Page 47 of Resilient Rhythms
Mav frowns. “Do you know him?”
“No, but he visited Bran a few times on campus. They’re…close.”
“Everything is on the table right now. Every angle. We’re going to put this shit to bed, Mckenna.”
“Yes,” I agree, and for the first time, I believe it.
I’m ready to hold Bran accountable for his actions. I’m ready to stand up for myself.
A few months ago, I was too raw. But now…a surge of anger rises in me. Now, I want justice. Closure.
I want to take Branson Burton down.
ELEVEN
MAV
“Burton is still playing dumb,”Mr. Byrne shares a few hours later.
Jeannie places a glass of water in front of Mckenna, her hand running over Mckenna’s shoulders in a show of support.
The gesture seems to ground Mckenna and she nods slowly, taking a long drink.
Jeannie passes me a mug of coffee and an understanding wink.
“Thank you, Jeannie,” I say, needing the caffeine hit more than I realized.
She nods and takes a seat beside Mckenna’s dad.
“What do you want to do, Kenny?” Mr. Byrne asks his daughter, his expression carefully neutral even though the concern in his eyes is evident. How can it not be?
She blows out a sigh. “Let’s think about this objectively.”
I nearly choke on my coffee. There’s nothing objective about this situation with Bran and?—
Mckenna holds up a hand, effectively halting my thoughts.
“I mean, let’s approach it from an objective angle so we can think things through logically,” she explains.
Mr. Byrne nods, giving me a look to get on board. “All right.”
I take a deep gulp of coffee and catch Jeannie’s sympathetic, understanding gaze.
“Bran’s family, specifically his father, wants this issue gone and was willing to deal with it privately to keep it out of the media,” Mckenna starts.
“Correct,” her father agrees. “Although now that I went ahead with the deal…well, that could complicate things too.”
“I don’t know,” Jeannie cuts in. “You made that deal when Mckenna was terrified and ended up in the hospital. She is in a different headspace now.”
“True,” Mckenna says, nodding. “Given the political influence of Bran’s family, we need a strong case to combat their reputation and clout.”
“They’ll want to keep things quiet, but if we can blow it up in the media, that could work to our advantage,” Mr. Byrne adds.
Mckenna frowns and it’s as if I can see the wheels in her mind turning. “Do you think Bran has attacked other women?” Before anyone can answer, she soldiers on. “That’s the one thing that makes me feel really guilty about everything, about the deal.” She tosses a hand in the air. “What if another woman was hurt because I wasn’t strong enough to speak out against Bran?”
“Don’t do that,” I murmur, shaking my head. “Don’t put that on yourself, Mckenna. You did the best you could and are still trying to do the right thing.”
“Mav’s right, darling,” Jeannie agrees.
