Chapter 25
Alice
Ihelp an elderly customer with her deposit when I see Sawyer walk through the front door. He’s in uniform as usual, but something about his expression tells me this isn’t his normal visit.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell Nora after wishing my customer a good day, then walk over to him. “Hey, is everything okay?”
“We need to talk,” he says quietly. “Privately.”
My stomach drops. I adjust my glasses. “Something wrong?”
Sawyer glances around the bank. Nora is at her desk with a customer, and Megan is busy in the drive-through. “Is there somewhere we can go?”
I look toward Nora’s office. She’s not in there right now. “Follow me.”
I lead him into the small office and close the door behind us. The space suddenly feels too small, the air too thick. “Sawyer, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
He takes a deep breath. “Your mother filed a complaint against me.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. My hand flies to my mouth. “What?”
“Tracy filed an official complaint with the department. She claims I overstepped my authority when I arrested Lance. Said my involvement with you clouded my judgment.”
I sink into Nora’s chair, my legs suddenly unsteady. The leather squeaks under my weight. Outside the door, phones ring and customers murmur. “But that’s not true. You were just protecting me. Lance was hurting me.”
“I know, but your mother is trying to make it look like I arrested Lance because we’re involved, not because he committed a crime.”
My hands start shaking, and I push my glasses up my nose again. “I can’t believe she would do this.” I don’t know why this even surprises me anymore. This is exactly the kind of thing she would do.
“It gets worse,” Sawyer says, sitting on the edge of Nora’s desk. Papers crinkle under his weight. “Ali, this could affect my promotion. The sergeant exam is coming up, and the review board looks at everything in your file, especially complaints.”
The guilt hits me like a truck. My chest tightens, making it hard to breathe. “Oh God, Sawyer. I’m so sorry.”
“This isn’t your fault.”
“Yes, it is. If you hadn’t gotten involved with me, if you hadn’t found that tracker, if you hadn’t arrested Lance—”
“Then he’d still be stalking you,” Sawyer interrupts. “Maybe he would have escalated even further. I can’t imagine what he might have done to you.”
“But your career—"
Sawyer runs a hand through his hair. He's more worried than he's letting on.
“Alicat,” his voice is firm. “I did what any officer should do. I arrested a man who was committing multiple crimes.”
I lean back in the chair, overwhelmed. Everything I touch turns to disaster. “She really did this. She actually filed a complaint against you.”
“The Chief says this might just be the beginning.”
“I have to fix this.”
“How?”
“I'll talk to her. Make her withdraw the complaint.”
Even as I say it, I know it's hopeless. My mother stopped listening to me years ago.
Sawyer shakes his head. “Alice, you can’t reason with someone who thinks Lance was the victim in this situation.”
“I have to try. I’m not going to let her destroy your career because Lance got what he deserved.”
Sawyer moves closer. “Alice, you don’t need to fix this. You are the victim. Your mother is the one choosing to defend him instead of protecting her own daughter.”
The truth of that hits hard. My own mother is more concerned with protecting Lance than she is with my safety. How did I end up with a mother who cares more about her job than her own daughter? When did I become so disposable to her? I press my palms against the desk to steady myself.
“What did your Chief say?”
“That I should keep my distance from you until after the exam.”
My heart sinks. “Are you going to?”
Sawyer reaches for my hand. “What do you think?”
“I think you should. It’s not fair to you to lose everything because of me.”
“And I think some things are more important than a promotion.”
I adjust my glasses, blinking back tears. “Sawyer, please—”
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” His voice is gentle but determined. “I’m not going to let her bully me into abandoning someone I care about. That’s exactly what she wants.”
The way he says "someone I care about" makes my chest tighten. I don't even know what this is between us, but I know I don't want to lose it. “You could lose everything.”
“Losing you would be worse.”
I want to believe him, but the guilt is overwhelming.
“This is your mother's fault,” Sawyer says firmly. “She's the one who chose to file a complaint instead of supporting her daughter.”
I look at Sawyer. “What do we do now?”
“You do nothing. I’ll handle it.”
“But—”
“Ali, promise me you won’t try to fix this on your own. Don’t confront your mother, don’t try to make deals with her. She’s already shown what she’s capable of.”
I want to promise, but I can't. Not when his career is on the line because of me. The safe answer would be to nod and agree. To let him handle everything while I stay quiet.
But I'm tired of being safe. I'm tired of letting other people fight my battles.
“I can't just sit here and do nothing while she tries to destroy your career.”
“Yes, you can. Because getting involved will only make things worse for both of us.”
A knock on the office door. “Alice?” Nora's voice is apologetic but firm. “You have customers waiting.”
“I have to get back to work,” I say, standing up and smoothing my hair.
Sawyer stands too. “Promise me you’ll stay out of this.”
I look into his dark brown eyes and see the worry there. Not just for his career, but for me. For what I might do. “I’ll be careful.”
“That’s not the same as promising.”
“It’s the best I can do right now.”
He sighs but nods. “Just remember that your mother has already chosen her side. And it’s not yours.”
As he leaves, his words echo in my mind. My mother has chosen her side. And she’s chosen Lance and his family over her own daughter.
The question is, what am I going to do about it?
I sit at my teller station for the rest of the day, mechanically helping customers while my mind races.
My fingers fumble with bills. I have to recount a deposit twice.
Every time someone mentions the weather or asks about loan rates, I’m thinking about Sawyer’s career, about my mother’s betrayal, about Lance sitting in jail knowing he’s still winning.
Because that’s what this is. Even from behind bars, Lance is destroying my life and the life of the one person who tried to help me.
I've spent so long being the good daughter, trying to please everyone, avoiding conflict. Look where it's gotten me—Lance still controlling my life from jail, my mother choosing his family over me, and Sawyer paying the price for protecting me.
I'm done being a victim. I'm done being a people pleaser.
If my mother wants a fight, she's going to get one.