Chapter 59
Chapter 59:
He glanced at June. She looked wrecked — pale, hair disheveled, eyes wide with humiliation. And seeing her like that, in front of his friend, triggered his worst defense mechanism.
He had to deny her. He had to minimize her.
“She was just leaving,” Cole said, his voice turning to ice. “She came to apologize for a mistake. That’s all p>
“An apology?” Crawford raised an eyebrow. “Must have been a good one p>
“It was nothing,” Cole said, staring at a stack of papers he wasn’t reading. “Just clearing out some irrelevant garbage from the past p>
The words hung in the air.
Irrelevant garbage.
𝗝𝗈𝗂𝘯 𝘁h𝗲 𝗰o𝘮𝘮uոі𝘵y 𝘢𝘵
June felt the blood drain from her extremities. It was worse than the “parasite” comment. Parasites were at least alive. Garbage was simply discarded.
She looked at Cole. He wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“Garbage,” June repeated softly.
She nodded once. “Okay p>
She grabbed her purse. She didn’t scream. She didn’t cry. She simply turned off, like a light going out.
She walked past Crawford with her chin raised and her spine straight.
“Enjoy your drink, Mr. Love,” she said, her voice stripped of all emotion.
She walked out. The door clicked shut behind her.
Crawford looked at Cole. “Dude. That was harsh. She looked like she was going to shatter p>
Cole didn’t answer. He crossed to the wet bar and poured a glass of scotch, his hand trembling as he lifted it. He downed it in a single burning swallow and set the glass down hard.
“She has Brogan,” Cole muttered. “She doesn’t need me p>
“Brogan Clements?” Crawford whistled. “Serious competition. But Cole — calling her garbage? That’s a bridge burner p>
“Good,” Cole said. “Let it burn p>
The Elevator
June leaned her forehead against the cool metal wall.
She didn’t cry. She couldn’t. The pain sat too deep for tears — a physical ache in her chest, a hollow where her heart used to be.
Irrelevant.
She studied her reflection in the polished steel. She looked tired. She looked weak.
“No more,” she whispered to the empty car.
Her phone buzzed. A text from Silas: PD has the Helix guy in custody. We need you to sign the statement. Press release goes out at 6 AM.
June straightened up. She wiped a smudge of mascara from beneath her eye and adjusted her coat.
By the time the elevator reached the lobby, the vulnerable woman was gone. The woman who stepped out into the New York night was the lead scientist fighting for her life’s work.
And she was ready for war.
The next morning, the sun rose over a city that felt different. June hadn’t slept. She had spent the last four hours on conference calls, fueled by black coffee that did little to disguise the dark circles under her eyes or the persistent, throbbing pain in her side.
Now she stood in the hallway of a dilapidated apartment building in Queens. The air smelled of boiled cabbage and stale cigarettes.
Brogan stood beside her. He had a bandage on his forehead and a slight pallor to his skin, leaning against the wall and clearly pushing through a headache.
“Are you sure about this?” Brogan asked.