Page 78 of Bar Down

And Vicky moved faster.

She grabbed his wrist, pivoted, and slammed him against the filing cabinet with a sound like thunder. Her foot braced behind his and swept him down hard, landing him flat on his back.

Reed wheezed. “You’re insane.”

“No,” Vicky said. “I’m done watching you play games in our house.”

Stephanie pulled out her phone and tapped the voice recording app. The file was still going. She stopped it. Saved it. Backed it up twice.

Then she called security.

“I’ll get this piece of shit out of your office,” Vicky said, hauling him up like a bag of trash.

“And I’ll tell Westfield I’m filing a formal complaint. With this attached audio.” She waggled the device at them as Reed cursed and struggled.

Vicky had no problem perp walking him out the door.

“You’re done,” Stephanie said as they left. “Not just here. Everywhere.”

Reed didn’t answer. But his eyes—wide now, darting—told her the truth:

He finally realized he’d lost.

***

THE ARENA WAS MOSTLYquiet by the time Marcus returned.

Practice had long since ended. The team had cleared out. Even the interns were gone—sent home early under the vague umbrella of “external operations complications,” which she’d muttered just loud enough for Westfield to hear.

She sat in the hallway, legs stretched out, back against the wall. Her phone was in her lap, still recording voice notes. A half-empty water bottle sat beside her, untouched since the Vicky-Reed takedown. Her office seemed too claustrophobic.

She heard the footsteps first.

Then his voice.

“I was wondering if you were still here.”

Stephanie looked up.

Marcus stood at the end of the corridor, hands in his pockets, bag slung over one shoulder. There was a pause before he moved toward her, like he wasn’t sure if he had permission.

She patted the ground next to her.

He dropped down beside her with a groan, back hitting the wall hard. For a moment, neither of them said anything. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable. It was just... full.

“You okay?” she asked, her voice quieter than she meant it to be.

He nodded. “Got released after Vicky filed charges. No one wanted to escalate it after that.”

“She body-slammed him.”

He glanced sideways. “You serious?”

“Filed it like a penalty. Proper form and everything.”

A beat.

Then Marcus laughed. Not much. But enough that it broke something loose in her chest.

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