Read Online Taken by the Beast (The Conduit Series Book 1) by Rebecca Hamilton, Conner Kressley - Free Book Online
Authors: Rebecca Hamilton, Conner Kressley
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destruction surrounding him. Though he remained his hulking self, dressed in a gray pair of pants and a tight matching blazer, he looked smaller somehow.
It didn’t take me long to recognize the look on his face. It was the same one I felt on my own when my agent told me I had aged out of modeling, when I had to move to a smaller apartment, when Mom was diagnosed. It was utter defeat, the sort one only earns by watching everything they’ve built melt away in an instant.
Maybe I had been wrong about Abram not caring about The Castle. Whatever things in this world were important to him, this club was among them.
I walked a few steps toward him, but decided it prudent to keep at least some distance between us.
I splayed my hands. “What happened?”
“Looters, I suppose. That’s what the fire department told me.” He shrugged lightly. “They took the beer, all the alcohol. Smashed up the place pretty good. I’m told I’m ‘lucky’ they were able to contain the fire. Some
luck
, huh?”
My hand flexed into a fist at my side. “My God, why didn’t you call me?”
“I didn’t think you would care,” he mumbled.
“That’s not fair,” I said, shaking my head. “I know we didn’t leave off in a good place, but if you needed me, I would have come.” I cleared my throat, turning to hide the blush creeping up my cheeks. “I mean, it’s my job.”
“Is it?” he asked, arching his brows. “After the other day, I wasn’t sure. What are you doing here anyway? You obviously didn’t know any of this was going on, and you’re not on the schedule.”
“I came here to quit.” I sighed. “But it’s not—”
“Quit then,” he said. “I wouldn’t blame you.” His gaze panned the room. “I know I gave you a hard time before, but you shouldn’t have to go through this. It isn’t your mess to clean up.”
Turned out that was all it took. Looking at Abram, so humbled, so downtrodden, and hearing him tell me that none of this was my problem … well, it made me want
to
make
it my problem.
He was a dick, sure. But he was also right. I shouldn’t have to go through this. No one should.
Not even him.
“I can’t believe how selfish people are,” I said, and I crossed the rest of the way to kneel beside him on the floor—even though it would likely ruin my designer skirt. “To hit you when you’re down like this, all for a couple bottles of beer and whiskey.”
“Please.” He scoffed. “Tell me you aren’t as blind or ignorant as the firemen and police officers in this town.”
“What?” I narrowed my eyes. “You don’t think this was a burglary?”
“The fire started upstairs,” he said, his gaze lifting up. “Where that girl was killed.”
I wasn’t sure whether it was what he said or the way his dark eyes bore into me after he said it, but suddenly it was hard to form words.
“I—you …” My hands twisted together in my lap. I wanted to reach out to comfort him, but for some reason, it felt wrong. “You think someone was trying to destroy the evidence?”
“No,” he said, scowling. “I think someone
succeeded
in destroying the evidence. The entire attic is gone. Most of the bottom floor was ravaged.”
I didn’t know what to say. Nothing would make him feel better.
“There’s nothing left here, Ms. Bellamy, at least nothing you can help me fix.”
“So that’s it?” I asked. “You have one bad week, and you just give up?”
He smirked, challenging me with his gaze. “Says the girl who came to quit.”
I lowered my head and stared at my hands folded in my lap. “It’s not like that.”
He sat up straighter, some of his old self shining through again, and I didn’t know whether to be grateful or annoyed for that. “Then tell me what it is like.”
Yes, I
had
just come in to quit, in no small part because I saw this place, and my boss, as a lost cause. That didn’t mean I wanted Abram to feel the same way, though, and I wasn’t sure how to tell
It didn’t take me long to recognize the look on his face. It was the same one I felt on my own when my agent told me I had aged out of modeling, when I had to move to a smaller apartment, when Mom was diagnosed. It was utter defeat, the sort one only earns by watching everything they’ve built melt away in an instant.
Maybe I had been wrong about Abram not caring about The Castle. Whatever things in this world were important to him, this club was among them.
I walked a few steps toward him, but decided it prudent to keep at least some distance between us.
I splayed my hands. “What happened?”
“Looters, I suppose. That’s what the fire department told me.” He shrugged lightly. “They took the beer, all the alcohol. Smashed up the place pretty good. I’m told I’m ‘lucky’ they were able to contain the fire. Some
luck
, huh?”
My hand flexed into a fist at my side. “My God, why didn’t you call me?”
“I didn’t think you would care,” he mumbled.
“That’s not fair,” I said, shaking my head. “I know we didn’t leave off in a good place, but if you needed me, I would have come.” I cleared my throat, turning to hide the blush creeping up my cheeks. “I mean, it’s my job.”
“Is it?” he asked, arching his brows. “After the other day, I wasn’t sure. What are you doing here anyway? You obviously didn’t know any of this was going on, and you’re not on the schedule.”
“I came here to quit.” I sighed. “But it’s not—”
“Quit then,” he said. “I wouldn’t blame you.” His gaze panned the room. “I know I gave you a hard time before, but you shouldn’t have to go through this. It isn’t your mess to clean up.”
Turned out that was all it took. Looking at Abram, so humbled, so downtrodden, and hearing him tell me that none of this was my problem … well, it made me want
to
make
it my problem.
He was a dick, sure. But he was also right. I shouldn’t have to go through this. No one should.
Not even him.
“I can’t believe how selfish people are,” I said, and I crossed the rest of the way to kneel beside him on the floor—even though it would likely ruin my designer skirt. “To hit you when you’re down like this, all for a couple bottles of beer and whiskey.”
“Please.” He scoffed. “Tell me you aren’t as blind or ignorant as the firemen and police officers in this town.”
“What?” I narrowed my eyes. “You don’t think this was a burglary?”
“The fire started upstairs,” he said, his gaze lifting up. “Where that girl was killed.”
I wasn’t sure whether it was what he said or the way his dark eyes bore into me after he said it, but suddenly it was hard to form words.
“I—you …” My hands twisted together in my lap. I wanted to reach out to comfort him, but for some reason, it felt wrong. “You think someone was trying to destroy the evidence?”
“No,” he said, scowling. “I think someone
succeeded
in destroying the evidence. The entire attic is gone. Most of the bottom floor was ravaged.”
I didn’t know what to say. Nothing would make him feel better.
“There’s nothing left here, Ms. Bellamy, at least nothing you can help me fix.”
“So that’s it?” I asked. “You have one bad week, and you just give up?”
He smirked, challenging me with his gaze. “Says the girl who came to quit.”
I lowered my head and stared at my hands folded in my lap. “It’s not like that.”
He sat up straighter, some of his old self shining through again, and I didn’t know whether to be grateful or annoyed for that. “Then tell me what it is like.”
Yes, I
had
just come in to quit, in no small part because I saw this place, and my boss, as a lost cause. That didn’t mean I wanted Abram to feel the same way, though, and I wasn’t sure how to tell
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