Still, I searched.The filing cabinet contained nothing suspicious, just details of past and current projects, technical specifications, and vendor contracts.The stack of papers on his desk were all related to the EV charger.Everything was exactly what it should be.I wanted to leave, to forget that I ever came in here, but I knew it would drive me crazy if I left before checking everywhere.
Pulling open the top drawer of his desk, I expected to see nothing more than pens, paperclips, and Post-it notes.Those things were there, but it was the small plastic baggie of white powder that made me freeze as I stared in wide-eyed horror.
My brain rejected it immediately.No.It can’t be what it looks like.
There was no way that Parker had drugs in his office.No.Way.
But my excuses had finally reached their limit.I’d never touched recreational drugs in my life, but I was certain that’s exactly what I was looking at.My breath went shallow.My hands shook as I picked up the baggie, my denial crumbling with every heartbeat.I shut the drawer hard and shoved the bag into the pocket of my blazer.I didn’t look through the other drawers, suddenly afraid of what else I might find.
I rushed out of Parker’s office, pausing only long enough to lock the door behind me so no one else could wander inside and discover whatever other secrets might be hiding in there.I grabbed my purse, my mind reeling as I ran to the elevator, glad that no one else was around to see me because I was sure my panic and confusion were stamped all over my face.
Why would Parker have drugs?And what kind of drug was this, anyway?
I was halfway to his house before it even occurred to me that I probably had an illegal substance in my pocket and what that could mean if I got pulled over.That had never happened to me.I’d never gotten so much as a speeding ticket, but suddenly I couldn’t stop imagining a police officer asking me to step out of the car, finding the baggie, and slapping handcuffs on my wrists.
I drove like someone’s grandmother, going exactly the speed limit, coming to complete stops at every sign, my hands gripping the wheel at ten and two.Meanwhile, my heart raced so fast I felt light-headed.
By the time I pulled into Parker’s driveway, I was a complete mess.
It was barely seven in the morning.I knew he’d be getting ready to leave for work soon, probably eating breakfast with Becca and Gracie before heading out.Under normal circumstances, I never would have shown up unannounced this early.But I couldn’t wait.I was too freaked out, too desperate for answers and explanations.I needed to know the truth,right now.
At the door, I didn’t bother with the doorbell.I pounded my fist against the wood, each hit fueled by the nervous energy coursing through me.It took a couple of minutes, but Becca opened the door.She was in pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt that stretched over her pregnant belly, hair tousled, blinking at me in sleepy confusion.
“Morgan?”She frowned at me.“What are you doing here so early?”
“I need to talk to Parker.”I stepped past her into the house without waiting to be invited in.
She closed the door and followed me into the living room, looking more awake now, worry creasing her forehead.“Is something wrong?”
“I just…I need to talk to him,” I repeated, glancing around impatiently.“It’s important.”
“He’s in the shower,” Becca said, her concern increasing based on my own erratic behavior.“What’s going on, Morgan?Are you okay?”
No, I was far from okay.I’d found drugs in my stepbrother’s office.And there was a possibility—an awful, terrifying,realpossibility—that Liam wasn’t wrong about the money.
But I couldn’t put this on Becca.Not when she was pregnant.Not until I knew the truth about everything.
I exhaled a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.“I’m okay,” I lied.“I just need to talk to Parker about something personal.Please, tell him I’m here.”
“Okay,” she said, and disappeared down the hall.
I sat down on the couch while I waited, but I couldn’t relax.My foot tapped restlessly, and I picked at my nails.The baggie in my pocket felt like a lead weight, despite it being so light.
A short while later Parker walked in without Becca, which I was grateful for.This wasn’t a confrontation I wanted to have with him in front of her.His hair was damp and he was wearing a suit.There was obvious concern on his face because I’d never shown up at their house this early, but other than that he looked completely normal.There was no sign that anything was off with him, just a slight stiffness in his movements, like when his back pain flared up.
I stood as he approached, searching his eyes for any hint that he was high, but they were clear.
“What’s wrong?”he asked, brows furrowed as he stared at me.“Are you okay?”
His worry hit me hard.Classic Parker, always putting others first.We’d been so close for so long, how had I missed this?My heart ached as I pulled the baggie from my pocket for him to see.
“No, Parker.I’m not okay,” I said, my voice trembling with a mix of hurt and anger.“Are you?”
He blinked, his expression going blank for a split second.When his eyes met mine again, they were guarded, and I could feel my heart cracking in my chest.
“What is that?”he asked, no inflection in his tone.
Anger surged through me.How could he pretend not to know?“Seriously?”I asked in a sharp tone, realizing I was going to have to be brutal with him.“That’s how you’re going to play this?Are you going to deny the embezzling too?Liam told me everything.About the missing money, and how it all leads back to you.”
