Page 145 of My Brother’s Best Friends Entanglement

He doesn't answer. He doesn't have to. “I'm sorry, Alexia. You're being placed on suspension while the complaint is reviewed. It's procedure. It doesn't mean anything's been decided.”

I look around the still-empty classroom, knowing I'm about to have to walk past all of them when I step outside.

“My class⁠—”

“We have a replacement.”

“Oh.”

He purses his lips, like he's deciding whether to tell me what else is on his mind, then pushes through anyway.

“I should tell you that your employee counsellor, Rhys Pham⁠—”

Just the sound of his name has me almost gasping for air. “Yes?”

“Has also been suspended. Effective this morning,” Pollack says carefully, as if everyone is being recorded. “Assaulting a colleague, in front of the entire department, tends to get noticed rather quickly. Especially when it's not the first time he's gone after Craig. There was a formal complaint about a month ago — a threat, apparently, nothing physical at the time, but it's on file. This is being treated as an escalation. A pattern.”

Oh my fucking god.

Rhys is leaning against his car when I get to mine, waiting. How he managed to find my car and get the park next to it should surprise me. It doesn't.

My heart squeezes in my chest. I haven't spoken a word to any of them since the hospital — they stayed until Leon was cleared, but I kept my distance, and they respected it. Now he's here.

“You threatened him?” I don't bother with hello.

“Yes.”

“Why would you⁠—”

“Because after he left you at the bar while there was an active attack going on, I needed to make something very fucking clear to him.” His voice is even, controlled. “That he was not to come near you again. Not outside of work. If he couldn't be trusted to keep you safe on a date, he doesn't get to be anywhere near you, full stop.”

We weren't on a date, I think about yelling, but honestly, semantics.

“And now you've punched him. In front of eighty people. And you're suspended.”

He shrugs. “I knew it was going to happen even before I punched him.” I expect him to look angry, but he almost smiles. “Turns out saying it once wasn't enough to make it stick. He wanted to learn the hard way.”

“Rhys—”

“If you think I regret it. Even for a second.” He straightens off the car, and there's nothing soft in his face now. “You don't know me. You don't know any of us. You can say it's over between us as many times as you need to say it. We'll be ready when you're ready to come back to actually sort this out. All of it.”

I don't have anything to say to that.

“Are you right to drive,” he says instead, gentler now, “or do you need a lift to Aria's?”

I frown. “How do you even know that's where I'm staying?”

He almost laughs, except there's nothing light in his eyes. “You think I'd threaten and then punch a colleague over not taking care of you, and then not know myself where you're sleeping at night?”

I don't have an answer for that either.

“Get some sleep, Alexi.” He's already turning back to his own car. “I'm not going to be happy if next time I see you, it looks like you're not taking care of yourself.”

Aria's beach house is like someone reached into my brain and built the perfect place to disappear to. It's cosy and bright and smells divine.

I'm three glasses deep into a bottle of sav blanc before I'm ready to tell Aria and Betty what happened today. Unfortunately, after three glasses, I'm not making the best sense.

“My head is just — it's so confused.” I stare at them through the glass. “I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know what I want. I don't know if what I did was right or if I've just blown up every good thing I ever had.” I tip the glass into my mouth. “Also, Craig Pedler is a pile of stinky rhino doodoo.”