19. Paige
From the moment we walked into the diner, my heart was pounding like a jackrabbit in my chest. We weren’t supposed to look like we were together. I casually looked over at Travis, sitting there so relaxed but alert. His assurance gave me confidence, though I couldn”t shake off the feeling of impending doom. I wasn’t afraid. Not really. But it wasn’t just me in jeopardy now. Travis was involved now.
The diner is bustling with activity, but I can”t seem to shake the nervous energy coursing through my veins. I glance at my watch for what feels like the hundredth time, my heart pounding in my chest as the minutes tick by with agonizing slowness. He’s twenty minutes late. I glance over at Travis, silently asking him what he thinks I should do. He casually holds up a hand, indicating I should give the man another five minutes.
We wait another thirty minutes. The whistleblower never shows up. It’s clear I’ve been stood up.
After what feels like an eternity, Travis slides into the seat across from me, his expression grim. ”You”ve been set up,” he says, his voice low and urgent. ”He drew you out, and now he”s going to follow us.”
“Are you serious?” I ask.
“You were in hiding. They couldn’t get to you. Are you sure it was the whistleblower you were supposed to meet?”
“I think so,” I nod. “I mean, I can’t say for sure, but it’s the same email I’ve been in contact with.”
“Do you know for sure there’s really a whistleblower?” he asked.
“Yes. I mean, I think so. The person went to my boss and requested I be on his case. He only wanted to talk to me in Hawaii.”
“I think there’s something fishy here,” he whispers. “I don’t like this. We need to get out of here.”
My stomach churns with fear, the reality of the situation hitting me like a ton of bricks. This isn”t some game or elaborate scheme - it”s all too real, and I”m in way over my head. I don’t play spy games. I’ve prepared myself with self-defense classes to handle a mugger…not a potential murderer.
“What do we do?” I ask. I’m relying on him to keep me alive.
”Think about your enemies,” he says, his voice cutting through the chaos of my thoughts.
“I don’t have enemies.”
“You’re a lawyer,” he says dryly. “You have enemies.”
I roll my eyes. “My enemies are not murderers. Like I said, I do contracts and mergers, not criminal law.”
Silently, Travis holds my gaze across the table. My eyes are drawn to his steady hands. He doesn’t look like he’s panicking. There’s a stillness in him that gives me hope—as if he’s already thought through a plan and knows how to survive this.
“What now?” I ask in a whisper.
“We leave,” he replies, his voice barely audible over the clatter of dishes and the low hum of conversation.
“We need to act normal. Just finish your coffee and meet me outside. I’m going to wait and see if someone tries to take me out.”
“That is not funny,” I snap.
He offers a small smile. “Just stay put. I’ll honk the horn if it’s clear for you to leave.”
His voice is steady, calm, but I can read the tension in his eyes. It takes every ounce of self-control I have to follow his advice, to take slow sips of my coffee instead of bolting out the door. My heart is pounding so loud in my ears that I’m sure someone must hear it.
I watch as he walks out of the diner. He casually walks around the car and then gets inside. He honks the horn once.
I leave a tip on the table before slipping out of the booth and making my way towards the exit. I can feel Travis”s gaze on me as I walk towards the car. As soon as I”m outside, I rush over to his car parked nearby.
I glance around to see if there is anyone watching. I spot a man standing on the corner. He’s staring at me. At first, I think nothing of it. But there’s something familiar about him. I stare back, wondering if he’s my whistleblower. But before I can do anything, he walks away.
“Get in,” Travis says out the window.
I dismiss the man and get in the car. “Now what?” I ask.
”We drive,” he says, swiftly starting the engine. The tires screech as we jerk forward, leaving the diner further behind.
He’s quiet as he drives back towards his place. Everything feels so surreal. This isn’t my life. I don’t know how to manage this. My life is regimented. I work out, I go to work and then I go home to my quiet apartment. I don’t have to fear for my life.
“I don’t know if we should go home,” he murmurs.
“What?”
“I can’t tell if we’re being followed, but my logical side says that’s what I would do.”
“I’m so sorry,” I say again. “I don’t know what is happening. This is a nightmare.”
“It’s cool. We’ll get a hotel.”
There’s nothing cool about this. I sit quietly, lost in my own thoughts. I think back to the minute I heard about the case. I refused to believe Jeff was setting me up.
And suddenly, it hits me like a bolt of lightning. I knew the man on the corner. Everything started to click into place. He”s a lawyer that worked at my firm, someone who had a motive for revenge.
I turn to Travis, my breath catching in my throat. “I know who it is,” I whisper.
“What?”
“He was here. The man. I think he’s the whistleblower. This whole thing was all a bunch of crap. He wants revenge.”
“Who?” Travis asks.
“Take me to the firm,” I say, my voice steely with determination. ”I”m walking in there, and I”m letting everyone know that I”m not dead, and I”m not going to play dead.”
Travis hesitates. “That’s not a good idea. You don’t know who is after you.”
“That’s just the thing,” I say in a tight voice. “I know exactly who it is. And I know what his game is.”
“What?” Travis gasps. “Who?”
“He’s a former lawyer at the firm,” I say, even as the pieces start to fall into place. “I figured out he was embezzling from the firm. He was fired and charged. I had to testify against him. I thought he went to prison for thirteen months or something. And maybe he did. I never really thought about him again.”
“So, it’s personal,” Travis sighs.
“I’m afraid so. Unless Jeff, my boss, can tell me otherwise. That’s why I need to talk to him. I need to know if this whistleblower case is real.”
“Okay,” he shrugs. “Let’s do it.”
My heart pounds in my chest as we stride through the doors of the law firm, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. I don”t even spare a second thought to the fact that I”m wearing jeans instead of one of my usual power suits - right now, nothing matters except getting to the bottom of this. I see the looks and hear the gasps of shock. As we walk through the office, a wave of whispers follows us. I know they all thought I was dead. They are seeing a ghost.
With determined strides, I march into Jeff”s office, my jaw set and my eyes blazing with intensity. Travis is right on my heels, never leaving me unguarded. Jeff looks up from his desk, his expression one of shock and disbelief as he takes in the sight of me standing before him.
”Paige,” he breathes, his voice tinged with disbelief. ”I... I’ve been worried sick about you. I thought you were, well, I thought you were dead. I heard they were still searching for the plane, but they told us there was no hope.”
“Yeah, well, I”m alive.”
I waste no time in launching into the story, recounting everything that”s happened - from the crashed jet to the failed meeting with the whistleblower. Jeff listens in stunned silence, his eyes widening with each revelation.
When I finally finish, there”s a heavy silence hanging in the air. Jeff leans back in his chair, his brow furrowed in deep thought as he processes everything I”ve just told him.
”This is serious,” he says finally, his voice grave. ”We need to get to the bottom of this, find out who”s behind it.”
“Is the whistleblower a real thing?” Travis asks.
“I honestly don’t know,” Jeff shrugs. “The communications were limited, and I haven’t heard anything since I sent you to Hawaii. But I can tell you one thing, if this is to do with our embezzling colleague, then we are in for a lot more trouble.”
I feel a chill run down my spine at Jeff”s words, but I don’t let it show. “Why?”
Jeff picks up a file. “He’s suing for wrongful termination.”
“He was embezzling! He was convicted and served time. Were you just supposed to let him keep stealing from you?”
Jeff sighs heavily, rubbing his temples with his fingers. ”It”s not that simple, Paige. Yes, he was convicted and served time, but now he”s claiming that we didn”t follow proper protocol when terminating him.”
My heart sinks at his words. ”Are you saying he could win the lawsuit?”
”It”s a possibility,” Jeff admits. ”His lawyer is arguing that we dismissed him without giving a notice period, and they”re trying to build a case around the fact that his criminal conviction was unrelated to his dismissal.”
A groan of frustration escapes my lips. As an attorney, I know the tricks that can be used in court. This man had been sly in his embezzling schemes and clearly he hadn’t lost his cunning even behind bars. I shake my head, trying to organize my thoughts amidst the chaos that is threatening to consume me.
“Alright,” I say firmly, squaring my shoulders.
“This is the guy that’s trying to kill you?” Travis asks.
“It makes sense,” I nod. “He’s going full revenge mode.”
“We need to call the police,” Jeff said. “Sit tight. I have a connection. I’m not letting you leave until this is settled.”