“And…thank you.”
I watch her walk out.
Through the glass of the gym, I watch her get into a cab, and then see said cab disappear down the street.
Something in me sinks lower than my stomach.
The feeling burrows right into my ribcage, where it might hurt later.
I turn back toward the gym, and see Damien is waiting for me.
Hands clasped behind his back like a school principal who’s finally caught the class clown.
“Colt,” he says, voice dripping false sweetness.
I sigh. “What now?”
He holds up his phone.
On the screen:
Footage from the gym’s security cameras.
Late night.
Lights dimmed.
Two silhouettes intertwined.
One unmistakably me.
And the other…
Well it’s not hard to figure out.
“Dude,” I whisper, feeling all the blood drain from my face. “Damien?—"
He grins.
A villain’s grin.
A shark who smells blood in the water.
“I can’t believe I didn’t look at the camera footage weeks ago.”
I hold his eyes. There’s nothing for me to say, really. Ididknow we had one security camera. I always knew it was a risk. But it was one I was very willing to take.
“Oh, Colt,” he says in a singsong voice, smiling. “You’re so fired.”
My jaw clenches.
“Damien, you know?—”
He interrupts me with a dramatic flourish of his hand.
“You…”
Another flourish.
