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I pressed for David’s extension, but Verity reached out and pressed call cancel. “This is stupid! It was a stupid accident.”
“I’ve seen plenty of your accidents over the years, Verity, but not on my watch. I want you gone.”
Her mouth flapped like a fish. “But you can’t! I’m not leaving!”
I went to grab hold of her again, but Katie reached for my arm. Her touch was light and delicate and stilled me instantly.
“Don’t,” she said. “Don’t make a martyr out of the little bitch. I can handle her.”
“She’s out,” I said. “She assaulted you, on work premises, onmywatch.”
“Yeah,” she replied. “And I slammed her into the wall and now we’ve got each other’s measure.I can handle her,” she said. “She doesn’t need to leave, and I don’t want her to, not when I’m about to outperform her spoiled little ass.”
“Outperform me?!” Verity sneered. “As fucking if.”
I looked at Katie and the scratch on her pretty skin gave me the rage, deep inside. I was all set to ignore her and throw Verity out regardless, but I noticed the fire in her eyes. There it was. Resolve, and hunger and drive. The drive to win.
And she could win this.
It would be blissfully fucking sweet to see her win this.
“I mean it,” she said. “We’re cool now, we’ve clocked each other’s form.”
I glared at Verity as though I could burn her alive. “If thiseverhappens again. Ever. If I hear so much as a peep of any kind of incitement, or abuse, or physical violence, you’ll be out on your ear and straight into a fucking police car, understand me? I don’t care who your fucking father is.”
“Yeah, whatever,” she said, and I could have slapped the bitch.
I leaned over the table, until we were eye to eye. Her brows flew high and her composed facade broke down enough that I could see right through her, and all I saw was a jealous, vindictive, spiteful little cow.
“I’m disgusted by you,” I said. “And I will be telling your father. I’ll be telling him exactly what a nasty, violent little cow you are.”
“Tell him!” she said. “I don’t care!” But she did care, it was written all over her face.
“I should take this further,” I said to Katie. “You should report this.” But she was already shaking her head.
“It’s a scratch,” she said. “Bad aim, that’s all.” Her eyes pleaded me. “Let us go back to work, where it matters.”
“This matters,” I insisted. “This matters a lot.”
“Let me do this,” she said. “Please, Carl. Just leave it be.”
And Verity saw the familiarity between us. Her mouth twisted into a sneer and she glared daggers at me.
I was glad she saw it.
I was proud she saw it.
I wanted to show the bitch a whole lot more.
I weighed up the situation. I weighed up Katie’s injury and her composure. I weighed up how adamant she was that she wanted to take Verity on. I weighed up how I’d keep an eye on the situation, every single word that spewed from Verity’s mouth. How I’d tell David all about it and make damn sure it wouldn’t ever happen again.
I weighed up how steely my little blue-eyes was becoming and how confident she was, how sure.
And I noticed the feelings rising up in me. The venom and the anger. The impotence I felt at failing her, at not keeping her safe.
I wanted to keep her safe.
But I wanted to see her fly, too. I wanted to see her take on the nasty little cow and win.
