I couldn't help but chuckle. "Damn straight you did."
"But anyway, a few weeks before then, I learned a bunch of stuff about Carver Health that I shouldn't have."
"Such as…?"
"You name it," she said. "Overbilling, shady bonuses, patients billed for tests nobody ordered. And every time I pushed for clarity, someone shoved a new NDA under my nose."
I braced for what came next. "So, they tried to shut you up."
"Theydidshut me up," she said. "At least on the legal side."
"Meaning?"
"Well, obviously, I couldn't say anything outside the firm because of those non-disclosures. But inside? Yeah, I was making waves."
"How so?"
"First by asking too many questions, andthenby pointing out they didn't have an image problem, but anethicsproblem."
"How'd that go over?"
"Not great. But I had to tell them. Do you blame me?"
"Hell no. I blamethem. But I know how things go."I also knew Evan Carver.
Tessa knew him, too – and maybe more than professionally.
Still, I kept my voice level as I said, "So tell me the rest."
She blew out a long, trembling breath before saying in a halting sort of way, "One night, I was leaving the office when a man stepped out from behind a pillar in the parking garage."
I braced myself. "And?"
She cleared her throat, barely meeting my eyes. "He said, 'Pretty girls should keep their pretty mouths shut.'"
I stiffened.What the fuck?"And what didyousay?"
"Nothing. I was too stunned to speak. And the next thing I know, he's gone. But then, the next week, I had that presentation."
"And?" I repeated.
"It was a total disaster – even before it started. Straight off the elevator, Evan Carver pulls me aside and says, all casual like, that it would be a shame if I ended up needing medical care."
I felt my jaw clench. "What?"
"Yeah. And when I ask him what he means, he says all smarmy-like, 'Shit happens.'"
"Shit happens?" I repeated.
"Yeah, and he goes on to say—" Her voice deepened to mimic Evan. "'And hey, if you happen to getdamaged, I guess we'll be seeing you at one of our centers.'"
Asshole."So, what'dyousay?"
"Nothing." Her voice dropped. "Just like in the garage, I was too shocked to even process it." She sighed. "And don't get me started on him showing up at my apartment."
I stiffened. "When?"
"The night before the presentation. He said he just wanted to talk, but I refused to let him in. And he justlovedthat."
