I cracked my knuckles, imagining what that conversation might look like. Imagining how much he was going to hate me once he found out.
Bradley pinched the bridge of his nose and the quiet around us set me on edge. It was another minute before he opened his eyes and looked at me. I watched his defeated expression, and the nerves made my stomach pitch.
“I need to know who he’s spoken to, how much the fire has spread and if we can contain it. You…This could get me fired, Emory. But I don’t want you to make this choice without having all the facts. Maybe Sarah was right. You do have a choice here, but I want you to make the smart one. I don’t want you to get yourself killed.”
“Okay,” I nodded. It was better this way. Bradley could break the news to him, and I wouldn’t have to deal with the fallout. And if for some insane reason Enoch didn’t want to keep quiet and everything went to shit, well, I’d first make sure he was going to be protected and then I’d proceed as planned.
A bullet to the head.
Sarah was right. I wanted control. And striking that seventh tally off was me taking back my control.
???
It’d only been an hour since Bradley left. Of course, he’d left agents outside my apartment building.
It all felt like a fucking daydream. I was surprised that Bradley hadn’t just cuffed me and thrown me into the van. I was legally bound to the contract I’d signed to join the program, and honestly, he had no reason to be so generous and talk to Enoch for me.
A knock on the door broke me out of my anxiety induced pacing. I wasn’t expecting a frantic looking Lottie to be on the other side of the door. I walked back to my couch to shove the gun under the first cushion.
I tried forcing a smile as I pulled open the door.
“Hey!”
Her blonde hair was pulled into a tight ponytail on the top of her head, accentuating her sharp facial features. She pursed her lips as she took in the state of my body, and I crumpled. Ihadn’t even changed out of my ripped clothes from the accident and was still covered in dried blood from the deep abrasions on my arms and legs.
“Fuck. It’s not as bad as it looks. I swear.”
“Oh, we’ll see about that, Emory. Move.”
She gave me a look we labeled in our close friend group as ‘Mother Hen’, and I side-stepped her as she pushed her way into my apartment.
“You get harassed at work and then you don’t answer your phone. I nearly called the cops, Emory! What the hell happened?”
I watched as she threw her purse down on the couch and spun on her heel to face me. I was still standing at the door, my brain barely functioning. I couldn’t handle any more stress, and I didn’t need Lottie smothering me over some damn scratches.
“Forgive me for not responding to your calls. I shouldn’t have left work without telling anyone. Did anything happen?”
“I don’t give a damn about the gym. I’m worried about you, Em. Now let me get a good look at you.”
I sighed, trudging over to where she stood in front of the couch and let her poke and prod at me until she was satisfied that there was nothing life threatening.
“It was that bike, wasn’t it?”
I nodded, chewing my lip as I watched her face fill with anger.
“Did you go to the hospital? And did you call the cops? What happened? Did someone clip you on the road or did they run a red?” Her questions were endless and persistent as she pulled me down to sit with her on the couch.
“Um, no. Someone cut me off on the highway and I veered off the road and lost control of the bike. It was just an accident. I’m only a little banged up. It’s nothing serious, I promise.”
She frowned and I could see the plotting in her head.
“And what about the incident at work? Brett told me what happened, but I want to hear it from you.”
I sighed, unsure what story to tell her.
“It was nothing. Just a random person having a bad day. I took off to clear my head. I didn’t plan on not going back to work, but then the wreck with the bike happened and I came home and fell asleep.”
“Are you sure you didn’t hit your head or anything?” Lottie gripped my hand, and I winced. She released my hands, flicking her gaze momentarily to inspect the scrapes on my palms and wrists.
