Page 84 of After Everything
My phone was on the desk next to me. I picked it up, pulled up his contact.
Then hesitated.
The report's ready.
Too formal?
Done. Come whenever.
Too casual?
I settled on:
Report finished. No rush.
Sent it before I could overthink further.
Three dots appeared immediately. Then:
On my way. 10 minutes.
I stared at those words longer than I should have.
Ten minutes.
Just enough time to overthink everything and not nearlyenough time to prepare myself for being alone with him in an empty building.
I stood up, grabbed the report, walked to the break room for no reason except that sitting still felt impossible. Made coffee I didn't want. Checked my reflection in the window and got annoyed at myself for checking again.
My phone buzzed.
Here.
I took a breath and walked toward the front entrance.
CHAPTER 27: DAVID
David stood just inside the door, briefcase in one hand, looking more tired than he had an hour ago.
"Angela's at a hotel downtown," he said. "Safe. With her daughter. Her sister’s also to drive up to the city, and she’ll come to the hearing tomorrow for support."
"Good." I handed him the report. "Everything's documented. Timeline, injuries, my professional assessment. It should be more than sufficient."
He took it, started reading immediately. I watched his eyes scan the pages, watched his jaw tighten as he processed the extent of Angela's injuries.
"This is thorough," he said quietly. "Really thorough."
"That's the point."
He looked up at me. "Can I use your conference room? I need to incorporate this into the motion I'm filing in the morning. It'll take me maybe twenty minutes."
I should have said yes and left. Should have told him to lock up when he was done. Should have gotten in my car and driven home before anything else could happen.
"Conference room's the second door on the right," I said instead. "I'll be in my office if you need anything."
He nodded and walked down the hall, briefcase in hand.
I went back to my office and stared at my computer screen without seeing it.
