Page 86 of Atticus
Carlisle is nervous. Her tells are subtle. A slight lick of her thin lips, a shift in her posture. She reaches for her phone and clicks a button, calling to reception. “Renee. Come in, please.”
Renee swiftly opens the door and peers at us both. “Yeah, Judy?”
“What did you find out? About the ownership of the android.”
Renee shuffles uncomfortably. “Well, um—”
“Renee,” Carlisle says impatiently. “Out with it.”
Renee squirms. “As the head of the school, BioNex sent emails to you directly about their business ownership launch, reminding you to unregister Atticus from Miss Warren and register him with the St. Morgan school district as the rightful owners. There was a sixty-day window to do this.”
“That’s not possible,” Carlisle snaps. “I would’ve seen them.”
Renee cringes at her tone. “Did you check your spam folder? Because...they did.”
Carlisle glowers at her. “Out.”
I’ve never seen Renee remove herself from a situation faster.
Bless those kids. They were right. I resist the urge to flout my triumph at this revelation. I focus on the only thing that matters.
Atticus.
I stay on task. “You don’t even want him here. I want him with me, where he belongs. You want me gone? Fine. I’m gone. But I’m taking him.”
“And if I refuse to let you just walk out of my school with our most expensive piece of equipment?”
“We’ll see how well your glass house stands up against public opinion,” I reply. “Your choice.”
If steam could come out of Carlisle’s ears, I’ve no doubt it would. But there’s no woman with devil horns in front of me, wielding a pitch fork and breathing fire. I wish it didn’t come to this, but she’s all but twisted my arm behind me. It’s no longer about him being with me. It’s his life on the line.
I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Atticus safe. I know he’d do the same for me.
“If I give him to you,” she breathes. “You won’t come after the school. You’ll take no legal action against me or any of the staff here.”
“If you give him to me,” I agree, “yes. But I want you to email the school board right now that you accept he one hundred percent belongs to me, and you and Vautrin relinquish all rights to him.”
“I can only speak for the school, not the district. The school board may not accept my decision.” Carlisle shifts in her seat.
“Let’s hope they do,” I reply, knowing why she’s uneasy. “It’d be terrible for you if they knew about such a major oversight.”
“Fine,” Carlisle all but spits. I’ve hit a sore spot, but she’s caving, so I won’t press. “But I want you gone as soon as possible.”
“After I gather my things,” I say. “And I say goodbye to the kids. They made this place worth it.”
Carlisle protests, exasperated. “You can’t stay. You’ve turned our school into a circus.”
“Believe me, I’m out of here as soon as I’m finished.” I settle myself deeper into the chair I’m sitting in. “Now. About that email.”
* * *
Atticus
After leaving the office, Bryant and Trey provide me with a much-needed buffer between reporters, who have now been allowed inside. They’ve knocked on Bryant’s classroom door, requesting access and occasionally calling questions toward me, but he won’t let them in. He only opens the door for students and their parents. What’s more ironic is how angry the parents get with them about the too-sensitive material they’re covering with their scandal story, so after a few near-altercations, they retreat outside.
“They’re vultures,” Trey remarks. “They’ll probably be waiting for you and Lucy to leave and pounce on you then. But don’t worry. I’ll walk out with you to your car.”
“Thank you, Trey.” I appreciate his willingness to stand with me, and his optimism and faith in Lucy that I’ll be allowed to do precisely that once their talks are over.
