Page 28 of Lau Ahi
You can’t keep killing people without reason, Asha.
I knew theoretically that was true but allowing someone like me to have this level of intelligence and these multiple successes with evading capture meant that I didn’t think like others. I was still angry that I hadn’t killed Wilbur a few weeks ago.
Not that we can’t find out who he was.
With murder firmly etched in its permanent spot in my periphery, I turned back in my chair to face the asshole that had invaded my space.
“Do not ever address me asAsha. I’ve worked too hard for all of my titles to allow them to be dismissed. My name is Dr. Avery, use it or don’t speak to me.”
“Do you really want to be known as someone who is pretentious? That doesn’t really bode well for you.” He was blowing me off but I could tell my bucking against his desires was pissing him off. The redness creeping up from his chest andinfusing his face was going to make it to his hairline if he didn’t take a breath.
“Why in the world would I be concerned? Since Ph.D.s are so prevalent here you shouldn’t have any issue with addressing me formally. We aren’t friends and we never will be.”
He exhaled as if my request were ridiculous but he was going to do me a favor. “Fine, have you—”
I held up my hand effectively cutting off whatever bullshit he was about to speak.
“I’m not finished. I do not answer to you, despite how badly you wish the contrary were true. I run my courses and my students determine if I’m performing up to an adequate standard. Until there’s a complaint from them, I don’t need to be micromanaged. You wouldn’t want to have yet another promising professor take their talents elsewhere because of your overbearing nature now would you? I doubt that would look good to the donors who count on us to ensure that we are making the university look good enough to keep the funding rolling in.”
Narrowed eyes met mine and I kept my desire to gloat in a chokehold. “That sounded like a threat.”
“Not a threat. A typical and predictable course of action when people are unhappy with their current employment: they move on. You’ve had a higher number of people in your vicinity and under your leadership moving on so I’d be careful about more complaints. With the way I’ve had donors interested in having their name on my next book, I’d think you’d tread carefully with me.”
“You’ve allowed one successful endeavor to go to your head.”
I smiled, knowing if he’d ever had anything successful happen to him he’d be insufferable.
“Funny how that happens. Yet here you stand with no successful endeavors feeling as though you can somehow humble me and tell me what to do. Ironic, isn’t it?”
“Just make sure you get your stuff done so that you don’t have others thinking that you’re slacking since you’ve gotten back.”
“Unlike you, I don’t make my assistants teach all of my courses while I walk around campus attempting to look important. And since you’re so worried about ensuring I get my work done, get out of here so that I can do just that.” I pointed toward the door and he fumbled at the ease in which I dismissed him.
“You really should—”
“Save whatever declarations you think I’m going to care about and keep them to yourself. I don’t care and never will. And while you’re here, if you barge into my office unannounced and uninvited I will have to make that formal complaint against you. I think they said that if you had one more you might be put on probation didn’t they? Wouldn’t want to mess up the tenure track you’re on now would you?”
He didn’t say anything else but he slammed my office door as he exited. I chuckled as I leaned back in my chair to release the tension in my back. It was always funny to me when men threw tantrums. They swore they were the stronger sex but couldn’t handle rejection or the weight of the world they’d handcrafted. Women had to adjust to being second-class citizens for centuries. The idea of not being prioritized was the reason why everything was going to shit now.
They truly were the sorest winners ever.
I went back through my students’ test scores putting the interaction with my colleague out of my head. I was almost done inputting them in the system when I got a call a few hours later.
I frowned at the phone on my desk since it rarely ever rang. I felt personally affronted by the intrusive sound but knew I had to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Yes, Dr. Avery?” Even the person on the other end seemed surprised that I had answered.
“Yes?”
“There are two officers here to see you.”
“Officers?”
I felt my pulse uptick and wondered if my earlier bravado about not getting caught was coming back to haunt me. There was no reason for any officers to be here to see me.
Unless they know…
