Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 123579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 618(@200wpm)___ 494(@250wpm)___ 412(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 618(@200wpm)___ 494(@250wpm)___ 412(@300wpm)
When I pull back, we grin at each other for a moment. This is special. This is different from anything I’ve had, and I realize that what he wanted for us, it’s happening. That we are learning each other, and loving what we learn, and wanting each other. We’ve become…I search for the word. For the way to describe how it feels to have my hand in his moments before I dive into a shit storm that could wreck everything I’ve worked for and everything I still want to have.
Close. There’s that word again. We feel close. It didn’t take long, and it’s not fully formed, but I want to keep walking in his direction as much as he wants to keep walking in mine. And even though it’s early, I know I want to be closer to him than I’ve been to the others.
The door opens. Not the one that offered me a way of escape, but the door that leads to chaos and mayhem and public humiliation. And maybe, finally, to some kind of justice.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Ms. Baston.” Karen Sims stands in her office door, motioning for me to come in. “I wanted to chat with Shaunti a little before you arrived.”
I stand, surprised my wobbly legs support me. Trevor stands with me, his hand at my back. We start walking toward Karen Sims, Shaunti’s lawyer.
“Just you, Ms. Baston.” Karen firms her mouth into a straight line, her eyes flicking between Trevor and me. “Shaunti is prepared to speak only with you, not anyone else.”
I’m about to yield, but the thought of going through this completely alone almost sends me through that other door. I need him with me.
“Ms. Sims, I really must insist that Mr. Bishop come in with me.” I staunch the anxiety in my chest before it makes it to my face. “I came here without my lawyer, my publicist, my manager, without anyone from my team. I’m talking to you of my own free will, and I’m risking a lot. I’m risking things Shaunti isn’t risking anymore, so again, I must insist.”
For a moment Karen Sims looks like she’ll rebuff me, but she must realize the line between my stony expression and the hand holding Trevor’s is my line in the sand. My take it or leave it line. She doesn’t look happy about it, but she nods and gestures for Trevor and me to precede her into the office.
Inside the office, Shaunti Miller sits in one of three seats across from Karen’s desk. Trevor and I take the other two. I study her for a moment. A headband holds her dark brown hair away from her face. She wears a bit of pink lipstick and some mascara, but otherwise no makeup. She’s paired a long-sleeved PTA T-shirt and a pair of jeans, faded in places. On her feet she wears pink-and-teal Asics.
She’s staring at me, which I can’t resent because I was doing the same. I offer a tentative smile, which she returns.
“Shaunti Miller,” Karen says. “Meet Sofie Baston. Sofie’s friend Mr. Bishop is sitting in, if that’s okay.”
Shaunti studies Trevor for a moment before nodding. She looks back to me, her eyes becoming more guarded.
“Sofie, you called to say you had information that we might find interesting given the claims Shaunti made last week.” Karen sits behind her desk, leaning back to fold her arms across her chest. “What kind of information exactly?”
Trevor reaches for my hand, even though he continues to study Karen and Shaunti. For a moment I can’t for the life of me remember why I would choose to do this—hurl my life into this typhoon. Then I think of Halima. They cut that woman’s clitoris off. She’ll live with the complications of that sloppy butchering for the rest of her life. She can’t ever go home under threat of death, and yet she travels the world doing exactly what she challenged us to do that day. Using her hurt to help. Fifteen years ago I decided not to speak out against Kyle. There is at least one woman seated across from me who paid the price of my silence, and there are probably more.
“Kyle Manchester raped me when I was eighteen years old.” I press my lips together before continuing. “On prom night. Couldn’t get more cliché, right?”
I just spat that out, but Karen and Shaunti both stare at me, eyes arrested and mouths slightly open.
“You’re saying that…that Kyle raped you, too?” Shaunti asks.
“Yes. I never came forward. I never planned to.” I cross my legs, tracing the stitching of my black skinny jeans. “But I’m prepared to speak out now.”
Karen Sims leans forward.
“Sofie, we want to take that bastard down badly.” She glances at Shaunti, tweaking one corner of her mouth before looking back to me. “We were pretty close, but his team dug up some things from Shaunti’s past that she couldn’t have come out.”