of incitement, or abuse, or physical violence, you’ll be out on your ear and straight into a fucking police car, understand me? I don’t care who your fucking father is.”
“Yeah, whatever,” she said, and I could have slapped the bitch.
I leaned over the table, until we were eye to eye. Her brows flew high and her composed facade broke down enough that I could see right through her, and all I saw was a jealous, vindictive, spiteful little cow.
“I’m disgusted by you,” I said. “And I will be telling your father. I’ll be telling him exactly what a nasty, violent little cow you are.”
“Tell him!” she said. “I don’t care!” But she did care, it was written all over her face.
“I should take this further,” I said to Katie. “You should report this.” But she was already shaking her head.
“It’s a scratch,” she said. “Bad aim, that’s all.” Her eyes pleaded me. “Let us go back to work, where it matters.”
“This matters,” I insisted. “This matters a lot.”
“Let me do this,” she said. “Please, Carl. Just leave it be.”
And Verity saw the familiarity between us. Her mouth twisted into a sneer and she glared daggers at me.
I was glad she saw it.
I was proud she saw it.
I wanted to show the bitch a whole lot more.
I weighed up the situation. I weighed up Katie’s injury and her composure. I weighed up how adamant she was that she wanted to take Verity on. I weighed up how I’d keep an eye on the situation, every single word that spewed from Verity’s mouth. How I’d tell David all about it and make damn sure it wouldn’t ever happen again.
I weighed up how steely my little blue-eyes was becoming and how confident she was, how sure.
And I noticed the feelings rising up in me. The venom and the anger. The impotence I felt at failing her, at not keeping her safe.
I wanted to keep her safe.
But I wanted to see her fly, too. I wanted to see her take on the nasty little cow and win.
“This isn’t over,” I said to Verity. “Not by a long fucking shot, madam.” She stared, mute. “Get back to your desk,” I said. “I’ll deal with you later.”
She didn’t need telling twice, and Katie breathed out a sigh of relief when she was gone.
“Thank you,” she said. “For not firing her.”
“I should have fired her,” I snapped. “I still should. She should be gone.”
Katie smiled. “I’m used to it, seriously, it’s just a scratch.”
I took her chin in my fingers, angled her face so I could see. I ran a thumb over the cut, and it was just a scratch, hardly a break of the skin. “I hate this,” I said. “I hate that this happened on my watch.”
“In the ladies’ toilet,” she said. “What were you supposed to do? Armed guard me?” She sighed. “I’m used to Verity bitch face, I can handle her shit.”
“I don’t want you to handle her shit,” I said, and the words tumbled out. “I want to keep you safe.”
Her eyes widened and her cheeks blushed. “Thanks… but, I, um… I’m tough. I’m alright…” She reached out and touched my arm. “I’m good, Carl, really. It was nothing.”
But it was something.
It was something to me.
She was something to me.
David was uncharacteristically quiet as I gave him the lowdown. I didn’t pull my punches and he didn’t interject. I watched as the man I’d grown to know so well grew old before my eyes. He rubbed his temples as I recounted the aftermath of toilet-gate, and then he put his face in his hands.
I poured him a scotch, shunted it across his desk, but he didn’t even notice.
“It needs sorting,” I said. “Seriously, David, I’m not having this shit going down on my watch.”
He sighed. “So many years of trying. I tell you, Carl, I just can’t get it right.”
I leaned back in my chair. “Why do Verity and Katie hate each other?” I asked. “What’s the story, David? The real story about Katie.”
I tried to convince myself this was just professional interest, that I needed to safeguard my employees and do my job. But my palms were clammy and hot and my stomach was itching inside.
He shrugged. “The story of my fuck-up, you mean?”
It needled me to think he was referring to Katie as the fuck-up. The umbrage was in my throat, about to let loose before he clarified his stance.
“The affair was a fuck-up,” he said. “It was before your