The Price Possession

TAYLOR

Cleaning up my office gave me a few moments to clear my head.

When Everly left, I was practically boiling—ready to explode.

I closed the door and proceeded to throw everything off my desk and shelves and then punch a crack in the drywall.

I’d been cleaning for about an hour already, and she still remained fixed in my thoughts.

It wasn’t enough I had to deal with this takeover and all the opposition I was crashing into.

Or that Everly had come back into my world as a permanent part of my business partner’s life.

Or that no matter how much time went by, I never seemed to escape Dante Luciano.

He was my father’s former business associate, and I was never happy to see him.

He had surprised me by showing up here and wasted no time before starting his favorite conversation: the “small” request he had.

I could only stall him for so long. I wouldn’t give him what he was after.

If I caved in to his request, it would be the end for me.

In my heart, I refused to even consider saying “yes” to him. But the Luciano family had their methods of persuasion.

With all that on my mind, I also had to contend with this journalist.

Kate Dawson.

The thorn that keeps jabbing into my side.

I live a life of secrets.

It’s like living in a minefield of my own making and watching everyone else almost step on them.

I steer them out of the way when I can. I push them out when I can’t.

Kate Dawson was putting her feet down in some dangerous places, and the time was nearly upon me to decide.

Do I steer, or do I push?

Ben spotted her spying on my conversation with Dante, and it was possible she already knew too much.

“There,” I said to myself, setting a plant in front of the crack I’d made in the wall.

Everything was back in order. And soon I’d be feeling more centered.

I would find out what Dawson knew.

And then I’ll know what I have to do.

KATE

“Hello? What’s happening? You can’t just keep me here! Hey!” I yelled.

The back of the car was dim; the only light came through the tinted divider glass separating the cabin from the driver’s seat.

The driver couldn’t hear or was ignoring me.

Probably the latter.

When the jacked-up underling of a menacing, powerful, secretive billionaire has you cornered and tells you that you can’t get out of the car, what can you do?

He had a hundred pounds on me; even if I wanted to, I wasn’t going to be able to fight my way free.

All the windows were tinted. And the doors were locked.

So no one could see in to help me, and I couldn’t get out.

That familiar feeling began to creep over.

My muscles tightened.

The air was hard to breathe.

I need to get out of here—need to be out in the open.

I clawed at the handle, but the door was locked.

Breathe.

Don’t panic.

Panicking won’t help.

But it’s perfectly natural when you’re being kidnapped—

I nearly screamed a moment later when the door opened and Taylor Price climbed into the backseat.

“Let me out, I need to get out of here.”

“I can’t do that. Yet.”

“Are you abducting me? I just—I don’t want any trouble, I’m—I can’t breathe,” I croaked between huge gasps for air.

His blue eyes shone in the dim light, like a wolf stalking its prey in the middle of a cold night.

“Are you alright?” he asked, seeming surprised by my meltdown.

My vision got swimmy, and for a second, I wondered if my panic attack might actually make me lose consciousness.

The only thing that brought me back was Price. His strong hand gripped my forearm.

“You’re alright. You’re having an anxiety attack, but it’s already passing, isn’t it?” he said. His gaze was fixed on me, studying me.

He was a surprisingly calming presence. My tension eased, and I started to catch my breath.

He squeezed my forearm. It was more tender than threatening.

His face wasn’t gentle, but there was gentleness in his expression that told me he had experience with panic attacks and knew how to guide someone out of their inner tornado.

He was to blame, of course, since his bodyguard had held me in a locked car.

But I was still relieved that he had stepped in to help me.

“Thank you. I’m okay.”

I pulled my arm free, not needing his help any longer...but I found myself wishing he was still touching me.

“I’d like to get out of the car.”

“And I’d like you to go. But I can’t allow you to leave. Not yet.”

No sooner had I given him some benefit of the doubt than he reminded me of the most defining feature of this moment:

I was his captive.

TAYLOR

It’s true. She was a beauty. And when I reached out and took her arm, there was some kind of spark.

But she was the enemy.

Maybe that was too strong a word, but she was hostile. And I had too many balls in the air to allow her to remain a mystery that could knock me off balance.

I won’t allow that to happen.

“What do you want?” she asked me.

I stared at her. Maybe if I gave her a chance, then a fearful, guilty mind would spill its secrets on its own.

Ben had parked in a space and kept the car idling, and I turned up the air conditioning.

Once her panic passed, an inner steel presented itself, and I realized she wouldn’t crack that easily.

She needs my help for that.

“Who knows what you know?” I demanded.

“I don’t know what you think I know,” she replied, pushing back against me.

“I think you like to play games with people,” I said. “I like playing with people too.

“But I’m not playing now. And you might be clever, but you don’t know what you’re stepping in.” I looked at her, hard.

“I know you’ve seen things,” I said. “Seen people. Seen people doing things.

“As the owner of the company you work for,” I continued, “I want to know your angle. What you’ve seen and why you’re following me.”

She crossed her arms. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was grabbing a newspaper, and your goon picked me up. Should I call the police?”

I liked to dominate people—under the right circumstances.

But this isn’t a game.

And I’m not playing.

Neither was she, apparently, because she stared ahead, calling my bluff.

“Last chance, Ms. Dawson. You should know, this is me trying to not have to be a “dick,” as you like to call me. Do us all a favor and answer my question.”

She continued staring ahead.

“Alright. New approach. I’ve told you what I want. Why don’t you tell me what you want? What’s it going to take to get you to leave me and my company alone?”

“Give me what you already promised me three times. Give me an exclusive: a chance to show the world the man behind the suit and shiny shoes. You won’t be sorry. That is, if you don’t have anything to hide.”

“Why are you so damned interested?”

“I trust my instincts.”

“And what are they telling you?”

“That if I keep digging, I’m going to find some dirt.”

I looked her up and down.

In another circumstance, I’d rather enjoy getting acquainted with Ms. Dawson.

Her type of determined stubbornness could be a beautiful thing to square off against.

It’s always fun to see how long a spirited woman lasted before willingly submitting to me.

But the stakes were too high for my more enjoyable games.

I sighed. I didn’t like the idea of what I was about to do. But it wouldn’t stop me from doing it.

“Alright, then, Ms. Dawson. That’s unfortunate, but it is your decision.”

“‘Alright, then’ what? What happens now?” she asked, still on pins and needles.

I knocked on the partition, and a second later, Ben opened Ms. Dawson’s door.

“You’re free to have a great day.”

She didn’t believe me at first, but after a moment, she got out of the car.

She hurried to her own, jumped into the driver’s seat, put the key in the ignition, and zoomed away before I could change my mind.

It was unfortunate things would pan out this way.

If we had met any other way. If she had been anything but a reporter. If I could be a normal person with a normal life.

She’d be someone to possibly take a shot at.

If and if and if…

But I was who I was.

She was who she was.

I’ve made up my mind.

KATE

I replayed the moment in the back of Price’s car, asking myself if I thought I was in real danger.

If Taylor Price was actually capable of hurting me, or if he was simply trying to scare me.

There was the blonde woman I saw him getting choke-y with, and the Mystery Man I saw him getting hug-y with.

Who they were or what puzzle they might be a piece of, I had no clue.

But it was clear that Price seemed genuinely threatened by me seeing them.

And what was a billionaire capable of when he felt genuinely threatened?

I texted Arthur to tell him I’d be working from home. I didn’t feel like dealing with office politics after my brief abduction.

I wanted to debrief Rick but didn’t have the energy to face him at the office…or to explain the situation over the phone or in the presence of Nana. It would have to wait until tomorrow.

Maybe by then I would have some other piece of the puzzle figured out.

***

The day before yesterday, when our new “partners” had arrived, there was uncertainty in the air. But today, the atmosphere was mournful.

“Hey, Dawson, my office!” Arthur hollered.

I got my ass over there right away.

He didn’t look explosive. Rather, he looked spent, depleted. Defeated.

“No good way to tell you this, Kate, so I’m just going to tell you.”

I knew what he was going to say, or the gist of it, before the words were out of his mouth.

“They’re restructuring,” he said. “I got no choice but to let you go. I’m sorry.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

I’m gone? I’m out? It’s over?!

The office noises echoed in my head. That familiar tension started crawling through my guts, then into my arms and legs.

Without a word spoken, I pushed my way out of the room, down the hall, and out into the open air.

I leaned on the brick wall and scooped in air.

Tension and stress pulsated through me. Losing this job meant…everything.

The floor was falling out beneath us. Me and Nana.

Struggling to keep breathing and imagining a next move to make, the question came to my mind and refused to go away:

Did Taylor Price do this?