Pellacia huffed. ‘What would you call your response to a new member expressing their genuine concerns if not entitled or privileged?’ he asked.
Henley moved in front of Pellacia, closing the space between them. She was beyond angry, and she wanted him to feel it.
‘If Copeland had complained about anyone else, you would have reacted differently. You would have reined her in and asked Copeland for more evidence than hurt bloody feelings, but it’s not the others, it’s me,’ said Henley. ‘You’re the one who has a problem with seeing the line drawn in the sand. All of this – your warnings – is a poor attempt to prove something to yourself.’
Pellacia’s jaw clenched as Henley stayed in place. She’d found a pressure point and she’d pressed hard.
‘Treat Copeland with respect,’ Pellacia said, the coldness in hisvoice freezing the air as he moved around her and to the door. ‘Otherwise—’
‘You’re threatening me?’ Henley said.
‘You know me too well to know that I don’t make threats,’ Pellacia said quietly. ‘Just know that I’ve got no problem at all with switching the partnerships around. You weren’t that keen on having to partner up with Ramouter when he joined …’
‘That was a completely different situation.’
‘Maybe Copeland might be a better fit for you.’
Henley glared at Pellacia. She placed her hand on top of his and pushed it off the door handle. ‘Carry on,’ she said. ‘If you want to lose me completely. To leave the SCU. Carry on.’
‘Consider this a warning.’
‘Then consider this my notice.’
Henley opened the door and walked out.
39
‘You handed in your notice?’ Stanford exclaimed, the last piece of his sausage and egg McMuffin suspended in mid-air as they stepped into the lift.
‘That’s what I said,’ said Henley, pressing the fourth-floor button. She pulled a face as she caught sight of her exhausted reflection in the lift door.
‘But you didn’t mean it. Did you?’
Henley sighed. ‘No, I was pissed off and running my mouth.’
‘You’ve let Copeland get to you,’ Stanford said.
‘Which is not like me. I can usually rise above petty office politics but, I don’t know, I feel as though she’s purposely needling me.’
‘Maybe she feels threatened by you,’ said Stanford as the doors opened and they stepped out. ‘You’re quite a force you know.’
‘If she’s threatened by me then she should behave, keep herself quiet and not go whining to Pellacia just because I accidentally stood on her toe.’
‘You really are miserable sometimes,’ Stanford said, laughing as he pushed open the door into their room.
Henley paused and inhaled deeply when she saw that Copeland was already at her desk.
‘You can’t say that she’s not diligent,’ Stanford said, lowering his voice. ‘Looks like she was the first one in.’
‘I’ll get her a bloody medal,’ Henley muttered under breath.
‘As I said, miserable,’ said Stanford, picking up the internal post.
‘Morning, guv,’ said Copeland brightly.
‘Morning,’ Henley replied flatly. ‘How are you?’
‘Oh, I’m good, just going through the transcripts from the forum chatroom which reminds me, Ezra’s been looking for you.’
