Page 20 of Left of the Slash
“You sonofabitch!” Jon yells as he slams his fists on the table so hard the entire thing rattles.
“Jon, don't,” Stephen screams at his friend, but Stephen isn't the ringleader. His voice has no power to Jon, so he can't stop the momentum of Jon’s anger as he charges toward me, his fists balled tight.
“Call security!” Olivia yells to Eden, just as Jon reaches me.
His body collides with mine with a powerful thud that nearly knocks me over, but I use my arms to lift his body up so that we’re eye level. That's when he takes his first swing, drawing back like he’s trying to take my head off my shoulders with one powerful blow. But the thing about cocking back that far is that it makes the punch slow. I see it coming from a mile away, and when I step back, his fist misses by a mile.
The two punches I throw don't miss. Both of them hit their target like precision missiles detonating in the center of Jon’sface. Blood explodes from his nose as he falls backward, landing on his back between Olivia and I just as security comes barreling through the door. Three men in black and silver uniforms run in and lift Jon off the floor, forcing his arms behind his back as they stand him up like a prisoner being escorted.
“Get him out of here,” Olivia says with a beautiful snarl. “And we absolutelywillbe pressing every charge imaginable. You're fired, Jon.”
He doesn't even respond verbally. Blood leaks out of Jon’s nose and makes a long red streak on the carpet as he is escorted toward the doors, and the two henchmen who had been so vocal on his behalf have now become mute. Stephen and Nick stand next to the table in complete shock, their eyes wide with disbelief and their fear of being alone. That’s what happens when you cut the head off of a snake. The rest of the body doesn't know how to react. All they can do is watch their friend being dragged out of the room.
The entire scene fills me with unbridled joy, because this is exactly what Jon deserves. This is what he gets for being a hard-headed prick, hating on a woman and expecting everyone else to do the same. Now he knows that there are some people who don't stand for bullshit. I guess he had to learn the hard way.
I watch security take him out, and as they open the conference room doors to step out, I make sure to fire off one last salvo so that Jon never forgets what happened here.
“Coming at me was one thing, Jon,” I shout. “But trying to take down Olivia was where youreallyfucked up. Now I'm going to take your job. How's that for typical? Motherfucker.”
Jon glares at me over his shoulder one last time, and I smile big and wide just before security tightens their grip on his arms and takes him out of the room.
THIRTEEN - Quinn
“We appreciate everyone’s cooperation. You all have a nice day.”
Two uniformed officers from the Wilmington Police Department say their goodbyes to everyone in the office, nodding their heads with half-smiles as they clutch notebooks in their hands and head for the doors. The notebooks contain pages that are filled with varying versions of the assault that took place in the conference room today, and all of it will be used to press charges against Jon Reid for theft, fraud, assault, and probably a few other things related to financial manipulation. The officers spoke to everyone who attended the meeting this morning, which made for a very long, tiring day. But it's finally over, and I don't mean just the portion where we all had to give statements to the police. I mean everything. All of the issues with the breaches have come to an end as well—a door finally beingslammed shut to protect us from the danger outside. We’re safe in our home now. It’s done, and I'm the one who finished it.
After we all watched Jon being dragged out of here, there was no more talk about me breaking the law in order to catch him. In fact, I received pats on the back from everyone except Stephen and Nick, who stood in the background and watched their friend get arrested before silently slithering back into their offices and closing their doors. Everybody else thanked me for what I did. It’s funny. Breaking the law made me a hero. Olivia, however, didn't thank me.
I step back into my office as the cops leave and my coworkers shut down for the evening. We’re an hour past the time we usually leave, so everyone is scurrying around, trying to get out as quickly as they can like they’re worried the next business day will start before this one ends. I’m exhausted myself, so I waste no time turning off my computer and killing the lights in my office so I can get home and have a shower to wash off today’s ridiculousness. My temper flared and I hit someone. Thank goodness the cops said it was self defense. My fists still throb as I step over my threshold and turn toward the double doors, but I notice Olivia’s light still on. Unlike the rest of us, she is sitting at her desk, leaning all the way back in her chair with her eyes glued to the ceiling.
I'm confused by her demeanor as I stand in the hall, watching her sway back and forth. I figured she would be thrilled by the way things turned out. While it’s true that we’re going to have work to do to replace the clients who abandoned ship after the breaches, at least we know that we never had a weak spot in our security system. Obsidian isn't outdated or falling apart at the seams. We’re not struggling to protect the clients we serve. We had a mole in our camp, and he has been removed. Going forward, we don't have to try to sell clients on an anemic system.We’re built on strength and now we get to prove it. But if all of that is true, then why is she so despondent?
Instead of heading for the exit, I turn around and walk back to Olivia’s office.
“Hey,” I say, leaning against the jamb. “You alright?”
She stops swaying in the chair and looks at me, and I can tell from the expression in her gaze that this isn't the CEO version of Olivia Lucero. She doesn't look nearly as intimidating or focused as she usually does when she strides into meetings and owns the room. I see vulnerability now, like the hardened shell usually on display has suddenly been removed to reveal a softer center.
She sighs when she sees me, then says, “I got the final report back about the Judge Knight DAV. After Rob’s team scrubbed Jon’s devices, they were able to verify that the proxy server that sent the email to the judge was created on his laptop. He was the one behind all of this. All of it. Attacking us from the inside like a cancer cell just so he could try to become CEO. It’s such an idiotic plan, I'm not even sure he thought it all the way through.”
“He didn't,” I reply as I step into the office and take a seat in the chair in front of her desk. “That’s why he got caught. He was lazy and skipped steps, probably hoping that your inexperience would keep you from seeing it. Any seasoned technician would've known that using your office admin account to change the threat analysis would leave a trail. As smart as hethoughthe was, he was actually an idiot.”
She lets out a subdued chuckle. “Yeah, but not you though. You figured out everything. Now we’re even investigating Nick and Stephen to see if they had a hand in this, and it’s all because of you. Truth be told, Quinn, I think you saved my father's company. Who knows how much damage Jon would've done if you didn't put a stop to it.”
I grin. “I did what I could.”
“You're brilliant, you know that?” she says.
The compliment makes me look up, and I find Olivia’s eye on me, unmoving and unashamed. There's something new in them that gives me pause, and I bite my lip as the onslaught of inappropriate thoughts comes rushing in like a raging river of depravity. My dark devil awakens from just her glance.
“Don't look so surprised,” she says, confusing my look of growing desire with astonishment. “I recognized it from the first meeting we had together. Not only are you brilliant, you're not afraid to fight for what you believe in. You risked everything by going against Jon’s crusade, and I have to ask—why did you fight so hard for me? You would've fit right in with the boys if you'd joined his team instead of mine.”
“Fuck his team, and fuck the boys,” I answer after a sigh. “I never liked Jon’s vibe. I can sense an asshole from a mile away, and being in this corporate life has taught me a lot about people’s intentions versus their expressions. Smiling in your face means nothing. He couldn't hide his desire to oust you, and he recruited his friends to join in on the schoolyard shit. Rumors, whispers, and gossip aren't my thing. Talking shit behind someone’s back isn't my thing either. If I have a problem with someone, I’ll address them like a man. No fears. No waiting until they’re not around to air my grievances. I wasn't raised that way.”
Olivia adjusts herself in her seat. “Oh, that’s right. You said your father raised you by himself before he went to prison. After teaching you how to break the law, of course. When I said you risked everything, I really meanteverything, Quinn. You know I could've had you arrested for breaking into my account, right?”
“Of course I do. I knew it when I did it.”
