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“This is none of your concern, Ms. Price. Return to your desk immediately!”
“Mr. Doolittle, I’m going to need you to calm down. Please give us some space, I will check in with you in a moment.”
Mr. Doolittle’s face turned red all the way up to his hairline, his fists clenched at his side. He looked like he might like to argue but his gaze flicked to James and he rethought it, storming to his office and slamming the door. Officer Darren shook his head.
“How often does he scream at you like that?”
I shrugged, my eyes on the floor. This was way outside my comfort zone and I was really regretting the choice to come in at all. Jenny answered for me. “Daily. He treats everyone like crap but he likes to pick on Elizabeth because she’s quiet.” She still hadn't returned to her desk. She loved the drama and was hanging on the divider, watching everything unfold. Officer Darren tipped a little, trying to catch my gaze.
“Is this true?”
I nodded and Mr. Doolittle’s door flew open. “You’re a fucking liar!”
ChapterNineteen
I jumped,grimacing. Mr. Doolittle stormed over, pointing an accusing finger at me.
“She’s a troublemaker. She purposely takes too long on assignments so she can ignore her other duties, she refuses to deal with customers directly, and she takes too long at lunch!”
Officer Darren didn’t even bother to hide it when he rolled his eyes. “Mr. Doolittle, I asked you to give us some space. If you don’t back up, you and I are going to have problems.”
“No, I will not allow someone to slander me just because they are unhappy that they lost their job! It is my company, I can fire whoever I want!”
I was sandwiched between Officer Darren and James and it still didn’t stop Mr. Doolittle from stepping up to me, sneering. “Good luck getting a job in this business. Nobody wants to work with someone like you. I’m going to make sure everyone knows what a shitty worker you are. You’ll never be hired again.”
Then he made the biggest mistake. He poked my shoulder and Officer Darren immediately took action, grabbing Mr. Doolittle’s hand and yanking it behind his back. James swept his arm out, pushing me behind him. I couldn’t see around James to know what was happening but Mr. Doolittle was squawking and demanding a lawyer.
When Officer Darren dragged Mr. Doolittle away, James turned around, his expression fierce. He looked like he was fighting to keep himself in check in front of the officer. “Are you okay?”
I didn’t have time to answer before Officer Darren called out. “Hey, a little help!”
My jaw dropped. Mr. Doolittle had managed to wrestle his way out of Officer Darren’s grasp and was using a lamp to keep him at a distance. His focus was on Officer Darren so he didn’t see James coming. James grabbed his face and slammed it into the wall, effectively knocking out Mr. Doolittle and putting a hole in the wall at the same time.
Officer Darren shot James an exasperated look. “Seriously? You couldn’t just grab him for me?”
James shrugged. “He attacked you and was threatening everyone. Pretty sure that’s self defense.”
Officer Darren scowled at James. “Yes, but you could have killed him. Maybe next time just punch him if you really have to.”
I grimaced, joining them. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure what he did was better. If James hit him, he might break his whole face.”
James grinned at me, winking. Officer Darren pursed his lips thoughtfully.
“Okay, maybe you’re right. I’ll try and swing that with my boss. I’ve heard about you, Kelly. You are the one who sends in the reports in the rough areas of town. Ever thought of joining the force instead of just sending in anonymous reports?”
James made a face. “Yeah, I’m good.”
Officer Darren laughed. “Alright. Well, I’m going to call an ambulance for this asshole and then start on the mountain of paperwork I’m going to have to fill out to justify you shoving his head through a wall.” He sighed. “I need a vacation.”
He leaned down, handcuffing Mr. Doolittle while we waited for the ambulance. Officer Darren took down my details, took a few pictures of my desk and gave me a rundown of what the process was. I wasn’t interested in suing but he said he’d give me a police report just in case. While James and Officer Darren were chatting quietly, I texted Jo.
E: Looks like my afternoon just opened up, still want to hang out?
J: Yes! How about after lunch, we meet in the library? Gabi said she was having a rough morning so she won’t be by until later
E: Sounds good, ttyl
I dropped into a chair,groaning. Now I have to look for a new job. I scrubbed my face with my hands.
