by Lily Cahill
Wiping the smile off his face and turning cold as stone to Mandy, he handed her a pen from his breast pocket and twisted it open for her before sliding it across the desk, waiting for her to sign.
Mandy lowered and angled her head, trying to talk to Everett in a modicum of privacy even though Catalina was sitting right there.
"I thought we were going to to talk." She nodded her head toward Catalina.
"Anything you need to say to me, you can say in front of Catalina."
Mandy reached her hand out to touch Everett, but he pulled away. "I need to talk to you alone," she said, trying in vain to reach for him again.
"Maybe I should go," Catalina said, standing, but Everett grabbed her arm. Mandy's eyes blazed as she narrowed in on his hand, staring with her mouth open at how immediately he'd touched Catalina.
"No," he said. Catalina sat back down. "Catalina is fully aware of the details of our relationship. I assure you, you can speak freely."
"Does she know about ...," Mandy didn't finish.
"Yes." Everett didn't blink. He wasn't sure she was alluding to his shifter secret, but he wanted to present a confident front.
"Everything is in the agreement." Catalina spoke up for the first time and flipped to the end of the legal docs. "There is a non-disclosure. Take your time if you want to read it over."
"She doesn't need time." Everett pushed the documents closer to Mandy. "If you talk, you'll be sued. The money paid will have to be paid back and the income stream will end." That had been Catalina's idea--to spread the settlement out over a period of five years so that Mandy would have incentive to stay quiet. Everett hadn't liked the idea of having any dealings with Mandy whatsoever, but Catalina was right. It made more sense for Mandy to have something to lose. Mandy's eyes looked frantic as they skipped from the documents to Everett to Catalina and back to Everett.
"This isn't how I imagined it." There was a hiccup in her voice. "This isn't what I wanted."
"It's every penny that your lawyer asked for and a hell of a lot more than you deserve," Everett spat. He was starting to lose his patience. This was supposed to be an easy in and out. He wanted to cross this off his list, and Mandy was making it harder than it needed to be.
"No!" She pushed the pile of documents violently back toward Everett, pages flying across the desk and onto the floor. "I want you!" The words tumbled out in a spastic cry. "I tried everything to get your attention, and you just wouldn't look at me again." There were tears streaming down her cheeks now, and her face was blotchy and red. "I made it all up just to see you again. I love you, Everett!"
Everett's mouth twisted down in a frown. "How could you possibly think that suing me was going to make me want to be with you?"
Mandy put her head in her hands. She was sobbing, her shoulders shaking up and down. "I didn't know what else to do. I thought if we just had some time together again. You would see how much I care about you. Look at what I was willing to do to be with you!"
Catalina pulled a couple of tissues out of the box on the credenza behind her. Her eyes were soft and drawn together like she actually felt bad for the girl--even after what Mandy had done to Everett and all the time she'd wasted of Catalina's. She handed the tissues out to Mandy, but Mandy slapped her hand away.
"I don't want your fucking tissues. Don't think I can't see what's going on here." She pointed her finger between them before falling back into a ball of sobbing.
Everett was torn. He didn't know what to do. Mandy still knew about him, about his bear, and if she was willing to sue him to get closer to him, who knew what she would do with the information after he rejected her. If he lost the support of the Brotherhood, there was no way that he would have the capital to fill the orders that were already coming in, never mind the production that would start after the official launch. He'd built his business on those relationships, and there was too much at risk now. And it wasn't just the business, he didn't want to be the reason that shifters were outed to the world. The repercussions on his friends and business associates could be catastrophic.
Everett's jaw clenched in a hard line, and he gathered the papers back into a neat pile.
"Just sign the settlement, Mandy." His voice came out harsh. "It's a lot of money."
Everett turned to the page that showed the monthly income number and the total funds paid over the course of the five year period.
"You could do a lot with that kind of money. You wouldn't have to work. Please sign the documents." He hated feeling like he wasn't in control of this situation. What would he do if she didn't sign? What were his options? Why had he been so careless to let her see him shift. He had wracked his mind over and over trying to think of how and when he'd slipped up, but he came up empty. She must have followed him, spied on him. But that didn't change the fact that if she told the world his secret--the shared secret of all shifters--then his life, his company, would be ruined.
Mandy looked at the page, wiping her eyes of tears, her mascara smudging black lines across her face.
He held the pen out to her again. With trembling hands, she took it. She scrawled a shaky signature across the bottom of the page. Just a dozen more to go. Everett flipped to the next page, and the next. The room was silent save for her subsiding sobs and the scratch of the pen. And Everett kept flipping pages, the knot in his stomach loosening with each completed signature.
Chapter Seventeen
Catalina
Everett walked into Catie's office and locked the door behind him. Catie cocked her head and stared at him. They'd eaten lunch separately after the jarring meeting with Mandy. And the meeting wasn't even the worst of it. Catie shifted in discomfort, recalling Mandy's warning. She hated feeling like this ... this hesitant and unsure. But Mandy's words had haunted her this last hour, and she couldn't shake the feeling that she was making a mistake.
Everett closed the blinds and swung her swivel chair around to him, falling on his knees and putting his hands on her thighs. Immediately, his fingers brushed up her legs, and he leaned in close to kiss her neck.
"Wait." Catie said, pushing him away from her. Her body ached with desire for him, for this, but it wasn't right. He was her boss, and she was a professional. Maybe someday, maybe very soon, but right now the timing was bad for both of them. "I don't think we should do this."
Everett bolted upright, his face pale. "What?"
The fear in his voice nearly destroyed Catie. But she had to be strong. Everett did things to her, made her feel things she'd never experienced before in her entire life. Jesus. She'd said she loved him not an hour after they'd had sex for the first time. Being with him affected her judgment, and she couldn't be a good lawyer, a good employee without her judgment to rely on.
Catie took a breath and clenched her legs together. "I just don't think we should jeopardize the launch. It's what I've been saying all along. You can't go from girl to girl right now. Even if that girl is me."
"You're not just some girl." Everett scrubbed his hands through his hair and jerked to his feet. "Jesus, you think I would share my secret with just some girl?"
Catie picked at her fingernail, avoiding Everett's eye contact. She wasn't so sure. She'd walked Mandy out of the office, and the woman's words lingered in her mind. "He's just using you. When he's done, he won't look back."
So much of what Mandy had said had been a lie, but she knew that was true. That was how Everett always operated. Why would she be any different? He'd shown her his bear, said he loved her ... but hadn't Mandy seen him shift too? Emotions warred within Catie. Her heart and her body wanted Everett with a physical ache more than she'd ever known possible, but her brain wouldn't let her make a foolish mistake. And that's just what this could be: a terribly foolish mistake that could cost her a career.
"It still doesn't look good," Catie said, choosing her words carefully and trying to keep the emotions from coloring her voice. "I'm worried Mandy doesn't care about the money. And us being together, it could just be ammunit
ion for her." That was only half of the truth. If Everett really did love her, he could wait until after the launch. Until after the product was proved to be everything they thought it could be. Until Mandy was gone for good. They'd been apart for this long. If he loved her, he could wait.
Everett looked shaken. He dropped to his knees in front of Catie, almost like he was pleading, and dragged her hands between his own. "Can't you feel this?" Everett pressed a kiss against Catie's knuckles, and Catie nearly gave in.
She did feel it. And it scared her to feel so much for one person--one person who had a track record of being untrustworthy. But when he looked at her like that ... was there any way that could be an act? She shut her eyes and cleared her mind. This was the best decision for the company. And for herself. They should be cautious. Anyone could have walked in on them on the roof. Catie pulled her hands away from Everett.
"I know you want to be with me," he said, anger starting to edge his voice. He reached his hand toward hers again, but she stood up and backed away from him.
She lifted her head and looked Everett in the eye. His grey eyes widened, the stormy intensity almost making her look away, but she forced herself not to.
"What I want right now is to get through the launch without any distractions." She kept her face placid. Her stone cold lawyer face.
It worked.
Everett's face crumpled for a moment--just a breath of a moment, really--but then his features hardened and he stood up. He glanced down at Catie for an agonizing second, hatred etched across his face, then he stormed out of the office and slammed the door.
Chapter Eighteen
Catalina
Catie hid in her office all day. She'd made the right decision ... right? Her emotions boiled and bubbled within her, making her feel dizzy with them. But the logical conclusion stayed the same: Everett didn't need any distractions in the run-up to the launch. His career, his company, his livelihood was depending on it. Add in the complication with Mandy, and it was clear to Catie that, until the launch had gone smoothly, she and Everett needed to stay professional. A relationship would just muddy the waters.
Yet why did her heart feel like it was being yanked out of her chest? It took everything in her not to run into his office and throw herself into his arms. Which just made this decision to stay away all the more vital. They both had more important work to do before the solar tile launch.
But that didn't mean that Catie wasn't hurting. She needed her best friend, vodka, and a night of dancing. Hopefully in that order.
Catie shut down her computer and--after a quick note to Gina telling her what time she'd meet her at Ace--even put her phone on silent. She slipped out her door and pulled it shut quietly. She wanted to just get out without stumbling over an excuse. This was already awkward enough without having to explain to Steve in Development why she was sneaking out early. Much to her relief, it seemed the universe was giving her a break. The elevator doors slid open as soon as she pushed the button, and no one else joined her on the long ride down to the street.
Catie burrowed down into her peacoat and walked fast, her heels clacking on the sidewalk. Between the skyscrapers, it was already gloomy with twilight, even though it was not yet four in the afternoon. The subway was only a few blocks away, giving Catie the perfect excuse to call Nick and not linger. She pulled out her phone and dialed him. She hated to do this over a voicemail, but she really hoped he didn't pick up.
He picked up on the second ring.
"Catie! I was just thinking about you!"
Catie's heart twisted. He was a good guy. In another time and another place, Nick would be a perfect match for her. But now that she knew how Everett could make her feel, she couldn't lie to herself and stay with Nick.
"Nick, I ...," she started.
Someone jostled against her back. Catie gasped, nearly tripping over her feet. The person shoved by, hidden in a large, camel coat with the hood pulled up. Catie shook her head at the rudeness and kept walking.
"Nick," she started again. "I have bad news."
"You're canceling on meeting my parents tonight," he said, not hiding the disappointment in his voice.
Catie took a deep breath. "Not just that. I just .... You're a great guy, Nick. But I'm just not able to handle a relationship right now. Work is insane, and it wouldn't be fair to you."
She was met with silence. Catie could see the sign for the subway up just a half-block.
"Nick?"
"It's your boss, isn't it?"
Catie didn't know what to say, so she didn't say anything.
Nick laughed harshly. "Well, I hope Mr. Bowen treats you better than you treated me."
He hung up, and Catie couldn't deny how much it stung. She didn't want it to end like that, but she'd slept with her boss. It may not have felt right with Nick, but that didn't give her leave to treat him like she did. Catie's shoulders felt heavy with shame and anger at herself. She shoved her phone back into her pocket and clattered down the steps to the subway platform.
Once on the train, she pulled out her ear buds and pressed play on a podcast she'd started that morning. She rested her head back and closed her eyes, trying to calm her mind. The trek from the Upper East Side to her apartment in SoHo was an easy commute and she was eager to get home and wash this awful day off with a hot shower.
She was just getting into the story streaming through her headphones, when she felt eyes on her. The hair on her arms stood, and she glanced up, frowning.
The car was practically empty, but up ahead sat someone in a large, camel coat. The same person who'd knocked into her on the street. The person twitched the hood further up to cover her head and turned back around. Catie made herself go back to her book, but she couldn't quite fall into it. She realized she'd read the same paragraph three times when she gave up. She dropped the book into her bag and fought the urge to check her phone to see if Everett had called.
#
Catie sang in the shower as she got ready to go out with Gina. Gina had insisted that it was her job as best friend to take Catie out and get her drunk. Two break-ups in one day was more than any girl should have to go through.
She heard the door thump shut and shouted out for Gina. She'd thought they were meeting at the bar, but Gina was probably heaving a mountain of clothes, not trusting Catie to dress herself for a night on the town.
"In here."
She towel-dried her hair and was just wrapping it around her waist when the door swung open and banged against the wall.
In the doorway, Mandy stood, both of her hands wrapped tightly around a gun. Catie screamed and jumped back, holding the towel up uselessly against her naked body. Her eyes skittered between the gun in Mandy's hand and the woman's manic eyes--both terrified her. Her heart beat painfully against her ribcage, but Catie forced herself to take a steadying breath.
"Mandy," she tried to keep her voice calm.
"Shut up!" Mandy yelled.
Catie closed her mouth and stood stock still. Mandy stood there, her arms vibrating and her eyes wide and wild. Catie was trapped, about to be murdered by a crazy woman. She cast her eyes around the bathroom, looking for something--anything--that she could use to defend herself. But it was useless. She was cornered in the back of her bathroom with nothing but a towel. She'd have to reason her way out of this. She took a slow step toward Mandy. Every movement made her nerves quiver, and she was having a hard time breathing around her galloping heart, but she had to do something. Catie dug her nails into her palm, focused on the dull sensation of pain, and took another step closer.
Mandy swung her arm up and shot the gun into the ceiling of the bathroom. Catie yelped in fear, and her ears rang as drywall and debris fell down around them. Mandy aimed the gun back at Catie. She stared at the black hole of the nozzle, her heart drumming a staccato in her throat. She swallowed thickly, trying to breathe.
Catie held her hands up, almost in surrender, but Mandy just took another step closer.
"Don't
test me." Mandy's voice was shaking as badly as her arms. "I'll fucking do it."
Cold porcelain pressed against the back of Catie's legs. There was nowhere else to go, nowhere but out. Past Mandy. But the bathroom was small, and if she was quick, Catie thought she could ... she inched to the side, not even daring to look where she was going. Her toes touched the pedestal of her sink, and she lunged. Catie grabbed her blowdryer and knocked it against Mandy's head, shoving her towel over the woman's face for good measure. She barreled past her and sprinted out of the bathroom, her mind scattered and her breath tight. Fear was acid in the back of her throat.
She was naked, still damp from the shower, but freedom lay down the end of the long, narrow hall. She skidded over the parquet floor, holding out her arms and pushing off the plaster walls.
"You bitch!" Mandy's screech assaulted Catie's ears, followed by her feet pounding down the hallway after Catie. Catie lunged, reaching out for the door. She was so close, only a few more yards, if she could only ....
A shot rang out, and the world went sideways. There was a burning, searing pain in her calf that sent her sprawling on the ground. She looked down at her leg and watched blood pool on the floor underneath her. It was almost strange, seeing the blood--her blood--like that. So much of it. Catie shook her head, but she was dizzy. She blinked and stared up at Mandy standing over her, the woman's shoulders heaving.
Mandy was crying, the gun held out in front of her, pointed right at Catie. This was going to be the end. Please let Everett know I love him and this isn't his fault. Please keep my family safe and healthy. Her last wishes were a silent prayer as she closed her eyes. But the end didn't come. Catie opened her eyes as Mandy lowered her gun, her eyes overflowing with tears.