“Yes,” I say.
And yet I get the sense that neither of us truly believes that.
28
Nathaniel
Julia and I arrive to work together Monday morning a little later than normal. We figure at this point there are no more secrets with the team. Well, at least as far as our relationship goes. As soon as we cross into the building unease washes over me. It takes me a minute to identify what it is.
Then it hits me.
The smell of my father’s cologne.
“Julia,” I say. I grab her hand to stop her as I turn to her.
“What is it?” Worry creases her brow.
“So glad you two could finally join us.” My father’s voice has us turning toward him.
He’s casually leaning outside the conference room door. “The rest of the Mesh-Tek team is waiting for you.” He pushes off the doorframe and thumbs behind him, looking somber. But it’s fake somber. It’s barely controlled glee.
He purposely pronounced the name of Shemesh-Tek wrong. He hates that I named this company in honor of my Jewish mother. A wave of heat comes off Julia, reminding me of hackles rising on a dog.
My stomach drops.
When my father turns his back to enter the conference room, Julia quickly squeezes my hand, blasting it with a quick burst of comforting warmth.
I hold her gaze and pour as much of a warning into that look as I can. She has no idea the levels he will sink to or go to, to get his way. I felt he was losing control. I sensed something was coming. I should have given Julia more warning. Should have made sure she and Lincoln were safe. But is anyone ever safe from him?
In the room, my whole team is gathered: Jared, Febin, Kate, and Dylan. Dylan flicks a pen from one finger to the other, circling it around and around. Jared works his lip ring, his dark brows low with concern. He shoots a look at me and then Julia before looking away. Kate won’t meet my gaze at all. Dylan has their arms crossed, their foot shaking wildly. Febin’s shoulders are up to his ears and he glares at the table.
Whatever Will has told them before our arrival can’t be good. Ken is standing at the front of the room, leaning against a table. He repeatedly pets his chin, frowning at the ground. When he glances up and sees Julia, he curls a lip in disgust.
“Take a seat,” Will says.
Julia and I sit next to each other across from the rest of the team. None of them meet my gaze as I search their faces. If Jared or Kate made the connection over the years that Will is my father, they never voiced it. I don’t want any association with that man, and he certainly didn’t include me on any of his billboards.
“What’s going on?” My voice is clipped.
Will shuts the door gently and walks to the front of the room. He stands facing the table, stance wide, one hand in his pocket and the other scratching his chin like he’s a surgeon deciding the best way to say he botched the surgery.
“I’m afraid I have bad news.” The room is so silent, a phone ringing down the hall is audible.
He drops his hand to his other pocket. “The Lite-Brite contract is frozen while it undergoes an investigation.”
“Good. Somebody needs to be liable for the destroyed equipment,” I say.
Will looks at me, features neutral.
But it’s Ken who speaks. “Really? You want to pretend you know nothing about the damaged equipment? You can’t think of anybody who’s been entering the testing room without the proper level of clearance?”
My heart slams against my chest. I don’t look at Ken, instead focusing on my father. That bastard. He is behind this somehow. I should have known.
Julia tenses in my periphery. I hold Will’s gaze, answering Ken. “Nope.”
Across from me, Febin sighs and Dylan shifts to bring their knees up to their chin.
I made a mistake but I’m not giving anything away.
“Will showed us the tapes, Nathaniel,” Jared says. “Of you and Julia going to the testing room at night.”
“Did you think we wouldn’t protect the lab’s most valuable testing facility?” Will asks in obvious disbelief.
“It’s not what you think,” I say to the team, ignoring him completely. If there are cameras then they aren’t listed with the one security went over when I started. These were hidden and it’s clear I was not supposed to know about them. Just how long has my father been watching me? Did I ever have any control over this contract? “I would never compromise the team. You know that.” I hold Jared’s gaze but he looks away with a head shake.
“It’s bad enough that you and Julia were carrying on an affair—” Will starts.
“That’s not anybody’s business,” I say with vehemence.
Kate frowns. “You could have told us.”
Will lifts his chin and tilts his head. “Julia is under investigation. Her clearance has been revoked and she will immediately be escorted from the labs and into police custody.”
I stand up so fast, the chair slams back into the wall. “No. This is bullshit and you know it.” I try so hard to keep my voice steady but I already feel like I’m losing the battle.
Julia doesn’t say anything. Her head is down, staring at her hands folded in her lap.
“What Julia and I were doing has nothing to do with Lite-Brite.” I stare at the four members of my chosen family. “You all have to know that I would never do anything to sabotage what we’ve worked for.”
“They aren’t stupid. They can do the math, Nathaniel,” Will says. “The tests started to fail when she arrived. No rhyme or reason. Then you two start playing in the labs at night. And now damage to the equipment. Can you account for her time after that meeting when your peers say she walked out upset? Ken confirms that she was walking outside the testing facility right before the broken equipment was discovered.”
“No.” I run a hand over my face. It looks worse than I ever thought. “This is not what it looks like. You all know Julia wouldn’t do this.”
I put a hand on her shoulder but I’m shocked so hard I can’t hide the flinch. The team must see her shrugging me off. Kate frowns and crosses her arms before looking away with a head shake.
Jared is shaking his head too.
This isn’t happening. Will can’t have convinced these people that I would ever do anything to hurt them. My heart is beating so hard. I feel sick.
“I can’t believe you can just sit here and lie to your team. She really has her hooks in you,” Ken spits from the side.
Julia flinches but doesn’t seem outraged or surprised by his words.
“You have no idea what you are talking about. It’s Julia.” I toss my arms out to the side. “She worked overtime for this team. She didn’t even have to take the contract. She did it to help us.”
“Isn’t that convenient?” Ken says.
“Oh, come on.” I roll my eyes. “You seriously can’t believe that we would hurt this contract after all these hours.”
“Not you,” my father says calmly. “Her.” He rubs his eyebrows. “I thought maybe you were working together but it’s clear that she has deceived you too.”
“No. Don’t you dare do this,” I say.
“Do you know about her past, Mr. Aarons?” he says my last name like an accusation. Like I’m a stranger who doesn’t carry half of his DNA. I don’t respond but feel my nostrils flare.
He goes on, “Why do you think she moves around so often? Didn’t you think it was suspicious that you got that email saying she was available just in time?”
“That was from her company. Where she has consistently worked the last ten years with security clearance. She came highly recommended.”
“I looked into that. The email you received came from a fake account. It seems similar enough on first glance but if you look closer it wasn’t from her contracting company at all.”
“This is insane. We know her,” I plead to the team again. “He does this. You don’t know him. He’s—”
“What about the warrant for her arr
est?” Will asks.
Next to me Julia curls in on herself.
“She burned a man so badly that his father had to press charges. Not only that, but she is under investigation for several fires. In every city where she’s lived, something has happened that somehow gets swept under the rug. She’s dangerous.”
Then he turns to Julia, waiting until she looks up at him. “Can you tell me that you aren’t a danger?” Her eyes squeeze tight and she turns her head away.
He sighs dramatically. “Nathaniel, you need to open your eyes, son.” He drops that word “son” just like that. The room doesn’t know the irony. They see it as an older man teaching a stupid youth. “You’ve been played. She’s not who you think she is.”
The room is silent. I’m backed into a corner. How do I explain any of this without giving her away? And what would I say now? If I tried to explain her powers, not only would I betray her, but they would think I’m lying or crazy.
“You aren’t taking her anywhere,” I say.
“That’s not up to you. She has a warrant out for her arrest. A local man has come forward,” Will continues, “and pointed her out as the person who attacked him when he tried to help her at the Quickstop. She tried to burn his truck. He has severe burns from it. He’s pressing charges against her. If that wasn’t enough, combined with her past criminal activity, her next-door neighbor reported their garden was half-burned. Maybe she is a jealous pyromaniac?” Will leans on the desk in front of me, lowers his eyes to mine. “You’re a man of facts. Look at what’s in front of you and tell me she’s innocent. What else could possibly explain these crimes?”
He waits patiently. I see the triumph in the eyes that look so much like mine but in reality hide a monster. I know this look. I’m sent back in time. You did this to yourself, it says.
He knows. He knows it all. Of course he does. I’ve been so stupid. We’ve walked right into his trap and done everything as he thought we would. He knows and has been watching us for who knows how long. But why? Just to ruin my career? Is it really that important to him that I am made a laughingstock?
“Julia.” I whisper her name. I run a hand over my mouth. She’s eerily calm. She should get up and yell and scream. But then what? That would only confirm the picture he is painting of her.
This is her exact fear. Her past catching up with her. She stayed here for me and now they have made her a criminal.
Will speaks again. “You have a choice here. Admit that she’s been playing you. Keep your team and your contract while she is investigated for her crimes you were unaware of. Or confess to sabotage, which will cause you and your team to lose the contract. You will lose everything.”
He’s blatantly referring to Lincoln, but only Julia and I could know that.
I slump into the chair. My head falls into my hands. This isn’t happening. He can’t have done this. All these years … All these years of working so hard. This team that I love and trust or Julia. My heart is breaking. I actually feel it crumbling.
But there is no choice for me. I would rather have the team think I was a part of the sabotage than lose Julia. I never thought in a million years I would do anything to break their trust … but I don’t have a choice. Not really.
Julia and I will take Lincoln and run away from here. I struggle to make it work in my mind. Secure his future while keeping the woman I love. I have to find a way to make it work. Wherever she goes, I will go. Julia is as much a victim of Will as Lincoln and I are. She didn’t do any of this. Her hand reaches for mine under the table, hidden from sight. She sends a pulse of warmth.
I love her and we promised that we would figure things out together. We’re a team. No. We are family now.
But before I can speak, Julia finally breaks her silence. “It’s true,” she says, keeping her focus forward. “Everything is true. I’m a danger. I broke the equipment. Nathaniel didn’t know about any of it.”
* * *
Julia
“No,” Nathaniel gasps out next to me and it’s almost enough to break me. But I won’t let it. I won’t let Will take this from him. I will not let that monster take any more from his sons.
“I admit to it all. Take me to the police station. I will confess.”
I can’t look at Nathaniel and keep my gaze straight ahead. I won’t look at the team either. My focus is on Will, my anger holding me steady. I cannot break. I have to let this happen.
Nathaniel cannot lose his team, this contract, his company, or Lincoln. He has done everything for them. I refuse to be the reason he is destroyed.
“Julia, please.”
“Nathaniel. Stop. Just stop,” I snap. I still can’t let myself look at him. I go ice cold. I shut down.
After all, nothing William said was a lie. Exaggerated? Yes. Camo Shirt came after me, and obviously I would never smash the equipment. At least not on purpose. But what if …? Guilt sours my stomach. I was having an orgasm when the equipment was destroyed. What if I did it somehow? Is it possible? We are just now discovering my capabilities. Just another reason to isolate myself from those I care about. Everything William said is true. The garden. The fires. The hurt I’ve caused. I leave a path of destruction wherever I go.
“It’s all true,” I whisper.
This is what my grandparents understood even when I was too naive. The world isn’t made for people like me. Eventually, no matter how hard I try to fly under the radar, I would be exposed. Something would cause me to lose control. Somebody would get hurt. I will never be normal. I will never have my garden or a family that is safe. This is the end of the line for me.
But I’m not letting William win.
When we get to the police station I’m telling them everything about the abuse and why I was really in the lab. I will show them the truth about myself if I have to. I will not stop fighting until somebody listens. Even as I think it, I wonder just how far William’s control reaches. Does he have the local police in his pocket too? If so, I will go higher. I will not stop.
“Ken will stay behind to discuss what comes next,” William announces as he stands. “I’m sure when the police report is filed, insurance will cover the equipment. Since now we know the truth, you can continue your work.” He comes to rest his hand on my shoulder. I fight back the need to send a bolt of heat into him.
“I’ll take her down to the station.”
Nathaniel stands and pulls me toward himself and away from his father. “Julia.” He lowers his head until I meet his gaze. My stomach tightens with pain. I love him so much. This hurts so much. But I cannot let him lose any more for me. There is nothing to be done. At least not here with William watching us.
“Julia, come on.” He’s half-laughing with red-rimmed eyes, like any second this horrible prank will end. “Julia. You and me.”
I’m desperate to collapse into him, to say come what may. But it isn’t just me. It’s Lincoln. Doesn’t he see that his father will always have the upper hand? Doesn’t he see that his brother is never going to be safe? Jared, Dylan, Febin, and Kate. They are a part of this too. Their families. Their livelihood. I refuse to be the reason for the destruction of everything he has built.
I can’t find the words to hurt him to push him away, to make him think I used him. But he would see through that. He’s smart enough to know that everything we felt was real. I hope. Lying to him may be the best thing to do to make sure he’ll let me go, but I can’t hurt him. I love him too much. I search for a different truth.
“You were fine before I showed up. You’ll be fine after I leave.”
His head is shaking. Tears fill his eyes. “No. I won’t.” His head keeps shaking. He sniffs and a tear falls. Behind us, his father scoffs in disgust. Nathaniel ignores him and grabs my hands. He squeezes them but I remain as limp as a dead fish. “You said we are a team. I trusted that. You trust me. We can figure this out.”
I couldn’t let Nathaniel lose any more people. I’m dangerous. He will lose his team if I stay. He will lose
Lincoln. No court would choose a household with someone who has my background over William’s. There’s no chance. Unless I leave.
I feel all the eyes in the room on us. He has pulled me between his knees but I’m numb. There is no heat. No growing power. Just icy defeat.
He lowers his voice and brings his face inches from mine. His beautiful eyes stare into me, pleading. “Tell them you didn’t break the equipment. You didn’t do this. Please, I can’t lose you.”
This must be what dying feels like. This ache from within feels like my heart is actually shutting down.
“She has made her choice,” William says roughly from behind me. “It’s bad enough that she played you. If you keep this up nobody will ever work with you again.”
It’s the push I need. A simple reminder. I slide the chair back, breaking Nathaniel’s hold on me. “I was always going to leave,” I say. “I’m dangerous.” I don’t recognize my own voice.
His eyes shut. I see the exact moment he lets go. He understands. Later, in time, he will forgive me. He will understand it is all for the greater good. His life, his work, his team, they are destined for greatness.
Another thought pops into my head. Another way to say the truth. “I don’t regret a thing.” I hope he understands.
I don’t regret our time together. I love him. I will never stop loving him. If I tell him that now, he won’t let me leave. I send a final burst of heat his way with effort. I feel like I have nothing to give. This hollow feeling has taken everything from me.
Ken scoffs loudly. He has interpreted my comment as I thought he would. Another confession of guilt.
I was always supposed to leave, I remind myself. It was my fault for ever letting myself have hope, for believing that I could be more than I am.
With that, William leads me out of the room. I don’t say goodbye to any of the team. I won’t be able to handle how they look at me. I can’t fathom the betrayal in their hearts after everything they did for me, how they took me in.
The Untouched: THE UNSEEN SERIES, #2 Page 23
