by Kitty Cox
When she opened it, Kate realized it was the QQ shirt. She must have left it in the office the day before. Somehow, it was oddly fitting. While Kate peeled out of her clothes, Nancy hung them up, then dropped it all on the table.
"We'll have Mark send that out to the cleaners." She stepped closer and pulled the clip from Kate's hair. "Now fluff that up and put it in a simple twist. Think day on the beach. If you have some powder in there, might dab it under your eyes."
Kate obeyed. The t-shirt was cute but skimpy, and she probed the bruise along her ribs. Only the bottom edge of it peeked under the shirt, so she should be ok. With just a touch of make-up, she looked human again, but she still hadn't gotten a full view of the abuse that had been heaped on her.
"Is it bad?" she asked Nancy.
"Ain't good, but you look fine. Good enough that no one will think anything when we go to the elevators. Honey, I'm taking you to the doctor, your attorney, then we're gonna go shopping, have a late lunch or early dinner, and put you to bed."
"And I'm not going to complain, right?"
"Exactly," Nancy agreed. "And one day, you're gonna do something real sweet back, and we'll be even. Now, up you go. Let's get the rough part out of the way first."
They made it all the way to the elevators before Adam saw them. He rushed out of his office, jogging across the walkway. "Rumor is," he said when he got closer, "that your car got vandalized." He passed Kate a business card. "Anytime, ok? Any reason."
"Thanks." She smiled at him, and he nodded back, but it was enough. She could see it on his face. She hadn't refused, and that was all he wanted.
"I'll handle the data line for the tournament," he assured her. Don't worry about work."
"Thanks," she said yet again. "I just don't know what else to say."
"It's ok. I get you, Kate. I understand." He gave her a sympathetic smile, then slowly headed back to his office.
Nancy directed Kate into the elevator and down to the lobby. They stopped in the restroom on the ground floor, where Kate finally got to see the damage. Pulling up her shirt, she looked at her ribs, shocked to see they were only red with a yellow hint proving the bruising was still coming. Her knee looked worse, but it wasn't anything people would stop and gawk at. With Nancy's help, she'd managed to change from a devastated wreck to a very casually dressed woman heading out with her boss.
Adding a few more touches to her make-up, she declared herself decent, then followed Nancy to her car. She didn't know what she expected her boss to drive, but the luxurious Cadillac wasn't it. Nancy kept Kate talking on the trip across town and while waiting for the doctor, chatting about everything from the upcoming game convention to what her kids were doing. She learned even more about her boss on the way to her attorney's office. From the names of her kids to the bad eating habits of her rather plump grandbabies. Nancy was very proud of them, and having a willing ear was all she needed.
The Law office of Ford and Crane was quiet when they walked in. Kate hobbled to the receptionist and gave her name, then mentioned that her friend would be joining her. The girl looked over Nancy with a critical eye, taking in her suit and mannerisms, then dismissed her, telling them to take a seat until Ms. Ford was available.
Nancy sighed, catching the look, but claimed a chair. Kate sank gratefully into the one beside her. It took twenty minutes before Isabella was available, and when the receptionist led them back, Kate did her best not to limp. She was not going to let Marshall win. Not this time.
"Kate," Isabella greeted her as soon as she walked in, pausing when Nancy followed. "Hi, I'm Isabella Ford."
"Nancy Macintosh." She pulled out a chair and dropped into it. "Don't worry, I don't need all the sordid details, just a payment form."
"Excuse me?" Isabella asked, confused.
"Nancy can stay," Kate told them both. "I've got nothing to hide from her."
Isabella took a deep breath. "Ok." She gestured for Kate to sit, then made her way to the head of the table. "Let's start at the beginning? Ms. Macintosh was it?"
Kate sighed. "Nancy's both my boss and my friend, and she's helped me a lot this morning. Marshall assaulted me outside work, Isabella. He waited for me to get there and caught me in the parking garage."
"Are you ok?"
Kate tilted her hand from side to side. "Already spoke to the police. I'll get the case number and send it."
Nancy waved that away. "They'll be faxing it over. Adam was insistent."
"Who's Adam?" Isabella asked.
Kate sighed. "I got a job at Degrass Plaza."
With those words, everything fell into place. Isabella looked at Nancy, her eyes wide. "The Nancy Macintosh? And, Adam is Mr. Degrass?"
Kate nodded. "I got a really good job."
"So," Nancy said. "I'm paying for your services, Ms. Ford."
"Isabella," the attorney corrected. "Please."
"I like her already. Makes me feel old when people get all proper. So, I just want to make sure Kate can fuck this bastard up royally, if you know what I mean. Hire a team, or a team of teams, I don't care, but that dick ain't getting shit."
Isabella looked back to Kate. "What do you want?"
"To win," she said. "Restraining order, the whole ordeal. There's probably video. See, I told him if he ever hit me again, he'd regret it. I have some really rich friends now, and I've learned how to accept a favor."
"That's my girl," Nancy said.
Kate lifted her purse into her lap and pulled out the note her ex-husband had left after their last meeting, plus the paperwork he'd demanded she sign. "I found this on my car after the last time I was here. This morning, Marshall came to the parking lot of my work and wanted me to sign this. I said no, so he beat me hard enough that I can barely walk. Can you do this without pushing back the date?"
Isabella looked at Nancy. "It won't be cheap."
"I don't give a shit," Nancy said. "Don't deal real well with men that think a fist is an answer, and I'm all about proving people wrong."
Isabella nodded, taking notes. "I can get the restraining order today. That and the note he left on your car will only help the case. I'll need the past reports you filed, as well as anything related to this one. I'll check our venue, but I think your judge is Daniel Blackman, which will work in our favor." She smiled and lifted her eyes to Kate. "He takes the debt, you get seventy-five percent of the home equity. Alimony won't be as easy since you're already employed."
"I just want him to pay his damned bills and leave me alone."
Isabella nodded. "If the cops pick him up, jail time will be minimal. He'll probably be assigned community service and anger management courses."
Kate shrugged that away. "I know. It's ok. I still want the restraining order."
"I'll get you a lot more than that," Isabella promised. "I think we can get your life back."
After the attorney, Nancy had insisted on lunch at a lovely but super expensive cafe, then hours of shopping therapy to work the kinks out of her body. Kate ended up with three new suits and the most beautiful dress she'd ever seen. Her boss hadn't been willing to take no for an answer. Anything Kate looked at, Nancy bought, until Kate learned to simply stop looking, but the dress had been too perfect.
Then the Advil started to wear off. At only three in the afternoon, Kate lay in her bed, nursing her wounds. She managed to nap for an hour, but couldn't take it anymore. Pulling herself into the square of carpet that passed as her living room, she powered on her computer, hoping Ice would be loitering in chat like he did so often. She didn't bother logging into the game. There was no way she could sit up enough to play.
TeamSpeak was nearly empty, most of the players being either at work or school. QQ and someone named Murder were in the main room, but her eyes scrolled down the list. There, under the heading "Pretending to work" was IceMan. She joined the channel.
"Slacker," she greeted him.
An atrocious sound hit her ears as he scrambled to pull his headset on. "You're home early."
"Got beat up, and the restraining order should be done anytime."
He sighed. "You ok, darlin'? Honestly?"
"Yeah. I'm gonna be. He shoved me into a wall a few times, then tried to use my ribs as a punching bag, but that's about it."
His voice was soft and sad. "I don't even know what to say."
"Not much to say, but thanks for not going all ape-man."
He chuckled, but it was forced. "Sounds like you've had more than your share of that today. You want to talk about it?"
"No, not really. Not much to talk about. He's bigger than me, and there's not a lot I can do but run, and sometimes I'm just too damned stupid to do that."
"Or too proud? I've seen nothing stupid about you."
Kate smiled and leaned back. "Yeah. Just keep sweet talking. It's working for you."
"Sadly, you're reaching the limit of what I can say without getting in trouble. I mean, 'you know how to use a gun' is just begging to be taken wrong."
She huffed a laugh, trying hard not to injure her ribs. "Oh, no laughing. Laughing is bad. Hey, did you know Paradox is the best outfit on the server?"
"In the game," he told her. "Two east coast servers, two west, and a European, and we're at the top of all the stats."
"So how'd I get in?"
"You repaired the bus. You jumped into the fray when no one else had the balls to, and you did your job as well as we could have hoped. You were new but a group player, and working for the team, not your own glory."
"That's how I met you. What made the best players in the game invite me into their little club?"
He chuckled softly. "You didn't take the easy kills. When Executive Pain came up the stairs in single file, you asked them to stop pampering you. When you died, you laughed about it. When you made a mistake, you admitted it. And when you were teased, you joined in. Doesn't matter how good someone is, if they don't have the mindset, they won't get better. Goes the other way too."
"Wanna know a secret?"
"Yeah," he breathed.
"I started playing because I thought I was a fuck up. That's what my husband always told me, and I just wanted to get one thing right. Now I have a great job, a boss that I love to death, and someone I look forward to talking to about everything."
"Mm," he said, sounding pleased. "Wanna know a secret?"
She smiled at the ceiling. "Yeah, Ice, I do."
"I play because these are the only friends I have, and most of them don't even know my name. Not even QQ. Just Ryno and Cynister."
"You gonna tell me?"
"Yeah, Friday."
"You some celebrity or something?"
He chuckled. "Maybe I'm just a bit worried about people trying to tie my virtual reality with my real one. I'm nothing special, Lith. I'm just a pretty sad guy who works too much and has no friends he can trust."
"Except us."
"Yeah," he said softly. "People whose names I don't know, who I'd do anything for. Especially you. Thanks for not making me feel like a loser."
"You're not a loser, Ice. You're the nicest man I've ever met."
He said nothing for a long moment, but the silence felt like an embrace. "Lith?" he finally asked. "You still want to do this?"
"Yes. I got a dress. I want to see the look on your face."
Chapter 17
When Kate entered the lobby the next morning, everyone looked. It wasn't the way she was walking or any bruises they could see. It was the bright blue aluminum baseball bat slung over her shoulder. She didn't bother acknowledging the stares. She just headed to the elevator and pushed the call button.
She'd spent the afternoon with a set of acrylic paint, making her thank you gift into a work of art. It was perfect, and somehow, she just knew that Nancy would love it. She also didn't care if anyone else in the building found it weird. There was a reason they worked on the lower floors. They didn't have the balls to buy their boss a bat.
The elevator dinged and she stepped off, marching straight to the office, or so she thought. Her mind on the surprise, she clipped her shoulder into a dark suit, hitting the poor man hard.
"Sorry," she gasped, as his grabbed her shoulders reflexively.
Adam looked at her in shock. "Are you ok, and do I want to know?"
She laughed, then winced as her ribs flexed. "Oh, no jokes. It's a present for Nancy." She offered him the bat, handle first.
He took it, his lips sliding into a smile as he saw the artwork. "Kate, that's amazing. You did this?"
"Yeah. I had a little free time, a dash of vodka in my coke, these really amazing pain pills, and some paints."
His eyes were locked on the bat, and he nodded. "Have something to hang it with?"
"Yep. Dunno what they're called, but the thingies are in the bag. Might need to recruit a man to do the hard labor though. I have this friend that once fixed up an old house. Figured we'd call him."
Adam nodded, then passed back the bat. "I can do that. How are you feeling, though?"
"Good. I may not be able to pass a drug test, but good. There's a little hydrocodone in me. Without that, I'd probably be saying ouchy."
"Any cool colors?"
She grinned and nodded. "Oh yeah. I found neon pink last night, and the ugliest shade of green."
Behind them, the elevator dinged. Adam quickly guided her away from the doors, moving far enough over that their conversation would stay private. Kate followed, using the end of the bat as a walking stick.
"How are you doing mentally?" he asked.
She tapped the bat on the ground. "I have a bat. I have some really amazing people at my job, and I have a bunch of guys online whose names I don't know, that offered to drive up and beat the shit out of him. I'm pretty good."
"It's Wednesday."
"Yeah?"
He glanced away, his smile turning shy. "Nancy said you're off Friday. So I have today and tomorrow."
She nodded. "I'm still going on a date Friday."
He pressed his lips together and nodded, flicking his eyes to her then back to the wall. "Yeah. Let's just say that Mr. Perfect didn't exist. How'm I doing?"
"Adam, I wasn't looking to pick up any men. I most certainly did not apply for this job to get in your pants."
He finally turned to look at her. "Shut up, Kate. Stop avoiding the issue. How am I doing?"
Slowly, she licked her lips, hearing the plea hidden in his voice. "It takes a damned good man to care more about someone else's pride than his own. If things weren't complicated, I'd say really well, but I respect you too much - as a person, not a boss - to not be honest."
"That's all I wanted. Kate, you're a friend, and I'm happy to keep you as a friend, no matter what. Even if you're pissed at me."
"Yeah." She grabbed his arm, all too aware of how rarely they truly touched. "Adam, I must be crazy. I mean, there's a million women that wouldn't even think twice about trying to convince you they were perfect."
"But you hate my bank account." He nodded. "I get it."
"I'm scared of your bank account. I'm getting better, ok? I just..." She closed her eyes and sighed. "Adam, I don't want to make this about choosing, you know?"
He pulled his arm back until he had her hand. "Not what I'm worried about. Think of this as my way of proving that you deserve to be pampered. I want you to have a wonderful date. I also want to see you run around the office half-drunk without shoes. I like the Kate with a bat, not the one flinching away from me." He squeezed her fingers, then released her. "I also like the Kate that's strong enough to let a friend help."
"I learned that from a man I respect. Yeah, Adam. I think we're good."
He took a deep breath. "I also hope this guy is everything you want. I think you deserve that after all the crap you've been through. Now go give Nancy her bat."
Kate nodded and made her way back to her office. Nancy was in, but around the corner, so Kate just lay the bat across her desk and grabbed a coffee. With a smile, she eased herself down into the second reading ch
air, slipped off her gorgeous new heels, and stretched her legs out.
"Got that prescription filled yesterday."
"Good drugs?" Nancy asked, setting down the magazine she'd been reading.
"Oh, yeah. Keep an eye on me? I'm feeling pretty damned liberated today. No telling what stupid thing I'll do next."
Nancy shifted, propping her arm on the chair, then rested her head on her hand, but a grin was taking over. "Well, the sewer pipe of a data connection is handled. It's completely separate from the hotel client lists, so Martin is happy. Subcontractors are starting to get in panic mode, though."
"Subcontractors?"
"Yep. The companies attending. Deviant Games, the makers of Eternal Combat, aren't only heading up this tournament. They also have a booth, and the manager isn't sure he can get data ports that far out, so we might be moving a few people around. Um, then there's the speaking halls and the game demos. The biggest problem is going to be flow. We don't want a traffic jam keeping people from getting in, but one that keeps them from leaving isn't so bad."
Kate nodded, thinking through that. "So, why don't we put all the game demos along the back wall, put hardware in the middle, and put the knick-knacks at the front?"
"Sounds great, but where do we put consoles?"
"Between games and hardware."
Nancy thrust her bottom lip out and nodded, approving. "Ok, you just got a new job. Get the restraining order?"
"Yeah. Thanks, again. I mean it."
"Welcome. I also have paperwork for you. I'm officially ending your probationary period a couple weeks early. We'll go over your raise on Monday." She heaved herself up and gestured for Kate to follow at her own pace.
Except Kate wouldn't miss this for the world. She hurried behind her boss, trying not to giggle. Nancy saw the bat and slowed, taking the last few steps to her desk, then picked it up. Her eyes roamed across the length of it, looking at the painting.
"Is that Deborah? And Martin from Information Security?" She looked up, her eyes moist. "And this one's wearing a shirt that says Big Momma." Nancy caressed the tiny mural. "And my Firecracker."
"Yeah. Turn it over."