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He shrugged Tom’s hand off and turned, sitting forward in his chair. His beady eyes roamed the room, meeting everyone’s at the table.
“No. You all need to hear this. Your duty, Ms. Ingram, is to protect King Steele, not screw—”
“That’s enough,” she shouted, slamming her fist down on the table.
Silence rocked the room at her outburst. She cursed internally that he had her so rattled. Her breaths were labored as she stared into his venom-filled eyes.
Within a manner of minutes of his hate speech, her reputation as a lawyer had been tarnished. She uncurled her fist and blew out a deep breath, refusing to back down from the man.
“No, let him finish. I want to hear what he has to say,” a deep baritone voice growled.
Avarie turned around and found Shane and Trevor standing in the doorway. Shane stepped into the room, the look of a dark storm rolling in on his face. The room grew silent. The tension magnified now that the King brothers were present. Avarie was certain she could hear the men sitting at the table begin to sweat.
Shane’s steps were slow and calculated, his hands placed in his pants pockets while his dark eyes focused on Conrad. Avarie almost felt sorry for the man.
“Please continue, Mr. Bush. I want you inform the room of what Ms. Ingram’s duty is. Since my father was the one who created the position, I want to make sure she has upheld the honorary position passed down from her father.” Shane paused, standing near Avarie.
She felt another presence on the other side of her and knew without looking that it was Trevor.
“Now see here, Mr. King,” Conrad stuttered under the fierce gaze of Shane. “We know what the position is for. I took the liberty…” his words died off when Shane moved closer to the table.
Shane placed his hands on it and leaned in. He had the look of a predator about to pounce on its prey.
Avarie narrowed her eyes on Conrad, watching him grovel. He might as well get on the floor and show his belly. She found it quite contrary that when the King brothers weren’t in the room, he wasn’t afraid to voice his opinion.
“That’s your problem,” Trevor spoke up. His voice was hard and as cold as his brother’s. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, and Avarie could practically feel the anger roll of him. “No one asked you to do anything.”
“I am,” Shane growled.
Avarie’s heart raced; she was unsure of what he was going to say. She was braced ready to grab on to his suit jack should he jump across the table at the lawyer. With as tense as the room was, she wouldn’t be surprised if he did.
“Clear your office. You are no longer an employee at King Steele. From now on, you won’t have to worry about checking into people that I employ.”
“You’re going to fire me over her?” Conrad flew to his feet.
Avarie stood from her chair, no longer able to sit still. Conrad’s face flushed red, and his beady eyes flew between Shane and Trevor. “I’ve worked for this company for twenty years, and you’re going to fire me over that—”
“Chose your words wisely, Mr. Bush,” Shane snapped. His hands were balled into fists, and it was apparent he was holding his temper.
Conrad met Shane’s glare and must have thought twice about what he was going to say. He stomped to the door and turned. “This won’t be the last you hear from me.”
“This is Trevor King,” Trevor announced on his cell phone, walking about behind the fuming lawyer. “Please come escort Mr. Conrad Bush from the premises…” His voice trailed out as Conrad disappeared from the room.
“Does anyone else have a problem with Ms. Ingram? Speak now.” Shane glared at everyone. Not a peep was heard from the remaining legal team. “Good. This meeting is dismissed.”
The sounds of chairs scraping the floor filled the air. Shane turned his gaze to Avarie and softened.
“Thank you,” she murmured. She collapsed her trembling hands in front of her.
The other members of the legal team quickly filed out. She could have handled Conrad herself but she did have to admit that it felt damn good to have a man come to her rescue.
She’d been fighting battles her entire career having to defend the female sex against the egotistical and chauvinistic male ideas. For once, she would step back and let someone fight a battle. It wasn’t the end of the war, but at least now she felt as if she had an ally.
Shane moved to stand in front of her, his eyes searching hers. She blew out a deep breath and glanced around the empty room, trying to figure out how and when the meeting went to Hell in a hand basket soaked with gasoline.
“I’m sorry. Please, let’s go speak in my office.” He placed his hand on her elbow and led her toward the door.
