Chapter Twenty-Eight
I reach the office early Tuesday morning. A burly security guard with an imposing stance is stationed outside of Kenneth’s office. Joseph is embroidered in bright gold across the chest of his black jacket. “Good morning. Everything okay?” I ask, trying to see past him.
“Just fine.”
Kenneth emerges from his office like a hurricane. “Fine? Fine? Ha!”
“Clock’s ticking. You have twenty-three minutes, sir.”
I look from Kenneth to Joseph and back. “What’s he talking about?”
Kenneth smirks and turns to Joseph. “Better get her packed up, too. She’s coming with me.” He steps past him with an exaggerated stride and lands next to me. “Looks like we’re going a little sooner than planned.”
“Wait. What? But why is the security guard here? I don’t understand.”
“Later.” He huffs. “You better get moving. Like he said, the clock is ticking.”
I shake my head, trying to understand what’s going on, but these two are of no help. Without bothering to ask, I move past Joseph and rush to Craig’s office.
Empty.
I hurry past it and reach Thomas’s office. The door is closed, so I knock, reeling in the desire to pound.
“Come in.”
I walk in and barely notice the dead zoo that surrounds me. “What’s going on? There’s a security guard in Kenneth’s office.”
His smile drops into the lines of his face. “When an individual breaches the partner agreement, he goes. Same holds true with an associate. You can’t bad-mouth the firm to clients to woo their business. Things don’t work that way.”
His accusation socks me in the gut. “But I didn’t do anything!”
He raises a bushy brow. “Hammond called me. We had a long talk this weekend. He’s feeling a lot better. Beaten up good, but he’s doing okay.” He folds his rough hands together and rests his chin on them. “Poor guy’s been through a lot. His dad and I are old friends, you know. I guess Kenneth wasn’t aware…” He sits up straight and splays his hands on the polished desk. “Well, he called and asked what the hell was going on with his case. Appears Kenneth has been filling his head with some pretty interesting stories.”
“But—”
He holds up a hand. “I’ve seen the emails. Kenneth has maintained throughout that you are leaving with him.”
“But I’m not. He said I have until the end of the week to decide. I haven’t given him an answer because I didn’t want to walk on eggshells during his last days here. He’d make my life miserable.”
He looks to the still-open door. “Can you close that, please? And have a seat.”
The guest chair is mere feet from the alligator, and I shift it away before sitting.
Thomas leans forward in his chair. “So what you’re telling me is Kenneth spoke for you?”
“Yes. He gave me a plant and assumed I’d leave with him.”
Thomas chortles. “Brazen little bastard. That’s what makes him a good attorney.” He straightens and picks up the receiver of his phone, speaking quietly into it. After replacing it in its cradle, he looks up at me. “We’ll just put a pin in this conversation for a minute.”
The walls feel like they’re closing in on me, but I force myself to remain seated. Seconds later, the security guard steps in, holding the door open for Kenneth, who looks like a rabid dog. “What the hell, Thomas? This is moronic. I was leaving anyway. Why the freaking sideshow?”
He remains seated behind the safety of his desk. “We had an agreement, Kenneth. You broke it. Was Katie involved or not?”
“Involved in what? Talking to my client?”
“Encouraging a Janks and Lowe client to leave with you,” Thomas says patiently.
“No,” he snaps. “She had no idea, okay.”
“Very well.” His grandfatherly eyes are stern. “This is a very delicate situation, Katie. I’ll need to talk with Steven. However, if you would like to stay, we’d be happy to assign you to another attorney.”
Kenneth flaps his arms. His eyes are wild as he looks at me. “Stay here if you want. Stay and work for these greedy bastards. You’ll end up like that wrinkled old lizard, stuck here for years with no real future in sight.” He points to the alligator, which seems like an ally all of a sudden.
I look from one stiff animal to the next. Will I end up trapped like them? Stuck in a job that has little meaning to me? As I look at their sad eyes, I can almost hear them whisper and chant, “Go, go, run!”
“Thanks for the advice, Kenneth, but I won’t end up stuck.” I face Thomas. “I want you to know I really appreciate all you’ve done for me.”
Kenneth beams. “Great choice, Katie. Let them throw us out, but we will rise to the top. The cream always rises to the top.”
Spinning to face him, I say, “You’ve misunderstood. I’m not going with you. I never was.”
“But you—”
“I’m what? Throwing away the chance of a lifetime? God money? It’s a chance I’ll happily take. Because I have my future in sight. It’s become quite clear, thanks to you.” Turning to Thomas, I say, “I’m really grateful for the opportunity you’ve given me. I’ve done a lot of soul-searching since I’ve learned Kenneth is leaving. I appreciate your offer to stay—I truly do—but I’ve discovered victims’ advocacy is the type of law I want to pursue. It’s where my heart is. I hope you understand.”
He gives me a grave nod. “I do. It’s never wrong to pursue your passion. Good luck to you.”
“Thanks. It means a lot.” With that, I walk out the door and down the hall for the last time.
As I drive along the freeway with the lone box of my things riding shotgun, a ribbon of fear tries to sneak in and choke me, but I won’t let it. For the first time in my life, I know I’m heading in the right direction. The road ahead is wide open. My interview with Valentina and Barbara is set for tomorrow afternoon. It might not go my way, but on the other hand, it could be great. I think back to the wish I made on the dolphin. Let it all work out okay.