Page 119 of Protecting Love

“I’m not sure Paris can act it up that she made a mistake,” London said. “She’s too perfect.”

“That’s you,” she said. “And you know it. I can own my mistakes.”

Which was why she couldn’t let this go. She worried that she might have had it all wrong and cost people their jobs.

“Do it,” he said. “Take a minute if you need, but place the call.”

“I don’t need an audience,” she said. “Out, both of you.”

She didn’t expect him to stand up, but he did, left her door open, but she knew beyond a doubt he was in the hallway listening.

Oddly, it was more comforting than frustrating.

28

CAN MOVE ON

At six thirty, the doorbell went off, Paris moving toward the steel door and pushing it open.

Fletcher was standing on the other side.

He didn’t have any fear this woman was going to attack his girlfriend.

From what he’d discovered, Debra wasn’t violent.

She was more a pushover and maybe in over her head, but not dangerous.

“Thanks for coming to see me,” Paris said when Debra walked through the door.

Debra jumped and turned when she saw Fletcher standing there.

“Who are you?”

“Fletcher is the head of security here,” she said. “Come on back and let’s talk. I’m sure you know why you’re really here?”

Debra’s eyes moved to Fletcher and then back to Paris. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He’d told Paris to just play it cool. Nothing was going to happen to her. Not with him here.

“Have a seat,” she said, gesturing to the conference room table. “I know you had a letter delivered to my apartment yesterday. I also know that you had a dead rat sent here with another note. I’d like to know what is going on and why.”

Debra’s shoulders dropped, and she almost looked relieved. “How did you figure it out?”

“It wasn’t that hard,” he said. “The rat, no one was talking there.”

“Sorry about that,” Debra said. “I couldn’t do it myself.”

“Then the warning to stop looking. I was done, there wasn’t anything to look for.”

“But I knew you,” Debra said. “Or thought I did. I just hoped if I warned you off, that you’d dig in more. I needed to make a statement. I’d heard someone talking at the office once that they got rats there for their pet snake. I thought if they caught them alive, they had to catch them dead. You can pay for anything, it seems.”

“Why don’t you tell us why you did it,” Fletcher said. “And what is going on.”

“Am I in trouble with the law? I don’t want that. It’s why I did it that way.”

“I’m not the law,” he said.

“There is something shady going on at MHT. I’ve suspected it for over a year,” Debra said.