Leave his file on my desk. That should free up a few hours for you.”
“Did he hire—”
“I have it handled, Grace. Is that all?”
Why did she feel like she was in quicksand?
“Yes.”
Richard turned his attention away. “Lionel . . . where are we on the wash?”
And the subject was changed. For the next forty-five minutes, reports were given and ideas were exchanged. For the most part, Grace fell silent.
When the meeting was over, Richard and Vivian stayed behind while everyone else left the room and headed straight to the water cooler room.
“Do you know what’s going on?” Adrian asked once they were out of earshot of their boss.
“That was strange, right?” Grace asked.
“Did someone file a complaint against Richard?” Evan asked.
“Do you think that’s why Vivian was in there?” Grace asked.
“Why else would HR be in our meeting?” Adrian poured a cup of coffee.
Grace knew she didn’t file a complaint, not that she wasn’t willing to. And if Evan had, he would have told her.
“I suppose we’ll find out sooner or later.” Lionel walked out of the room, Adrian followed.
“Why did he start with me?” Grace asked Evan. “And he even used my first name.”
“Maybe he wanted to impress Vivian.”
Something didn’t smell right. Her hand reached for the necklace Dameon had given her and she heard his voice in her head. “Know your worth.”
Thirty minutes before the workday was over, her olfactory senses were confirmed.
Richard requested a meeting with her in a conference room.
When she arrived, Vivian was there sitting to Richard’s left. A man she didn’t know was on Richard’s right. One chair sat on the opposite side of the table making it painfully clear she was sitting in the hot seat.
“What’s going on?” Grace asked before she sat down.
“Please have a seat, Miss Hudson,” the man she didn’t know said.
Her palms started to sweat. This wasn’t good.
She sat as calmly as she could and folded her hands in her lap.
“Grace,” Vivian started. “This is Mr. Simons. He’s one of the city’s attorneys.”
“Okay.”
“Do you know why I’m here?” Mr. Simons asked.
“I have no idea what’s going on.”
The attorney kept a stoic expression while Vivian smiled.
Richard was something in the middle. “The city received a formal complaint where you were named.”
“What kind of complaint?”
“The city has been accused of asking for money in order to approve permits.”
“All permits cost money,” Grace told them.
“Not a fee, Miss Hudson. A bribe.”
Grace closed her eyes and sighed. Sokolov. “This is about Mr. Sokolov on the Sierra Highway project, isn’t it, Richard?”
“So you know about this,” Mr. Simons said.
“A bribe was offered. But not requested by me. I informed Richard the day after it happened.” Only Richard was looking everywhere but at her.
“Why not immediately?” Mr. Simons asked.
“It was late. After hours.”
Richard sat shaking his head and saying nothing.
“You explained to them what happened, right, Richard?” He finally made eye contact with her.
“I told them what you told me,” Richard started. “And that you didn’t want to press charges.”
“I didn’t think it was necessary.” Only now she was kicking herself for that decision.
“When the city is faced with pending legal action of this nature, we have very strict protocols that have to be put in place,” Vivian said.
“Sokolov waved his wallet at me. Not the other way around,” she explained.
“You don’t have to get defensive, Grace. No one here is accusing you of anything,” Richard said.
“Except Sokolov. And you are all listening to him.” Fury swelled inside of her.
“We have to, Miss Hudson. He filed the complaint. Now, with your cooperation we can clear this up quickly and quietly.”
Grace looked the attorney in the eye. “I have nothing to hide.”
“Good.”
She sat back, knowing they wouldn’t find anything.
“In the meantime, we need to place you on paid leave.”
Grace felt like someone punched her in the stomach. “What?”
“It’s protocol. You’re not to contact any of your clients while this investigation is taking place.”
She immediately thought of Dameon. “Why?”
Instead of answering her direct question, the attorney kept talking. “Nothing can be removed from your office with the exception of your personal belongings. An audit needs to take place. When we have questions, we expect your cooperation.”
“This is unbelievable. Not only was Sokolov the one who offered the bribe, he took it further to scare the living hell out of me before I left.”
“And you didn’t report it.”
“I’ve dealt with bullies before, Mr. Simons. They thrive when they know they’ve gotten to you. Ignoring them is the only way to make them stop.”