Chapter 19 #3
Bunny's eyes went wide. Her father's lips compressed into a very thin line.
Tatum had never said anything like that in this office before, and she could feel both of them recalibrating.
"Lou Anderson has been a great supporter of this firm," her father said, his voice dropping to something very quiet and very even. The tone meant she was in dangerous territory. "He has been a client for many years. He deserves the best legal representation possible."
"Great," Tatum said, unable to stop herself. She knew she was making things worse. She did it anyway. "So why don't one of you defend him? You're the best lawyers in this office. Isn't that what you always say?"
"Tread carefully here," her father said. Still quiet. Still even. Somehow worse for it.
"My days of being careful are over, Father. I have told you both that I am working on the Ponzi scheme case because I want to help the people who got screwed. Not the rich people but the people who couldn't afford to lose their retirement savings. Those are the people I'm working for."
She took a breath. "I'm not going to work on Anderson's case because he's being sued for sexual misconduct by one of the women in his office, and we both know he did it. He's a scumbag. If you want to defend him, you go right ahead. But it won't be me."
She turned on her heel and walked out.
"Tatum." Her father's voice followed her into the hallway.
It wasn't a shout. It was never a shout. It was quiet and controlled, which always meant danger.
She kept walking. She wasn't stopping. She breezed back to her office, grabbed her things, and told Sam she was leaving.
Sam looked at her. "Oh. That didn't go well."
"No," Tatum agreed. "They're on the warpath. Keep your head down."
"Did they tell you to work on the Anderson case?" Sam asked.
"Yes. I said no. Keep working on the prep so they don't come after you. We'll figure it out later."
"Okay. Roger that, boss."
"Hang in there," Tatum said and headed down the hall.
"Good luck," Sam called after her. "I think you're going to need it."
She was halfway to the elevator when Bunny's voice hit her from behind. "Tatum! Come back here."
She kept walking.
"Tatum Wellington, you come back to this office right now!"
Tatum hit the elevator button and stepped inside the moment the doors opened. Bunny was furious enough to call down to security and have them hold her, and Tatum knew it. She didn't look back, just focused on the rows of buttons. She hit the one for the garage.
When the doors opened, she turned left instead of going into the parking area. She went down the short hallway and stopped at the office door at the end.
"Hey, Carl."
"Hey, Ms. Tatum. How are you?"
"I'm good, Carl. How about you?" Tatum smiled at the man behind the desk.
"Doing fine, doing fine," Carl said, leaning back in his chair.
Carl was a big man, well over six feet with a barrel chest and thighs like tree trunks.
He was in charge of building maintenance and had been since before Tatum was born.
He was also one of her favorite people in the world.
She used to sneak down and eat lunch with him when she was in high school, and her parents made her come to the office.
He'd taken pity on her and let her hide out whenever she needed to.
Carl was also one of the best-read people she'd ever met, brilliant and completely unimpressed by the Wellington name, and there wasn't a machine or piece of equipment in the building he couldn't fix. To her, he was the lifeblood of the place.
"I need a favor, Carl," she said. "I pissed off Bunny and Stuart, and I need to get out of the building without going past security."
Carl grinned. "Just like high school, huh? Some things never change."
Tatum felt herself smiling back despite everything. "Yes, only this time I really pissed them off. Bunny will have the security guys combing the building in no time. Can you let me out the back?"
Carl got to his feet and grabbed a set of keys off his desk.
"It would be my pleasure, Ms. Tatum. And don't worry.
Sometimes parents need to get a little pissed off.
They have to remember you're an adult now.
It takes some getting used to." He winked at her and led the way out of the office and through a door on the right.
A minute later, he opened the door into the back alley.
"Good luck. Be safe," he said, holding the door.
"Thanks, Carl." She gave the big man a quick, impulsive hug. "You didn't see me."
"You're a ghost," he confirmed, his chuckle following her down the alley.
She walked quickly, the morning air sharp on her face, her mind already moving.
She needed to call Archer. The thought arrived with a warmth she didn't quite know what to do with yet.
Because hearing his voice had become, at some time in the last few days, without her fully noticing, something she looked forward to, and she needed some comfort at the moment.
That was going to require some serious thinking.
Later. First, she had to get out of this alley.