Bodyguard by Melanie Shawn

39

Savannah

I hadn’t intendedto lay hands on Woodward. Especially not within less than three seconds of stepping into the room. But the sound of his voice had put me over the edge, and I just couldn’t help myself.

I’d always thought he had kind of a punchable face. Of course, I’d never imagined anything like this. Anything like him betraying us. I’d just thought he was a pompous asshole.

Nothing I’d seen or heard in the short time I’d been in the room had done anything to disabuse me of that notion. In fact, I believed it now more than ever. It was just that there was so much more to hate about him than I’d ever suspected.

I felt Gage’s strong hands on my upper arms, pulling me back and off of Woodward. Even through the red haze of my rage, I could see that was probably for the best. I could have killed the man. Which, while it would have been satisfying, would have been counter to our mission with him—get any information he might have that would give us a direction for moving forward, or help us achieve our ultimate objective—somehow solving the Barlowe situation so that I was out of danger.

There were a lot of question marks when it came to that last part. As much as I hated to admit it, we actually needed Woodward, and any light he might be able to shed on the problem. We didn’t have a whole lot of other options. I couldn’t afford to strangle the one we had sitting in front of us. No matter how good my hands would’ve felt wrapped around his neck.

I stood in the corner of the room, breathing hard, trying to pull my rage down from the stratosphere.

I’d thought I couldn’t feel any angrier or more betrayed than I had when I’d seen Woodward’s picture on Gage’s phone. But that had only been an appetizer. What I felt when I was actually in the same room with him—seeing his pasty, arrogant face…hearing his whiny, high-pitched voice—that was the main fucking course.

But I knew I needed to calm down. If I couldn’t get myself under control, I’d be a detriment, and Gage would have to send me out. And I wouldn’t blame him.

But getting myself under control was one of those things that was a lot easier said than done.