Chapter 20 Lincoln #2
Carmen snapped her head up, curls swaying. “Silas might be on your side,” she said too quickly. “He’s the managing director. He … mostly knows when things aren’t fair.”
“Carmen,” I pressed, my voice low, heavy, “did either of them hurt you?”
Her brown eyes hardened to glass, her shoulders going square. “That’s none of your business.”
“It is,” I said, heat rising to my throat. “If either of them did what I used to do—”
“Don’t,” she snapped, shoving off the wall. Color had risen high in her cheeks, her nostrils flared and fight burned with glowing embers in the brown of her irises. “I’m not a damsel in distress like you seem to think Nina is. I don’t need a savior, Carter. I can right my own wrongs. Thanks.”
She turned on her heel, steps echoing down the hall, a sharp sound that thudded in my chest.
I almost called after her. Her accusation was heavy on my shoulders.
But that wasn’t who I was, not anymore, and it wasn’t important if Carmen knew it or not.
Then the door opened behind me, and by the time I looked back at her, Carmen was halfway to the corner, nearly to the small windowless office that used to be Nina’s.
As I entered the room, I spotted Curt. He sat at the head of the table, spine straight, salt-and-pepper hair sharp, his smile too polished to be anything but a warning.
Beside him lounged Sylvain. He looked exactly the way Carmen described him, achieving that perfect middle ground between dedication and indifference.
Silas sat on the other side, his name and title showing on a badge hanging from his neck, all quiet steel and coiled patience—the only one in the room who carried the poise of having earned his chair.
The boardroom itself was all glass and angles, floor-to-ceiling windows letting in the foggy city light, making the polished table gleam.
Two other execs whispered near the end, the finance guy rubbed his temple, an admission this whole thing was already working its way towards a migraine, and Irma’s eyes, only person in HR, flicked between Curt and Silas, sensing the next storm brewing.
I stayed back near the wall, arms crossed, feeling like a trespasser.
Curt opened his mouth, annoyance bleeding in his tone. “Rumors about the circumstances of your promotion have been brought to our attention.”
We’re diving straight in, then. My stomach tightened, my throat tensing until it was almost uncontrollable. I didn’t even feel the inkling to prevent it from snapping. “There were no rumors.”
Irma pushed her glasses up. “Mr. Carter, we understand how deeply upsetting these words may be to you. Here at Dupont Digital Dynamics, we take pride in curating a friendly, cohesive working environment, and this slander doesn’t align with those goals.
We want you to know we’re taking the ill-intent behind this talk very seriously. ”
These motherfuckers. As if all I cared about was my nameplate on a different door. I fisted my hands behind my back.
“It isn’t slander if what’s being said is true,” I said, voice low and sharp enough to slice through the room’s fake calm. Every pair of eyes turned toward me. Good—let them.
Silas leaned forward and clasped his hands together. The executives in the room all but rolled their eyes at me. Sylvain actually cackled.
Curt leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers as if his words were gospel. “Look, let’s not turn this into a witch hunt,” he said, voice smooth enough to be insulting. “Blowing this out of proportion helps no one. The client’s happy, the numbers look good. That’s what matters.”
“What matters is that Natasha took it upon herself to delete Nina Reyes’s work. And I swept it under the rug,” I seethed. “A capable employee lost her job and benefits because Natasha Dabrowski couldn’t keep her personal interests out of the office.”
Curt’s jaw ticked, and his fingers drummed on the table, then stilled. “This is still purely speculative,” he said, voice a shade too tight. “Your word against hers, and she’s already given a very convincing explanation.”
“Her word against mine, my ass,” I said, pushing off the wall. I slid the USB drive across the table. It held everything Carmen had gathered on Natasha’s meddling with Nina’s files, and it came to rest against Curt’s old, worn fingers.
Curt’s smile didn’t waver, but I could hear the steel under it. “Look, Carter, there’s no need to escalate. These things happen. Natasha made a mistake, it’s been addressed internally.”
“Internally?” I barked out a laugh. “She tried to bury someone’s career. That’s not a mistake—that’s sabotage.”
Sylvain leaned back in his chair, all lazy arrogance. “You’re being dramatic. No one’s career is over. That girl will bounce back.”
I snapped my gaze to him, heat licking up the back of my neck.
“That girl shouldn’t need to ‘bounce back.’” I leaned over the table.
“She needs the truth out there so she’s not branded a liability in the marketing business for the next five years.
” I smacked the table with my open palm.
Irma, from HR, was the only one to flinch.
“She’s also being sought out by clients from this very firm as an independent contractor.
Check out the attrition rates. Carmen Camacho has been trying to flag this for the past ten weeks. ”
Curt’s voice stayed maddeningly calm. “We have a responsibility to protect everyone involved. Publicly sharing this only creates noise … and risk.”
“Risk for who?” I stood to my full height. “The company? Or Natasha’s spotless little reputation?”
Silas finally spoke up, voice even but carrying weight. “Curt, this is bigger than protecting reputations. If we ignore this, we’re telling everyone here that sabotage is just part of the game. That’s not who we are—or at least not who we say we are.”
Sylvain shrugged. “It is part of the game.”
It was Silas’s turn to smack the table with his fist. Irma’s coffee sloshed. “This isn’t fucking high school, Sylvain.”
Curt didn’t even strain his neck muscles when he said, “Enough!” but the muscle in his jaw jumped. “This is a closed matter.”
I leaned over the table, palms flat, daring anyone to stop me. “I’m extending the courtesy to inform you I’m sharing the files. I want everyone to know Nina Reyes was not at fault and the nature of Natasha’s involvement.”
The room went quiet. Too quiet. Until Sylvain guffawed, slapping the table. “Respect, man,” he said, still laughing. “Look, you want more money, different role, just say what you’re after.”
Irma’s eyes widened. This guy was missing the point. “I’ve set my demands. I want Nina Reyes’s name cleared. You want to cover your asses? Fine. I won’t be complicit. I’m prepared to do my part.”
Curt’s smile was gone now, replaced by something colder, calculating. “You do that, you’re fucking fired.”
I chuckled. “You don’t need to do that,” I said, throwing all caution to the wind. I’d already realized there was no ending where I walked out of this room still employed for this company. “I resign. Effective immediately.”
Sylvain’s mouth curve in a lazy smirk, making it clear he was enjoying this far too much. And Silas … Silas just nodded once, no surprise or shock, just a confirmation of something he’d already known.
“Just so you know. I’m releasing a statement today. Posting it everywhere on social media.” I smoothed out my polo.
“We’ll sue you for defamation.”
“It isn’t defamation if it can be proven,” Silas reminded everyone. He turned to Curt. “You really want to trash our company’s brand for whatever this girl’s cooked up for you?”
“We’ll spin it. Throw him to the fucking wolves. We’ve done it before.”
I stood a moment longer, letting the room soak in the truth they clearly didn’t want to hear. “Spin it however you like. I’m finished here.”
I pointed at the USB drive still sitting next to Curt’s wrinkled hand, letting its contents carry the weight of my intentions. “Just so we’re clear, there’s copies of everything in there.”
I strode out, leaving their mouths open and the USB burning in their minds. Good fucking riddance.
I climbed the stairs to Vinny’s three-flat.
Cracked concrete and chipped paint ground under my dress shoes.
The drizzle was light, just enough to glue my hair to my forehead.
My chest felt tight, not from the walk, but from the fact I was about to ambush Nina’s cousin.
No call, no warning. I was going to lay it all at Vinny’s feet and watch him choke on it.
The first-floor tenant stepped up to the doorway, wrestling a newborn in a carrier and several packages.
I shot out my arms and grabbed two packages before they crashed to the floor.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d even helped someone just because.
My mom had raised me right. What had happened to me?
I shook my thoughts loose. I was taking steps to fix some wrongs.
I smiled tightly at her “Thanks” and climbed up to Vinny’s floor, my knuckles cracking as I flexed them before reaching out to knock.
The door opened before I could knock, my fist hovering over a shirtless chest. Vinny blinked, his mouth dropping open. He snapped it shut, lips twisting as if he’d swallowed something sour. A muscle jumped near his temple right as he lowered his chin, eyes sliding away from mine.
He looked behind me, as if checking for someone, but finally dragged his gaze back. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
I’d hoped Vinny would be on Nina’s side. That he’d been an enabler but not someone who’d betrayed her. No doubt now. He’d known all along. My throat went dry, tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth. My fists curled at my sides, nails digging crescent moons into my palms.
“Come on in,” he said. I stepped past him without a word, looking back just as his gaze shifted to the closed bedroom door. “Just—mind your volume, please.”
He stepped aside, stiff, and I brushed past him, the smell of his dinner still in the air—garlic, butter, wine. Cozy. Domestic.
“I didn’t think you’d—”
“This isn’t about me. This is about Nina.”
He swallowed, and for a second, I thought he’d send me right back out. Vinny had always been a fucking coward, though.
“She’s fine,” he stated, but it sounded weak, even to him.
“Fine?” I barked a humorless laugh. “She’s been busting her ass just to keep her head above water. Your parents burned through what was supposed to be hers, Vin. That’s not fine. That’s theft.”
His eyes snapped to mine, defensive and wide.
“You think I don’t know that? There was no will.
My parents were appointed guardians. Courts had no real oversight.
I could tell because everything was different, but I didn’t—” He pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead.
“I was seventeen when it happened. I was a fucking kid. What did you expect me to do?”
I closed the distance between us. I smelled the garlic on his breath, the expensive deodorant he wore. My voice went low and hard. “You didn’t even warn her.”
He ground his teeth, then spit, “I couldn’t.” The words came out through clenched teeth, tight as wire. “I really couldn’t, Linc.”
I leaned in, my chest grazing his sternum. “You’re twenty-six now.” I shoved my shoulder into his. “What about cosigning for her?”
He staggered on his feet. “I just couldn’t, all right?” His hands flew up, palms open, pleading.
“You think they’ll listen to the cops?” I said, flat and cold.
He flinched, a shudder running through him, and for a second, his face went white. Then he scrubbed a hand over his mouth and muttered, “Jesus, Lincoln. You want me to turn in my own parents?”
“Yes.” I didn’t hesitate. The word crashed against his solar plexus as if I’d thrown it. “Because they’re not just your parents. They’re why Nina’s scraping pennies together like she’s still stuck in their house.”
He slumped onto the arm of the couch, fingers knitting tight between his knees. The room felt smaller, the air thicker. “You don’t get it,” he said, voice gone thin. “I did try to help once. It backfired.”
“Make me get it,” I shot back, anger curling in my gut. “Because from where I’m standing, you’re either the guy who helps me put this right, or you’re the one letting bad shit happen to her. Again.”
His eyes flicked up, rimmed with shame, raw and hot. He swallowed, lip trembling. “This won’t give her anything back,” he said, almost a whisper. “My dad’s sick. My mom’s not all there. Turning them in … it’s cruel.”
I leaned forward. “I’ll show you cruel, Vin. You want me to tear your life apart? I will. I’ll make your life a living nightmare. But I’m not letting her carry this shit alone anymore.”
“You’re acting like you didn’t do anything wrong!” Vin exploded. “She was supposed to get that scholarship. If she’d gotten it, she would’ve been fine. And none of what my parents did would’ve mattered.”
Silence rolled in between us, pressing against my chest with the weight of my greatest wrong. I couldn’t argue with that. He was right. One hundred percent. I took that box. I lost her that opportunity.
Vinny’s shoulders sank as if he’d been carrying the weight of it all by sheer will and finally couldn’t anymore. He looked small, diminished. I probably did too, because stealing that box was another thing I’d never be able to undo, no matter how much I couldn’t remember doing it.
But that was my own cross to bear. Vinny’s was different.
Finally, I spat the line I’d come here to say. “Get on board or get out of my way. I’m doing this with or without you.”
He stared at me for a long time, throat working. Then he breathed, slow and ragged. “I’ll think about it,” he said, but it wasn’t a promise.
“Don’t think too long,” I said, heading for the door.
I stormed out, each step hammering against the stairs and thrumming against my temples. My blood was on fire, and every fiber of me was coiled around one truth: I wouldn’t stop until they’d paid every single penny in money or punishment.