Page 35 of Anatomy of Us
“Don’t explain it to me.” She lifts a hand and cuts me off. “Whatever is or isn’t between you two isn’t my business as long as it doesn’t hurt the team. For all I care, you can fuck as much as you want as long as you don’t show up tired. But you need to know this can complicate things.”
“Fuck,” I blow out.
“Exactly.”
I drag my hands down my face. Nate. It has to be Nate. After Florida. After Iris and the rest of the girls shredded his story online. This is revenge.
“Can I talk to her?”
Hades watches me for a long beat, like she’s deciding if I’m a risk or a human.
“She’s in her office.” Her voice turns sharp again. “But Méndez, be careful. Whatever you do outside of here is yours. Inside the club facilities, I want distance. That anonymous complaint probably goes nowhere, but I don’t want it touching your custody case with the kid.”
“Understood.”
**
When I get there, Tessa sits at her desk, going through medical reports.
“Diana told you,” she says, even though she knows the answer.
“It’s Nate,” I say. “It’s him.”
“It’s the most likely,” Tessa answers, calm on the surface. “But it’s anonymous, so we’ll never know for sure.”
“I know it’s him,” I insist.
Tessa sighs and rubs her eyes with her fingers. The gesture makes her look younger. More exposed. More human. It’s the same thing she did in college when she was worried about an exam.
“What does this mean?” I ask, lowering my voice. “For you. I mean.”
She shrugs like it’s all garbage, but it’s garbage she has to carry anyway.
“It means I get investigated,” she says. “They review every decision I make on your case from day one. Every report. Every clearance. Every time I decide you’re ready for the next step. That kind of thing.”
“They won’t find anything. You’ve been flawless.”
“I’ve been as professional as I can with the medical part.” Her mouth tightens. “But the rest…” She stops. Pauses too long. Worry hangs off her like wet fabric.
“What’s the worst that can happen?”
“The worst?” She exhales through her nose. “If they prove favoritism, temporary suspension. A permanent note in my file. My reputation questioned at every future job. Years of career building, tossed into the trash.”
“You’re not thinking about leaving for another club, right?” I hear the plea in my own voice and hate it. “Please tell me it doesn’t even cross your mind.”
“No.”
One word. She says it with so much conviction it almost makes me shake.
“I promise you this time is different,” she adds. “And for once in my life, I want to keep that promise.”
“Tessa—”
“Let me finish, please.” She reaches over the desk and takes my hands, squeezing them. Light, but real. “I’m scared. Of the investigation. Of what happens to my career. But mostly I’m scared it affects Wes’s custody case. That I mess this up and lose you forever. But fear isn’t a good enough reason to leave anymore. It doesn’t work. I don’t want it to work.”
“Are you trying to make me cry?”
“You’re ridiculous,” she says, and then she winks like she didn’t just crack my ribs open. “See you tonight at your place.”