Page 24 of Strictly Against Policy

“You think you’re so fucking smart. Just like Lina. Saying all sorts of crap to make yourself feel good and self-righteous,” seethed the brother.

He spat onto the pavement, close to my shoes. I held back every fiber of my being from grabbing him by the collar. He smiled triumphantly, trying to hold me down with his glare.

“I suggest you leave,” I said. “While you can.”

Sirens echoed in the distance.

The man came to a halt as he frowned. His hands trembled as his mouth pulled into a huge, ugly grimace. “Fuck you!” he barked. He turned to the pharmacy, baring his teeth at Lina like a cornered animal. “I’ll see you at home, you fucking bitch!”

He didn’t even give me a chance to reply before fleeing the scene—running so fast, he was long gone before I could count to five. I let out a sigh of relief as the sirens grew closer only for an ambulance to speed past the pharmacy.

I stood there, waiting for another siren to ring in the distance until it was too cold. I couldn’t stand it anymore and approached the pharmacy, empty-handed. The roasted duck I purchased had long been tossed to the asphalt when I came running to help my employee.

Lina quickly unbolted the front doors to let me in. “When are the police getting here?” I asked, locking the door behind me.

Lina stilled, but the lines embedded into her face told another story. Her icy demeanor was nonexistent as her eyes welled up. Her eyebrows were crumpled. Her parted lips quivered, as did the hand that came up to cover her mouth. She tore her eyes from me. A muffled cry slipped out of her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, wiping her tears away.

“It’s okay,” I said. “Once the police get here, we’re safe to leave.”

Lina hesitated, pausing for what felt like an eternity.

“I never call the police,” she finally croaked.

My chest constricted into a tight and uncomfortable ball, making it hard for my ribcage to expand. I could barely breathe. This was the life Lina lived outside of work—and school ten years ago?

“Why didn’t you?” I asked. My voice was much firmer than I intended.

A fresh set of tears rolled down her face. “That’s my brother, Jonathan.”

I pursed my lips. “Harassing their sister isn’t what brothers do.”

“No, but mine does.”

Silence flowed into the room, thick and heavy apart from Lina’s cries. For a long time, our only exchange was her sobs and my silence. I didn’t know how to comfort her, which meant I did the one thing I figured I could do. I took off my overcoat and put it on her still shivering, much smaller frame.

Lina Lee’s personality had always taken up so much space for me. It was to such an extent that I never realized how tiny she was until that moment.

“Thank you for everything,” she whispered.

She tugged my jacket closer to her as her dark eyes finally met mine. Those black depths were all emotion as they brimmed with a fresh set of tears. My heart pumped one beat harder at the sight of her like this. With a flush now warm on my cheeks, I looked away.

“You don’t have to thank me,” I mumbled.

Lina shuffled on her feet. “We should leave. It’s late.”

“He said he was going to see you at home. You live with him?”

I know I shouldn’t pry since this was personal. But I was worried about my employee. I may not like her, but that didn’t mean I relished the thought of her safety and life being threatened. I wasn’t that cruel.

“No. I live alone.”

My eyebrows crumpled together. “Your brother harasses you at your home?”

She pulled off my overcoat and handed it to me with both hands. I didn’t move to accept it.

“Your brother harasses you like this at home. And you never call the police?” I repeated my question in a coarse and blunt tone.