Page 79 of The Texas Ranger: Saddled Up
She narrowed her gaze, feeling an urge to throw his glass at his head. “Not until I had already been through so much and the survivor sense was embedded in my brain. I’m sick and tired of people thinking they can tell me how I should have acted, how I should have felt. Especially coming from a man who has been taken care of by his parents all his life. You get so much as a hangnail, and your mother is at your beck and call.”
“Don’t bring Mother into this.”
“Then don’t travel into my past where you have no idea what my life was like. What I’ve seen in you is someone Idon’t want to be around. You’ve always had a casual, uncaring contempt for what I’ve been through. You never wanted to hear what my childhood was like. So, here’s where we stand. I’m done. Done with the arrogance. Done with the excuses. Done with the vicious cycle. Done with you thinking that you’re superior. You should really work on that before you think about running for office again. People will see straight through your bullshit eventually.”
“I love this person you are now,” he said without humiliation. “Fiery.”
“For who I am now?” she scoffed. “Who I was as a child formed who I am now.”
He opened his mouth, protest filling his gaze, but he stopped and rerouted. “Fine. This is a moot conversation.”
“You’re right. The flame has extinguished.”
Every bit of humor left. “Is this why you came here?”
She took a step. “No, this isn’t why I came. You’re responsible for MedLabOne. There’s something that you need to see.” She whipped out the folded papers from her back pocket that she’d printed and tossed them beside him. She would forever be grateful for the anonymous person that sent all the “dirty” files to her email that morning. Aasia now had the proof for Bentley.
He picked them up, grazing them with half-attention. “What are these?”
“Take a look.”
He scanned a few of the sheets. His gaze narrowed. His brow popped up twice. Then he lifted his gaze. “Where did you get these?”
She wouldn’t tell him. “These are financial reports, data, insurance approved labs, Bentley. My name is on many of these statements.”
“You were responsible for ordering these things.” He tossed the papers onto the table.
“You’re right. However, there’s a bit of a glitch. I can prove that my name was being forged for fake claims.”
“Aasia…you’re angry—”
“Look.” She swiped up the papers and stabbed her finger at the bottom of a report. “How is it possible that I’m still signing my name after my termination date?” She bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing at his flash of surprise. Nothing about this situation was funny. They were using MedLabOne as a cover for illegal business dealings connected partly to his campaign. If only she had more proof and exact details. “Oops. Someone overlooked that discrepancy. Was it out of clumsiness? Or did Deacon Clark grow tired of being your patsy? Is this why you withdrew from the campaign?”
She’d give it to Bentley. He certainly did have an amazing poker face. However, the telltale creases around his mouth told her she’d struck a nerve.
“You always did have a wild imagination,” he said smoothly.
“This will destroy the lab and everything good we’ve done. All the hard work. Anyone involved in this scam needs to be held accountable. I believe Deacon sent these to me. It’s not a coincidence that you fired him and he disappeared. Where did he go? Did you pay him off to leave?”
He stood, a little slower than usual, picked up his glass, and drained it. “In politics we tend to have a handful of enemies. Looks like I’m adding another one to the list.” His beady eyes penetrated her reserve. “I won’t let anyone ruin my chances for a future race.”
She squinted. “Is that all you care about? Yourself?”
He didn’t make eye contact when he said, “I’ve lived my life to a certain level with my focus on a political career.Sometimes we must do things to advance,” he said without shame.
“Which includes illegal activities?”
“Let’s cut to the chase.” A moment’s hesitation passed. “Why are you here and not the Sheriff?”
“So, you’re admitting everything?”
“What do you want?” His thick accent was breaking through. “Your job back at the lab? Money? How much?”
“I want you to stop destroying MedLabOne,” she said quietly.
“And if I don’t?”
“I have all the proof I need to shut down your operation. An investigation of this size will not only shutdown the lab but will ruin you and your family name.”
