“You’re never with them. You get Carol to do most of your admin work while you swan around having unnecessary ‘meetings’ with your friends.”
“See? I’m a great mentor,” he said, puffing out his chest. “Carol is working hard for the chance to get my job when I’m promoted.”
I pursed my lips. “Except you told Daniel you would put in a good word for him.” Poor Carol was going to get walked over by another loud, entitled man, even though she’d been effectively running Richie’s team for the past six months.
“Ah, well.” Richie grinned, unashamed. “A little competition is healthy. I build people up, Susan. I encourage them to reach for the stars.”
I sighed. “I’ll give you some advice, Richie. You seem quite focused on the wrong things.” My voice dripped with disdain. “If you spent as much time actually supporting your team so they could do their jobs better, you would havealreadybeen offered the department manager promotion. Instead, you sleaze around the office talking to your creepy buddies all day. I’ve only been here six months and Yvette is considering me instead, because I’ve stabilized my team, reduced turnover to zero, improved our performance, and blown our KPIs out of the water. Do you know how I’ve done it?” I raised my eyebrows. “I’m at this desk every day,working hard to make sure I’m doing everything I can, so my team can do their jobs better.That’swhat a manager does. We work for our team, not the other way around.”
Richie leaned back and laughed. “Nice speech. Did you learn that in themental institution?”
I stiffened.
“With your fellowlunatic murderer buddies?” Richie gloated.
My mouth went dry. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. Woosh, woosh, woosh. A wild heat built in my stomach, a rumbling volcano deep within me?—
A heavy hand fell on my shoulder and squeezed gently. “Chosen.”
Fucksticks, Richie wasn’t wrong. I was nuts. The evidence for that was right behind me, hiding under a magic invisibility blanket.
Richie, sensing blood in the water, smiled widely. He bent back down to put his hands on my desk. His neck stretched towards me, snake-like and grotesque; I forced myself not to flinch away. He leaned in close, and inhaled through his nose deeply, like he was breathing me in. “Mmm.” His eyes hooded. “Maybe I didn’t make myself clear enough yesterday. Listen carefully, Susan Moore. You’ll tell Yvette you’re dropping out of the running for the promotiontoday,” he said slowly. “Or I’ll tell the whole office who you really are. I’ll tell them where you have been for the past two years. I’ll tell them what you did.” His eyes glittered with malice. “Nobody will be able to look at you with any respect ever again. You’ll always be the crazy old lady who tried to kill her husband.”
Chapter
Eight
Iwatched Richie saunter away slowly, calling out greetings to my team in an overly casual way. My heart was beating too quickly. I couldn’t slow it down.
Cress leaned in close. I could tell it was her; her energy was less terrifying than Donovan’s. “I do not understand,” she said, her voice a harsh whisper. “Are you not offended? He insulted your honor. Why did you not run him through with your blade?”
“I don't have a blade.” The words came out in a mumble.
“I see. We will rectify that immediately. But… Chosen… You didn’t even strike his face with your hand. Please do not tell me that you allow men to speak to you like that? To say such horrible things?”
“He’s wrong.” I swallowed. “I’m not a murderer.” My lips felt numb. Damn it, I let him get to me. “I didn’t kill anyone.”
“That’s even worse. Why not?” Cress hissed, outraged. “You should have. You should have taken that weasel man’s life. You are lucky that Donovan has insisted that I obeyyour command to stay hidden, or I would have carved a cross into that man’s face myself.”
Her words gave me an unexpectedly warm feeling. My hallucinations were very supportive. “Thanks, Cress. That’s really lovely of you.”
Richie finally disappeared from my line of sight, heading around to the other side of the floor, probably to schmooze with one of the other Client Experience and Support Representative teams. There were five teams in total, but out of all the team leaders, only Richie and I were in the running to take Yvette’s job as department manager when she left to join the executive team.
I took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. “Unfortunately, we can’t kill Richie Curran, Cress.”
“Nonsense. It would take me less than three seconds with a quick thrust to his carotid. If you wanted him to suffer first, I’d hit his kidneys. It would still be silent,” she added. “Fast, and very painful, but silent. Death by kidney strike is so excruciating, he’d be in too much pain to even scream.”
“Thanks for the offer, but no. Murder is illegal in this realm. Even attempted murder is frowned upon.”
I knew that better than anyone.
“That is ridiculous,” she snorted. “How do you resolve anything in this realm? How do you rid yourselves of your enemies?”
“I’ll come up with something. He’s given me until the end of the day to withdraw my application for the promotion.” I chewed on my lip for a second. “Maybe I should go and throw myself on the mercy of the Human Resources ogres now. I won’t get the promotion, but if I confess, at least I won’t get fired. Maybe…” I added gloomily. Bart was right; I didn’t exactly lie in my interview. I didn’t have a criminal record. Not guilty by reason of insanity was still not guilty.
The back of my neck tingled. “You must not take any other quests today, Chosen,” Donovan growled in my ear. “We do not need to see the ogres. I believe the ogre stone is still deep in the center of their realm, and it is very well guarded. No, we must leave soon to try to pursue the mermaid’s siren stone. Make haste with your arrangements.”
“Donovan,” I groaned. “I can’t leave work. I’ve got a team to manage. And just to clarify, the women in HR aren’tactualogres. They just act like ogres.”
