“It’s not what you think,” I say to the team, ignoring him completely. If there are cameras then they aren’t listed with the one security went over when I started. These were hidden and it’s clear I was not supposed to know about them. Just how long has my father been watching me? Did I ever have any control over this contract? “I would never compromise the team. You know that.” I hold Jared’s gaze but he looks away with a head shake.
“It’s bad enough that you and Julia were carrying on an affair—” Will starts.
“That’s not anybody’s business,” I say with vehemence.
Kate frowns. “You could have told us.”
Will lifts his chin and tilts his head. “Julia is under investigation. Her clearance has been revoked and she will immediately be escorted from the labs and into police custody.”
I stand up so fast, the chair slams back into the wall. “No. This is bullshit and you know it.” I try so hard to keep my voice steady but I already feel like I’m losing the battle.
Julia doesn’t say anything. Her head is down, staring at her hands folded in her lap.
“What Julia and I were doing has nothing to do with Lite-Brite.” I stare at the four members of my chosen family. “You all have to know that I would never do anything to sabotage what we’ve worked for.”
“They aren’t stupid. They can do the math, Nathaniel,” Will says. “The tests started to fail when she arrived. No rhyme or reason. Then you two start playing in the labs at night. And now damage to the equipment. Can you account for her time after that meeting when your peers say she walked out upset? Ken confirms that she was walking outside the testing facility right before the broken equipment was discovered.”
“No.” I run a hand over my face. It looks worse than I ever thought. “This is not what it looks like. You all know Julia wouldn’t do this.”
I put a hand on her shoulder but I’m shocked so hard I can’t hide the flinch. The team must see her shrugging me off. Kate frowns and crosses her arms before looking away with a head shake.
Jared is shaking his head too.
This isn’t happening. Will can’t have convinced these people that I would ever do anything to hurt them. My heart is beating so hard. I feel sick.
“I can’t believe you can just sit here and lie to your team. She really has her hooks in you,” Ken spits from the side.
Julia flinches but doesn’t seem outraged or surprised by his words.
“You have no idea what you are talking about. It’sJulia.” I toss my arms out to the side. “She worked overtime for this team. She didn’t even have to take the contract. She did it to help us.”
“Isn’t that convenient?” Ken says.
“Oh, come on.” I roll my eyes. “You seriously can’t believe that we would hurt this contract after all these hours.”
“Not you,” my father says calmly. “Her.” He rubs his eyebrows. “I thought maybe you were working together but it’s clear that she has deceived you too.”
“No. Don’t you dare do this,” I say.
“Do you know about her past, Mr. Aarons?” he says my last name like an accusation. Like I’m a stranger who doesn’t carry half of his DNA. I don’t respond but feel my nostrils flare.
He goes on, “Why do you think she moves around so often? Didn’t you think it was suspicious that you got that email saying she was available just in time?”
“That was from her company. Where she has consistently worked the last ten years with security clearance. She came highly recommended.”
“I looked into that. The email you received came from a fake account. It seems similar enough on first glance but if you look closer it wasn’t from her contracting company at all.”
“This is insane. We know her,” I plead to the team again. “He does this. You don’t know him. He’s—”
“What about the warrant for her arrest?” Will asks.
Next to me Julia curls in on herself.
“She burned a man so badly that his father had to press charges. Not only that, but she is under investigation for several fires. In every city where she’s lived, something has happened that somehow gets swept under the rug. She’s dangerous.”
Then he turns to Julia, waiting until she looks up at him. “Can you tell me that you aren’t a danger?” Her eyes squeeze tight and she turns her head away.
He sighs dramatically. “Nathaniel, you need to open your eyes, son.” He drops that word “son” just like that. The room doesn’t know the irony. They see it as an older man teaching a stupid youth. “You’ve been played. She’s not who you think she is.”
