“Thankfully?” He stared at her as if she’d just said the worst swear word the universe had ever known. “For fuck’s sake, look at you. You took me on and dropped me like it was nothing, but you couldn’t lay a finger on some crazy bitch?”
“I followed protocols to the letter, Loki,” Alice reiterated while the lawyer tried to butt in on their conversation and Richardson Womack’s shoulders twitched. “I wasn’t a loose cannon with a hot temper and impulse issues, and the surveillance video will prove that out. Payne won’t be sued and you and everyone else won’t lose their jobs. Yes, I was protecting the shoppers and Chantal to the best of my ability, but I was also making sure I protected you and the job you love. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“What the hell, Loki,” Payne muttered, causing Alice to glance his way to find him scowling at them. “What fucking purpose does it serve to tell her about stupid shit I said when I didn’t even know her and had my head up my ass?”
“I didn’t tell her shit, man,” Loki shot back. “Alice was sitting right there and heard every damn word you said. Remember what I said would happen? I knew those stupid fucking protocols you shackled her with would tie her hands and put her in danger. Just so you know, I told her to walk the hell away from this job, because I knew you and Scout had made it too dangerous for her to do it effectively.”
“So that’s why.” Luke hit himself in the head, like he thought he’d had a stupid moment. “I wondered.”
Alice stared at him. “You wondered what?”
“I told you I reviewed the security video, right? It just so happens I spotted that telltale hesitation in you—that moment when you could’ve dropped Annalise Womack gently and without lasting effects. But instead, you deliberately chose to set yourself up as her human punching bag while directing Chantal to get everyone out of harm’s way.”
Alice grimaced. “I wouldn’t put it exactly like that, but whatever.”
“You literally put your life on the line with someone who was clearly deranged because you were worried that if you defended yourself—an act that literally anyone would have done—you’d be putting everyone’s job at risk, especially Loki’s.” He shook his head. “Call me an idiot, but I’m always surprised by how love motivates people to do the craziest damn things. You could have been killed, Alice.”
Alice sucked in a sharp breath, torn between horror and mortification as Loki swung back to look at her. “You’re an idiot. I don’t love anyone.”
Luke had the gall to laugh in her face. “Are you kidding me? You literally overrode Mother Nature’s instinct to survive, as well as all your years of martial arts training. And you did it for the sake of protecting Loki’s job. That’s adorable. Stupid, but adorable.”
Honest to God, one day someone was going to kill Luke for his damn head games. “I also wanted to prove I’m no loose cannon, though I have no doubt Payne and Scout will always think of me as that and nothing more.”
“Okay, fuck that, I want a chance to defend myself,” Payne jumped in, his voice rising. “Swear to Christ, Alice, I didn’t know you when I said that—”
“And if I genuinely thought you were a loose cannon, I never would have hired you,” Scout put in, all but shouting over everyone else. “For God’s sake, Alice, you could have been killed today, don’t you get that? I can’t believe you put your life on the line with a crazy person just to prove a damn point—”
“Enough.” Richardson Womack pushed away from the table and stood, head held high and not looking at anyone. “Charles, get everyone’s information and pay them whatever the hell they need to keep them quiet about my daughter’s…issues. I’m leaving.”
“You cold-hearted sonofabitch.” The savage light that sparked in Loki’s eyes made Alice genuinely fear for the older man’s life. “You haven’t even bothered to look at Alice once, in all the time that I’ve been here. What, is she too much of a little person, too common and inconsequential for you to even fucking acknowledge?”
Oh, boy. “Loki—”
“Let me tell you something, asshole. My Alice is worth a hundred of that fucked-up kid of yours, you get me? That demented bitch nearly killed my woman, yet you won’t even take the goddamn time to look at her.”
“Exactly.” Payne crossed his arms while waves of anger rolled off him. “Preach, brother.”
“All you want to do is throw fucking money at her,” Loki growled, and if he hadn’t been holding her, Alice suspected he would have been right up in Womack’s grill. “Jesus fucking Christ, with a coldhearted bastard like you for a father, maybe it’s no wonder your kid’s a damn nut.”
“Loki, no.” In an instant, Alice jumped between Loki and Richardson Womack, who went for Loki like he had every intention of throttling him. “You don’t know what it’s like to be in this man’s shoes, but I do. I do know what it’s like to have a family member just lose it without warning,” she added as she turned to Richardson Womack. When she saw her hand was planted in the middle of the man’s chest, just like it was with Loki’s, she hastily dropped her arms so she could clutch her bandaged hands in front of her. “Right now it’s just so hard to look anyone in the eye, isn’t it? Some people might think you’re cold and uncaring because of this, but that’s not it at all. It’s like…you’re dying inside, and no one can save you from that horrible inside-dying, because you don’t know how to save the family member that’s gone off the rails. You’re as much of a victim here as anyone, but no one even thinks to consider that. They just condemn you. Or at least, that’s what you think the world is doing, because you’re condemning yourself.”
Richardson Womack cleared his throat and looked away, but not before she saw the glitter of tears.
“No one ever bothered to tell me that it wasn’t my fault when a relative of mine snapped,” she went on, hurting for him, because no one knew what he was going through better than her. “I never really understood how much I needed to hear that until this very moment, because looking at you now and seeing your pain… it’s like recognizing a part of myself. So here it is—none of this is your fault, okay? This isn’t on you. Yes, you do have a genetic connection to someone who completely lost their mind, but that isn’t who you are. In fact, if you could have avoided this, you would have done anything to do so. Please believe that no one here is condemning you, and please don’t punish yourself like… well, like I’ve been doing all this time, until this very moment. I see now that I’ve wasted years of my life doing that, so please be smarter than me and try to remember that none of this is your fault.”
“I…” Again Richardson Womack cleared his throat and seemed to have trouble getting his voice to work. “Young lady, I would appreciate it if you would give Charles your information and let him know of anything that you need. Anything. I mean that.” He began to walk past her, head held high, but he paused at the door to look back at her, and she wondered if everyone else could see how broken this man truly was. “Thank you for your kind words, my dear. I’m… I’m so sorry.”