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Chapter4
Ilet out a sigh of relief as I entered Mr. G’s bar. Something seemed to distract the two men and they didn’t follow me in.
So maybe it was all in my mind. They weren’t following me. That would be crazy. I was surrounded by young, beautiful college girls. I was hardly the most fascinating woman around.
Which was good, I told myself. Now I could focus on the task at hand.
And the smug, punchable face of the task at hand was sitting at his favorite table in the middle of the room. I imagined it was like holding court. The professors would let students and staff come to them to offer flattery and probably a number of free drinks. The ethics of the entire situation were very questionable, but today had proved that Grant really wasn’t bothered where ethics were concerned.
“Ms. Gunter,” said Charles Runner as I approached the table. “What a pleasant surprise! We never see you around these parts.”
Because I’m too busy doing work that is getting stolen, I thought bitterly. “There’s always time for a change,” I said with a smile that surely didn’t meet my eyes. “How is everyone doing today?” As I asked, I narrowed my eyes at Grant, making it clear that I knew what he’d done and was pissed about it.
The bastard had the nerve to smile at me.
“We’re celebrating!” said Brad Daniels, one of the heads of research. “Have you heard about the paper that our boy Grant just got published? That’s some career-making work there.”
He seemed so earnestly happy about Grant’s success, it made my blood boil. I bet if I’d published the work first, Brad wouldn’t care at all. Not to mention, as the head of research, he should be the first one to pick up any inconsistencies in the reporting. If the paper had been peer-reviewed with any quality, it never would’ve gotten this far.
But Grant obviously had friends everywhere who gave him the benefit of the doubt.
This was science! There was no benefit of the doubt! There was evidence and more evidence! It shouldn’t matter who your drinking buddies were or how much money your family had donated to the university.
Now, I wasn’t naive enough to actually believe any of that, but it still made me seethe with rage that things had gotten this far.
I opened my mouth to give them a piece of my mind, when Grant stepped away from the table. “Raina, why don’t we have a word?”
A word?I hadlotsof words for him. Most of them angry, vindictive, and vile. Exactly what he deserved.
I clutched my armful of papers and dirty cardigan closer to my chest. It made me feel as if I had a shield in front of me to block some of Grant’s asshole energy.
And I needed all the shielding I could get, because the dude was an overwhelming asshole.
He walked to the back of the bar, and I followed. I fully planned to embarrass him so badly that he’d never be able to work in academia ever again, but if he apologized and agreed to retract his work, I would give him a pass.
Not that I actually believed he would ever do such a thing. But I should at least give him a chance. Because, unlike him, I was a decent human being instead of a worthless piece of slime.
Once we were in a back hallway, he stopped and turned to face me. We weren’t alone, thank goodness, but it was a quieter place.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?”
Wow. He wasn’t even going to pretend to feel bad about what he’d done. He was going straight to the offensive. Well, he was used to a timid, pushover Raina Gunter. This was angry, wrathful Raina.Hold onto your deceitful ass, Grant.
“What amIdoing? What the hell do you thinkyou’redoing! You’re not going to get away with this. Unlike you, I have proof to back myself up. I can show dates, paperwork, emails, and a whole host of documents showing that the research you’re so blatantly taking credit for was mine. By the time I’m done with you, you’re going to be pushing carts at a grocery store. And that’s an insult to grocery stores, because even they deserve better employees than you.” Actually, I’d pushed carts during my first job in high school. A manual job like that would probably be good for a boneless weasel like Grant.
But instead of being intimidated by my uncharacteristic show of strength, he tossed his head back and laughed. “Is that why you walked in here like a little girl on a mission? To threaten me?”
A bolt of insecurity shot through me. I knew that was what he was trying to do, but I just wasn’t expecting him to be so sure of himself.
“Threaten? I’m not threatening anything. I’m not going to just let you destroy everything I’ve worked for. This is just a heads-up to get a good lawyer and freshen up your resume. Because you will be looking for another job.”
Obviously talking to Grant was a mistake. He didn’t feel even the slightest bit of guilt for what he’d done and wasn’t worth my time. It was time to go home and start to painstakingly document each and every step of my process to prove that it was mine.
I started to leave but Grant grabbed my bicep with a punishing grip and pulled me through a doorway.
Gasping in shock, I tried to get my balance as I was thrown into a wall. It didn’t hurt so much as shock.
And terrify. Because Grant had pulled me into the gross bar bathroom. It was a single-use only, with a lock on the door that he immediately twisted to locked.
