The Frame Job
1372 Words
Sloane;
I didn't sleep at the clubhouse. As soon as the sun came up, I grabbed my tool bag and slipped out the back door. I didn't want to see Killian Thorne again. My lips still felt burned from his kiss, and my heart felt heavy. I took a bus to my friend Jinx’s apartment.
Jinx opened the door and screamed. "Sloane! You look like you died and came back to life! Why are you wearing a leather jacket that looks like it costs ten thousand dollars?"
I pushed past her and sat on her couch. "I had a long night, Jinx."
"A long night?" Jinx sniffed the air around me. "You smell like a storm and expensive whiskey. And your shirt is ripped! Did you fight a tiger?"
"I fought Caleb," I said. "And then I met Killian Thorne."
Jinx almost fell over. "The Alpha? The biker king? You met him? Did he hurt you?"
"He kissed me," I whispered.
Jinx’s eyes went wide. "He kissed you? Sloane, that man is dangerous. He is the most powerful wolf in Onyx Harbor. Why would he kiss a mechanic?"
"I don't know," I said. "But he gave me a check for fifty thousand dollars."
Jinx grabbed the check from my pocket. Her jaw dropped. "Sloane, this is real. This is enough to pay for your Nana’s heart surgery and your rent for three years!"
"I can't keep it," I said. "It feels like blood money. I want the money I actually earned. I want my severance pay from the company."
The next morning, I went to Vanguard Holdings. I wore a clean shirt Jinx lent me. I walked into the HR office. I wanted the money Caleb owed me for four years of hard work.
Seraphina Thorne was there. She was sitting in a big chair next to the HR manager. She looked at me like I was a bug.
"Sloane Vance," Seraphina said. Her voice was sharp. "You have a lot of nerve coming here after what you did."
"I didn't do anything," I said. I looked at the HR manager. "I want my pay. I was fired without a reason."
The HR manager shook her head. She put a folder on the desk. "We have a reason, Sloane. We looked at your computer files yesterday."
"What files?" I asked. My stomach felt sick.
"The files that show you stole sixty thousand dollars from the company," Seraphina said with a mean smile. "You sent the money to a private account in your name. We have the emails. We have the dates."
I stared at the papers. "This is a lie! I never saw these emails. I didn't steal anything!"
"The proof is right here," the manager said. "Not only are you not getting any pay, but we are also calling the police. You are a thief, Sloane."
I felt my face get hot. Caleb must have done this. He used my passwords to frame me so I couldn't ask for my money. They wanted to put me in jail so I would stay away from them.
"Caleb did this," I yelled. "He stole the money and put my name on it!"
"Caleb is a hero," Seraphina said, standing up. "He saved the company from a girl who grew up in a trailer park. Guards, take her out of here. If she comes back, call the police."
Two big guards walked toward me. They grabbed my arms.
"Let go of me!" I screamed. I felt my wolf waking up. I wanted to bite them. I wanted to tear this whole building down.
I broke away from the guards. I didn't run for the exit. I ran for the private elevator. The one that went to the top floor. The one that belonged to the CEO.
"Stop her!" Seraphina yelled.
I ran as fast as I could. I hit the button for the top floor. The guards were right behind me. One of them grabbed my hair. I hit him in the face with my elbow.
I jumped into the elevator just as the doors were closing. I hit the button again and again.
I got to the top floor. The doors opened to a huge, quiet office. It smelled like cedarwood and rain.
I ran toward the big desk in the middle of the room. I was breathing hard. I was angry. I was ready to fight.
"Killian!" I shouted. "Your family is lying! They are trying to put me in jail!"
The guards burst out of the stairs. They tackled me to the floor. My face hit the rug. They pulled my arms behind my back.
"Get her out of here!" one guard said. "She’s crazy!"
"Wait."
The voice was like a low growl. It was loud and deep. It filled the whole room.
The guards stopped. They let go of me.
I looked up. Killian Thorne was standing by the window. He looked bigger than he did the night before. He looked like a king.
"She is trespassing, sir," the guard said. "She stole money from the company."
Killian walked toward me. He didn't look at the guards. He only looked at me. He saw my messy hair and my red face. He saw the folder I was still clutching in my hand.
He looked at the guards. "Get out."
"But sir—"
"I said get out," Killian roared.
The guards ran out of the room. The door slammed shut.
I stood up. I was shaking. I threw the folder at his feet. "Caleb framed me. He put fake emails on my computer. They say I’m a thief. They want to send me to jail so I don't tell the truth about the engine designs."
Killian didn't look at the folder. He kept looking at my eyes.
"I know," he said.
I blinked. "You know? Then why aren't you helping me? Why did you let them do it?"
Killian stepped closer. He was so close I could feel the heat from his body. "I don't run the HR office, Sloane. My sister does. And she wants you gone because of what happened on the bike."
"So you're just going to let them ruin my life?" I asked. I felt like crying, but I forced myself not to. "I thought you were different."
Killian reached out. He grabbed my chin and pulled my face up. His eyes were glowing blue.
"I never said I was a good man," he whispered. "But I don't let people steal what belongs to me."
"I don't belong to you," I snapped.
"The bond says you do," he growled.
He pulled me against him. He held me so tight I couldn't move. "Caleb and Malakai are coming for you. If you leave this building, the police will catch you, or the rival pack will kill you. You have two choices."
"What are they?" I asked.
"You can go to jail," Killian said. "Or you can stay here, in my house, and be my mate."
I stared at him. "You don't even like me. You pushed me away last night!"
"I pushed you away because I'm cursed," he said. "Every time I get close to you, it feels like I am dying. But if I let you go, it feels worse."
I looked at the door. I could hear the police sirens in the street below. I looked back at Killian. He was a monster, but he was the only thing standing between me and a cage.
"Stay," he said. It wasn't a question. It was a command.
I took a deep breath. "I'll stay. But I am not your toy. I am a mechanic. I am going to find the proof that Caleb lied, and I am going to break him."
Killian smiled. It was a dark, scary smile. "That’s my girl.”
- Writer
