Page 39 of Retribution

I swallow hard and tense my jaw as the journey to my desk seems to stretch for even longer than normal.

I close the glass doors behind me and take a seat.

The disastrous events from yesterday have been cleared up and my office has been organized back to its usual state – minus a few picture frames.

I log onto my computer and load up my email, checking over what I need to complete today, diving headfirst into a criminal case of fraud and embezzlement for a marketing company.

I’m interrupted by a knock at my door, looking up to see the one and only, Jonathan Atlas, my partner. I give him a slight nod as he enters the room, looking at me with a skeptical face, his hair growing grayer by the day.

“What are you doing here, Reed?” He cocks an eyebrow, his cold brown eyes burning into me. Brilliant, straight down to business.

“What do you think? Working,” I mutter, acting impatient.

“You’ve just lost your wife,” he starts.

“Indeed.” I look at the blank wall next to him.

“You need time to grieve, Reed. You need to be with your family right now.” He tries to reason with me, his tone almost coming across as condescending.

“I’ve grieved, my family have each other. I need to focus on my clients right now.” The silence in the room threatens to swallow me up.

I don’t need people to constantly remind me that my wife has died. I’ve been through all this before with my mother, I know the process and I understand it, understand she’s not coming back and there’s nothing I can do to change it.

“Reed, we’re just trying to–”

“I’m fine.” I snap.

I grit my teeth, I’m sick of people deciding what’s best for me. I’m a fully grown man with a hell of a lot of responsibility, I can’t just drop everything and take time away to sit and dwell on something that cannot be changed.

Jonathan stands up and walks closer towards me and he pats my shoulder gently.

“I’m here if you need anything.” He offers a tight smile and straightens his suit before walking out.

Huffing, I return my attention to the papers in front of me.

Maddy has bothered me the entire day, so much so that her constant presence irritates me to my core. I’ve been mollycoddled by each member of staff, the ‘I’m sorry for your loss’ permanently etched in my brain.

My phone buzzes with a text.

(Bridget): Hi Reed, just a heads up that Allie’s parents are here and want to chat with you about Willow.

Groaning, I rub my hands through my overgrown stubble. This was not something I wanted to have to deal with yet. They’ve always been the overbearing type, sticking their noses into business that does not concern them.

I check my watch and decide to close for the night. I’ve dealt with six separate clients today and my brain is fried trying to make up for lost time.

Flicking off the lights to my office, I walk past the receptionist.

“Goodnight, Reed,” she murmurs.

I barely look at the redhead as I pass her.

“Night, Faye.”

* * *

I park on the driveway and look up at the house that holds far too many painful memories.

The gray colored sliding is in desperate need of paint, it’s started peeling again. I glance towards the garage that still has the dented door from Allie’s unfortunate misjudgment with how long our driveway was.

---