In the middle of it all, I spot a pair of eyes locked on me.
Terrence is coming my way, and by the looks of it, he’s not here for a friendly talk.
He shoves me hard in the shoulder, knocking me back.
I stumble. “What the hell, Terrence?”
“Aoki, you goddamn snake! Why did you do this, huh? Was it worth the chaos?”
He jabs his finger in front of my face.
“I told you I wouldn’t rat you out, and this is how you repay me? Dragging Arcadia down in the process? You and Erin, what a team. Enjoy your promotion while it lasts, because I’m taking the both of you—and McKenna—down with me.”
My eyes dart sideways, then I remember.
Yesterday, under the palm tree. Him and the girl he was with, both of them high as fuck.
He’s panicking because he knows he won’t pass the drug test. And he actually thinks I set this whole thing up? That’s some twisted reality. None of it fits. Whatever his reason was for drugging me, this isn’t part of it.
Maybe he wanted me to look unstable in front of the board.
If that was the plan, it’s backfiring. And that might be the only win I get today.
I fold my arms.
“Well, Terrence, that’s karma. I don’t know what you thought you were doing when you drugged me yesterday, but I’m glad it’s turning on you. And let’s be clear, I had nothing to do with this. You really think I’d show up if I knew this was coming?”
He opens his mouth. I don’t let him talk.
“And as for Tom,” I step closer, lowering my voice, “you have no proof.”
A security guard comes over, sizing us up. “The two of you work here?”
Terrence snaps back, “Who’s asking?”
“We’re searching the grounds,” the guard says. “Everyone’s expected to return to their work areas.”
That’s my cue.
I step away before this turns uglier and head for my studio. Let that bastard sweat.
I pass the meditation garden. Erin approaches with a police officer at her side.
Wasn’t she supposed to have today off?
Her eyes meet mine. She wants to talk. And I need to talk to her. She might know where Tom is.
I close the door behind the officers and the K-9.
Thank God my studio is clear. Terrence didn’t plant anything here to frame me.
Yes, it had crossed my mind. Paranoid? Maybe. But at this point, I can’t tell what’s real anymore.
It’s just me and the quiet now.The silence, as Tom would call it. And the silence is brutal.
With the doorknob still in my hand, I forget how to move. My breathing doesn’t even sound like mine anymore.
How did everything go sideways? Just a couple of days ago, things made sense. It was only Tom and me, and the world felt small and safe. I let myself think maybe I could have this. Something that feels good and lasts.
