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I held a hand up. “Don’t. Mark, you can’t do this. You can’t suspend me without due process. I’m not an employee at will. I’ll get the union involved.”

“I’ve already been in touch with them,” he said. “You should expect a call from your steward today sometime.”

“Validate my key card,” I said, slapping it on his desk.

“I can’t do that.”

“You mean you won’t.”

“Mina, stop this. I am fully within my rights to put you on suspension if I feel you’re dangerous.”

“What?”

“You assaulted a witness in a criminal case you’ve been asked to consult on. You really think the union is going to protect you under those circumstances? Plus, the minute you ring that bell, it’s going to become public. We’ll have the local news all over this. The Supreme Court will have to be notified along with the State Bar. I wanted to avoid all of that for your sake.”

“This is ridiculous. Mark. You know me.”

He scowled. “I thought I did. Now, I’m not so sure. Do yourself a favor. Go home.”

“I don’t have a home,” I shouted. “You’re helping make sure of that.”

“I am not going to get in the middle of your marriage.”

“You already have. The second you took Lock’s word over mine.”

“He’s worried about you, Mina. So am I. I know you don’t see it this way, but I’m trying to protect you from yourself. So is Lock.”

“Has he contacted you again?”

He didn’t answer, but his face spoke volumes.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me. When? What did he say?”

“He just wanted to see if I’ve spoken to you. He wanted to know if you’re okay. I don’t think you are.”

“Then why doesn’t he just call me himself? If he’ll take your calls, call him now. Put him on speaker.”

He shook his head. “I’m not going to do that.”

I wanted to pound my fist against the wall. I turned. The entire staff had come out of their offices and were peering down the hallway. I saw judgment or pity on each one of their faces. Including Ashley’s.

“You need to take some time,” Mark said. “I don’t want to have you escorted out of the building.”

I whipped around. “I think that’s exactly what you want. I think you’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.”

“Mina, please. Listen to yourself.”

I turned back. A few of my colleagues tried to dart into their offices. Cowards. Not one person seemed willing to stick up for me. Of course they wouldn’t. If they believed Lock had turned against me, they’d hedge their bets. I was the outsider after all. Lock was the fortunate son.

My heart racing, I strode out of the office. When I drove out of the parking garage, I realized I had no idea where to go. I drove around for a while, trying to clear my head.

I ended up parked at the pier again. I pulled out my phone and punched in Lock’s number. It went straight to voicemail.

“Lock,” I said. “You’re playing games. We need to talk. Just you and me. You’ve chosen to believe other people over me. I know I’ve done that to you too. So let’s stop. Both of us. You’re trying to destroy my career. This isn’t you. This isn’t us.”

I’d never known him to behave this way. He didn’t cut people out of his life easily. Especially ones he was supposed to love. He kept the most toxic ones around.

I drove around for hours trying to figure out my next move. With each minute Lock refused to answer me, my anger grew. Growing desperate, I pulled up my contacts and punched in Eli’s number. He answered immediately.