Free Fire and Ice (an extended epilogue) by Victoria Paige

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER
ONE
     
    Jack
had gone too far this time. His overprotectiveness was out of
control. This last stunt of his undermined her position at AGS,
which she had spent years to build. Her Mercedes screeched to a
halt in front of the Trident Building, and she bolted out of the
car.
    The guard ran down the steps. “Miss Pierce,
you can’t park there.”
    “ Have it towed; I don’t care!”
Maia snapped as she shouldered past the guard. The car was an
engagement gift from Jack. After their whirlwind trip to Paris,
where he had proposed, the first order of business when they got
back was setting her up in all the luxury his money could buy. She
was overwhelmed if not a bit uneasy. And she knew now where that
unease came from. Showering her with expensive gifts did not give
him the right to control her life.
    The elevator couldn’t reach the eighteenth
floor fast enough: every second that passed was another second that
fueled her fury.
    When the doors finally slid open, she nodded
briefly to Ally, the beautiful receptionist at McCord Defense
Industries (MDI). The brunette was surprised to see her, and she
quickly ducked her head to look at her computer.
    “ Maia!” Laurie greeted her.
“Jack...wasn’t expecting you.”
    Maia stared at her fiancé’s personal
assistant. “Do I need an appointment to see Jack? Is he
in?”
    “ He’s in a conference call right
now.” Laurie hurried beside her and tried to discreetly block the
door to Jack’s office. “I’m not sure it’s a good time.”
    “ You know why I am here, Laurie,”
Maia said coldly. She hated intimidating Jack’s employees, but she
had hit the end of her patience with him. She speared Laurie with
an unbending stare, and the petite personal assistant stepped
aside.
    Maia gripped the knob, inhaling
deeply before opening the door. Jack paused midsentence, his brows
drawn together. Derek Lockwood, who was sitting in front of Jack’s
desk, twisted his body around and mouthed: Oh fuck .
    “ Gentlemen, I have an emergency I
have to attend to—we’ll pick this up this afternoon,” Jack said,
hanging up the phone.
    “ I’m sorry, Jack, I tried ...”
Laurie began.
    “ Not your fault, Laurie,” Maia
told her firmly before Jack could say anything. Maia walked
forward, holding her fiancé’s wary gaze. “No one can stop me from
confronting my deceitful fiancé.”
    Laurie mumbled something unintelligible while
Derek made a move to rise, but Maia momentarily turned her wrathful
glare at her friend. “Stay, Derek. I don’t think this AGS fiasco
would have been pushed through without your knowledge.”
    “ Maia, babe...” Jack began as he
stood up.
    “ Don’t you babe, me, Jack,” Maia
said, firing her opening salvo. “How dare you keep something this
big from me?”
    “ The same way you sneak off to
parts unknown without my knowledge,” Jack shot back. “Did you think
your little excursion to Mexico would have no fallout?”
    “ How will investing in AGS
mitigate that? Huh, tell me?” Maia challenged. “Not even the AGS
knew that Nathan and I were gone. If I wanted to take off on my
own, I will. And not a single dime from your billions is going to
make any difference. What you’ve succeeded at with this little
power play of yours is to show me how little you trust
me.”
    “ And whose fault is that?” Jack
asked as he rounded the desk to stand in front of her. He towered
over her and lowered his head to get in her face. “Sweetheart, I’ll
spend every last penny to keep you from doing stupid shit. Get that
through your damned head and accept it. I’ll know every single
deployment, location, and target. Even what you’ve had for dinner.
I—Will— Know.”
    Why this unrepentant
bastard! Maia fumed inwardly and then
redirected her anger at Derek. “How could you let him do
this?”
    “ Maia—”
    “ Don’t look at Derek, Maia—look at
me,” Jack growled as her eyes snapped back to his.