Page 80 of Scent to the Feral Cowboys

My hand still clutched the knob, still turning as if I could keep doing so. Turn harder, further. Open another door, instead of this one.

Vince wasn't alone. There were three other men in suits, two of them flanking my boss’s desk like sentinels, and the third standing slightly apart, his razor-sharp nose and wire-rimmed glasses giving him the appearance of a predatory bird. That last man clutched a tablet and a thick file folder against his chest. The air in the room felt charged, like the moment before lightning strikes. Every instinct in my body screamed danger.

"Nelly." Vince's usual gruff demeanor seemed amplified, his bushy eyebrows drawn together over his watery blue gaze. "Come in and close the door."

My fingers slipped from the knob, as if they too realized it was easier to give in to whatever was happening. I stepped forward reluctantly.

Everything, including me, felt like it was caught in molasses. The world was in a container. It tilted, slowly pouring its contents. I walked on half speed, body protesting the resistance of the viscous reality.Something was very wrong. Vince calling me here had nothing to do with the pervy Alpha I’d turned down…

Without looking, I gently shoved the door. It pushed into its frame, clicking closed.

That sound seemed to be a cue for time to restore.

Things suddenly sped too fast, as if making up for falling behind.

My gaze darted between the three strangers, taking in details with the kind of hyperawareness that goes together with fear.

All Betas, two trying to fake Alpha confidence.

Broad shoulders.

Suits tailored to disguise muscles.

Shaved head, showing off boxer ears.

Slicked back hair, revealing a prominent widow’s peak.

A scar down a cheek.

Cold, calculating gazes.

Grim mouths.

No smiles.

The hawk-nosed man with the glasses cleared his throat, calling my attention towards him as he adjusted his position to get a better look at me. But he said nothing. Compared to the intimidating Betas, this man’s gaze was nearly apathetic. He looked down, waking up his tablet and tapping a few times. He glanced up again, seeming to appraise me with professional detachment. Down once more, tapping and reading. He did this half a dozen times and I wanted to scream at him to take a damn picture. I shuffled, trying to ignore him. My eyes locked on a picture behind Vince. Red roses. Thorns on their stems. A blackvoid of a background. I didn’t know what was happening, but I refused to show them how terrified I felt.

"Have a seat," Vince spoke, and I risked a glance at him. He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. I quickly looked back up at the painted roses again.

"I'd rather stand," I replied, my voice steadier than I felt as I counted each sharp, piercing thorn. “Can you tell me why I’m here?” I did my best to keep it casual, to not show I was falling apart inside.

"Ms. Shaw," Vince began, then he paused.And, dammit, I looked at him. He was the one avoiding my eyes this time. He looked just past my head to the right. People did that when they needed to deliver bad news. It was the same thing I was doing to avoid hearing bad news.Shit.

He restarted. “Ms. Shaw, I need you to clean out your personal belongings from the club."

The floor tilted, like I was on a ship at sea during a storm. No time to adjust. No sea legs. No life preserver if I fell overboard.

“What? Why?” This had nothing to do with the pervy Alpha I’d turned down. There was something else going on… something worth firing me over.

Vince didn’t answer my questions, he simply continued like I hadn’t spoken at all. “Whatever you leave behind will be discarded. The terms of your contract do not obligate the club to return any personal items to you once you’re no longer employed. These gentlemen,” he cocked his head slightly left and then right, indicating the large Betas, “will escort you to the changing area and staff bathroom."

My heart hammered against my ribs, anxiety coiling in my belly.

“I don't understand. I’ve made so much money for the club. I’m already more requested than the other girls. What did I do wrong? Why are you treating me this way?”

Vince finally locked eyes with me, and his gaze was hard and unyielding. "I think you knowexactlywhy.”

The way he said it…