What I wanted were answers.
“So,” he said as he came to stand by me near my desk, “any particular reason why you aren’t wearing a dress today?”
I shrugged. “Didn’t feel like it.”
He chewed on the inside of his cheek. “But yoga pants and a baggy shirt are work appropriate?”
I snickered. “You’ve got H.R. individuals downstairs in tank-tops and booty shorts because you refuse to fix their A/C, but my pants are an issue?”
He furrowed his brow. “You’re particularly spicy today. Is something the matter?”
“Actually, yeah. Something is the matter, and you’re at the root of it.”
He slid his hands into his pockets. “Allow me to clear the air of my name, then.”
I set my coffee down and took my opening. “Remember that car accident back in 2011? You know, the one that sent you and my sister to the hospital?”
His eyes grew dark. “What about it?”
I stood toe-to-toe with him. “It’s funny, I tried looking up information about it last night, but the local newspapers never wrote about it. Which is odd, because that little local newspaper and magazine station wrote about everything that happened in town. Even rumors and hearsay.”
“Get to the point, Rebecca.”
I held my head high with pride. “I think your parents paid people off so they wouldn’t write that story. I think something stinks about the accident. I think the scar etched across my sister’s back is because of bullshit you got her into, and she’s so damn scared of you she won’t even talk about it. My sister was funny, and outgoing, and beautiful, and vivacious until you met her. Until you sucked the ever-living life out of her while crushing on me all those years.”
He barked. “Get to the point!”
I lost my mind and wrapped my hand around his tie so I could pull his face down to mine. “My point, you asshole, is that I’m on to you. You ruined my sister. You ruined her life. And I’m going to find out why. I’m going to find out what the fuck was so damn important that your parents paid people off not to write about it. I’m going to figure out why you walked away unscathed while my sister can’t even make a life for herself because she’s too drugged-up to know the damn difference. And when I do, I’m going to ruin you the way you ruined her. The way you’re trying to ruin me. You understand?”
He knocked my hand away and hovered over me, but I stood my ground. I dared him to put his hands on me with that fucking door open. His growl rumbled up from the back of his throat. He gnashed his teeth together like a wild animal ready to tear into his prey.
But, instead of coming at me the way I figured he would, he started stepping toward the door.
“When you realize how utterly wrong you are, I’ll expect a very hefty apology. And you won’t like the format I request for it.”
I scoffed. “Nice words coming from the man who almost got my sister killed.”
He whipped around. “I would have never--!”
I tilted my head. “Cat got your tongue?”
He waved his hand in the air, as if to dismiss the entire issue. “Fuck you and what you think. Get on with your day and then get out of my sight.”
“Best thing you’ve said to me all month.”
24
Rebecca
As if myday couldn’t have gotten any worse, I got back to my apartment and found a letter from the courts waiting for me. Tears rushed into my eyes as I rode up the elevator toward my apartment because I knew what the letter contained.
And I sure as hell wasn’t ready to endure any more mental hardships.
Still, after flopping down onto my couch, I ripped the letter open. Right there, at the top of the heading, was the date and time for the first part of Tommy’s trial. I had been anticipating this letter for a couple of weeks. Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and it was time for testimony as to what the hell really happened in the garage the day JoJo saved me from Tommy’s onslaught.
“Why can’t he just be like that all the time?” I whispered to myself.
I pulled out my work phone and plugged the date into my calendar. I blocked off the entire day so JoJo could see that the only thing I’d be doing on that random Wednesday morning was testifying, and then going home. If he expected me to work after being berated on the stand by some fucking lawyers, he had another think coming.
