Page 98 of Bad Blood

“Discrepancies show up in charts all the time. It’s probably mixed up in other paperwork. Maybe the wrong file.”

“His test is lost.” I can’t believe I have to spell this out for him. “And we’re in the middle of a malpractice. This doesn’t look good.”

“He can do another swab. It’s not a big deal.”

“For you. Liam needs it.”

“This is not my problem. If you had referred the kid, we wouldn’t be here. This is on you.” He jabs a finger at me.

I feel betrayed.

But I have a plan. And Kline’s decision to hide this from me just made it a hell of a lot easier.

“I’m watching you.” My voice quakes, betraying my need to show confidence. With deliberate movement, I stand and hold my ground.

“What did you say?” He leaps to his feet and leans over his desk, both hands planted on his paperwork.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, but I’m not going to let you—”

He busts out in laughter. “Let me? You’re not going to let me what?”

“Get away with this,” I say through gritted teeth.

His mouth turns up with a smirk as I set Dax’s file on top of the stack of books. “I already have.”

I scoot backward, never taking my eyes off him. “That’s what you think.”

He slams his hands onto the desktop. “Don’t make me remind you that your signature—”

“Is on the documents too. I know.” But that doesn’t matter because I found a way around that little tidbit of information. When something matters to me—really matters to me—I always find a way.

“You need to watch yourself. This has nothing to do with you.”

“Nothing to do with me? I have Grady’s file.” I throw out the damning information I stumbled across while in the file room. I scowl as I pull his file from between the stack of books on the edge of Kline’s desk and shake it in front of him.

“And?” His voice is full of spite as he stares at me.

It’s all been an act.

He doesn’t care about his patients.

He did this on purpose. He’s a monster.

But this is done. I’m not going to let him do this to anyone else.

And I can finally breathe.

Because this isn’t the end—it’s just the beginning.

He doesn’t know all I have, and until this moment—until his reaction—neither did I.

I set Grady’s chart on top of the books, grab my pile, and take this as my cue to leave.

Kline stares at me, his lips in a thin line as I back away, inching out of his office and closer to mine. I’m mere steps away from safety. But I never take my eyes off his door.

I slink inside my office and collapse against the wall, slumping to the floor. My hands tremble as I drop the books and files at my side and watch them spill across the linoleum.

Wings beat against the inside of my stomach as I press my palms into my eyes.

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