Chapter 2

Bryony Parker dropped into her desk chair and sighed happily. She loved the smell of paper and leather. That's what most of her work dealt with. She got to look into the archives and find old books. It meant she didn't have much to do but spend all day locked in a library looking for out of print books they could republish.

Her dreams had come true when she had gotten an academic scholarship fresh out of high school. Growing up in Pittsburgh meant she had had a rich upbringing. She had lived on the good side of town and hung out with the rich crowd. She had dated the captain of the soccer team her senior year before he dumped her for the head cheerleader. As cliché as it sounded, she really didn't care. She had her books.

She had gone to college and graduated a year early with a degree in English. That had given her job opportunities galore. She had decided to go with a publishing house that excelled in bringing old classics back to life.

She dreamed of doing more, but a lower income girl from Pittsburgh with no connections couldn't do much. She had started in the archives and actually enjoyed it. It meant she didn't have to listen to stupid people spout stupid stuff. All she had to do was make sure everything was neat and tidy and ready for reprint when the author so wished.

"Bryony? Oh there you are. I need your help," a dark brunette said.

She turned to see what was going on. "What do you need, Amelia?"

Amelia smiled at the calm voice the woman before her always used when talking with just about anyone. "We need you up in covers. Brad is having a fit."

"When is Brad not having a fit?" Brad was one of the bosses and no one liked him. His attitude sucked and he thought he could do whatever he wanted. All of the women tried to stay away from him and most of the men as well.

"Good point but he's asking specifically for you."

Bryony sighed and looped her arm through her friends. "Come on. We'll go together since that is where you work after all."

Amelia smiled and both women got in the elevator. They talked quietly for the few seconds it took to get to the fifth floor where coverings and designs were. Amelia was the artist of the two while Bryony preferred to have her nose stuck in books. They were a great pair when they decided to work together.

Amelia slunk back to her desk and sat down as Bryony walked to Brad. The slightly older man stood by his desk on the phone. He was talking semi-quietly and that meant he was losing his temper with the printer they had hired to make production go faster. He was sandy haired with dark eyes that seemed as if he were looking through a person instead of at him or her.

He turned as she came to a stop beside him and held up one finger that told her to stay where she was. Pompous ass.

Bryony rolled her eyes. There was nothing more she hated than a chauvinistic male and boy, Brad was chauvinistic. He thoughtwomen were around for him to simply say and word and they fell all over him.

He was a little put off with her because not only did she not fall for him, but also she steadfastly refused to be alone with him.

She had seen what the girls at her high school had done to the fourteen-year-old girl who had their football captain arrested for rape. They pretty much ran her out of school. Bryony hadn't seen her since then but she had resolved herself never to be like those girls. Sometimes she even wondered what she was doing now, but her ordeal had taught Bryony the signals to look for.

"Yes, sir, I understand. I'll make sure the office is clean by the time he gets here. I understand, sir. Good day to you too." He hung up the phone and punched a fist in the air. "Why can't we ever catch a break?"

"What's going on?" Dex, a guy to Bryony's right, asked. He had been working here before her but she knew he was a good guy. It also helped that he was gay and understood what she was going through with their boss.

Brad ran a hand through his hair. "The company's being bought out from under Mr. Stan's feet. He says it's an insane amount and he couldn't turn it down. He's retiring and going to Maui to settle down. We have a new CEO coming in."

He growled then smiled when he saw Bryony standing there. His teeth gleamed yellow in the fluorescent lighting. He was still smoking at least a pack a day it seemed. "Hello, Bryony."

She brushed off his overly friendly smile. "What did you want, Brad? I was busy down in the archives."

"With your nose in those dusty old books, I assume." He shook his head before she could respond. "I need your help deciding on a book cover for the new edition of "Pride & Prejudice" we're putting out next month in celebration of Jane Austen's birthday."

She looked over her shoulder around the office. "You couldn't have asked one of these lovely ladies?"

"It's your baby. I want your opinion."

She rolled her eyes as she sighed. "Just make sure it has something of money and other stuff on the cover. In other words I don't care how you do it. Now I'm going back to my department to wait for the new boss."

Amelia grabbed her hand as she walked out the door. Dealing with Brad was like dealing with a stubborn child. She had to do it quietly and calmly or he would lose his temper. Besides, she had other fish to fry. Who was this new boss and why had he or she suddenly bought out a prosperous company?

***

Keldin blinked at his brother as the cab stopped in front of a metal building. He couldn't believe what he was hearing but he had to hear it again to make sure he was hearing it right in the first place.

"You bought the publishing house?" he asked. Incredulity dripped off every word. "What has gotten into you?"

"It's the easiest way to keep an eye on the woman. Besides Emery said he'll keep an eye on the workings of the business as I get to know the archivist," Austin replied as he stepped out of the cab and onto the sidewalk.

Keldin stared at his brother, mouth slightly agape as he paid the cabby. "Austin, you're insane. What if this woman hates you? That has happened before you know?"

Both brothers were in designer suits, one of the perks of not only being wealthy in their family but also being part of the Court. They were paid rather handsomely and that allowed them to splurge every once in a while. Austin, who usually kept his hair buzzed, had let it grow out a little so it matched his brother's length.

They were a sight to behold. Both were rather bulky because of the intense training they had taken up when they took on being Leaders of Sectors. The only difference between the two was Keldin's eyes. When they had hit puberty and their powers had started to come in, one of Keldin's eyes went from blue to green because of his power over the earth.

"I did it to help the company and her." When his brother didn't answer he turned around to the sight of a deadpan stare. "Don't give me that look. It's an idea to help her."

"Albeit a stupid one." It was Austin's turn to make a face. "Look, I'm just saying you do crazy stuff all the time but this might be the craziest. Do you remember what you and Tyler did to protect Isabel that didn't turn out so great?"

He caught Austin flinching at the name, a clear reminder he did know what had happened. Isabel was woman they had gone to save who had tragically lost her life when the plan had gone wrong. Austin had been the one holding her when she'd been ripped away from him. They still weren't quite sure what had happened, but the woman had died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Keldin pressed on either way. "She didn't make it. I don't want you, or Bryony's family, to go through the same thing. It wasn't fun picking your drunk ass up every night."

"I wasn't that drunk." Keldin gave him a pointed look. "And besides you're supposed to be here because I'm taking care of you. Not the other way around."

"I'm going to be doing my own thing in this big city while you work on the investment you just made. I'm coming in with you to make sure you don't make an ass of yourself on the first day."

He had a feeling his brother would say that. Keldin wasn't the best at letting someone take care of him. It had been a fight just to get him out of bed after the first few months and now they had a hard time getting him to go to bed. He hadn't been confirmed as bipolar but he showed symptoms.

Instead of forcing him to do what they wanted, they simply monitored him. If he wanted to do something, he was going to do it whether they wanted him to or not. If he said he was going to tour the city, he was going to do just that.

"Your confidence in me is so inspiring." He laughed when his brother punched him playfully in the arm. "Come on, brother. Let's go tackle this company."

Keldin mocked him but followed him inside anyway. It was the least he could do even though his brother was bound to piss someone off. It was Austin's specialty.