Breaking Steele (Sarah Steele Legal Thriller)

Chapter 29

I DIDN’T TELL JOSHUA until we were back at the office, standing before Dan’s desk. Then I laid it out, telling them I wanted off the case. I knew Joshua wasn’t going to handle it well.

He didn’t.

“You can’t quit now,” he said, rising to his full height. He towered over me. “If you’re off this case, it will never be solved. You know everything about it.”

“And they know everything about me,” I said. “That’s why I can’t work on it.” My voice broke. “He kidnapped me, almost killed you and Mandy, set things on fire, destroyed Heather’s life, sent me flowers, called me, and all the while he runs one of the most successful businesses in the United States.”

“A saner person would’ve quit before this,” Dan said.

Joshua glowered, and I saw hurt behind his eyes. I’d disappointed him. It was hard to see.

I went on, not looking Joshua in the eye. “I just think someone with more experience could handle this case better than me.”

I swallowed. That wasn’t the real reason. I knew it. They knew it. My fear darkened the room like a cloud. They just didn’t know that I wasn’t afraid of Hank Williams—I was afraid of myself.

Dan raised his eyebrows. “That’s the first time I’ve heard any statement from you that was anything less than 100% confident.”

I looked down. Was I being wise about this, or was I just admitting defeat? Either way, I was bone-tired of it.

“The safety of my employees is my number-one priority,” Dan said. He arranged the papers on his desk. “If you want off the case, you’re off the case. Take a few days for yourself, relax and get your bearings. Come back on Tuesday. I’ll give you a new case, something you can handle.”

The words burned within me. My cheeks turned red. It was the first time I hadn’t seen a case through to the end and it rubbed me raw.

“Joshua, you’re still on it,” Dan said. “I’m going to talk to a few people and see who’s best for the job.”

Joshua still looked at me as if he couldn’t believe what I was saying. But he didn’t know what was in me, what this case had revealed. It was breaking me. I wasn’t going to wait for it to tear me in two.