Free Holding Her Close (Bits and Bytes, Book 0) (Bits & Bytes) by Allyson Lindt Page B

slipped out. Crap, she’d meant to keep that to herself. Her hand flew to her mouth, but it was too late to take it back.
    Scott froze, eyes locked on her, expression locked somewhere between apology and a grimace.
    “Fuck. Really?” Zach’s voice grew in volume. “It hasn’t even been half an hour.”
    His irritation bit at her, but not enough to push aside her concern for her sister. She glared at the phone. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to be the one to break the news.”
    “ Discretion. I’m impressed. Did you think maybe that’s not what I’m worried about?” Zach asked.
    What the hell did that mean? She was about five seconds away from completely losing discretion about some things.
    “ Don’t take this out on her,” Scott interrupted. “We need a plan.”
    Zach growled. “We have a plan. Cash out, walk away. There’s a decent severance offer for them, and they’re all talented people.”
    “ That’s not a plan, it’s retreat.” Scott’s hands clenched into fists.
    “ Semantics.” Zach spat the word. “Call it cut and run if you want. It’s our only option.”
    Rae’s head spun, weighted with concern for her sister, only half registering the volatile conversation. Their mother wouldn't understand. At least she could be there for Chloe. Her voice was soft. “She really likes working for you guys. I don't care if she says otherwise.”
    “ No one’s getting laid off.” Scott dropped back onto the couch and rested a hand on her knee. “We’ll fix it.”
    “ We can’t fix it.” Exhaustion was creeping into Zach’s irritation. “What are the two of you missing about the term ‘hostile takeover’? It’s not our company anymore.”
    Scott flopped back against the couch, back into the cushions . There was a resignation in his voice that had never been there before. “Yeah, same old shit. We’ll do what we have to Monday.”
    “ You’re sure?” Zach asked.
    Rae frowned, hating the surrender. She should stop by the grocery store on the way home. Stock up on ice cream. Plan on Chloe crashing at her place for a little while.
    “Later.” Scott didn’t answer the question, instead leaning forward and disconnecting the phone. He dropped his head into his hands. “This sucks.”
    She didn’t know what to do besides agree.
     
    ****
     
    Rae didn’t know where she was going. Not home. Her afternoon with Scott had tanked hard core after he’d gotten the letter. She wasn’t in the mood to sit in her own apartment and stare blankly at the TV, but she also didn’t want to be around crowds.
    She navigated her car mindlessly through the streets. Her already scattered thoughts fragmented further when she realized she’d landed herself less than a block from Zach’s house.
    Maybe a face to face conversation would change things. She knew it wouldn’t, but the way things had gone over the phone were less than satisfactory. And she knew he wasn’t considering everything. There had to be something they’d missed. Scott wasn’t any help on that front. He wanted to fix things but didn’t have any ideas. Maybe it was time to approach it from a different direction.
    She had no idea what she was going to say to Zach, but she knocked anyway. He’d been an ass the other night — aside from the whole rescuing her thing, and the incredible sex thing before all that… She pushed the memories away. This was a professional call. Something she was doing for her sister and her best friend. Not a reason to dwell on a one-night-stand.
    The door swung open and he stood on the other side, icy gaze raking over her, a searing heat lurking beneath. “Twice in two weeks. Maybe I’ll keep the coffee of the month subscription.” He stepped aside. “Fair warning, though. I love Scott dearly, but I’m sick to death of his denial, so if you’re here to reinforce his delusions the conversation is over.”
    Wow. Abrasive much? It was true, the stress she felt was all second -party, but it had still been