“Exactly,” Kelly agreed. “That’s not a great look, is it?” Billie shook his head. “Great. Now, open the barrier so she can save the day.” She placed a hand on her hip. “Unless you think a woman can’t be the hero. Is that what we’re dealing with here?”
“Wh—What?” His eyes widened. “No. I am a feminist.”
She gave him a grin. “Barrier, please?”
It took him a few seconds and a curse but the glass gate that granted access to the office area opened up.
I sprinted through the hallway in the direction of my father’s office, hearing Kelly’s heels following behind.
“Boss?” She called, and when I didn’t turn or stop, she sped up. “Whoa. You run fast in those things.” I did. I might be starting to love my boots. “I’m so sorry I kinda cold-shouldered you, but I really had no choice—”
“That’s okay, Kelly,” I assured her, turning a corner.
“Okay, phew,” she answered, now a little breathlessly. “Now that that’s out of the way, there’s something you should know before—”
“I know,” I interjected, speeding up. “And I’m going to stop this some way or another.”
“But, Boss, they’re…”
I reached the door, vaguely aware of Kelly setting a hand on my shoulder and saying something, but I was not wasting a second more. I’d let this go on long enough. I was taking back control and putting a stop to David’s manipulation. I was telling my father I knew everything and stopping the transaction. I threw open the door.
Two heads turned in my direction.
“Adalyn,” my father said in a shockingly calm and cold voice that made me pause.
I opened my mouth to say something, any of the things that I’d rehearsed in my head, but all I could think of was What’s David holding in his hands? Because that couldn’t be—
“Hey, sweet-tea,” David said with a smile I couldn’t believe I’d ever found anything but a sneer. “Oh wait, do they drink sweet tea over there?” His eyes trailed up and down my body, a shiver crawling down my arms. “Well, that’s definitely a surprise. Why are you dressed like some… lumberjack bimbo?”
I heard Kelly scoff behind me.
My father rolled his eyes and said, “David.” As if this man hadn’t just disrespected me and that single warning was enough.
Why did that suddenly irk me so much? That disregard for what was said to me in front of him. That lazy way in which he trusted that I could handle myself. I could, but shouldn’t he be doing more than that?
David shrugged. “My apologies. Hey, I have a surprise for you.” He lifted what he’d been holding. “Cool, huh?”
My throat dried. It was one of the Miami Flames jerseys. I recognized it. Except for the sponsor printed at the front it. That was new. It was the logo of the energy drink. The one with my face.
My jaw fell to the floor. I—Focus, Adalyn. I turned my attention to my father. “I know.” Something faltered in his expression. My heart thrummed in my ears. “I know everything, Dad. So you can stop this.”
“David,” he immediately said. “Give us a minute.” He started to complain but my father held up a hand. “Alone. This is not your office yet.”
Yet.
David’s eyes found mine as he walked toward me, and when he passed me, he winked. It made my skin crawl.
The door closed behind me, and only then did I allow myself to move forward, closing the distance to the now vacant chair across from my father’s desk. I’d sat there not that long ago. Only now it seemed like it had been a lifetime ago.
Cameron’s green eyes popped in my head, and I felt my knees falter, an overwhelming sensation filling up my chest. I wish he was here, my head seemed to chant. Not holding my hand, but ready, close enough to hold it if I needed it to be held. As if trying to appease the hollowness, I patted my chest, finding something under my shirt.
Cameron’s ring. It was still there, hanging from the chain he’d fastened around my neck this morning.
“I hid all of this to protect you,” my father said, bringing me back.
I swallowed hard. Thinking of the last man who’d told me something similar. But it… It somehow felt different. It had a different effect. A part of me seemed hesitant to believe Dad. “I don’t need you to protect me. I’m not a child. I could have taken the truth.”
My father sighed, and it was a curt, quick sound that managed to carry so much. “That’s exactly what your mother told me.” He shook his head. “You look a lot like her today.”