared at Jose. “Get down there and get her upstairs.”

“Yes, sir, Mr. Kee—”

“Leave her where she is, Jose,” Nicholas interrupted.

I shoved Nicholas, then decided I needed him within a punch’s reach. Yanking him by his tie, I pulled him closer. The knot in the silk tightened around his throat. I didn’t give a fuck. “Stand down. Call Reid and tell him to send Ryan to me.”

“Noah, let him go,” Nate cried. “You’re strangling him. He’s turning fucking purple.”

Blinded by rage, I didn’t see it. Nathaniel tried to jerk me away but couldn’t. Nicholas attempted to pry my fingers from his neck. I wouldn’t release him.

“What the fuck did you do, fuckhead?” I was sure he’d orchestrated the travesty in the lobby. “You gave Ingrid—”

Nathaniel and Jose pulling me away interrupted me. Nicholas stumbled back, doubled over, racked with coughing.

“Mr. Keegan, sir,” Jose started, drawing my attention to him. “We’ve called Wilbur. He should be arriving shortly.”

“I didn’t ask anyone to call my driver.”

Jose cleared his throat. “Mr. Nick instructed me to do so.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nicholas accept a bottled water from one of the security guys. “You’re fired,” I told Jose, stepping away, only to have Nathaniel rush in front of me and blocking direct access to Nicholas. “All of you are terminated.”

The men shifted, glancing between each other. Jose lost the color in his face. In the back of my mind, I remembered he had a wife and four or five children. He’d worked for me for nearly seven years and had always been on top of his game. Except tonight. He’d failed Ryan, so he’d failed me.

“You can’t fire these men,” Nicholas snapped, hoarse but unfortunately conscious.

“I can do whatever the fuck I want to,” I reminded him.

“Under what circumstances are you letting them go?” he asked me.

That was a no-brainer. “Dereliction of duty.”

“To whom?” Nicholas demanded.

The image of Ryan, frozen by shock, so pale I thought she’d collapse, rose in my head. My first thought had been to go to her, but then that woman, putrid, foul, and miserable, continued her fucking torment. Before I had the chance to blast her, Nicholas and Nathaniel were manhandling me, forcing me to leave Ryan alone in that fucking den of wolves.

“Ryan.” Her name fell from Nicholas’s lips in triumph. “She sucked your cock.”

His words reignited my fury, and I barreled toward him, backhanding Nathaniel to clear my path. I didn’t stop to threaten but punched Nicholas’ jaw quickly following with a blow to his gut. As he crumpled, I reached for him, but Nathaniel and Jose interfered again and dragged me away.

“Stop, Noah!” Nathaniel ordered, unable to keep me in his grip because Jose released me as soon as they placed some distance between Nicholas and me. “You’ve lost your mind.”

“No, he emptied his balls,” Nicholas said, staggering to his feet.