Page 142 of Brutal Collateral

Inside, I go into a stall and put my head on the back of the door, not caring about germs, although this place looks spotless. Rand Miller set me on edge. I certainly didn’t come here expecting I’d get into a catfight with my husband’s assistant, who will probably say I never even rang the bell or make up something else to make me look paranoid or rude.

I have to calm down before I face Griffin, or he’ll lose it.

The bathroom door opens, and by the sound of feet and my special ops experience, two people are hovering by the sinks.

“Do you believe her?” a voice says over a faucet loudly spouting water. “Spoiled cunt.”

One of my eyelids flutters, and I hold my breath.

“Did you tell Mr. Quinlan she’s waiting for him?” a second voice says.

Yep, they’re talking about me. And that first voice sounded like the assistant who didn’t let me in.

This should be good...

“No,” the assistant scoffs. “Griffin and I have ourone-on-onein a few minutes.”

“You’re bad.”

“And he’s...good.”

She called my husband Griffinandgood. I feel dizzy and knock into the metal toilet paper dispenser.

“What was that?” voice two chokes out.

Closing my eyes, I slip off my shoes and step onto the toilet. I’m not sure what would be more embarrassing, being found hiding in the stall, or perching on the john so they don’t see my feet. I ignore my twisting stomach. Gathering intel means hiding, lurking, and sometimes folding yourself into a ball.

A shadow passes my stall, moving down the row and then back again. “Nothing.”

“Well, I’m off,” the assistant says.

“You’re so lucky. He is unbelievably hot,” the bestie mewls.

Overmy husband. Who may or may not be banging his assistant.

Another sink goes on then off, the paper towel dispenser dispenses, and two sets of footsteps leave with the closure of the door.

I bend down to see I’m once again alone and push out of the stall. Pacing, I consider what to do. If Griffin wants to be that disgusting guy who screws women behind his wife’s back, I won’t be made a fool of.

I push out of the bathroom and head to his office. I need to tell Griffin I saw Rand Miller, but now I’m frightened he’ll put me on lockdown if he thinks I’m spying on him. Maybe he’ll make his cousin the doctor juice me up on meds to keep me calm and stop acting irrationally.

I get to the last office that stretches out to the width of the entire floor. The walls are all glass with blinds.Closedblinds.

From the other side of the glass, I hear Griffin shout,“Get rid of her.”

Kai Powers’ voice rings out, surprising me, “Sir, I don’t think I should get rid of your wife.”

This can’t be happening. There’s mumbling I can’t make out until my hearing sharpens.

“If she steps foot inside this office, her family will be looking for a funeral home.”

I back away, my heart pounding.What the hell?

I hurry back down that row of offices, my soul dead from what people have been saying behind my back. What keeps screaming at me, is if Griffin is sleeping with his assistant, it’s sort of my fault. Griffin and I are still going our separate ways after six months, and I always remind him that the sex between us means nothing.

He means nothing.

And now... I mean nothing.

---