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I don’t speak to him until I parked the car in the shade, in the furthest part of the park, in the furthest parking space in that parking lot. When I do, it’s straight to the point. “What did she do? What did she try to do to you, Tommy?”
While I already know what went on, or tried to go on, based on what I heard through the phone, I need him to tell me exactly what happened and how it happened, so I have something to corroborate my story with. Especially since I didn’t get any actual evidence of what I heard. It’s just my testimony against Vanacore’s. A woman who knows more than one way to get out of trouble.
“She tried to rape me,” says Tommy. He says it unfeelingly, numbly, as if it didn’t happen to him, but to someone else. “She pulled a gun and tried to rape me against the window in her office. She told me I owed it to her after lying to her. After jerking her around, when I was really going out with you.” He pauses, looking completely out of himself — out of his body and mind.
While I’m not really surprised to hear this admission, given what I heard about Vanacore wanting to “wreck him”—make him useless to me—hearing it directly from Tommy is sickening and disheartening, even though I know there’s no way to get around it. Vanacore did sexually assault him. She did just try to rape him, no matter the fact that nothing and no one at the company has ever gotten so out of hand or has ever been so cruel.
I let Tommy sort things out in whatever way he needs to for a while. Then, when he’s silent, I say what I know should be obvious to both of us. “You can’t go back there after this. You can’t go back to work for a while. Not until that woman is confronted about what she did and shipped off like the garbage she is!” My voice trembles around this, as do my hands.
Now I’m caught between fear and rage. Anger at what Vanacore represents. Now it’s not just a general dislike of her. It’s personal. It’s deep-seated hatred. A hatred I know is going to make me stop at nothing to see her face charges and face karma.
“I know,” admits Tommy, sounding as weak and vulnerable as I once felt. “I’m sorry I put you through all of this stupid shit. I’m sorry I even came up with the stupid idea to try to do anything about her. To try to do any good for anyone.” He looks down and wraps his arms around himself. “If you don’t want to be my girlfriend anymore, I don’t blame you. I’m probably going to lose my job and my ability to work in any kind of law firm after this, too, so I might as well be without a girlfriend!”
“Oh, hush!” For the first time ever, I actually yell at him. I shove his arm a bit, though not roughly. He’s been through enough rough stuff. “You stop talking like that right now, Tommy!” I glower at him, feeling simultaneously protective of him and frustrated. Lost. Confused. “You are not going to lose your job, you are not going to lose your career opportunities, and you are certainly not going to lose me!” I pause, gripping the steering wheel. “Though I am frustrated at you for taking such a risk! For putting yourself in so much danger.” I take a breath in, forcing myself to speak gently. “But I understand why. I still feel proud of you. I’m just afraid. And angry that it’s come to this. That a woman like that continues to think she owns everyone and everything in the world, never caring who she hurts!”
After that, I go silent for another long while. When I speak again, I say, “I’m going to take you somewhere for a bit of a drink and food. A bit of a distraction. Then I’m going to go take you home, and then head back to the office. When I get there, I’m going to put you ‘on vacation.’ I’m going to block out the next two weeks for that vacation, while we try to sort this out. While I go to Kane with whatever evidence I have.” I pause, feeling queasy. “I heard things over the phone call you put out to my desk. I’ll be able to use that to start proceedings, but I’ll need more. But we will deal with that later.”
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Melissa
I look at the clock on the dashboard. It now reads just after ten-thirty. We’ve been in the car for almost 2 hours discussing things.
For now, I’m going to take you to get a little food and pray that there’s something else I can think of to do to resolve this situation once and for all. To protect you from Vanacore, and get you the kind of job you deserve and the kind of life you deserve to live after everything you’ve been put through.
