Should’ve Known It’s You (Not You Again #7)

Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

AUSTIN

B ack in the office, Tate was officially fired and jumping down my throat, obviously thinking I’d had something to do with it. Carrying a box of his belongings past my door, he glanced inside, then looked again, like he’d only just realized that I was really in here.

Immediately dropping his box on the floor, he spun to storm into my office, his hands in fists at his sides and his cheeks going red as he narrowed his eyes. “What the fuck were you thinking, Merrick? Why the hell would you tell HR that I verbally assaulted a client?”

I blinked hard, frowning as I rose slowly from the chair behind my desk. “Calm down, Donovan. I didn’t tell HR anything, but to be fair, you have gotten into it with a fair amount of our clients.”

A vein throbbed at his temple, his face turning even redder. “It’s not my fault people are idiots. At least I’ve got the balls to stand up to them. Is this about your little girlfriend? That crazy girl you fucked?”

I felt ice infusing my veins, bringing with it a sense of cold rage that somehow made my heartbeat slower. I’d never felt anything like it, but it sure felt more dangerous than when things got heated.

Suddenly understanding why the terms “cold” and “calculated” were so often used in the same sentence, I leaned forward and braced my palms on my desk. “I have no idea what you did or who told HR about it. It wasn’t me, but you will not talk about her like that.”

“Why not?” he sneered, chin flying up as he scoffed and shook his head. “You ruined my career because of her, Merrick. I’m damn good at my job and you know it, but you got me fired for getting into it with some?—”

“Don’t say it, Donovan,” I warned, my voice low and filled with a poisonous edge I’d never even heard from myself before. “I get that you’re upset, but Kennedy has nothing to do with this. She didn’t report you either, although I’ve no doubt that she probably wanted to.”

He didn’t back down. “ Upset ? You think I’m fucking upset? I’m not upset, Merrick. I’m on the warpath and you and your crazy girl are at the top of my shit list.”

I scoffed, straightening to my full height and folding my arms over my chest as I glared back at him. “Do your worst, you prick. I’m not scared of you. I’m still not the one who reported you, but I can definitely take you, so go for it. Do whatever it is you feel you need to do.”

“You fucking ruined me,” he seethed, bright venomous anger in his eyes as he took a step closer to me, his muscles bulging and his shoulders coming up like he was preparing himself for a fight. “Do you have any idea how much this is going to set me back? I’ve been working my ass off for years and these allegations of yours are bullshit, but it doesn’t matter, does it? I’m done for.”

Tate and I had come up through the ranks together, and I knew full well how hard he’d worked. He and I had put in some late nights together, even pulled a few all-nighters as the only people on our floor, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t an asshole.

“Have you ever thought that maybe you should point that finger at yourself?” I asked, cocking my head as I kept glaring at him. “You’re the one responsible for this, Tate. Not me and certainly not Kennedy.”

“Bullshit,” he all but yelled, and I suddenly caught a glimpse of movement in the doorway behind him.

Mindy was there, together with about half a dozen others behind her. It looked like our spat had started drawing some attention, and I moved my gaze back to my former coworker’s. “Do yourself a favor and leave. Now, Donovan. Before you make a complete fool of yourself.”

“I don’t need to,” he ranted, still only getting louder. “You’ve already done it for me. I’m coming for you, Merrick. Watch this space. You might as well start packing your own fucking boxes because it’s not just me moving out this month.”

“Are you really threatening me right now?” I walked around my desk and perched on the edge of it, kicking my legs out and crossing them casually as I wondered how far he was really about to take this.

Behind him, the whole office was practically trembling in their boots, but I was mostly unfazed. I’d been in my fair share of fights in my day. I’d always avoided them as far as possible and I didn’t pick them unnecessarily, but I could throw a punch if I had to.

Besides, when I was sixteen, I’d looked into the eyes of a cow who had lost her mind after delivering a stillborn calf. She’d tried to kill me, and that had been a hell of a lot scarier than a pissed-off “alpha” male throwing a tantrum.

“I’m not threatening,” he replied angrily.

I cocked my head at him. “Oh, you’re promising, is that it? I kind of thought you were more creative than this.”

Just when I’d thought his face couldn’t get any redder, it did, turning almost maroon as he advanced on me. “You think you’re so fucking clever, don’t you? That you’re above it all. Above everyone, but you’re not. You’re a coward and a rat who couldn’t take his girlfriend getting some heat over a shitty idea.”

“It wasn’t a shitty idea, Donovan. It just needed some finetuning, and she’s not my girlfriend. Leave her out of this or we’re really going to have a problem.”

He snorted. “We’ve already got a problem, Merrick. You cost me my fucking job and I will not take that lying down!”

As he said it, he finally snapped, drawing an arm back to take a swing. I ducked the first blow, sliding off the edge of my desk and wondering if this super dramatic showdown was really necessary.

Spinning around, I straightened up and caught his fist on his next swing, but pain radiated from my palm at the impact with his knuckles. I groaned but prepared to dodge again when suddenly, security was there, pinning his arms behind his back.

“We’re here to escort you from the building, Mr. Donovan,” the guard said coolly, nodding at me before he marched a red-faced, furious Tate who was still screaming obscenities out of my office.

I shook my head as I watched him go. As much of an asshole as he was, I was sorry to see his time at the firm come to an end like this. He’d been a formidable opponent and he’d pushed me to work harder and harder when we’d first been starting out.

In a way, I had him to thank for at least some of my success in my career so far, and it sucked that security was now frog-marching him out like some kind of criminal. I sighed and strode back around my desk, but as I went to sit down, I saw the crowd of onlookers still gathered and gawking at me.

“Get back to work,” I snapped. “Or you’ll be the next ones without a job.”

Quickly scattering and scurrying away, everyone disappeared except for Mindy, who lifted her chin and strode into my office with a determined set to her jaw. I frowned, my eyebrows lifting as I looked into her eyes. “I’m okay, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

She shook her head, doubling back to shut my door. She came to stand across from me, linking her fingers and fidgeting with them for a moment. “I was the one who reported Tate to HR.”

I blinked a few times in surprise, but when I really thought about it, I realized I wasn’t completely shocked about her confession. Mindy had taken issue with Tate’s behavior for years, and while everyone knew he was something of a loose cannon, she believed we should all be held to a higher professional standard—and she wasn’t wrong.

“I understand,” I said, waving for her to take a seat. “Would you like to talk about it?”

She drew in a shuddering breath, walked to the closest chair, and sank into it, sitting right at the edge before she brought her gaze back to mine. “He took it too far that day, yelling at a potential client in the corridor. It’s one thing to hear him raise his voice in the privacy of his own office. We’ve all heard that before so many times, and it’s still unacceptable, but to do it in front of everyone? To call her crazy in the middle of the bull pen?”

She shook her head. “I’m not sorry I did it. I wasn’t expecting them to fire him, but I can’t say that he didn’t deserve it. That boy needs to learn how to control his temper, but I am sorry that you had to take the brunt of it. I just wanted you to know that.”

“I’d rather take the heat than you,” I said honestly. “I can handle it. Are you okay?”

She shrugged. “I’ve still got a job and I wasn’t just blamed and threatened because of something I didn’t do.”

“I’ll be fine,” I said confidently, even following it up with a smile. “Honestly, it’s horrible that he left the way he did, but that’s on him. Ultimately, I’m glad you don’t have to deal with that ass anymore, and neither does anyone else.”

“Are you sure?” she asked. “I know you two had your own little rivalry thing going and I know that those can be love-hate relationships.”

“Ours is more hate than love, I assure you, and I know he got what was coming to him. Maybe he’ll even learn a lesson from all this and do better at his next firm.” I leaned forward and folded my arms loosely on my desk, looking right into her eyes and needing her to know that I meant this. “You did the right thing by reporting him, Mindy. You’re absolutely correct that he took it too far and that it’s inappropriate for him to be yelling at clients or at anyone even in the privacy of his own office. You shouldn’t feel bad about it, and you definitely don’t need to apologize to me.”

“Thank you, Austin,” she said quietly before she rose. “You’re a good guy, do you know that? I heard you tell Tate that she’s not your girlfriend, but if she is, I hope she knows how lucky she is to have found a man like you and I hope she hangs onto you for dear life.”

I chuckled. “Thanks, but she’s really not my girlfriend.”

Mindy arched an eyebrow at me, inclining her chin toward my phone. “Then why has that thing been blowing up during all the drama? It’s her, isn’t it? Don’t ask me how I know. I just do. Woman’s intuition.”

I glanced at the device, seeing that I’d missed a call from Kenny and that I had notifications for a few messages. Grabbing it, I unlocked the screen and clicked into our texting thread, worried I’d missed something important.

“I’ll leave you to talk to her privately,” Mindy said with a knowing smile on her lips. “I heard all the vibrating while Tate was going off on you and I didn’t want to interrupt, but I would like to talk to her at some point. Make sure she knows to take care of you.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned and left my office, and I read the texts I’d missed, my heart pounding weirdly hard when I saw that Kenny had asked if I wanted to come with her to look at the float. Apparently, it was done, but she’d followed it up with another message saying that she was going and that she would send me pictures—she knew I was at work and she didn’t want to bug me.

No pictures had come in just yet, but I really would rather have been there in person to see it with her. I sighed, wondering why Slate, Tate, and now Mindy were all so convinced there was something deeper going on between Kennedy and me—and I also was really starting to wonder if they were right.