Royce’s eyes bulged so far out of his head Liv feared he was having a seizure. “Get her the fuck out of my sight!”
Sam pulled her out of the office.
“You’re not very attached to your balls, are you?” Liv snapped, once again trying to pull from his grasp. This time he simply held on tighter.
At the end of the hallway, Geoff held open the elevator doors, his face ashen as he stared everywhere but at Liv. Sam had less shame. He all but tossed Liv inside.
She rubbed her arm where he’d grabbed her. “How much does he pay you to cover for him?”
They ignored her and instead took up matching wide-legged poses in front of her as if they were afraid she’d bolt as soon as they reached the ground floor.
“Do you know what I just saw in there? What he was doing to her?”
The elevator beeped as they reached the second floor.
“You work for a predator. Who knows what the hell he’s doing to her in there!”
With a soft shake and the groan of metal on metal, the elevator reached the ground floor. The doors slid open, and the sudden silence in the kitchen was as pronounced as the blare of a live band at the Grand Ole Opry. Sam and Geoff stepped sideways to hold the doors open and allow her to exit.
In her year of employment there, Liv had watched a half dozen other employees make this particular walk of shame, and now that it was her turn, she felt guilty for all the times she’d behaved exactly as her fellow prisoners did now. The averted gazes. The there but for the grace of God exhale as she passed. The stink of nervous flop sweat. Liv had smelled the odor often enough in her time there, and now she was the one who stank.
Or maybe it was the goons. They reeked of strong-armed intimidation and also maybe a salami sandwich. Which was a surprise because Liv had always assumed that Royce kept them locked in the basement with nothing but protein powder to snort in between bench pressing each other and snarling incoherently.
Riya was the only one who risked the malodorous contagion by daring to speak to her. “I’m sorry,” she said, hugging Liv.
“I’ll survive,” Liv said, giving her a tight squeeze. She pressed her lips close to Riya’s ears and lowered her voice. “Be careful.”
“What do you mean?”
Sam gave a none-too-gentle shove against her shoulder. “Let’s go.”
“We’ll talk soon,” Liv said to Riya. Her friend nodded, brown eyes pinched in concern, and Liv was struck with a sudden sickening thought. What if Riya was next on Royce’s list of victims? What if she’d already been the target of his harassment? Liv glanced quickly around the kitchen at all the faces so obviously turned away from her. How many women in that room had he abused? How many were hiding a dark secret like Jessica’s?
And worst of all, how many women was Liv leaving behind to face Royce alone?
Liv stomped to the locker room, Sam and Geoff close behind. Two women were huddled in a corner of the locker room, talking in low, hushed tones when they walked in. The women immediately shut up and scurried out, their eyes glued to the tile floor. One might have even covered her nose.
“You may retrieve your personal belongings, but everything else stays here,” Sam said. “You are also reminded that you signed a nondisclosure agreement when you began working here.”
Geoff cleared his throat. “A copy of your NDA can be provided to you should you need one.”
Liv tapped her temple. “No need. Got it all saved up here. What happens at Savoy stays at Savoy, right?”
“Any violation of this agreement will result in civil litigation,” Sam said.
“You should be careful. Those are big words for you,” Liv said, shoving toiletries in her duffel bag. She held up her deodorant. “Either one of you want this? It’s clinical strength.”
Sam barely blinked. “Any personal items left in your locker will be disposed of.”
Liv shrugged and dropped the deodorant in her bag. “I was trying to be discreet, but I guess I need to be more direct. You stink.”
Sam raised an eyebrow over his ice-blue eyes. Geoff turned his head toward his armpit.
“Probably the steroids. That shit will mess you up.” Liv shut her locker and hoisted her bag over her shoulder. “It’s been fun, boys. Now why don’t you both fuck off and die?”