I gulp as I ride the elevator to the twentieth floor.
I swallow hard as I step out and my heels click on the polished floor.
Then, as I stand outside the doors of the conference room, I take a deep breath and try to steady myself. I know he’s already here. I can smell his cologne on the air… something thick and cloying and old-man-like.
The smell brings back memories… of clawing and biting and penetration.
I gag a little bit, grabbing the wall.
I can do this.
I can do this.
This is me ringing the bell.
I open the door, and as confidently as I can, I step inside.
William waits for me at the far end of the massive conference table.
“Come in, my dear,” he calls. Even his voice sounds like an old man, thin and frail. I swallow my disgust and approach him, keeping my eyes carefully on him as I stop across the table from him.
He smiles.
“Now, was this so hard? Really, my dear, meeting with me didn’t have to be this way.”
“I know what meeting with you is like,” I manage to bite. “Why did you want to see me today? Let’s just cut to the chase.”
William nods, satisfied. “You’re such a Greene, Nora. So ready to do what you need to do.”
My stomach rolls.
“What do you want?” I ask stiltedly. My fingers are gripping the edge of the table so tightly that I can’t feel them anymore.
William rocks back in his chair.
“I want to tell you a little bit about your boyfriend, of course. You’re so young and inexperienced… I know you probably didn’t do a background check on him. Right?”
I roll my eyes. “That’s what you’ve got? I don’t need a background check. I know him. He’s a decorated Army Ranger, a hero who saved my life. That’s all I need to know.”
William chuckles, a thin fake sound in the quiet room. “Oh, my dear, you’re so naïve. Your boyfriend is an Army Ranger. But I doubt he told you why.”
I can tell from William’s voice that I’m not going to like what he’s going to say next. I wish I could close my ears and not listen, but I have to know.
William won’t give me a choice.
I don’t say anything, so he continues.
“Branden Killien attacked his father right after he graduated high school,” William says with satisfaction, his faded eyes gleaming. “His parents pressed charges and the judge suspended the sentence if Branden would agree to join the military.”
I’m stunned.
I’m not mad at Brand, because honestly, after hearing about his father and seeing his mother in action, I don’t blame him. In fact, I commend him for waiting so long. But I am surprised that he didn’t mention it.
William enjoys the look on my face.
“I see he didn’t mention it to you,” he says cheerfully. “I can see why. He thinks his records are sealed, so he never had to worry about telling you the truth. But see, my dear, nothing is sealed to me. I have connections everywhere. Which brings me to my point today.”
He pauses and I wait. I stare him down, my gaze unflinching.