I send a text to Stacey saying I must have not been feeling as good as I thought and sneak out the back exit of the bistro.
I’m a total chicken.
I spent the rest of the weekend in hiding. From everyone. Even Levi. I didn’t want to let the doubts win over, but they were—in a fierce way. Why wasn’t I just talking this out with Levi? Telling him my insecurities? Allowing him the chance to ease my worries, especially about the story Rebecca tried to feed me.
Please refer to my main statement.
I’m a total chicken.
Now, it’s Monday morning, and I’m walking into the office unsure of what I’m going to say or how to act with Levi. Do I tell him it’s off and save him the future headache and myself the future heartache? Not that the damage isn’t already done for me.
Then there’s Braydon. No matter how this ends, there isn’t and won’t be anything between us. As much as I’d like to remain friends, I can’t do that to him knowing I’ve been using him as a decoy.
Yelling erupts from the office the moment the elevator doors open.
Worry shoots through me, recognizing it’s coming from Levi’s office. I race down the hall and throw open his door.
“It wasn’t me, Jim. I would have never done this.”
“It has your name on it! How are you denying it? Proof! Here, here, here!” Dad throws the files across Levi’s desk as the papers explode in waves to the floor.
“Like I said, I have no idea. I’ve done nothing but dedicate all my time to this case.”
“To sabotage it!” my dad yells back.
I take a step into the office. “What’s going on?” They both whip in my direction. My dad’s expression angry. Levi’s disappointed. “What happened?”
“It seems Levi can’t be trusted after all,” Dad bites out.
“Oh, give me a break! Why would I do this? What would I have to gain?”
“I’ve heard what you’ve been planning,” Dad argues. “Setting up your own firm. Blow this lawsuit for mine, and when I start losing clients, you scoop them right out from under me.”
What in the heavens is going on?
“That’s ridiculous! And you damn well know it!” Levi throws his hand in the air.
“Someone needs to explain to me right now what you two are arguing about,” I snap.
“Someone got to Clara Hill,” Dad hisses.
“What do you mean got to her? Is she…?”
Levi snatches a letter off his desk, thrusting it at me, and I fumble with it until I unfold the piece of paper, reading the first few lines of the letter. My stomach drops. “A carrier delivered it this morning. Signed by Clara Hill herself. She’s retracting her statement. Claiming harassment on the firm. If we pursue this case, she’ll sue.”
“How on earth?” I finish reading the letter, stating very clearly she’s no longer willing to testify. How could she do this? So many people lost their lives. Her own husband and son included. And now, none of those people will see justice. “She has to have been threatened. There’s no other explanation.” I search out my dad. “We can’t let this happen. She has to testify.”
His murderous glare pins Levi.
“Dammit, Jim, I had nothing to do with this.”
I come to Levi’s defense. “Come on Dad, why would Levi go and threaten—”
My dad’s voice booms through the office. “Because his name is all over it! Signatures! Logins! I trusted you with this case. And now it’s all gone. Months of work. Credibility. Gone.”
I’ve never seen my dad so angry before. I turn to Levi for answers. His muscles strain under his dark fitted suit, his jaw clenched. “Levi, what is he talking about?”
Chills spread down my spine when his eyes glare into mine. Is that anger? Guilt? In an audibly tense tone, he says, “The original testimonies are gone. Someone deleted them from the server and swiped the hard copies from the storage room. We go to trial in twenty-four hours and we have nothing.”
My mouth drops open, a stunned gasp falling from my lips. “What? How is that possible?”
“Good question,” Dad snaps, addressing Levi. “You knew the importance of those files. Now those people won’t see justice. I hope you’re happy.” My dad pivots on his heel and storms out of the office.
“Levi, what happened? What did you do?” He doesn’t answer, but gives me his back as he stares out the window. “Answer me. Why would you do this to my dad? After all he’s—”
“Why would I?” He storms over to me, stopping mere inches from me, his face red and scrunched in anger. “Why would you?”
“Me? Why is this my fault?”
His hands swipe through his hair. “Those files went missing under your watch. You were the one who entered them. Wrongly, I might add.”
How dare he. “That’s impossible. I would never make such a mistake—”