I exhale. “All right. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
It starts right away. Step one is to text Claudia. I’m supposed to tell her what I know, or at least some of it. Scare her enough that she is forced to meet with me. It’s difficult to imagine intimidating that woman. After she hired me, it took a couple of months before I got over my fear of her. Now I’m supposed to turn that around?
“I can’t do this.”
Louis has left, saying he has business to attend. Matthew stands behind me for support, his strong hands kneading my shoulders. They’ve risen almost to my ears from stress. I need a few minutes to feel a little calmer. A tiny bit prepared.
“You don’t have to. We can try to come up with something else.”
We both know this is the only way. “I’m scared,” I admit.
After a second, Matthew presses his lips to the side of my neck, shooting goose bumps all over my body. I go limp.
“That’s not fair. Now I can’t move,” I murmur.
“That was me giving you moral support.”
“I need more.”
“You can do this,” he says, standing straight again.
“I liked your other method better.”
“Yes, but you actually have to be able to move in order to do this.” He hesitates, then he leans down again so that his breath tickles my ear. “How about I promise more when it’s all over?”
“That’s almost enough,” I say with a sigh, but I’m still afraid. I pick up my phone and stare at the screen. “I don’t know how to start.”
“Yes you do. You can do this. She’s a terrible person, and you are standing up for all the people she’s stepped on. Including Paul.”
I sit a little taller, knowing he’s right. I also know I have no choice. I pull up her number, wishing I was anywhere but here. But if I have to do this, I’m going all in. I grit my teeth, type my message, and press send. Let’s make this personal.
BK: Why are you doing this to me?
CV: No idea what you’re talking about.
BK: I thought we were friends. I had nothing to do with that collapse and you know it.
CV: Business is business.
She really is a viper. “She’s horrible,” I tell Matthew.
“Go get her,” he growls.
Normally, I’m neither mean nor vindictive. But if it was you, would you hold back? As Matthew suggests, she deserves a dose of her own medicine.
BK: You’re right. Business is business. I’ve learned lots about you and your business recently, Claudia. Things you don’t want people to know. I’ve got a very thick file courtesy of PB. Remember him? Invoices, photos, texts, etc. I don’t think your boss LM wants those public.
CV:…
I can’t express how good it feels to see those little dots bubbling across the screen. She doesn’t know how to respond. I can’t resist.
BK: Something wrong?
CV: You don’t want to do that.
BK: Oh but I do.
CV: What do you want?
